Bangladeshi-American designer, author, and entrepreneur NABELA NOOR radiates love, light, and positivity through every medium she touches— and there are many. From her size-inclusive clothing label to her debut children’s book, Beautifully Me, the soon-to-be mom shares her journey through business and life to get to the other side, expecting her rainbow baby girl in the spring.

photography by KINNA SHAFFER after the storm

MINI | We are so inspired by your work as a designer, author, entrepreneur! Can you tell us about your brands and how they all came to be?

NABELA NOOR | I am so excited to share that my debut children’s book, Beautifully Me, is now in stores and online! This book has been such a labor of love, and I wrote every single word with my future baby in mind. I wrote this book while struggling with my infertility journey and I had no idea when I would be blessed with a child. But I wrote every sentence and every word dreaming that one day I’d read it to my future child, maybe even my future daughter. And today, my book is out and I’m pregnant with my miracle baby girl. Miracles truly do happen and even the wildest dreams come true. Beautifully Me is about a young South Asian, Bangladeshi-American girl named Zubi who discovers the meaning of beauty on her first day of school. The story follows how she arrives at her own definition and how the unkind words others use to describe themselves influences how she sees herself. I hope this book serves as a conversation starter for children and adults on the importance of self-love and being kind to yourself, because you never know who is listening and learning. I am also the Designer and CEO of my brand, Zeba, which provides size-inclusive clothing with a reimagined sizing system that focuses on affirmations rather than conventional size labels. Zeba is named after my mother, and her name means “beautiful.” It only seemed fitting to name a brand that is dedicated to redefining beauty after my mother who taught me so much about the true meaning of beauty. My home brand, Saara and Begum, is named after my grandmothers and launched over the summer. I wanted to celebrate both my South Asian heritage as well as small town Pennsylvania living, so our products are all intentionally crafted, thoughtful launches that support artisans in Pennsylvania as well as Bangladesh. Together with my husband, I founded my non-profit scholarship program called Noor House, which focuses on providing 20 young girls in Bangladesh with free education and resources to help break the cycle of poverty. You can also find home content on my homemaking community @NabelaNoorHome on Instagram as well as @Nabela on TikTok, where I share my #pocketsofpeace content that focuses on highlighting the moments of goodness in each day. All of my brands and projects fall under my digital media company, Love & Noor, which houses all aspects of my business.

MINI | What has been your proudest career moment to date?

NABELA NOOR | It’s tough to pick one, because I’m genuinely so grateful for each milestone, but right now, it’s the launch of my children’s book, Beautifully Me.

MINI | What has been the greatest lesson you’ve learned in business thus far?

NABELA NOOR | Failure is only failure if you didn’t learn something. I try to learn from every failure, so that it’s not a setback but an opportunity for a comeback.

MINI | What advice would you give to others looking to start their own brands?

NABELA NOOR | Focus on your lane, your path, and your passion. Don’t look left or right. Look ahead and know that consistency is key. Show up for your dreams every day and be kind to yourself as you navigate entrepreneurship.

MINI | You do have an exciting addition coming up— a baby! What were your first thoughts when you learned you were pregnant with your rainbow baby?

NABELA NOOR | I was in disbelief. I had just suffered a miscarriage that completely shook my world. I was still mourning and grieving our loss, so to be blessed in this way during a time that felt so dark, it was as though I was lifted from the depths of my despair and clothed in hope, joy, and the biggest miracle. Our daughter came to us when we had no hope and no faith and now she is my reminder of both for the rest of my life.

MINI | You’ve most recently shared, it’s a GIRL! Were you completely surprised by the gender reveal or did you have any inklings about what you were having?

NABELA NOOR | I think I blacked out at the gender reveal when the confetti canon popped. The moment I saw the color, I started to shake and it felt like time stood still. I had been having dreams that the baby was a girl for several weeks. The moment that I found out I was pregnant, I felt a stillness inside me that I was carrying my daughter. But I kept those little feelings of intuition to myself and Seth, who also felt similarly. So when the canon proved my intuition to be correct, it just felt so destined and surreal.

MINI | How would you describe your pregnancy thus far— has anything

taken you particularly by surprise?

NABELA NOOR | I’ve been very thankful that my first trimester was relatively smooth. I had been warned about the potential nausea and sickness so I was mentally prepared for that, but it never came. The most prominent symptoms I struggled with was the overwhelming exhaustion and food aversions. But despite those being tough to manage at times, I am so so grateful for the overall journey of the first trimester. Now that I’m in my second trimester, I am excited to see what lies ahead!

MINI | Let’s talk about baby names!. Are there some names that you like and your husband doesn’t, or visa versa? Or are you on the same page? NABELA NOOR | We already have our baby’s name picked out! The story of how our baby’s name came to be is really special, and we can’t wait to share. We immediately were on the same page and it just clicked, so we love calling her by her name all day.

MINI | What is most important to you in raising your kids?

NABELA NOOR | Raising a daughter who is kind to herself and others, who is confident, feels loved, embraced, validated and feels empowered to listen to her heart. I want to raise our child to lead with love and compassion and I just want to support her dreams however I can.

NABELA ON THE CLOCK

ALWAYS IN MY FRIDGE

“My mom’s cooking.”

NOW WATCHING

“SVU. Always.”

NOW LISTENING “I Get to Love You by Ruelle.”

KIDS MOVIE “Luca is a favorite. I hope our baby loves it!”

FAVE KIDS SHOP “Pottery Barn Kids!”

GUILTY PLEASURE

“Shopping!”

COFFEE ORDER “I love my sister’s chai. I wish everyone could enjoy her chai.”

FAVE KIDS BOOK “Currently my own, Beautifully Me.”