Vancouver Mom to Follow: Jennifer Rainnie of Malvados

This week’s Vancouver Mom to Follow is Jennifer Rainnie, a busy entrepreneur and mom of 3. She has worked in the fashion industry for the past 18 years and created her own footwear brand MALVADOS three years ago.

>> Enter to win one of 6 pairs of Malvados on the VM Facebook Page or Instagram feed (contest now closed)

Inspired by her love of music, adventure, travel and fashion. During her high school summers, she lived in a van and travelled the shorelines in search of surf and wind. In university, she traded her meal cards to pay for concert tickets and weekend getaways. As soon as she could she moved to Hawaii to live in a house full of surfers in Paia so she could charge the North Shore waves every day. When she returned to Canada, she pursued a successful career in the action sports fashion industry. Always a wine glass half full kinda girl, she named her brand “Malvados” because translated in Spanish it means “wicked” and that was her favourite word in her 20’s.

Jennifer also serves on the board for the Heart and Stroke Foundation and is the chair for their upcoming Heart of Gold Gala being held at the PARQ hotel on June 1.

Places Jennifer loves to go

Restaurants

Image credit: Vancouver Magazine / vanmag.com

What about for date night? I don’t have any particular restaurant that is my favourite, I enjoy trying a variety of places. Chambar, Bao Bei, Miku, Joe Fortes.

Girls Night Out

Or a girls night out? If in Whistler it’s always Buffalo Bills. In Vancouver we like Parlour or Pac Rim.

Coffee and eats

Or coffee with friends? I love the Anchor Eatery in West Vancouver. For Breakfast or lunch with my kids its Glory or Budhaful lower Lonsdale. breakfast with the Girls its Lift on Lonsdale.

Ice Cream

Our favourite Ice Cream place is Earnest Ice Cream or The Welcome Parlour in North Vancouver

Kids’ places

My kids are a little older now but when they were young I really took advantage of my local rec centre play centre drop in at Karen Magnusen. Also Go Bananas play gym in Capilano Mall was always a favourite.

Spring Break Events in Metro Vancouver

The great outdoors

We love to hike. Our favourite weekend hike is Quarry Rock in Deep Cove. We will go to Honey Donuts first and buy their famous donuts and take them up the hike and enjoy them at the look out.

Kids programs

My girls have always been heavily into dance, and my son is into hockey. All three of my kids learned to ski through the Whistler Ski School, and I highly recommend their program.