“And so began Dot & Mila, a small but mighty business committed to empowering women and championing ethical production.”
– Louisa Parker Bowles
‘What the editors are loving right now’, Condé Nast Traveller
Nina and Alice Gage with Dot
About us
We are Nina and Alice Gage, a mother-daughter team from Moss Vale, Australia, Gundungurra land. We are passionate about our beautiful, high-quality, ethically made dresses that your child can love, live in and pass on.
Dot & Mila is a family business. Its name comes from two special little girls in our lives – cousins born just 10 weeks apart.
Nina Gage is the founder and operator of Nina’s Pathways, a travel company specialising in small-group tours to Sri Lanka.
Alice Gage is an editor, writer and content creator based in Sydney. She’s also mum to a very enthusiastic 4-year-old dress-wearer.
With an abundance of intricate smocking, embroidery, puff sleeves, lace trims and covered buttons, our exquisite, hand-smocked dresses celebrate the nostalgia of classic children’s fashion. Handmade by dressmakers working from their own homes in Colombo, Sri Lanka, our styles come in small runs and limited sizes, so you know when your little person wears her special dress, it’s one of a kind.
One of our talented dressmakers in Colombo, Sri Lanka
About the dressmakers
Dot & Mila smocked dresses are handmade by ten highly skilled female dressmakers working from their own homes in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
The high quality, 100% cotton fabric used to make the dresses is sourced locally in Colombo.
The designs of the dresses are a collaboration between Nina, Alice and the dressmakers – we know what Australian girls like to wear and they know about smocked dresses!
As well as being honoured to work with such expert dressmakers, we are immensely proud of being able to help support our female workforce, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. The revenue generated by Dot & Mila is a vital income stream for the dressmakers, whose livelihoods have been greatly destabilised by the virtual collapse of Sri Lanka’s tourism industry.