A 27-year-old woman has spent the past two decades building a unique collection for her future children. Nicole, who runs the Instagram account @VillaDeSanti, is a biomedical engineer pursuing her doctorate. Yet, it’s her passion for collecting baby clothes that has drawn significant attention online.
“I started collecting baby clothes when I was very young,” she told PEOPLE. “I was about 5 or 6 when I began gathering clothes for my baby dolls. My mom encouraged my love for dolls, and over the years, this evolved into a collection for my future kids.”
Nicole’s collection now includes “maybe 100 items total,” with both boys’ and girls’ clothes. “I don’t shop often,” she explains. “Items come and go. Sometimes I buy something and later decide not to keep it. I’ll give it away or sell it. What I show online is what I’ve gathered over time. The collection is always evolving.”
She enjoys customizing the clothes to fit her vision. “Crocheting and embroidery have always been part of my life,” she says. “My grandma and mom both did it, so it was natural for me to pick it up too.”
Recently, Nicole has applied these skills to her collection. “It’s fun to use what I’ve learned to create a wardrobe for my future kids,” she says. She particularly values the items she customizes or makes herself. “My favorite pieces are the ones I make entirely from scratch,” she adds. “They challenge me to learn new techniques. One dress with embroidered sleeves was especially tough, but I learned so much from it.”
Nicole also loves thrifting and finding vintage pieces. “Each item has a story or something that drew me to it,” she says. Recently, she began sharing her collection on Instagram to connect with other collectors. “I thought, ‘Maybe there are more people like me with the same dreams and interests.’ The feedback has been mostly positive, and it’s been really fun.”
Seeing the appreciation for her collection brings Nicole joy, both now and for the future. “I hope my future kids feel the love that went into gathering these items,” she says. “Not just materially, but knowing they’ve been on my mind for so long. I look forward to living this dream with them and sharing what it means to me.”
