Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Geneviève Gauckler

I first saw this illustrator back in Sweden at least 10 or so years ago, and it was love at first sight. I love the simple characters with their silhouette shapes and wonderful colour combinations. Here are some of her characters on clothes and accessories. Simply, super awesome!

Geneviève Gauckler is a Paris based artist who creates numerous lovable characters, blends them into everyday life scenes and turns the fantastical world into reality with her magical power. She has an evident taste for simple, colorful shapes. She’s into everything and constantly amazed, handling and creating images and shapes with dexterity and innocence. Geneviève Gauckler can look back on broad experience in the field of graphic design, illustration and art direction.

Visit her website for more great art and collaborations.

Mini DJ

I guess this shows you are never too young to get your GROOVE on... yeah!

Ouef AW 11

Ouef's winter collection is no disappointment. Nice knits and funny accessories as usual. I love the Bolt knit below... You can find a large selection of the collection over at Smallable.

via Ouef & coos & ahhs.

Jan Von Hollenben

I recently stumbled upon this photographers work... I like the playfulness in these shots and they also sort of sum up a boys fantasies and adventures in one fun photo. I am sure the boys in the photos had fun doing them as well..

Jan Von Hollenberg
Born in 1977 in Cologne and brought up in the southern German countryside, he lived most of his youth in an alternative commune and identifies a strong connection between the development of his photographic work and the influence of his parents, a cinematographer and child therapist. At the age of 13, he followed his father’s photographic career by picking up a camera and experimenting with all sorts of "magical tricks", developing his photographic imagination and skills with friends and family and later honing his technique in commercial settings.

After pursuing studies in teaching children with disabilities at the Pädagogische Hochschule in Freiburg, he moved to London, earned a degree in the Theory and History of Photography at Surrey Institute of Art and Design, and became submerged within the London photographic scene, where he worked as picture editor, art director and photographic director. He quickly set up two photographic collectives, Young Photographers United and photodebut, followed more recently by the Photographer’s Office. His body of photographic work focusing on the ‘homo ludens’ – the man who learns through play, is itself built from a playful integration of pedagogical theory with his own personal experiences of play and memories of childhood.

Jan von Holleben’s work has been exhibited internationally and published widely throughout the world









Tuesday, August 30, 2011

City Life...

Went into the city first thing this morning... had coffee & breakfast in a cozy lane, watching people starting their lives, getting on with their routines. No little people today, just a lot of hours enjoying, views, sights and sounds of Melbourne City... LOVE.


Little Man

Gosh I love this age... I know they like to call it the terrible two's, and sure there are moments where the terrible part comes in, but most times it is just wonderful two's for us. My little man is so curious and a little something like putting his red car into a water bucket just to see how wet it gets is entertainment for eternity. I love how the language is developing every day, and the cuddles and kisses that reminds me of that of a wet dog..haha. Yep I do love my little man.




Monday, August 29, 2011

Brand watch: Tommy Rocket & Two Belles

Australian brand Tommy Rocket (boys) and Two Belles (girls) is one of my favorite Australian clothing labels for both girls and boys.

They have been around for a few years and I love how they collaborate with local, freelancing artists in each collection. A while back KidStyleFile had a meet and greet with the two creators, and I thought I would share it here.

Meet & Greet by Angela (kidsstylefile.com.au)
Today I’d like you to meet Brooke Murphy, the design talent behind ultra cool kidswear labels Tommy Rocket, and Two Belles. Brooke and her partner Ben live on the coast of Victoria, with their two children Belle, 9, and Tom, 3 years (the namesakes of the labels), where they enjoy some of the best surf in the country.










Tell us a little about your background.

We live on the coast in Jan Juc, near Bells beach, Victoria. It’s a small community where the kids walk to school, hang over each others fences, and ride their bikes up and down the street. It is the way we grew up, and it is fantastic giving the same freedom to our own kids.

I have worked in the fashion industry for 15 years – I have a technical background in design and garment construction – and Ben, my partner, has worked in the industry for 25 years.

Ben now runs the ladies retail and wholesale operation of our women’s wear label “Ellis and Dewey” – we have 5 ladies stores – and I work in the product side of the business, developing the ladies and children’s ranges that are sold to over 200 independent boutiques nation wide.

















Belle (our 9 year old daughter) is a Tomboy who prefers to wear the Tommy Rocket black tanks than any of the Two Belles product, and will run a mile if I ask her to try on a dress.

Tom (our 3 year old son) refuses to take off any of our tees if it has an animal, dinosaur or robot on it, and often carries a favourite under his arm as company for the day.

I am never short of models, and the great thing about kids is how honest they are……we know when we are on to a winner if the neighbourhood kids won’t take something off, and they soon tell us when they don’t like something too!

How did your labels Tommy Rocket and Two Belles came about?

Tommy Rocket and Two Belles came about 3 and a half years ago out of our desire to offer great childrenswear for 3-7 year olds. We teamed up with 2 other business partners to form our own company, and collectively we have over 60 years of combined experience in the wholesale clothing industry.

We wanted to offer children’s street/fashion wear and take advantage of the graphic artists in our area whose careers had otherwise been established in adult wear.

There is an enormous amount of talent that does not get used in the children’s market. We use those artists, and now have a following each season of consumers who want the next Tommy Rocket printed tee.

Tell us about the design process: how you work, and what influences you

We start by looking at what has been well received the previous season. We value the stores that sell our products, and the end consumers, and we are often swayed by what they want to see in the range.

I also travel throughout the year to Asia and the States, where we pick up samples and new ideas of what is coming through for the next season.

The freelance graphic artists that do our graphic t-shirt prints have a big impact on the overall look of the range. We workshop the whole look and feel of the range.

We really believe this gives us an edge – our boys and girls printed tees are what we are known for.

Why did you choose to develop two different labels rather than girls and boys under one label?

Boys and girls are so different, so why do boys and girls clothing under the same label? Tommy Rocket is solely aimed and focused on the Tommy Rocket boy and Two Belles on our girls, they do not cross over, and when we develop the ranges together we focus on each one individually, ensuring individual and strong collections.




















Who are your favourite baby and kids designers?

I don’t look at other childrens ranges necessarily; it is easier to put together more original focused ranges when you are not swayed by what other people are doing.

The brands I do look at for inspiration is cool adult streetwear, the labels that do great denim, fantastic graphic printed tees with stripe combos you don’t see everywhere.

When I look at adults streetwear, it is easy to see what we should offer in kids wear.

If you could see your clothing on any child in the world who would it be?

All kids are special; they don’t have to be born into celebrity royalty to have their own great style.

I recently saw a 3 year old boy walking down the street with his Mum. He had on the Tommy Rocket low slung check shorts with our fitted muscle tank, he had a bandana tied around his arm, and he was checking himself out in the refection as he walked past a store. He had a real bop in his step and was loving life.

I have no idea who he was, but it made my day. These are the kids I love seeing in our product.

Most of our printed tees have a vintage feel, and there is usually a great story behind the prints. Our graphic artists aim to develop prints that have a nostalgic feeling for the parents too.

We are often reminded about our own childhoods and great memories we have when we view the ranges before they hit the stores.

What’s coming up for Tommy Rocket & Two Belles?

More great slim line shorts and denim…………our stripe tees with awesome graphic prints, bright colours, great dresses and tops in bold prints.

We always remind ourselves what kids want to wear……in boyswear it is simple – shorts tanks and tees in great colours with cool prints. In girls, the same deal, with a few great dresses for those special occasions.


















Complete this statement: “Tommy Rocket & Two Belles kids are…

…individuals, expressing themselves through their warpaint….the effortlessly cool teenagers of the future….the budding film makers, snowboarders, architects, florists, skateboarders, t-shirt designers and chefs of the next generation!”

Tommy Rocket & Two Belles are available here:
Buckets&Spades, Where Did you Get That, Whimsy Child, 5LittleMonkeys

Interview: Bronagh Staley

There is a nice interview of Bronagh Staley (owner of Sweet William)
from the Inside Source. This lady has got one mean gift of spotting the
best brands on the market. Happy reading!

The Proprietor of Brooklyn's
Sweetest Kid Shop on Trends for Tots
.

by Jane Sung


Free Delivery!

Don't forget Sienna loves Kai's offer today. Free shipping (UK and Internationally) and a 10% off all clothes orders :) Just mention AW-11 at checkout.

ps: code is valid only until Wednesday, 7th September.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Nonchalant Mom

One of my favorite online shops are Nonchalant Mom. They have such
a wonderful, personal and most important comfortable choices for both
kids and adults. At the moment all the new collections from their brands
are coming up online, and what a nice selection of brands they have!

I am really loving ESP no1. and Nico.Nico's new collections. ESP no1 has
focused on nice simple contrasts and nice little pockets for details.
Nico.Nico is just getting stronger and stronger in my eyes. I love their
ethnic feel and organic material. You instantly know you will have a soft
garment if you go with this brand.

Here are some of my favorite picks from their webshop... have a look!


Saturday, August 27, 2011

Moonkids AW11

Moonkids autumn winter collection 11 is now online and
available over at Oii barnkläder.

Here are some of my favorites...


Friday, August 26, 2011

Softness

We received a package from Doodlebug the other day.
The kids tested the tees today and it was instant LOVE.

The 95% bamboo + 5% lycra is a match made in heaven
when it comes to comfort. The fabric falls nicely and must
be so nice to wear. Perfect kids wear... or adult wear for
that matter, here's to hoping adult sizes will be available
soon :)

Doodlebug summer/spring 11 catalog

Have a nice weekend everybody!!


Oii-licious!

The son of the founder of Oii barnkläder (Matteo) picked out his own outfit the other day and the result was rather Oii-licious! Look below for what he picked.
Comfy, casual and as we say in Swedish... klockrent! :) All items available at Oii of course.


Thursday, August 25, 2011

WITCHERY KIDS

Australian Witchery Kids have only been around for a couple of seasons, but I think they have grown for each and every collection. This time around they have gone and delivered some really nice basic clothes with a twist. These are my favorites from this seasons Spring 11 collection.

  1. Asymmetric Placket Hoodie $44.95
  2. Star Tank $29.95
  3. Stripe Scarf $19.95
  4. Striped Anorak $79.95
  5. Garment Dyed Zip Hoodie With Applique $49.95






Rebel With A Cause

Bea Åkerlund has created an exclusive collection with award winning brand Mini Rodini. The line combines the stylist's definitive style and the brand's illustrative concept.

The 'Rebel with a Cause' collection is inspired by Bea's rock'n'roll style and adorned with playful details such as bows, skull clowns, dots and animal ears. Available from September.

Have a look at:

www.minirodini.se
via kid's wear department.






















Wednesday, August 24, 2011

A Few Questions to: Sienna loves Kai














I recently had the opportunity to ask Krystle Lana the owner of Sienna Loves Kai, a childrens boutique for fashion forward kids, a couple of questions... I hope you enjoy reading her answers just as much as I did...

Can you tell us a little about Sienna loves Kai? What is your inspiration, and where did the name come from?

Sienna Love Kai was established in 2010 by myself and my partner Ben, we have always had a strong connection with fashion with myself coming from a buying and manufacturing background and Ben with over 10years experience in retail and merchandising it felt only natural to start our own business. It was not until our children Kai and Sienna (hence the name) were born that we put our plans in to action! We always struggled in finding clothes that reflected our kids free spirit and playful personalities. We found ourselves ordering from a different international sites just to get the brands we were looking for. We decided that now was the time to start SLK. The inspiration behind SLK started with our love for Scandinavian brands such as Mini Rodini, Popupshop and Acne, which has developed to the rest of Europe
.














I love all the brands you stock at SLK, how do you go about choosing what to stock? Is there anything that is particular important to you when you choose, and do you have a favorite brand yourself?

We love all our brands too! Each season we commit ourselves in buying a collection based on quality, innovation, value and fun. Buying for me is the best part of my job, I love the anticipation of opening a lookbook or attending a showroom to view new season. This is the feeling I want give all my customers and I hope this is achieve in my selection. Its so hard to choose a favourite, each brand is our favourite for different reasons! Mini Rodini for its innovation, Kidcase for quality and Bobo Choses for its freshness and simplicity. I could go on forever!














Sienna loves Kai has recently opened up it's doors as a shop in London, what are the biggest challenges and rewards with a physical shop as to running an online shop?

At SLK our team is passionate, strong and customer focused, we strive to provide an exhilarating and exceptional shopping experience for each and every customers whether on-line or in store. I wouldn't say there is much difference between on-line and our shop in London apart from the geographical aspect. We love our on-line shop because we can reach out to our customers from South Korea, Australia and USA all in one day. Although we don't personal delivery to our international customers we like to think the service we provide will bring them back to shop with us again. As we are a small business and are very approachable we have even gained new friendships from our customers and often engage in conversation that don't include SLK.















We are fast approaching a new season and new collections, can you share some of your favorite new items coming in at SLK this fall?? Any new brands arriving on the shelves?

For me the key must have pieces are;

  • Bobo Choses Cape
  • Peacock oversize tee
  • Mini Rodini Bonjour jumper, arriving in October (see pic)
  • Kidscase Red Knitted Bob baby dress arriving friday (pic of Sienna trying it out)

    We also have new brands Popupshop,
    Scotch Rebelle, Dinosole and Scotch Shrunk coming soon.

    Visit Sienna Loves Kai online or at 440 Garratt Lane, London, SW18 4HN, England.















7 Things...

that would rock any kids world & room.
All available in one single place, Kido!

  1. Oeuf Toy Store
  2. Bloom Coco Baby Lounger
  3. Donna Wilson Blah Blah mini blanket
  4. Flensted, Happy Whales
  5. Deus Ex Machina poster
  6. Areaware panda pillow
  7. Hug A Planet Earth pillow








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