Creative mums enter the baby style business
Creative mothers have come together at new store bringing style to the babyware scene
There is a new ‘KID’ on the babywares block. Aptly named KID, this collective of independent designers aims to provide a new retail concept for modern families.
Situated on the top floor of the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre in Dublin, KID is a co-op of established and emerging Irish brands across baby and child homewares, accessories and fashion, in a trendy Scandinavian-inspired store.
There are 10 independent designers who make up KID, all mothers who had previously collaborated with each other in some form or other. When the opportunity arose to tender for a retail space at Powercourt Townhouse Centre, subsidised by Dublin City Council, the ten grouped together knowing that collectively they could provide a unique and enjoyable shopping experience.
‘None of us could set up on our own, we couldn’t afford to run a shop alone, so it was ideal for the likes of us,’ says Caitríona Breathnach, whose brand Anu is a natural, chemical-free cosmetic range that includes child-safe soy wax candles and baby balms made from carrageen Irish moss and pure essential oils. Together they all manage the lifestyle store, from the day-to-day sales and accounts, to interior layout, packaging and promotion.
‘We all work here, we split the rent between the group, we don’t hire anyone and we all do shifts Monday to Saturday,’ explains Patrycja Redzikowska of Plepleple, a children’s accessories brand. ‘We also rent out shelf space to other kids’ brands like us, up-and-coming designers where we stock and sell their items on a commission basis which helps with rent.’
‘Amanda does the roster,’ adds Caitríona. ‘I don’t know how she works it out between what hours we can all do, and everyone has children and other commitments, but she does it and it’s worked so far.’
For busy mothers like those involved in this co-op, being able to communicate virtually is a godsend – and in fact most of their communication is done via social media platform WhatsApp.
What sets KID apart is that it not only unites multiple trendfocused brands under one roof, but more importantly, these are mother-driven brands, which all share a passion for creativity, quality and good functional design for children.
It was obvious that there was a big gap in the Irish market for such a store, and this savvy group of mothers should know that – they have 30 children between them, with another on the way.
From the get-go, the group wanted to create a family-friendly shopping space. The store hosts a play area for kids and a comfortable baby feeding and changing room – with considerate touches such as bottled water and spare muslins.
‘For breastfeeding mothers in shopping centres there isn’t usually an actual private space for this, and not everyone feels com- fortable sitting on a chair in a restaurant, so we wanted to create a space dedicated for mothers like us who are looking for a bit of comfort and privacy,’ explains Patrycja, who is expecting her second child in a few months.
In fact, the entire store environment was designed to make it more enjoyable for a parent shopping with a new baby, their toddler or the whole family. For one thing there is plenty of buggy manoeuvring room, which is a problem in most high-street stores and a common bugbear amongst the KID mamas.
The products they create and sell are not only contemporary and hip – you won’t find conventional baby pinks and blues here – but they are designed with practicality, functionality and a mother’s expertise in mind.
For example, the cotton duvets from Plepleple (seeplepleple.com) were first made for Patrycja’s son, whose skin was so sensitive he couldn’t tolerate any synthetic materials. When she struggled to find a style she liked on the high street, she decided to design her own using 100% organic cotton and natural water-based dyes that do not irritate skin.
‘Natural doesn’t mean boring. I’m trying to prove that gender-neutral kids’ accessories can be also cool and trendy,’ says Patrycja.
Similarly, Ali Jones’s Bold Bunny (BoldBunny.ie) fun bunny-print toddler blankets, screen-printed with eco-friendly ink, and black and white chevron print cushions were first created out of ‘a lack of finding what I liked out there’.
There’s also a cute cloud and star night light by Julie Farrell of Birdie + Bowie, designed to comfort your little ones as they fall asleep after a bedtime story. It is a battery-operated LED light and will shut down automatically after approximately 60 minutes. The warm-glow LED is completely child-safe. Julie’s range also includes badges, notebooks, stickers, nesting dolls, bowls and cups, all in a trendy monochrome palette.
Guadalupe Creations’s whimsical stuffed animals and fairy dolls, complete with tulles and ribbons handmade by Guadalupe Cabrera, make for the prettiest bedroom decorations. The cushions from Elks (founded by Lucky Clarke) are filled with duck down and woven with the softest Donegal lambswool. There’s also an invisible zip at the bottom so you can take off the cover with ease when it’s time for a wash.
Despite KID only being in operation two months, there are plenty of plans in the pipeline, such as regular instore workshops, introducing larger handmade furniture, and Sunday opening hours – in between school runs, making dinners and playground dates, that is!
KID is open Monday-Saturday, 10am-6pm, on the top floor of the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre, South William Street, Dublin 2. See www. facebook.com/kidstoredublin. The ten brands that form KID are: Anu, Birdie + Bowie, Bold Bunny, Elks, Frank & Nora, Guadalupe Creations, Ilka, Linzyo, Plepleple, and Rain + Conker