Website offers tantrum-free shopping
Finding clothes for your toddler is now a lot easier with the launch of an online service that does it for you, writes David Burroughs.
Holly Vandenberg already runs the Berg Club and Style Club websites, where people can select their style before being sent a monthly package of clothes, and has now launched a version for children’s clothes, called Panda Crew, with friend Bridget Alexander.
On the website, users put in their child’s details before answering a few questions about the type of clothes they’re after.
Packages range in price from $40 a month for accessories to $300 for the Lavish Panda pack that includes ‘‘high end designer branded clothing, shoes, and accessories, fit for a prince or princess’’.
Vandenberg and Alexander launched the site in September.
‘‘My friend Bridget had just had a newborn baby and she said, ‘Well I don’t really have time to go shopping for my baby so why don’t we get together and start up one for preschooler age?’’’ Vandenberg said.
‘‘I don’t know much about baby clothing and things like that; she’s the expert on that so we pooled our knowledge and came up with the Panda Crew.’’
Vandenberg said the questions users were asked about their child helped to ensure the package was right for them.
‘‘We’ve got questions in there like what’s your level of activity, are you going to a lot of playgroups and brunches or do you mostly hang around at home and play around on the play mat or on the farm,’’ Vandenberg said.
The friends are both originally from Taranaki but didn’t meet until years later when Vandenberg started working with Alexander’s husband.
Vandenberg, who is now based in Taupo and Taranaki, had designed the website from scratch while Alexander, who is based in Auckland, focused on the clothes.
Since they launched a number of Kiwi and Australian clothing designers and manufacturers had got involved.