Inspired by daughter’s own needs
AFTER the arrival of her baby in 2014, schoolteacher Amy Kleidon found it impossible to find an adjustable hat which would stay on her daughter’s head and offered the protection needed in the harsh Gold Coast sun.
As necessity is the mother of invention, the keen amateur seamstress and designer simply invented her own for baby Avalon Renegade.
“We struggled to find a stylish cap for our daughter that was small enough to fit a baby and was great quality so we designed the correct sizing for her and started manufacturing,” she said.
Naming the company Renegade after her baby’s middle name, Ms Kleidon created a logo and designed a small range of hats and clothing which she started selling at the Mummy Tree Markets and others around the Gold Coast.
After having success at these venues, she began to manufacture a wider range of products and took a leap of faith to open an online store, co-ordinating photo shoots with friends and their children.
“When I made my first online sale, I felt both relief and excitement,” she said.
“It gave me reassurance I was doing something right. Then when I made my first
overseas sale I was so excited and proud.
“It makes you wonder how someone in another country even found us in the first place.”
Online success followed with many of their styles selling out quickly, with the company getting the reputation within the baby and children’s apparel market as the “Home of the Snapback”.
The hats come in three sizes and are adjustable so they can be used for longer.
Ms Kleidon said they were the first company to make hats with a PU leather-look peak so they can be wiped clean after “kids have been out on adventures and touching them”.
“Our caps are our bestsellers and we sell thousands every month,” she said. “We created them with a leatherlook peak so they are durable, stylish and practical.”
She also works with artists including Laura Blythman (who has also collaborated with Disney, Typo, T2 Teas and the National Gallery of Victoria among others) to create the eye-catching and fun prints she uses in her product range.
Little Renegade’s products are now stocked in more than 150 retail stores across five countries, as well as being available online.
After success with hats and clothing, Ms Kleidon wanted to think of something else they could add to their range to help solve everyday problems parents face with items that are needed for daycare, school or just getting out and about.
Of course, the inspiration came from her own daughter and her needs.
“When Avalon started kindy we had to buy her a backpack and I noticed there was a real lack of cool, nonkiddie prints, so once again I created my own,” she said.
Beach bags and lunch boxes have followed and it’s Ms Kleidon’s desire to continue to keep innovating to create the “next cool product”.
She has some advice for anyone wanting to go into business for themselves.
“You need to take risks and back yourself,” she said.
“If you like a design or see the need for a product, someone else will too, so don’t second guess yourself, create it!”