KidStyleFile

The latest edition of  Bubble – The Kids Trade Show, was held at the Business Design Centre in Islingston, London, UK last weekend.

From 31 January-1 February over 200 of the finest designers of boutique baby and kids fashion, nursery good, accessories and toys in the world (including a fabulous Australian contingent: Cocoon Couture, Three Little Trees, Paper Wings, Munster Kids, Tea Princess, and more, were there!) displayed their Autumn/Winter 2010 collections to trend savvy buyers from around the globe. Major trends evident were the dominance of organic cotton and fairtrade, upcycling and more labels choosing to extend their ranges into tween sizes.

KidStyleFile Senior Writer Miki was our scout on the ground at the show, and today she brings you her first round of show picks, chosen for their innovation, design, and sheer charm.

Enjoy! – Angela.

Update: You can read Part 2 of our Bubble London coverage here.

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Animal Tails

One of the many organic and ethically produced brands showing at Bubble was Animal Tails.  As a brand with a conscience, they take it even further than most with all their striking screen printed designs featuring endangered animals such as the Mako shark and the Riverine rabbit.  Their range includes rompers from 0-3m to 6-12m, and tees from 2-3 right up to 9-10.  The girls’ tees have a subtle puff sleeve as an added design feature, and the collection also includes hats and baby blankets.

Animal Tails are stocked in Australia by Aurora Design Studio, although the products are not currently on their website. Please contact the store directly to enquire.

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Barbara Farber

Dutch brand Barbara Farber is ultra feminine and ultra chic.  Designed for the glamour girls among us, the collection features sumptuous fabrics, faux fur, diamantes and fine knits.  Sized from 3 years to 12 years (so a great option for tween girls looking for party pieces), the real charm of the collection is all in the detailing and fine tailoring.  The coats in particular are real standout items; they’re beautifully cut.

Barbara Farber is not currently available in Australia, but we’ll keep you posted on developments.

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Ben Sherman Kids

As a mum of boys I am constantly on the lookout for new and interesting boyswear labels, and Ben Sherman Kids is exactly that.  The brand’s inspiration is focused around the iconic 1960s Carnaby Street rock n roll fashion scene, and British music has clearly been a huge influence on the designs.  Sizing is from baby sizes all the way up to 14, making this an excellent label for tween boys.

Ben Sherman Kids is not available in Australia at this stage.  The Kids range will be launching through the Ben Sherman UK website in March ’10, and available to buy online from there.

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Cakewalk

Cakewalk, another Dutch brand, is designed around two very simple but effective principles: cheerful and colourful.  Exclusively girlswear (the company catchphrase is ‘girly spirit’), the collection is bold and highly detailed with prints, textured fabric such as cord, and touches such as interesting buttons and stitching detail.  It is sized from baby up to 12 years, and while it isn’t yet available in Australia we will keep you updated on developments.

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Green Eyed Monster

On the scene for over two years now, Green Eyed Monster is focused on cool design with principles.  Design and quality come first with the brand, while ethics come a very close second; the cotton is organic and the dyes and finishes are all non-toxic.  The prints on the tees, rompers, longline tees and dresses are bright and bold, with strong musical and iconic influences; prints include The Beatles’ yellow submarine, Concorde, the chopper bicycle, pacman and Finnish icon the Moomins.  Dresses and longline tees are made more feminine with touches of Crystalline by Swarovski (TM) crystals, and the knitwear is ethically sourced alpaca wool from Peru.

In Australia Green Eyed Monsters is stocked by Cornflower Blue.

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Let Them Eat Cake for Environmental Justice Fund

Exclusive English label Let Them Eat Cake launched their new charity tees at this edition of Bubble London.  Supporting the Environmental Justice Foundation, they are printed on ethical American Apparel tees, and feature pop culture icons John & Yoko and Britney Spears respectively.  The tees were designed in collaboration with well known English artists Annie Kevans and Stella Vine, and are hand printed in Bath, where the brand is based.  Sizing is from 12 months up to 8 years.

The tees will be selling soon through the LTEC website, and we’ll keep you posted as news of more stockists comes to hand.

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Nixie Clothing

One of the most exciting and distinctive collections at Bubble this season was shown Nixie Clothing.  Designer Nicole Frobusch sources vintage and upcycled fabrics to create her distinctive ‘one of a kind’ pieces, resulting in an eclectic and colourful range for girls aged 1 to 12 years.  The collection showing at Bubble included vintage coats using beautiful heavy linen fabric sourced from retro tablecloths and curtains, knitted woollen neck warmers with beautiful lace and button details, knitted jumpers with sweetly ruffled sleeves, and floaty batwing dresses for spring/summer made from upcycled silk scarves.

Nixie Clothing is not yet available in Australia, but see the Nixie website for overseas stockists.

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Their Nibs

Prints-based English label Their Nibs has a vintage inspired collection of fairy and Russian doll printed dresses and coats for girls in chiffon, needle cord and wool.  Detailing includes miniature sequins and antique lace which render the finished pieces whimsical and nostalgic.  Boyswear includes grand prix printed 50′s style box-shaped shirts in needle cord and lumberjack flannel, and well cut woolen coats.

Also new from Their Nibs are cotton jersey pyjamas featuring Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffler’s hugely popular Gruffalo in a repeating pattern (along with other favourite characters Mouse, Owl, Fox and Snake).  The pyjamas are available in background colours of blue, pink and ivory and are sized from 18 months up to 5-6 years.  Gruffalo dressing gowns and raincoats are also planned for later this year.  Their Nibs has just extended their license for The Gruffalo to Australia, meaning we can hope to see these products here soon – I predict that Their Nibs will swiftly become very sought after in the Australian market.  We’ll update on stockists as information comes to hand.

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Toby Tiger

Around for 11 years now, Brighton-based Toby Tiger is all about colour and comfort for little people.  Over the years it has grown exponentially, and they now have around 400 stockists, mostly small independent retailers, in the UK along with sales through their own website.  The range is extensive and includes, among many other items, tees, rompers, knitwear, dungarees, dresses, rainwear and gumboots.  All cotton is organic, and head designer/brand owner Zoe Mellor is working to make the entire product range organic in time.  The entire range is impressive, but my standout products are the applique tees and rompers which sport large, child-friendly designs in bold colours, and the stylish printed rainwear.

Toby Tiger currently has no Australian stockists (we’ll keep you updated), but Australian customers can buy direct through their website.

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Uttam Kids & Yumi Girls

The new tween brand from Uttam is Yumi Girls, sized from 5-6 years up to 11-12 years.  As with Uttam, Yumi Girls pieces draw their inspiration from India, Nepal and Japan.  The Autumn/Winter ’10 Yumi Girls collection has a colourful, vibrant feel with florals, lace, bright nature-inspired prints and even a couple of pieces with a nautical stripes.

Uttam, Uttam Kids, Yumi and Yumi Girls are creations of Nepalese designer Uttam Nepal, who uses sequins, beads, lace and other embellishments to accentuate his eye-catching and on trend pieces.

Yumi Girls is new this season and so is not yet stocked in Australia.  A select range of Uttam Kids can be found at Babies & Kids.

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You can read Part 2 of our Bubble London coverage here.

Please check individual sites for shipping details.