KidStyleFile

Today’s post written by Miki

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KidStyleFile’s Bubble London 2009 coverage gets into gear today, with exclusive coverage of one of the most exciting ranges exhibiting at the show: Sebra - www.sebra.dk - a unique Danish children’s interiors collection.

Designed at the children’s level, the Sebra range - including furniture, bedding, toys and other accessories - is bold and colourful with a distinctive Scandanavian feel.

A large part of the collection is handmade, and texture plays an important part in creating Sebra’s distinctive ethos. Utilising crochet, wools, cottons and wood, the range is extremely tactile and begs to be touched.

The Summer ‘09 Sebra collection has a strong focus on colour and imagination, both of which are very important in a child’s universe.  Animals as a design feature also play a strong part, with the Sebra design team (led by Mia Dela) reasoning that everyone, both child and adult alike, can relate to animals regardless of their geographical location. Animals have been given form and colour with spots, stripes and large tags in this collection, which creates a fun and appropriately childlike atmosphere.

Sebra’s range of bedding for children also incorporates texture as a key design feature, with the new ranges of bedding including ‘touchy tags’ - large fabric tags of different textures which children can use as comforters during sleep times.  The prints featured on the bedding are cheerful and bright, again primarily featuring animals.

In Australia, Sebra is exclusively stocked by Little Me Little You.

Today’s post written by Angela

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Box art - the art of taking everyday boxes previously used for the accommodation of toothpaste, tissues, cereal, and the like, and turning them into abstract sculptures, dollhouses, robots, animals and more - is a staple activity of the playgroup to early primary set.

Box art is an affordable and readily available activity - you already have the materials by dint of shopping for everyday supplies, and the cost in built-in - and also environmentally friendly: you’re reusing, reducing the demand for materials for the purpose, and once the buzz is over, you can recycle your creation.

Australian artist Annalise Rees has taken box art to new heights with her stunning sculptural creations that explore the concept of ‘home’. The addition of lights make her box structures even more fascinating: my mind is buzzing with ideas of who and what might live inside.

If you live within range of Mildura, Victoria, Australia you’re in for a treat: Annalise Rees has an exhibition starting at the Mildura Arts Centre on 23 July, running through to 26 August 2009. MAC is also holding a Cardboard Cities workshop for kids, led by Annalise. Contact the Mildura Arts Centre for more information.

Image above via Holga.

Images above via Annalise Rees/Artroom website

Today’s post written by Edwina

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Marilyn once said diamonds are a girls best friend, to which I say hear, hear! I would only add that when it comes to day-dreaming Paris is a girls better friend. It is hard to resist the romance of this beautiful city and all that it has come to represent.

Chic, stylish, fashionable, and French - if only I was describing myself!

Luckily, I can console myself with a quick escape into some gorgeous Parisian websites for a virtual immersion in taste and sensibility. First stop is this fantastic blog, les vestiaire de jeanne, which is a delicacy of chic Parisian fashion.

I haven’t been able to find out much more information about the designer or whether the clothes are modelled by her daughter or sister. Either way the stunning Jeanne is delightfully French and she looks postively lovely in everything!  I love the simplicity of the pieces which are made from Belgian Linen and available at European boutiques and online at enfant terrible (in Canada).

I also check in on the enfant moderne website to keep track of more petit sweets for the lovely little ones.

For the ultimate in designer childrens wear with beautiful European styling you can’t go past Bonpoint. The boutique is famous for its party frocks and boiled wool cardigans. Apparently Suri Cruise wore a Bonpoint dress in her Vanity Fair debut, and needless to say, Bonpoint is a big favourite with celebmoms.

If you happen to be visiting Paris any time soon then do have a look at the new(ish) department store called Merci. It is a uber upmarket op-shop and is the brain child of Bernand and Marie-France Cohen the couple behind Bonpoint.

It has a few levels that includes coffee shop, florist, habadashery, second hand books and even a fragrance store. There is of course vintage designer bags and clothes and also a designer corner where designers such as YSL, Stella McCartney, Azzaro, Alexis Mabille and Marni design new pieces that sell at a lot less, as well as cut price kids clothes from Bonpoint.

All of the profits are channelled into a foundation to support children’s charities in Madagascar. Bravo for shopping with a conscience!

For more inspiration and dreaming head over to the Paris Pool at Flickr - Bon Voyage!

Today’s post written by Edwina

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Japanese design traditions focus on minimalism and ritual that results in a design aesthetic that is deliberate and serene. Fabrics, furniture, homes and gardens are pared down, functional and beautiful.

Some of the contemporary Japanese design movements including Zakka and Wabi-Sabi blend influences from ‘traditional’ Japanese culture such as discrimination, attention to detail and function with the beauty of technological advances. Japanese products also have a Kawaii, (cute) factor, which emphasizes their ’softness and gentleness’. This often manifests in cute-overload (this may explain Hello Kitty), but it can also have a more subtler influence on design.

Zakka is a word that you hear or see around more and more. It is difficult to define, but literally means “general merchandise” or “sundry goods” and refers to all the everyday items that are used around the home. Beyond its literal meaning, it refers to a design movement that honours the beauty in the everyday items that improve our home or outlook. These items are often hand-made, simple and full of charm.

Commercial companies are also producing ‘zakka’ products that take on these principles and are often influenced by Scandinavian and European design cultures.

While it is hard to pin down in words a feeling or attitude in design, the images below give a little window into the nuanced themes of Zakka, Wabi-Sabi and Kawaii for you.

More inpiration can be found at these websites:

• Creative Japan
• Zakka
• Wabi-Sabi
• Shirokumasha
• Shinzi Katoh - check out Monkeytail and Wellington and Kindergallery for some great Shinzi Katoh products and art.
• If you’re in Melbourne, you can check out Zakka in the flesh at Zakkaya. Luckily, for the rest of us, they also have an online store.
  

Today’s post written by Edwina

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Today I thought I would share with you something a little fun. It is the work of Korean Photographic Artist, Yeondoo Jung. His Wonderland Series is a photographic project to re-create the scenes from childrens art, and it is truly wonderful!

Yeondoo Jung taught art classes in 4 Kindergartens in Seoul for 4 months. During that time he collected 1,200 drawings by children between the age of 5 and 7 and selected 17 works for his project.

He then set about recreating the picture in reality and photographing the work. It was a community effort with props required and dresses with uneven sleeves or buttons of different sizes. I think you might agree that the results are delightful, obscure, and sometimes strange.

It is nice to be reminding that the mind of a child is free to construct whatever world they fancy when they play. I love this project for its simplicity and humour, might be fun to try at home!

Please head over to Yeondoo Jung’s website to see more of his fabulous work.

Today’s post written by Angela

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Earlier this year at the KidsInSTYLE tradeshow I met up with the team from Queensland-based Toetum - www.toetum.com. Chiu Lee (pronounced chew lee) and her team impressed me greatly with their passion and vibrancy: they were a stand out exhibit for me.

Toetum’s debut collection for infants and toddlers is colourful, exuberant and unique thanks to a collaboration of talented individuals (I am besotted by Nadine’s Chagall-esque illustration, and the imaginative colour of Jodi’s graphic art).

I hope you enjoy ‘meeting’ Chiu today, and learning a bit about Toetum. Toetum are on my watchlist of fine Australian designers: expect big things!

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Tell us a bit about your background

I began my own fashion agency business when I was 22 and have run that for the last 15 years. Prior to that I studied fashion in the US. I’m now a mother of two, and incorporate my love of business and yoga with spending time with my kids, Lucy, 4 and Max, 6 months.

Tell us a bit about Toetum

I’m head designer for Toetum, and also in the Toetum family are Kate, Jodi and Nadine.

Kate is a recent graduate of the Queensland University of Technology’s Fashion Design degree (and she also has a degree in economics: handy!). Kate’s previous experience is in womenswear so she’s really enjoying the different challenges that working with childrenswear brings.

Jodi, our clever graphic designer who, despite not having children herself, has a natural affinity for designing and illustrating for children (she’s even illustrated a children’s book!)

Nadine (Sawyer) is an artist with a background in floristry and interior design. Nadine’s work appears on some of our garments and is the result of our first collaborative project.

How did you all meet?

Some would say it was the universe lending a hand in bringing us all together - it was such a natural evolution!

The collaboration with Nadine came about after I saw and loved one of her paintings on the wall at a friends house.

Kate started as a work experience student during her last year of study, and now works with us full-time.

Jodi was initially employed to develop the branding for the label. That collaboration worked so well that we asked her to help develop part of the artwork for the range.

What is your business ethos?

At the core of Toetum is the idea of working together, like a clan or tribe. Our name comes from ‘Totem’ which stands for family or clan so that really is the essence of Toetum.

I think the main reason we work so well together is that we share the same ideals and values and are passionate about a lot of the same things - accepting, sharing and embracing different cultures, creativity and the arts.

We all believe in the concept of Toetum as a vehicle to present these ideals to the general public who we hope will then share them with their family and friends.

What are you loving for your kids right now?

I can’t live without my Bebedelice (1, below) - with Max starting solids recently, I can steam and puree until my heart’s content! Our Raff and Lulu Playmat (3, below: no longer available in blue spots, pink spots available as pictured here) goes everywhere with us - love it! My Bubbaroo Joey Pouch (2, below) has been perfect for Max as the nights are cooling down. Rachael Gleeson’s homeopathic remedies for kids (5, below), are fantastic! Mini Metalicus for Lulu (4, below) - she will only wear clothes that stretch, so we live in Metalicus and lots of layers. I am also madly in love with these cute as a button Chinese dragon baby slippers (6, below; purchased by Chiu in China - buy similar here).

What’s coming up for Toetum?

We believe in helping our own community and at the moment it’s all about jobs so we’re in the process of organising for a portion of our range to be made locally. By purchasing inputs and employing patternmakers and machinists locally we hope to do our bit to help those affected by the current employment situation.

We accept that to produce locally and pay award wages, retail prices will have to be higher than product made overseas so we really hope the public appreciates this and show their support for the Australian industry by viewing their purchases as a contribution to building jobs in their community.

In terms of product, we’re about to launch our “Toetum Friends” and “World Kids” ranges which we’re really excited about!

You can buy Toetum direct from the Toetum website. Alternatively shop Toetum at I Want Fabulous - www.iwantfabulous.com.au: they have an extensive range of Toetum designs, and are also offering $10.00 off your order for a limited time only. You can view the complete list of Toetum stockists here. Please check individual stores for shipping and delivery information.

Today’s post written by Miki

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If you haven’t taken a trip over to kids design blog Ohdeedoh - www.ohdeedoh.com - lately, then I highly recommend doing so; you’re sure to come aware inspired and invigorated!

A blog/website for people who care about good design. but happen to have children, the site was founded by Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan and Oliver Ryan, with a team of editors based all over the United States, who scour the world for great design.  It’s a treasure trove of beautiful ideas for living in thoughtful, calm, pleasing spaces; and those spaces don’t exclude children!

I came across Ohdeedoh when I was browsing for nursery ideas, and fell in love with the kids’ room tours they run on the site.  If you need some ideas for your children’s or babies’ rooms, have a look at some of their top room tours here.

There are also some truly wonderful ‘how to’ posts, with instructions on making everything from a beautiful French memo board (I’m so trying my hand at this sometime soon) to tips on making your own play kitchen.

I also love the reader questions and helpful responses, such as this example on dealing with a half-empty wipes box.

For more on inspirational design and living with children, visit www.ohdeedoh.com.

Today’s post written by Angela

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Today I’d like to introduce you to Jo and Marika, the talents behind up-and-coming Australian kids label for girls and boys, Polka Kids - www.polkakids.com.au.

Polka has become one of my very favourite kids labels for their bold, stylish, design, that manages to have a groovy retro Scandinavian feel, while at the same time being completely contemporary and unique. Marika and Jo exude a warmth and passion that really comes out in their designs - and kids look just great in it!

Jo lives with her partner Danny, a Landscape Designer, their 2 year old daughter Mika,  and placid greyhound Matty, in a cathedral-ceilinged house in Currumbin, Queensland. Jo is good with numbers and food, driven, energetic, organised and efficient, and sometimes impatient.

Marika, fiance Eden, a Digital Agency owner, and 2 year old daughter Indigo live in Burleigh on the Gold Coast, where they are about to finish a big home renovation. Marika is good with colours, creative, detailed, and sometimes, obsessive compulsive with design & aesthetics, and is often easily distracted by sparkly things.

Enjoy meeting the girls from Polka today - I’m sure you will fall in love with them and their designs, as  I have!

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Tell us a little about your background

Jo: I was born in Vancouver, Canada, and moved to Australia 7 years ago. I grew up in a multi cultural city bursting with great west coast food, culture and breathtaking scenery. We travelled a lot as a family, and Travel has been one of the major inspirations in my life both in work and in personal growth. I studied extensively in Canada and I’m currently working on my Masters.

Marika: I was born in Sydney, then moved to Adelaide when I was 2 - where my parents owned a children’s wear boutique called ‘Alice in Wonderland’. I remember at 2 or 3 yrs old jealously sitting on the sidewalk with my grandparents as my older sister Charisse got to dress up as Alice, with my Mum dressed as the White Rabbit, and my dad as the Mad Hatter, in the Norwood Street Parade with all the other shop owners. We moved back to Sydney when I was 5, and then to the Gold Coast when I was 14. I’ve been a graphic designer since I was 20, and it has led me to my current passion of fashion and textile Design.

What, or who, inspires you?

Both: We can’t get enough of Scandinavian Street Fashion, Tokyo Street Fashion, Excessive Layering, Interesting Accessories, Nordic Knits, Architecture, Origami, Polish Traditional Folkwear, Alaskan Eskimos, Style Structure, Triangles, Hexagons, Danish Design, Revival Fashions - 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, even 80’s, Rich Daring Colour - combinations that PING! And our 2 energetic hyper-tots: best friends Mika and Indi - full of humour and endless love.

Which other baby and kids designers do you admire?

Both: European labels Smafolk, Katvig, and Plastisock were our favourite inspirational brands when we first started. Now we’re designing ourselves, and things are going full-throttle we don’t get a lot of time to see what other kids labels are doing now!

What is your favourite way to spend time with your child?

Jo: We try to get outside and enjoy the outdoors as much as possible. We are so blessed with year round great weather on the Gold Coast, and are lucky to live so close to the beach and to the rainforest. It’s really the best of both worlds.

Marika: We *HEART* making cakes! Making cakes brings us closer together in two ways, one because she’s taller when she stands on a highchair, and two because it makes Indi so happy she hugs our heads in tight and tells me ‘ooh my best fwend, i love ooh’ - melts my heart every time!

Another favourite way to spend time is with Jo and Mika, because the girls have the most adorable friendship - the sound of them giggling together is pure joy - and they do it non-stop when they’re together. They are such cute, kooky kids!

What are you passionate about?

Jo: Working with Marika, and developing Polka. So far I am loving the ride. I think we have a winning combination of skills and passion. This year I’m really looking forward to travelling to keep tight reigns on our production and oversee the quality control. Outside of work, I’m passionate about being a great mother, and a good friend.

Marika: Ohhh - Polka. We do, we live breathe and eat it! It’s beyond obsessive! I dream about Design, Architecture, Folds, Angles, Textures - we’re forever analyzing what’s worked well, sold well worn well, tweaking and refining - adding new inspirations, how to make the next collection better, tighter, stronger. I’m also incredibly excited about our latest POLKA project - our very Web2.0 website and it’s social networking additions! We’re hoping to help create a dialogue and inspirational space for POLKALOVERS to participate: at the moment we’re running a Small Folk Street Style Spotting Photoshoot competition! Outside of work, I find great joy in spending the time I have off with family and friends.

If you could see Polka on any child in the world, who would it be, and why?

Both: We’re In total agreeance: Nicole Richie’s daughter, Harlow, and Gwen Stefani’s little boy Kingston - both women have incredible style.

What are you listening to/reading right now?

Jo: I’m listening to German electronic music, and reading ‘A New Earth’ by EckhartTolle.

Marika: I’m digging Metronomy and LadyHawke (courtesy of my brother and sister), and flicking through the pages of Frankie Magazine.

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Enter Polka’s Small Folk Street Style Spotting Photoshoot competition for a chance to win Polka prizes. You can purchase Polka Kids online from Baby’s Got Style, Little Pinwheel, Tiny People, and My Messy Room.

Welcome to the April edition of ‘Mixtape Monday’, our last-Monday-of-the month burst of craft and inspiration, brought to us by Justine at Mixtape Zine.

In the lead-up to Mother’s Day, today’s piece is on inspiring mother-and-daughter design team Elly Nelly - www.ellynelly.com.

Read previous Mixtape Monday posts here.

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We, Elly Nelly, are a mother-and-daughter team: Elaine and Nell Oliver.

We’re both experienced textile  designers with an intense interest in pattern and our own unique creative approach to design, and we were inspired to set up our own studio.

Elaine lives in Cairns, Australia, while Nell is now based in New York City, USA.

Elaine enjoyed drawing from an early age and this led to art college in Liverpool, England. A textile design degree followed. Nell grew up in an environment of design and developed a love of the creative arts. She too went to university to study textiles in Melbourne, Australia. Brother Ben became a mining engineer, so we don’t know what went wrong there!

Although we are literally living on opposite sides of the world, we are still able to work together in what feels like the same workspace, thanks to the internet.

We were inspired to set up our own studio last year (we just turned 12 months old) because we have always wanted to work together and be in control of our own design direction - such a luxury! It’s been such a fun ride.

Our aim is to produce a creative range of designs using different mediums. Wall decals are the first of many products we hope to develop. We have recently brought out our first collection of prints at  www.ellynellyprints.etsy.com.

A fusion of hand illustration and stylised modern graphics bringing the Elly Nelly series alive. With both of us, the creative process begins and ends with drawing. Too few people draw these days and only through drawing and starting with your very own inspiration can you develop and create something fresh.

From simple organic- and nature-inspired designs to delicate prints and pattern of all kinds, Elly Nelly
hope you enjoy the designs as much as we love creating them!

Elly Nelly products can be purchased online at www.ellynelly.etsy.com.

This article can be found in issue 7 of Mixtape Zine. You can buy current and back-catalogue issues of Mixtape here (the current issue is limited-edition hard-copy; back-catalogue issues are available in PDF only.)

Today’s post written by Angela

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Today I’d like to introduce you to one extraordinary individual: Anabel Fournier from Petits Fournier - www.petitsfournier.com.

I met Anabel at the Bubble trade show in New York recently, and was instantly attracted to her fine knits for babies and kids. Hearing the story behind her label further enriched my appreciation of her range.

Anabel’s warmth and beauty made me feel so fantastically inspired, and I am so pleased to share her story with you.

PS: A small detail that Anabel hasn’t mentioned that I know, is that her women’s scarves were including in the gift bags at the Oscars(!!) together with her talented sister Elie’s stationery range. That’s one creative family! Also, be sure to take a look at Anabel’s blog, and so i whisper - her cake baking skills are absolutely incredible! -and her Flickr photostream for some more great photos of Africa and Bolivia.

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Tell us a little about your life, family and hobbies

I live in Nairobi, Kenya, Africa. My birthplace is San Jose, Costa Rica but I left when I was twenty years old. Since then I have lived in Spain, Panama, and Bolivia before coming to Kenya.

My daughter Daniela is 9 years old and is also an artist. Her favorite activity at home and school is anything related to art. She always carries a bag with coloring pencils and a notepad. She loves being my model, especially for the accessories line.

My son Sebastian is a nature kid. He is always outside, rain or shine. Still likes to wear mommy’s clothing when he wants to look “smart” like he say.

My husband Marcos does not have a background in fashion or design but has great taste and helps me a lot with the financial department.

My favorite hobby is painting with acrylics on wood. I also enjoy baking. My favorite food is Peruvian food, anything from the sea. My favorite color is blue, which I always include in my collections.

What is your professional background?

Art runs in my veins as I have been surrounded by art all my life. I come from a family of painters and very crafty people so this has influenced who I am today. I have a graphic arts background but also in hotel and restaurant management. I enjoy cooking very much and I find that my preference to baking sweets and pastry reflects in my continuous desire to create and perfect. For a few years I had a restaurant in the highlands of Panama before moving to Bolivia and continuing my education in fashion design.

How did Fournier come about?

We moved to Bolivia in 2000 when my husband took a job in a poverty alleviation project financed by USAID.

I was immediately impacted by the indigenous Bolivian women who learn to knit at a very early age and can be seen everywhere maintaining this part of their heritage. I am not a person who can stay still and my hands have to always be busy doing something so I started working with a small group of these knitters and started putting a small collection together. I knew I could make this work and was dazzled by the intricacy of what these women could produce when given some guidance.

I took my first collection on the road and literally did the cold call by knocking from door to door at some the children’s stores in the United States until I started getting some accounts. It all took off from there and started then learning about some of the specialized trade shows where I started exhibiting the Fournier collections and before I knew it we were employing more than 60 knitters year round.

You live in Africa: tell us how you came to live there, and what your day-to-day life is like.

I came to Africa as a result from my husband’s work. Marcos has been working for many years doing development work assisting rural farmers improve their skills in agribusiness and marketing. We came to Kenya to work implementing a coffee project for East African countries in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia for the Gates Foundation.

As with Bolivia, the colors and textures of Africa have just dazzled me and my creativity has reached another level. I spend my days creating new things and working with the immense variety of materials available in Africa. I take this inspiration back to Bolivia when I have to design our collections.

I am a mother of two so I have to split my time also in the many school activities, doing homework and packing school lunches. Since we are now living in a different time zone at night I stay up late hours to keep in touch with my workshop and our clients.

What has the proudest moment in your business been?

Everytime I produce a new collection is my proudest moment but it is highlighted when I get feedback from our customers commenting how much they like what we produce.

What inspires you?

I am inspired by what surrounds me at any given time. I absolutely enjoy traveling and meeting other cultures and I take in the colors and texture of what they wear.

In Kenya the color of the soils contrasted with the variety of colors in the fabrics worn by women and children keep me most inspired. The natural light and how nature and people reflect on it also provides me with a desire to create.

What are your top 3 favourite things for babies and kids right now?

1. I absolutely love the Kidsonroof line of cardboard houses and accessories for children. They are all made from recycled materials.
2. Wallnutz Wall stickers I think are a wonderful way to decorate a childs, room and the kids can also play with them when they are re-positionable.
3. In fashion I like the new trend of simplicity in many European brands, like Essential from Belgium - natural fibres for clean cut designs.

What is your favourite childhood memory?

Growing up in Costa Rica was a blessing since I was always surrounded by nature which brings back amazing memories of afternoons spent cycling with friends and pets in out neighborhood.

One of my fondest memories is moving to a new house with my family with a swimming pool that we enjoyed all summer long and even during the mornings of our very long rainy season.

US readers can purchase from the Fournier webstore and stockists. Petits Fournier is not currently available to purchase in Australia, but that is set to change. Watch this space!