KidStyleFile

Today’s post written by Angela

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One of my favourite clothing labels for kids is Australia’s Paper Wings - www.paperwings.com.au.

Why?

Paper Wings, match the beauty, uniqueness and natural creativity of children with unbridled exuberance, and quiet detail. Each garment is at once precious and practical. There is love in these clothes, and it shows.

The pedigree of seasoned designers, couple Jason Gibaud and Michelle Fallon — who have worked on films including Moulin Rouge, Star Wars and Peter Pan - Paper Wings transcends fashion with whimsical designs that wear brilliantly. I know this because my children wear Paper Wings clothing regularly, and it handles tree-climbing, and nature-walking (and looks extraordinarily beautiful in these settings!) just as well as the party scene, and washes up to perfection.

So what inspires these exceptionally creative pieces? Michelle and Jason explain:

“Our focus is on enhancing the lives of children by creating products that positively influence the way they look, feel, play, and experience their environment. All pieces are designed to be ‘every day favourites’ - lovingly worn out rather than outgrown.

Our design influences are eclectic, with strong links to historical shapes, traditional crafts, and to both vintage and contemporary graphics.

The breathtaking rural setting of our design studio in Northern New South Wales, is a great source of inspiration. We want to celebrate the freedom of being children, looking like children and - most importantly - feeling like children.”

Bravo to that!

Tiny People currently have selected Paper Wings summer 2008/9 collection (girls pieces only) on sale at 30% off.

Postage is free for orders over $150 (excluding large and oversized orders). Contact Tiny People for details on postage charges to your state.

Today’s post written by Angela

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Today I’m introducing to you my - and so many others! - very favouritest blogger in the whole wide world: meet Irene Hoofs from Bloesem and B:Kids blogs.

Irene’s finds are a constant stream of sublime artistic and creative artifacts that really warm the heart. I get so much enjoyment from both of Irene’s beautiful blogs: they are truly uplifting, gentle and inspiring - I can’t get by without my daily dose!

Formerly a graphic designer, Dutch-born Irene lives in Malaysia with her husband Rik, and 2.5 year old son Lode. In her spare time, Irene loves to knit, embroider and read books with her son.

You can buy beautiful handknits from Irene’s Shop, and do not miss her fabulous 2008 Gift Guide - a treasure trove of the best toys and gifts - great for Christmas inspiration across all budgets and inclinations, or as a gifting resource any time of the year.

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How long have you been running your blog, Bloesem Kids?

I started B:Kids in December 2007, one year after launching Bloesem.

What inspired you to start blogging about baby and kids products?

Seeing so many beautiful things for children everywhere, in shops, in magazines and on the internet and I just wanted to filter the pieces, labels and designs that I truly loved, like cherry picking. I have always been attracted to  crafty things and illustrations and it seems with children’s products these two dimensions often come together in the end product.

Good design is…

… from the heart, pure and innovative.

What are the trends you see coming through in baby and kids design?

Handmade items with many details. Imaginative play objects like a small kitchen, a big dollhouse or a castle preferably made by a family member. Vintage toys or replicas from toys that we as parents used to play with when we were young.

What are your 5 favourite products for babies and kids right now?

There are so many, but products that are high on my wishlist come from

Cushions or wallpaper from Famille Summerbelle

A big floor pillow, fabric or origami lamp from Tas-ka

Charley Harper: An Illustrated Life … I would love to read this with my son, he loves animals.

A soft doll from Le Train Fantome, a beautiful collectors item

City mini blocks from Fidoodle, I love that they are handmade and the illustrations are just great.

What are your favourite blogs?

NonchalantMom
Carina is such a talented children’s fashion designer herself and the topics she writes about on her blog are truly meaningful.

Babyccino
I just enjoy reading the little stories of the different women who live in different cities in the world.

Fawn&Forest Notes
What I like about this blog is getting a nice and short inside perspective of the people behind the labels and products.

Book-by-its-cover
This is just the best source for original books and I love books.

And of course KidStyleFile - a huge collection of labels, brands and products.

What advice would you like to give to others who would like to start a blog?

Just start … use one of the templates available online, follow your instincts and show only that what you truly like, write about your ideas and share information which you think others might find useful too.

Today I’d like to introduce you to the designer behind renown baby and kids’ fashion label Eternal Creation, expatriate Australian Frances Carrington.

Heading up her remarkable company from Dharamsala - home to the Dalai Lama - at the foothills of the Himalyas in India, Frances built Eternal Creation from the ground up with an ethos of caring for and respecting her employees, and her story is enthralling.

Frances lives and works in India with her fellow-expat partner, Rory, the graphic designer responsible for Eternal Creation’s stunning website, and their children Imogen Ayasha, 5 ½ years, and Oscar Felix, 3 ½ years old.

Enjoy, and be inspired, as I did! - Angela.

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Tell us a little about your business?

I started Eternal Creation in 1999 after spending 2 years working as a volunteer in Dharamsala. I loved working in India, and wanted to find a way to use my skills to help the local Tibetan population. I started with two tailors, designing women’s sleepwear and accessories. I continued to train tailors, and very soon I had 7, then 15, then 25…and now almost 80 employees. As our workshop grew I hired more skilled employees (e.g. cutters and pattern makers from Delhi), but generally I have tried to train local people and give them a chance to move up the ladder and improve their skills.

What inspires your work?

Definitely my children! The children’s collection started shortly after Imogen was born, and has since almost completely swamped the women’s wear. I had a very hard time with the boys collection until Oscar was born; then I finally understood how the clothing needs of little boys- a lot less decorative and more sturdy! India is a great inspiration as well, boundless colour in amazing and surprising combinations are everywhere you look. No grey, black or navy blue here!

You’re an Australian living and working in the Himalayas: what’s it like?

There’s really never a dull moment! It can be terribly frustrating at times though- we have regular power cuts, internet problems, monkeys in the phone lines, and the second highest rainfall in India (it rains non stop from June to September!) Not a logical place to start a business at all, but the people are simply wonderful, and the views of the mountains from our house and the workshop are incredible. When the Dalai Lama visited our workshop and gave me his blessing, well, that pretty much sealed it for me!

What is the most exciting thing about being a fashion designer?

Definitely shopping for fabrics & trims! One of my favourite places is Kinari Bazaar in Delhi, which is a narrow lane crammed with hundreds of tiny shops selling every shade of sparkling sequin, ribbons, buttons and beads. This is heaven for me! I have always been very colour orientated, and base nearly all my designs on interesting colour and textural combinations.

The other really exciting aspect is working on a new collection. It’s a great process, and ridiculously stressful…should we use this pink ribbon, or go a shade darker? As if there aren’t more important things to worry about…but the wrong shade will ruin a dress!

What are your 5 favourite baby and kids designers?

My absolute favourite is Catamini, a French brand that use wonderful combination of colour and print. I also like Guess Kids, Kenzo and Monsoon, and I like the simplicity of Petit Bateau.

What advice would you like to give to others who would like to start a fashion design business?

Definitely do a course in accounting or business management. I had no skill in this area, and learnt the hard way, losing a lot of money early on. Only about 5% of my time is actually spent designing- the rest of it is training staff and delegating. Be prepared to do everything!

Eternal Creation are offering KSF readers 20% off the full range of Summer 08/09 stock until 21 November - view the full details here.