Lollybean Kid Couture

“Lollybean” is Emily’s nickname, and Emily is the daughter and inspiration of Amy McConnell, designer of Lollybean Kid Couture. “Emily was born premature, with a severe condition called Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia,” Amy tells HCRSourceBook. “Finding appropriate clothing for her was difficult as she was very small and had feeding tubes.”

Amy started her own clothing line when her son Matthew was born – one simple white layette gown with the words “God’s Gift” written on the front. Now the Solvang, CA-based company makes a year-round collection available for boys and girls in sizes newborn to 24 months that combines the playful words of childhood with classic images that bring to mind the wonderful memories of that time.

Made of 100% cotton, find long and short sleeve shirts paired with yoga-style pants and shorts – gift-ready sets with mini clothespin fasteners. A boxed layette hat and gown are finished with a tied grosgrain ribbon and hang tag.

Amy has a background in interior design and mural art, and extends her love of color into her collection. Rich hues of charcoal, black, deep olive and chocolate join traditional pinks and blues.

Lollybean Kid Couture is represented by Sylvia Gill in the Northwest (888) 304-8271; Barbara Towery in the Southwest (800) 783-9327; Kathy Fedoryshyn in the Midwest (262) 781-8685 and Rudy Fleischmann in the Mid-Atlantic (800) 869-2229.

“Our goal is to create comfort for the child while at the same time bring fun and laughter to the grownups who know and love them.”

-Janet Muniz

25th Anniversary of K.I.D.S.

To help celebrate K.I.D.S. 25th anniversary, check out the Kids In Distressed PSA airing on one of the jumbo screens in New York City’s Times Square through October 15. It details instructions for mobile phone users to text “Happykids 25” to 27138; this triggers a $25 donation to the organization, helping put desperately needed new merchandise in the hands of those who could use it most.

In this 25th anniversary year, K.I.D.S.’ goal for donated new product is $100 million. “K.I.D.S. is unique in its ability to reach 4.5 million children in need every year, helping them strive for a better life than they have,” says president Janice Weinman. “By tapping into the new technology of mobile phone giving, we are asking many more people to help us continue to make a difference in the future of our youth, by giving them new product, one child at a time.”

See the PSA – bigger than life – every hour, 18 hours per day on the CBS big screen, north side of 42nd Street, between 7th and 8th Avenues. The PSA can also be seen on KIDSdonations.org and on YouTube – but you don’t need to see the PSA to celebrate with K.I.D.S. Simply make a donation – of money, merchandise, time – it’s all good!

The K.I.D.S. website offers information on how people can directly join the mission to help children in need. The “Get Involved” section of the site has suggestions for personal and group projects such as product collection drives and fundraisers.

K.I.D.S. officially commemorates its past on December 1 during the 25^th Anniversary Gala at Cipriani 42^nd Street in New York.

-Janet Muniz

Sanrio celebrates 50 years

Last Wednesday, Hello Kitty was joined by Sanrio COO Kunihiko Tusji and Maxine Clark, founder, chairman and CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop to ring the closing bell of the New York Stock Exchange – all to commemorate Sanrio’s 50^th Anniversary.

This week, the popular lifestyle company kicked off an entire year of events to celebrate their distinct philosophy, ” small gift, big smile,” that a small act of communication, friendship and sharing brings happiness to fans of all ages. Build-A-Bear is one Sanrio’s many business partners joining the celebration.

Check out the Focal Point story in our current issue, which highlights Sanrio and all of their plans! Visit Sanrio online for more, too.

Congratulations!

-Janet Muniz

Back To School

Are your customers shopping for back-to-school?

Sama Baby‘s newest line is a must-have for every baby and kid this fall: organic jeans. They are high quality, organic and affordably priced at $40 a pair for babies from 12 months old to six years old.

Founders Shivani and Neha Gupta have dreamed about offering a modern, stylish organic denim collection and are excited to finally share it with babies and kids worldwide. “We spent months testing the organic eco denim and wanted the jeans to look sophisticated, yet easy to play in,” explains Neha, who is head designer.

The result: Each pair is designed for the kid on the go:

-super soft, pre-washed denim in rich dark blue

-an adjustable elastic waistband on the inside to create a stylish outer

-laser-etched tags instead of itchy sewn-in labels

-signature embroidered elephant logo on the pocket

-rock star elephant lining

-square pockets on the Dylan for boys

-diamond shaped pockets on the Bridget, for girls

The organic cotton jeans are lightweight for mobility and all day play, and designed to accommodate various shapes, sizes, and growth rates. “We tested and tried our organic cotton denim out on children to find out exactly what level of fabric to use, and get the right amount of durability so that kids can play and have fun, while not feeling like they are wearing a heavy pair of jeans,” they say.

Sama Baby also follows the highest standards for organic cotton garments like using eco-friendly dyes, an environmentally-safe dying processes, and biodegradable bags to store their fabrics. Staying true to their heritage, the Guptas produce Sama Baby products at a family-run, fair-trade factory in India where the family frequently visits their cotton fields and oversees production.

Sama Baby Denim is sold online, at high-end boutiques across the country, and is currently in Whole Foods Markets, around the country. “Despite the recession, Sama Baby is extremely proud to be steadily growing and continues to fill stores nationwide while creating healthy, happy babies and a better planet for all,” they tell HCRSourceBook.

On another note, Shivani and Neha are managing editors of the newl Greenista.com, full of eco-friendly “tid-bits” delivered daily that launched on Earth Day.

-Janet Muniz