Month: September 2013

Reinventing Floatimini


092613_floatimini_07A popular children’s swimwear line returns, for girls only.

092613_floatimini_03Five years ago, Erie Chang and Sehee Kim dreamed up Floatimini, a fashionable clothing line focused on swimwear that inspired both girls and boys to have their own dreams. The bright colors, playful prints and unique patterns helped Floatimini to stand out from the rest, expanding from swimwear to a full complement of resort wear that included hoodies, wrap skirts, sun dresses, shorts and t-shirts.

092613_floatimini_04Now, these two Moms, designers, artists –and friends- are staying true to their original signature, re-introducing the brand to focus solely on girls ages six months to eight years.

Floatimini produces sophisticated, high-quality swimwear using the brightest technology: heavier weight, quick-drying fabric, ultraviolet and antibacterial protection and SPF-50.

092613_floatimini_01Find Her Beach. Erie and Sehee travel the world for the latest in trends, innovations and perspectives on what makes beachwear the best. Their goal is to create “the perfect pool print” -bright colors, up-to-date style, vintage sensibility, cute ruffles, sophisticated details and trims.

092613_floatimini_09In addition to stunning swimwear, these beach-loving designers also plan to feature bright cotton knit dresses in the 2014 collection.

  • Thanks to Daniela Vitali of DV REPS for re-introducing me! Children’s Retail Today publishes new posts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. If you want to get the word out about your innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children, contact me today!

Measuring Up App & Book


When shopping for children’s clothes, measure twice, buy once … and leave the children at home?!

092513_MeasuringUpApp_ImageLauri Chertok has a good thing going.

The Chestnut Hill, MA native who pursued a fabulous fashion career in New York is now a consultant to Moms who want to excel in the fine art of shopping for their children’s clothing.

Call A Babysitter! Lauri is the creator of the successful Measuring Up App for Apple® iPhone and iPad, a nifty shopping app that’s portable enough to use whether you’re in a store, flipping through catalogs or browsing online.

092513_MeasuringUpApp_BookShe’s also the author of a new book, Measuring Up: Buying Clothes that Fit. In it, she puts her 25+ years of experience in the fashion industry to work for you, with a simple, three-step guide that gives you the measurements you need to bring home clothes that fit –without any dressing room temper tantrums and youthful meltdowns. Why? Because you’re kids can stay home.

I want everyone who clothes shops for kids to buy this time-saving app. It will make shopping fun, stress-less and totally doable.

Two-Fisted Ease. While the Measuring Up book includes helpful inventory pages to track your child’s wardrobe for what they’ll need each season, the Measuring Up app lets you email measurements directly to anyone who may need to know them –like grandma, who’s buying a present –or knitting a sweater- for their grandchild (There’s also an automatic conversion function, so she can shop when traveling abroad!).

Whether you use the app, the book or both, Lauri’s easy measurement instructions and accurate storage takes the stress out of shopping.

And they work for grownups, too!

That’s right! Lauri’s thought of everything. As she says, she’ll always be obsessed with fashion, art, good behavior and proper fit.

Learn more about the app and the book by visiting the Measuring Up App website. While you’re there, check out Lauri’s blog, Measuring Up Maven, for her current tips and tales about kids, their parents, children’s fashion and more.

TWELVElittle


Fashionable, functional carryalls for Moms and Dads who “need it all.” 

092413_TWELVElittle_01Launched in June, TWELVElittle is (might I say lovely-named) a New York-based company that makes baby bags, diaper clutches, accessories, designed with style and engineered with practicality.

Made of high quality, water resistant fabrics and supple leather, TWELVElittle bags not only make it super easy to call any baby essential, they transform into the most fashionable accessory for any Mom or Dad, after baby grows up.

Our TWELVElittle baby bags are precisely made to assist every parent at the right moment, and capture every experience with ease and grace.

092413_TWELVElittle_IllustrationCarry Your Inner Animal. According to the Asian zodiac, I was born in the year of the Rooster. “Roosters are good at listening and keeping promises. By being natural observers, they are knowledgeable and resourceful,” it tells me on the company’s 12 LITTLE WONDERS web page, where each wonder -an animal that represents the year each child is born- is explained and illustrated by Catherine Min. Catherine’s illustrations evolved into the 12 LITTLE WONDERS dangles, “perfect little reminders of how special every child is.” The leather dangles can be used as keychains or personal identity jewels. I love these!

092413_TWELVElittle_03Bonding Over Baby Bags. Julia Min and her friend Jenny first met at Rhode Island School of Design while both studied for their BFA in Industrial Design. Each chose a fashion career designing handbags –and it was the search for the perfect baby bag that brought them together again to launch TWELVElittle. Juila is inspired by her son Noah and daughter Noelle, and Jenny is a world traveler and animal lover –one reason why TWELVElittle bags are so handy while on a trip to anywhere-land! Great job, ladies!

Too Scoops Kids


Children’s Retail Today congratulates you on Birthday Number One!

365 days, 154 posts, 321 comments and 10,867 views later, Too Scoops Kids is celebrating its first birthday with a Blogiversary Celebration this Saturday, September 21 in Atlanta, GA – and everyone’s invited! Check it out here.

This has been an amazing year for us and we want to share the excitement with our readers and favorite brands targeting little girls.

091913_TooScoopsKids_ButtonToo Scoops Kids (TSK) is a blog dedicated to what founders Lysi and Jenny call “the pint-sized fashion star.” A one-stop-shop for fun, fashion and family, Too Scoops Kids offers high quality, one-of-a kind content that engages moms and women from all walks of life with trendsetting commentary and options for affordable clothing and accessories for little girls.

“Our goal is to develop custom packages for brands that want to target the millennial mom who loves fashion, family, and fun,” they say. “TSK values our audience and we welcome all brands that seek to enhance the quality of life for our families in an original and innovative way.”

091913_TooScoopsKids_BlogiversaryInviteLysi says visitors can expect fabulousness, and Jenny says you’ll find “honesty, fun, a true glimpse into the life of a real life millennial mom, that loves life, adores her family, believes in being who you are without excuses, and is a sucker for a good-time!”

Talia from Pink Pearl PR tells me TSK is planning to launch an online boutique -and a few of their own designs- over the next few months. Great birthday present, girls!

WubbaNub


Soft and cuddly, these pacifiers are just the right size for little hands to grasp and hold.

091813_Wubbanub_PinkKittenMissing Pacifier Syndrome. A few years ago, new Mom Carla Schneider was hoping to enjoy her first vacation with her baby –and eventually, she did … after she found a way to soothe her little one’s non-stop fussing and crying. Crafty Carla put the hotel’s complimentary sewing kit to good use, attaching her baby’s favorite plush toy to a pacifier –and that’s what it took! Not only did she solve the “missing pacifier syndrome,” she created what is now known as The Original Plush Pacifier!

091813_Wubbanub_BabyGiraffeAward Winner. A Creative Child Top Choice Award winner in 2011, 2012 and 2013, WubbaNub pacifiers are not only loved by babies and their parents, but by celebrity moms, too. Available in children’s shops and online, distributed in hospitals, NICU and well-baby units nationwide, WubbaNub also won a National Parenting Seal of Approval Award in 2012.

Patented Design. Innovative Improvement. Made with a Soothie™ medical grade, Latex-free pacifier, WubbaNubs are BPA-, PVC- and phthalate-free and the durable one-piece construction won’t let germs hide in any nooks or crannies.

WubbaNub has created a reputation in the parenting and children’s industry for being dedicated to nurturing babies in the safest, healthiest way possible.

091813_Wubbanub_YellowDuckCarla’s patented design  is just the right weight and size, making it super easy for baby keep near the mouth. The plush animal not only helps, but adds a little comfort for baby and makes it easy for parents to find it in the car seat, baby sling, carrier, stroller or diaper bag!

Plus, they’re adorable! I do wish Carla would make a little goat version, though!

IMPWEAR


091713_IMPWEAR_03Made by a Mom in Seattle, IMPWEAR introduces an oil cloth collection that’s just right for kids of any age!

Back in 1992, creative Mom Tracy Krauter stared making a line of reversible wear for her three active boys. She called it IMPWEAR and sold what she calls the “quality hand-me-downs” at local street fairs.

Made in the USA. Now, Tracy and her IMPWEAR crew are making aprons, tablecloths, reversible bags and more, made from a versatile oil cloth.

It’s the fabric that excites.

091713_IMPWEAR_01The lightweight fabric has a polyurethane coating that’s BPA-free, PVC-free, phthalate-free and toxin-free, which means it’s not only safe for food, but safe for kids, too. “This ‘oil cloth’ comes in the same zesty prints with irresistible draping and washability,” Tracy says.

091713_IMPWEAR_04Perfect for any kitchen, garden shed or kids playtime, IMWEAR’s oil cloth collection is available online at www.impwear.com, at local shops and market events and wholesale –great for gift shops, catalogs or garden nurseries (I especially like Tracy’s yoga mat bag!).

Giving Back. Tracy was a park ranger in a former life, and believes in the value of untouched wilderness for our kids. In support of her cause, IMPWEAR donates 10% of each sale to non-profit organization Forterra, the largest conservation and community building organization in Washington State, dedicated to protect, enhance and steward the region’s communities and landscapes.

How Roland Rolls


Award-winning actor/artist Jim Carrey is breaking new ground, for himself, his fans –and for a little wave.

Jim Carrey – known for his fabulous portrayals of interesting characters in films such as Man on the Moon, The Truman Show, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective  and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, among others, is self-publishing his first children’s book.

Carrey’s created a charming, fun to read, beautifully illustrated book with Roland the wave as a metaphor for the inter-relatedness of everything in the world.”

~ Jane Fonda

091213_HowRolandRolls_BookcoverOn September 24, How Roland Rolls is available wherever books and e-books are sold, as well as on the How Roland Rolls website. An enhanced e-book will be released at the same time, along with a four-song EP that is available through iTunes. Major booksellers are also embracing the wave, so to speak.

“It’s a story about a wave named Roland who’s afraid that, one day, when he hits the beach, his life will be over,” Jim says. “But when he gets deep, he’s struck by the notion that he’s not just a wave — he’s the whole big, wide ocean! It shows humanity’s interconnectedness through the metaphor of a wave in the ocean.”

The personal story behind the book. “When I was a child,” Carrey shares, “my parents were smokers and I had a deep fear that they would pass … and then what would happen to me? I think that’s a common fear for children – the fear of loss. It’s an early existential crisis, if you will. But when we realize that beneath the surface of things – the activities of our lives — we are all connected, all one energy, that fear of loss gets softened. At times, it disappears entirely. At least that’s been true for me.”

091213_HowRolandRolls_JimCarreyIllustrationAs a parent -and now a grandparent- (Yikes! Where did the time go?!) Mr. Carrey reflects on the time he spent reading to his daughter, Jane. “I believe the closest we get to heaven in this world is when we get completely involved in something we love. One of those moments is when we read to our children. It’s total freedom from self, from our worries and problems. We always feel terrific afterwards, and so do the kids. For them, it’s an experience of focused, enveloping love.”

All in the family. Illustrated by one of Jim’s friends, Rob Nason –who’s also an award-winning illustrator and animator- How Roland Rolls is dedicated to his grandson; the four songs on the EP are performed by Jim and his daughter, Jane; and the book itself is being released by his company, Some Kind of Garden Media.

 Philosophers and scientists struggle to understand cosmic consciousness, but Jim Carrey explains it with elegant simplicity to the child in all of us.”

~ Deepak Chopra

Cinders: A Chicken Cinderella


091113_CindersByJanBrett_BookcoverWhile reading the current issue of Country Woman Magazine recently, I was introduced to Jan Brett, an award-winning author/illustrator who also happens to breed award-winning chickens.

Jan is renowned all over the country for her beautiful illustrations in children’s books –and when I saw the cover of her newest tale, Cinders: A Chicken Cinderella, I just had to tell my Children’s Retail Today peeps about it -and about Jan, too.

Cinders is Jan’s take on the classic fairy tale, complete with a little hen who’s transformed into a beautiful and mysterious guest at a ball during one magical night. Her fanciful illustrations capture the grandeur and glamour of eighteenth-century Russia, where Jan traveled herself. Together with her funny flock of chicken characters, this Cinderella story is whimsical and original. A feast for the eyes, one might say!

“I want kids to be able to open my books and feel as if they could walk right into the pages.”

-Jan Brett, in Country Woman

Charmed by Chickens. The Massachusetts-based author is currently touring the United States for her new book, visiting towns in New York, Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Alabama, Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, New Jersey and New Hampshire (phew!) –visiting book stores, schools and libraries, giving book talks and illustration demonstrations at each signing. It’s something Jan does every fall, to meet her book-reading fans in person.

091113_CindersByJanBrett_TourBusIf you’re lucky enough to live in a town she’s visiting, sign your kids up for Jan’s “Lunch on the Bus” contest, where your child and three friends have the chance to win lunch with Jan on her tricked out traveling machine. Visit JanBrett.com for more.

091113_CindersByJanBrett_JanWithChickensWhile you’re checking out her online footprint, learn more about Jan’s stories that have been incorporated into school curricula across the country and download free educational activities for teachers to use with their students.

Imagine Childhood


Everything under the sun that encourages the wonder of play -for people of all ages, really.

091013_ImageChildhood_Catalog_natureThe first thing you will notice when you visit Image Childhood is the gorgeous photography.

Browse through this family owned and operated company’s Seasonal Catalogs and you’ll lose yourself in the magic of each season, just looking at all the fun and interesting toys, tools and activities that encourage exploration, creativity and play. Imagine Childhood specializes in high quality, environmentally conscious products that allow children to experience the world through their own senses. And for co-founder Sarah Olmsted and her team, the best way to learn is through interacting with nature and our natural environment.

Part community forum, part storefront, imaginechildhood.com is a place where parents and kids can find their own definition of childhood.

091013_ImageChildhood_BookcoverIn fact, Sarah wrote the book on it. Imagine Childhood: Exploring the World Through Nature, Imagination, and Play- 25 Projects That Spark Curiosity and Adventure, published by Roost Books last fall, is what she calls “a celebration of childhood through the crafts and activities that invite wonder and play.” For Sarah, the 25 projects in the book offer stepping-off points for children to engage with the world. “They’re about the process of getting there,” she says. “They’re about the conversations that happen while making things together. They’re about getting to know the world inch by inch. They’re about exploring imaginary universes and running through real forests. They’re about living in childhood … regardless of your actual age.”

091013_ImageChildhood_Catalog_explorationPure Natural Wonder. Before starting Imagine Childhood five years ago, Sarah developed interactive education exhibits for the Field Museum of Natural History. And she uses this experience in presenting simple, economical projects for children and parents to enjoy together –without all the technological wonders of the modern day. Just the  pure, natural wonder of our surroundings, revved up with a child’s point of view.

091013_ImageChildhood_OakLeafFairyShop the Store. In addition to Sarah’s book, shoppers will find all sorts of treasures at Imagine Childhood, like this Oak Leaf Faerie, handmade on Bryn Du Farm in Colorado and dressed in plant-dyed wool felt, made from the farm’s own sheep! Also very cool: custom skin and eye color available upon request.

City Threads


This real American clothing company has been making clothes in the USA since 2002. 

090513_CityThreads_LogoCaletha Crawford is a well-known and respected childrenswear consultant based in New York. Once the editor of the venerable children’s trade publication Earnshaw’s, Caletha is also part of the the Children’s Apparel Consulting Group, a full-service, one-stop network of industry veterans that works with children’s clothing companies on branding, design, merchandising, production, sales, credit checks, order processing, back office, customers service, marketing, collections, PR and social media –good to know, in case you’re embarking on your passion for children’s fashion with a new product or business!

090513_CityThreads_02Made in the USA. Caletha recently featured Los Angeles, CA-based City Threads in her e-newsletter –an apparel company that started out manufacturing cool clothes for boys emblazoned with city names, and now caters to both boys and girls sizes 0 to 14 with a full complement of clothing for day and night,  including pajamas, underwear, layering pieces and fashionable sportswear that features innovative graphics designed to excite kids’ imaginations.

090513_CityThreads_05Spring 2014. City Threads is putting its spin on classic warm-weather must-haves for a spring collection that’s fun and carefree.

“The Spring ’14 line comprises t-shirts, polos, hoodies, shorts, dresses, one-pieces, swim trunks, pajamas and underwear for 24/7 style,” Caletha says. “The brand is devoted to comfort with soft, quality fabrics and an easy fit.”

With our Spring ’14 collection, City Threads has done what we do best by putting our signature trend-right twist on the iconic American style staples kids love to live in. Plus, the fabrics are comfy enough that kids won’t want to take them off.

-co-owner and designer Shayna Samuels

090513_CityThreads_06Outrageously eye-catching graphics spill over fronts for added visual interest on tees, tanks, swim trunks and shorts. Hoodies have 3D details like a shark fin on the back  that kids really love. And it’s the line’s swimwear that makes the biggest splash with moms year after year, thanks to its quality and durability –now with screen printing on swim trunks this season.

090513_CityThreads_04Popular with celebrity moms and parents everywhere, husband-and-wife team Shayna Samuels and Joe Willis runs this family business that makes its cool apparel in the United States. They also make padded footies, pants and hats, rounding out a collection that becomes a staple in a child’s wardrobe.