The 97th edition of Pitti Immagine Bimbo, the Italian trade fair for ready-to-wear, accessories and lifestyle for children, is currently taking place in Florence at Fortezza da Basso until June 23rd. To mark the event, FashionUnited has selected five childrenswear labels to keep an eye on.
esther
In 2019, Diana Lugo Caro decided to found Esther, a ready-to-wear brand for infants and children after noticing the lack of offerings in this segment in Puerto Rico, the city where she is originally from. The New York-based company offers a selection of clothing for children from 3 and 6 months to 14 years, as well as toys.
The range includes shirts, blouses, tops, skirts, dresses and even shorts. Esther promises comfortable clothing with simple, clean lines. Many of the garments are monochromatic, but the brand also relies on patterns such as black check and “mustard yellow” or patchwork effects. Esther also has a denim collection. On its e-commerce site, the brand affirms that its products are made from 100 percent cotton and that some pieces are made entirely from organic cotton.
Prices range from 28 euros for the sleeveless “Bori Club” body to 168 euros for the multicolored “Gloria” summer dress. The brand’s products are sold through its online store and through several international retail outlets, including the Ssense platform.
Mimi & Lula
After the birth of their daughters, Natasha Hodson and Nicola Byrne realized that there were very few quality accessories and clothes for children. After years of experience in women’s wear, they decided to take the step into entrepreneurship and founded their own accessory brand in 2017. In just six years, Mimi & Lula has managed to make a name for itself thanks to its colourful, playful and fun world – as evidenced by 87,500 followers on Instagram.
Mimi & Lula offers “accessories that allow children to express their personality with flair and style,” according to the brand on its website. The range includes hair clips, headbands, headbands, bows and other items that adorn the hair.
The company also sells clutch bags, shoulder straps, fanny packs, backpacks and baskets. What is special are the shapes of the accessories, which can sometimes take on the silhouette of a dinosaur, fish or butterfly, and sometimes that of a star, rainbow or planet. There is also a range of costumes with petticoats, capes, crowns and much more.
The price range is 15 euros for hair accessories and 30 euros for bags. In addition to the e-commerce site, the brand is available in select department stores such as Selfridges & Co in London and Bon Marché Rive Gauche in Paris.
Tia Cibani
New York-based brand Tia Cibani specializes in clothing and accessories for children and toddlers, covering a wide range of sizes from six months to 16 years. She is characterized by her colourful, striped and geometric shaped pieces, all inspired by the North African origins of the designer of the same name.
The company also offers a range of immaculately tailored basics that come in multiple colors – a must-have for Tia Cibani, who was artistic director of luxury house Ports 1961 for a number of years. The brand completes its offer with a women’s line aimed at mothers who want to coordinate their outfit with that of their children. Some shoes and swimwear for the little ones are also available in the Tia Cibani online shop.
Expect to pay €36.95 for a patch T-shirt, €42.95 for the striped “Rafael Multi-Snap Shirt” and €135.95 for the “Vanessa pleated maxi”, a mini wedding dress. The brand is mainly present in the American market, but is also distributed by a number of retailers in Belgium, South Korea, Italy and Qatar.
Risu.Risu
“I’ve always dreamed of dressing my children ecologically and beautifully, so I founded Risu.Risu to dress them not only with clothes made from organic cotton, but also with eco-friendly dyes,” explains founder Camille Fleck on the website.
Founded in 2014, the French company caters for almost the whole family, with pieces for babies, children, teenagers and women. The brand’s size spectrum ranges from 1 month to 14 years and from S to L for the women’s collections.
Risu.Risu relies on soft, delicate tones such as sage green, pastel pink and terracotta. The country-style garments are floral, checked or decorated with small embroidered squirrels, the brand’s mascot.
The label promises garments made from 100 percent organic cotton, which are certified with the GOTS seal and are manufactured in Spain “Made in Europe”. Some of the garments are designed using French fabrics and dyed with eco-friendly dyes according to GOTS standards.
The “Zéphyr Bodysuit”, a classic bodysuit, costs 42 euros, while pajamas for babies and children cost around 60 euros. The red checked dress costs 82 euros and the tank top “Lola Strap Vest” is available for 45 euros.
Risu.Risu is based in Paris and has its own boutique at Neuilly-sur-Seine, 50 rue de Chézy. The items are also distributed by retailers such as Smallable, which specializes in the sale of ready-to-wear, accessories and family decorations.
Raspberry Plum
In 2014, Aleksandra Matthews, a graduate of the Royal College of Art, presented her first children’s collection at Pitti Bambino. London-based Raspberry Plum is positioned as a mid- to high-end children’s brand with a girly, kitschy, and couture-inspired aesthetic. It is primarily aimed at little girls aged six months to 14 years, but also offers about five pieces for women.
The fashion brand very quickly made tulle its great specialty. It is characterized by dresses and petticoats decorated with bows, ruffles, lace details or claudine collars. The range also includes bell bottoms, culotte shorts, short jumpsuits and swimwear.
Raspberry Plum items range in price from £35 (around €40) to £207 (around €240). They are available in the brand’s online shop and at selected retailers such as Farfetch, Childrensalon (UK) and Bambini Fashion (Austria).
This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.fr. Translated from English and edited by Simone Preuss.