new stories
HALLOWEEN - ARE YOU PUMPKIN READY?
With this year being overtaken by Covid restrictions, those Pumpkins need to be as bright and bold as possible to be seen from afar! It looks like the trick or treating will be on hold, but maybe you could arrange a pumpkin trail around your neighbourhood, for the little ones to spot different pumpkins in windows or gardens?
BOBUX X THE BONNIE MOB SS20 Collection. Interview with Tracey, founder of The bonnie mob
Interview with Tracey Samuel, founder of The bonnie mob. We teamed up with our friends at New Zealand soft sole shoe brand Bobux to bring some new playful shoe styles to our spring summer collection, capturing the brands’ shared values of craftsmanship, quality and excellence. Read on to hear about the inspiration behind the collaboration and latest collection, and why were so keen to work with Bobux again. Following the success of our BOBUX X BONNIE MOB collaboration last year, how do you think the first collection when down with your customers? Our customers LOVED it, they felt it was an easy add on to our existing offer and a great way to make up a full outfit gift set. Sales went really well and they returned for more. Did your customers embrace matching their soft soles with their outfits? Absolutely, that was the key element, take this seasons Leopard spot or Bee Soft Soles, they almost make you shout ‘Awwwwee” when you see them worn together with a matching babygrow. I loved doing the photoshoot with the babies, when we added the Soft Soles to the look, the babies took on an almost cheeky air, desperately trying to walk or grab their feet to show them off! Customers are loving the SS20 theme ‘lazy hazy summer days’ – tell us a bit about the inspiration behind this? It was inspired from a family trip to Sri Lanka in 2018, where we travelled the amazing country, between the rain splashed tea plantations and lush forests, to the safari where we spotted lazy leopards and elephants, then finally resting on a yoga and surf retreat on the south coast of the island for a bit of relaxation. You’ll find prints inspired by the lazy leopards we saw dozing on tree branches on our safari, the lush green leaves of the rainforest up in the mountains and the muted rainbows and clouds of the tea plantation hazy mornings. Can you tell us a bit about the design process involved in creating the prints and the colour palette you chose – from ice lolly, spring rainbow and leaf to cloud, bumble bee and spotty? The greens are inspired from the jungles, but I softened them to an ‘Aloe’ colour to feel more zen! The bumblebee was a favourite, and an insect I’ve wanted to feature for a while, we need to look after our bees, so what better than celebrate them in a print. The Rainbow is a signature Bonniemob look, our collection wouldn’t be the same without a traditional rainbow look! All the designs in the ‘Bobux X Bonniemob’ collection are so playful – do you have a favourite? My favourite is the Leopard spot shoe, I love the big eyes, they are so fun and happy, they make me smile every time I see them on little feet! Like Bobux, The Bonniemob is a family run business, founded on family values with a brand design ethos of ‘letting kids be kids’. We’re loving your current season hashtag #mob_rules – tell us a bit about the philosophy of The bonnie mob? We believe in kids being kids, playing, running and being comfy in the clothes is a must. We believe that clothes should last, we absolutely hate the idea of fast fashion, our clothes are made to last and be passed down to other siblings and friends, we love hearing of customer stories where our knits are being worn by the 3rd or even fourth sibling! #buyoncebuywellpassiton is our motto. Running a business has its ups and downs – what would you say has been the toughest lesson you’ve learnt along the way and what has been the most joyous? Trust your gut! Along the way you’ll meet people who’ll offer their take on what you’re doing, it could be the best idea in the world or it could be the worst, learn to tune in to your inner voice and go with what feels right for you. Most joyous moments have been seeing my designs in stores like Selfridges London, or in our flagship store in Hong Kong, it feels a long way from the back bedroom we started out in!
Picture Time with The Mrs Project
Our amazing brand rep, Mirlah (aka The Mrs Project) made our day recently with her glowing blog post on our AW19 collection, and the gorgeous pictures made us smile so much that we thought we'd share some on here...
Know Your Knit: A Knitwear Masterclass with Tracey Samuel
Bonnie Mob founder and designer, Tracey Samuel, gives us a masterclass on how to spot a good quality piece of knitwear, shows us insights into how these technical garments are made and why they are so important. "I choose a yarn based on its quality. I ask the questions: will it knit well? Will it wash well, wear after wear? Will it last? Is it sustainable? We test the yarns based on these credentials, and if they pass, then we start selecting colours and making the magic happen!"
What to wear to a festival? Camp Bestival costumes with Kate Peers of Mad About The Boys
Multi-award winning Camp Bestival is still regarded as one of the best family-friendly festivals. Set in the lush grounds of Lulworth Castle in Dorset, this year’s festivities will take place between Thursday 26th and Sunday 29th July where it will become a nautical wonderland as ‘Camp Bestival Sets Sail’. As costumes are an absolute must, we asked regular Bestival-goer, mum of three boys and founder of family and lifestyle blog Mad About The Boys, Kate Peers, for her top tips for what to wear.
MEET THE STOCKIST - AMY & JESS FROM DUCK DUCK GOOSE
Childhood best friends, Amy Roome and Jessica Oates have taken what they’ve learned during their careers as international fashion designers home to the UK to open up their own children’s store, Duck Duck Goose. We are thrilled to see our collection stocked in such a gorgeous store and wanted to introduce you to the stockists.
THE BEST NEW BABY AND MUM GIFTS BY STEPH DOUGLAS OF DON’T BUY HER FLOWERS
Steph Douglas is the founder of the ingenious brand Don’t Buy Her Flowers – a gifting service for new mums and anyone who deserves a little TLC. Believing that new mums really need looking after (she describes being a new mum as “bloody brutal!”), who better than Steph to give her top new baby and mum present suggestions. She tells us the best gifts she’s received since she’s had baby number three below…
WHEN ONE BECOMES TWO - GETTING READY FOR THE SECOND BABY WITH REBECCA RAYNHAM
This Little Bird blogger and musician Rebecca Raynham lives in a little village with her husband Dan and their two-year-old son, Alfred. The couple are expecting their second baby, a girl, in November. We caught up with her to find out how she’s feeling about baby number two. What her second pregnancy has been like so far, how she feels about Alfred becoming a big brother and how she thinks things will change. Read our interview below to find out more…
The Adventures of Lara & Luther - Mini Model
Lara reflects on how fast Luther's first year has gone and the arrival of The bonnie mob's SS17 collection means we finally get to see our super star baby model strut his stuff on the website!
Designer Tracey's interview in Smallish magazine
We're really happy to be in Smallish magazine this month, a great interview with our designer Tracey about her inspiration for this AW14 collection, and memories of the late, great Louise Wilson from her time studying at St Martins.
Family friendly festivals round up!
Festival season is nearly over - but there's still a month or so with some amazing events that are perfect for all of the family. With a few of the big-name festivals already been and gone, we've selected some family friendly festivals that you can still make!
