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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...
WE WON BEST BABY FASHION BRAND 2019!
We are ecstatic to have come away with another PLATINUM award for BEST BABY FASHION BRAND at the 2019 Junior Design Awards!!!
COME TOGETHER: BOBUX X THE BONNIE MOB AW19 COLLABORATION
Magical things often happen when two creative forces come together. That’s why we are so excited to introduce our first collection of infant shoes, designed and made with the brilliant New Zealand-based footwear brand Bobux. Read our bite-sized interviews about the collab with Nicola Williamson, Lead Designer at Bobux and our founder Tracey Samuel.
Father's Day with The McHusbands
Ahead of Father's Day, we asked two of our favourite dad vloggers, The McHusbands, to tell us why they think the other one makes a great dad. Erik and Adam live in Arizona and have been vlogging about their fatherhood journey since 2016. They have two adorable twin daughters called Addisen and Everest. Click above to watch and Happy Father's Day to all of the amazing daddies.
The Secrets Behind Our Softness
Little ones’ skin is incredibly delicate. One of our most important priorities when we design a new piece of clothing is getting the fabric just right – making sure the softness is spot-on. You really have to feel it to believe it! Here is the science behind it…
Meet the Stockist: Igloo Kids
Nestled on the pretty high street of St John’s Wood amongst lots of other great independent shops is one of our favourite stockists: Igloo Kids. The retailer also has a online store with worldwide delivery, but we love to visit the shop and see our designs displayed in the the window. Go inside and you’ll find lots of other great design-led brands for little ones, carefully curated from all over the globe. They stock everything from beautiful clothing and accessories, to toys, gifts and party supplies. We caught up with Igloo’s owner and mum-of-two, Nino, to find out more...
Fashion Revolution Week - Who Made Your Clothes
This week marks the anniversary of the Rana Plaza tragedy in Bangladesh and we remember the importance of transparency and reform within the global fashion industry. 1138 people lost their lives that day and we are right behind all efforts by this movement to raise awareness so people really do know who made their clothes. A love of fashion should improve and enrich lives, both of those who wear the clothes and those who produce them. If it doesn't, then there is something not quite right there.
Really Simple Easter Decorating with Cotton Clara
We asked Chloe Hardisty of Cotton Clara for her simple Easter decorating tips that involves the kids and doesn't break the bank.
A NURSERY TOUR WITH ALYSSA GARRISON OF RANDOM ACTS OF PASTEL
Alyssa Garrison is the founder of one of our favourite colourful Canadian blogs: Random Acts of Pastel. She is also new mama to adorable Summer Honey Rose. We’re excited to share with you a peek inside her beautiful pastel nursery featuring loads of gorgeous nursery decor ideas.
MY JOURNEY INTO MOTHERHOOD WITH ALISON PERRY
As part of our journeys into motherhood series (and just in time for Mother’s Day), we caught up with freelance editor and founder of Not Another Mummy Blog, Alison Perry. We talked to Alison about what pregnancy is like second time around, her IVF journey and what it’s like to be a mum of twins.
5 confidence-boosting tips for girls from Edwina Dunn, Founder of The Female Lead
Last year, our founder Tracey took her daughter Alice to The Sunday Times event ‘How to Raise a Female Leader’. We asked Edwina Dunn, Founder of The Female Lead, for her top 5 confidence-boosting tips for girls based on the women who shape our world today.
