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Conrad Astley17/ 2/2006
Fashion is no longer just for those old enough to go out and work for a living. A new store is selling funky threads for parents who want their newborns to look like a million dollars. Conrad Astley looks at fashions for babies.
IF you thought trying to keep up with fashion trends as an adult
was difficult, parents of young children now have to dress for
two.
A new store specialising in children's and babies' clothes for
fashion conscious mums and dads opened at the end of last year, and
owner Simone Man says kids' fashions change just as quickly as
anything dreamt up in Paris, New York or Milan.
"I get in touch with agents from the clothing companies and buy
whatever's in style for the next season," she said.
"We're coming into the spring season now. For girls the style is
going to be summer dresses, dungarees, and short spring jackets.
For boys it's short cropped trousers in denim, linen - anything you
would expect for adults.
"Our winter stock is just about to go out, but that was really cute
little coats with little teddies attached to them."
Simone says the shop - Little Bambinos in the Lowry Outlet Mall -
was her first taste of working in the fashion industry, and she had
originally worked for legal firms after studying law at
university.
But she became fascinated with babies' clothing while she was
pregnant with daughter Amelia in 2004.
Partly out of curiosity and partly out of boredom, she began buying
items of baby clothing over the internet, finding there were
European brands which she could not locate in any Manchester
shops.
The hobby grew into an obsession as she began selling the tiny
shoes, dresses and jackets on auction site eBay.
Simone found there was a keen market for the wears and decided to
expand the business, opening the Salford Quays store in
December.
Amelia, now 15 months old, still provides inspiration for the
business.
The toddler now acts as Simone's model. If she looks good in the
clothes and likes them, she'll put them in the store, and if not,
she won't bother.
The store sells clothes for newborn babies up to eight-year-olds,
and includes juvenile items made by top fashion labels such as
DKNY, Dolce And Gabbana, and Diesel.
Alongside this, there are items made by French companies Berlingot
and Sucre d'Orge which are difficult to find in the UK.
There are tiny shoes made by companies such as Christian Dior and
even fashion accessories such as trendy bottles, dummies and toys
made by Austrian firm Mam.
Although shops like Baby Gap - selling downsized versions of items
by the American clothing company - have been around for years,
29-year-old Simone says her store is more exclusive, and admits it
is not for those who feel like being stingy.
The most expensive item in stock is an £80 dress made by US
clothing company Diesel - usually associated with fashionable
watches and "engineered" jeans - designed for new-born babies up to
two-year-olds.
"There aren't many shops in the North West selling this sort of
stuff," she said. "And there's no shops that are dedicated to
children and babies.
"A lot of what we sell can't be bought over here at all, and most
of our suppliers are French.
"I think in France and Italy they have better designer children's
clothing than we do, whereas in Britain it's the same wherever you
go.
"It's for parents who like to dress their children up in nice stuff
and like to see them looking good.
"I don't choose things that you can buy anywhere, I get things that
are very different. We get a lot of parents coming in saying
they've never seen anything like this before. Sometimes they say
they've seen this on the internet, but never been able to find it
in a shop."
She added the store was also a favourite with people buying gifts
for friends of expectant mothers, and they sold special gift packs
for people with new babies.
She also had her first celebrity customer recently, actress
Elizabeth Dawn, who plays Vera Duckworth in Coronation
Street.
The actress has visited the store twice, buying items for her
nine-month-old granddaughter, and Simone said she had exquisite
taste, chosing fashionable dresses and a pair of boots for the
youngster.
THE French style is a winner for parents, with the shop's most
popular clothes coming from Gallic labels Berlingot and Sucre
d'Orge.
Simone said she was expecting their new spring and summer lines to
be every bit as popular.
The most well-dressed youngsters in the new season would be wearing
Berlingot's red all in one bloomer set, available for children aged
three months to two years.
The brand's jeans and denim dungarees for boys are also likely to
be a summer hit.
Sucre d'Orge's new lines include spotty and yellow dresses - also
for youngsters aged three months to eight years. The company also
make clothing for older children, with trousers, floral tops, and
boys' summer shorts designed for two to eight year-olds.
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