Profiles in Excellence

Congratulations to this year’s recipients in 22 categories for the most coveted accolade in the childrenswear industry! These winners, the cream of the crop, exemplify the pinnacle of design excellence and as such, are the true north for specialty retailers across the country.

Profiles in Excellence•2022

GIRLS’ APPAREL MOLO

Urban, funky, colorful designs with a humorous twist and a clean, “raw” Scandanavian look—this is Molo. Molo’s journey began out of a passion to boost the color quotient in children’s fashion. Since its conception in 2003, the Copenhagen-based Molo views itself as a brand that provides “favorites” for every child’s closet and allows kids to express their creativity and personality through their clothes.

BOYS’ APPAREL ANDY & EVAN

In 2008, Andy Perl and Evan Hakalir left corporate America to search for and learn the secrets of designing and producing high-quality garments. With their newfound knowledge and a desire to change the status quo, the pair infused innovation and a fresh approach. The Andy & Evan brand has established a distinctive voice in the industry with product design, functionality, and wearability, along with the trust and approval of Moms and Dads everywhere.

BABY/TODDLER ANGEL DEAR

Angel Dear’s sweetly luxurious clothing embodies a level of sophistication without being too serious. The collection blends beautiful style and lasting value for baby’s first months and years. Designer Camden Dunning honors this San-Francisco based company’s commitment to quality with every piece. Exceptional softness is the cornerstone of this brand.

CRIB SHOES STRIDE RITE

Since 1919, Stride Rite has designed innovative children’s footwear based on current trends and the latest knowledge behind healthy foot development. The brand’s expert-approved, comfortable shoes are fueled by imagination and built for life’s adventures. In addition to looking adorable, Stride Rite shoes help build strength, coordination and confidence through every step of fun, messy, challenging, and inspiring childhood.

BEAUTY /PERSONAL CARE LITTLE LADY PRODUCTS

Every fun hue of American-made Little Lady nail polish has its own distinct scent while being perfectly safe for children. President and mom Arda Tashdjian has thoughtfully produced a beauty line that’s vegan, animal cruelty-free and missing the harmful toxins typically found in this category. Each bottle has a bow ring that can be worn, adding a bit of extra delight for mini-cures.

Since 2002, Debbie Naren has been crafting ethically produced activewear to celebrate the inherent kindness that is in every girl. Limeapple’s premium quality, high-performance fabrics, vibrant colors and exclusive prints are desined to appeal to and move with girls on the go. Naren has elevated Limeapple’s mission, which has evolved into a more impactful social initiative–for every item sold, the company donates five meals to children in need.

ACTIVEWEAR LIMEAPPLE

CHILDREN’S FOOTWEAR NATURINO

For more than 40 years, Naturino’s footwear experts have been working to develop safe, comfortable, high-quality, and trend-right shoes. Parent company Falc was established in an artisan’s workshop in 1974 in Civitanova Marche, Italy, with a single goal: to improve children’s well-being through footwear. Parents will appreciate Naturino’s technical features while fashion-conscious kids will jump for joy to wear them.

A refined sense of style defines the Southern charming Beaufort Bonnet Company, founded in 2012 when Markey Hutchinson of Beaufort, S.C., fell in love with an heirloom bonnet pattern. The Beaufort Bonnet is more than just timeless and sweet in design–it’s washable, practical and a stylish way to shade precious baby skin. The collection evolved into children’s apparel and giftables that include hair bows, bow ties and precious doll clothes, and this year, makes its Earnie debut.

GIFTS BEAUFORT BONNET COMPANY

MOMMY, DADDY & ME POSH PEANUT

Born in 2011, Posh Peanut serves up fashion-forward, high-quality children’s clothing and accessories. Founder Fiona Sahakian, together with designer Alexander DeAngelis, produce reliably chic and adorable pieces for peanuts and their parents. In the winning category of Mommy/Daddy & Me; grownsup and their mini-mes can embrace the fun in creating matching family looks for special occasions or any day of the week.

“Lev” means heart in Hebrew, and everything the company creates stems from that love. Liat Levy, Lev’s founder and mom of five, uses sustainable bamboo to create the softest garments. Her passion comes through every single pattern, which is carefully designed based on a holiday, season or core memory. The winner of the 2021 Earnie for New Brand, Lev Baby proves its staying power this year.

NEWBORN LEV BABY

CHILDREN’S SLEEP WEAR ESME

Esme launched its basic comforts collection for loungewear/sleepwear in 2003 with just four pieces. Those pieces, designed by co-founder Sara Oh, performed so well that retailers demanded more, and the line exponentially grew into more styles, colors, and prints for infants, toddler and girls. Oh delights in creating new, fun prints that children and moms alike will love.

Launched by parent company Little Monsters,the Poppet & Fox brand is created in India for boys and girls ages 2 to 16. Described as a combination of of Free People and Anthropologie with subtle influences from the company’s other labels, Vignette and Me & Henry, the brand uses siliconwashed fabrics using tiedye and hand-block prints.

NEW BRAND POPPET & FOX

SWIMWEAR SHADE CRITTERS

Shade Critters emerged out of a personal need for sun safety for Maureen Schmidt’s small children after the family moved to sunny Florida. Since 2016, she and her husband, Fred, produce swimwear with a dress-up element that’s not to be overshadowed by UPF50+ sun protection. Launched with just a handful of rashguards and swim sets, Shade Critters now offers several hundred styles of swimwear, cover ups and resort wear.

TEETHERS/PACIFIERS THREE HEARTS

After having her first child, Linda Trieu saw a void in the market for fun and cute accessories for boys. Inspired by chic-yet-simple European design, she began to sell her own toys, bibs and clips on Etsy. That led to pop- up markets and a small brick and mortar. Then during a buying trip to Dallas Market, a retailer suggested that Trieu start a wholesale business. And in 2017, she did just that. Five years later, two-time Earnie winner is now in more than 3,500 retailers, including more than 35 Nordstrom locations.

SLEEPWEAR INFANTS KICKEE PANTS

While on bed rest with her second son, Aerin Nicole had a vision for KicKee Pants–quite literally as her newborn was a kicker! Nicole designs clothing that honors the whimsy of childhood while also putting first their comfort and safety. The KicKee Pants footie made from ultra-soft, lightweight and sustainable bamboo remains the company’s No. 1 best seller. The company has legit bragging rights; it has earned more than a decade’s worth of Earnies in this category.

The trendy and unique Copper Pearl collection includes super-soft swaddle blankets, drool-absorbing bandana bibs, playful accessories, and other sweetly designed gear. In the few short years since the birth of the brand, the company has blossomed into a small but mighty team focused on exceptional baby products at a great value.

BABY PRODUCTS COPPER PEARL

ACCESSORIES LILIES & ROSES

Lilies & Roses NY was created 15 years ago by Lilian Moura, who started with children’s clothing, but later fell in love with the wonderful world of accessories and its possibilities Handmade in Brazil using highquality acrylic, the charming and colorful hair clips, headbands, rings, bracelets, and necklaces in cute, fun designs add the right amount of extra for kids of all ages.

OUTERWEAR APPAMAN

Launched in 2003, Appaman is named after and inspired by the childhood companion—a corduroy ape—of founder and designer Harald Husum who grew up in Norway. Appaman has a unique Scandinavian perspective on Ameripop iconic imagery. Husum finds inspiration on the streets of New York City and translates it into his ever-changing palette of vibrant garments. Every season, this seventime Earnie winner creates new pieces and updates the tried-and-true favorites

UNDERGARMENTS KICKEE PANTS

What’s more important than the first layer of clothing on a child’s skin? According to KicKee Pants founder Aerin Nicole, nothing! The company takes its comittment to comfort seriously, designing super soft undergarments in a variety of solids and adorable prints for its little customers. For the past two years, KicKee Pants has won Earnies in two categories, dominating the sleepwear and undergarment space.

TWEEN MIA NEW YORK

Designer and founder Jamie Szramowski drew inspiration from the streets of New York City when she created MIA New York. Colorful, bold, iconic clothing is the name of the game when it comes to this exceptionally stylish kids’ clothing brand. Within the MIA New York collection, there’s everything from rompers and dresses to jackets and separates on the cutting-edge of design trends.

SUSTAINABLE SNAPPER ROCK

Snapper Rock, based in New Zealand, launched in the U.S. in 2003 in one of America’s great sailing capitals, Annapolis, MD. Founder/CEO Liz Eglinton saw the need for fun, fresh and functional protective gear for kids on the water. Its two-year old Sustainable Swimwear Collection uses fully recycled materials to reduce its carbon footprint in the hopes that this and future generations of children can enjoy the world’s beaches and oceans. Snapper Rock swimwear is rated UPF50+, blocking 98% of all UVA (aging rays) and UVB (burning rays), and the sun protection comes from the weave of the fabric without the addition of nasty chemicals.

SPECIAL OCCASION PETITE HAILEY

Rooted in a Southern California lifestyle, Petite Hailey was born out of a dream and passion to create high-quality dresses that felt a bit magical. In 2018, that dream came to fruition. Four years in, Petite Hailey’s twirlworthy tulle frocks and tutu dresses are hallmarks of the brand. Made from chemical-free fabrics that are durable and washable, these special occasion outfits come alive with the smiles and laughter of its beautiful wearers.