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CONTENTS November/December 2021
F E AT U R E S 8 The Great Connectors Sales reps from across the country step out of their showrooms and into this spotlight to discuss the state of the market, supply-chain disruptions and what’s ahead for 2022. 12 Earnie Award Winners 2021 Profiles of the 22 manufacturers selected for design excellence in childrenswear
D E PA RT M E N T S 4 Editor’s Note 6 Seen and Heard
This page: Old Soles footwear
Noelle Heffernan Publisher Michele Silver Editor Nancy Campbell Trevett McCandliss Creative Directors EDITORIAL Mariah Walker Contributing Fashion Editor ADVERTISING Jennifer Craig Special Accounts Manager PRODUCTION Laurie Guptill Production Manager Mike Hoff Webmaster Bruce Sprague Circulation Director CORPORATE Caroline Diaco VP/Group Publisher Greg Dutter Editorial Director Carroll Dowden Chairman Mark Dowden President & CEO
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CONTACT INFO Sales/Editorial Offices One Maynard Drive Park Ridge, NJ 07656 Tel: (201) 571-2244
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EDITOR’S LETTER
RESIGN, REALIZE, RENEW THE UNITED STATES has weathered a number of “great” historical events. The Great Fire of Chicago (1871), the Great Earthquake in San Francisco (1906), the Great Depression (1929-’32) and more recently the Great Recession (2007’09). The country is now in the throes of two more: The Great Resignation and the Great Realization, a one-two psychological, COVID-connected phenomenon causing millions of employees to leave the work force and/ or search for better pay, benefits, perks, location, flexibility—they have great expectations. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, during the months of April, May and June 2021, a total of 11.5 million workers quit their jobs. A percentage of these workers were in the childrenswear industry, and manufacturers and retailers are feeling the impact. Marshal Cohen, Chief Industry Analyst of the NPD Group of Port Washington, NY, refers to the ongoing Great Resignation/Realization as “COVID Carryover.” Cohen says. “Between government stimulus money and the savings of childcare for working families who were no longer working, people decided to make significant lasting changes to employment—especially to dual-income households. We saw forced job disruptions from COVID-19 turn into choice disruptions.” To help find and retain qualified staff, companies need to not only reevaluate their benefits, but also their overall work environments. One of the most important factors is, of course, offering competitive pay. The less obvious ones, according to Cohen include childcare or supplemental
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childcare payments, flexible hours and deeper discounts to help support the need for wardrobing kids. “Most of all, help employees grow, learn and evolve. Put more into how to make the workplace a more comfortable environment,” he says. While our industry struggles with labor shortages, the market itself is performing significantly better than it has in the last two years. According to data obtained from the NPD Group, children’s apparel was up a whopping 18.6% as of October of this year. It had dropped 8.4% in 2020 and only experienced an 8.7% increase in 2019. The 2021 numbers indicate that even with fewer people working, especially in an office, and dressing their kids in more athleisure clothing, the volume sales in this category are way up. This positive news provides the perfect segue into our final and celebratory issue of the year, the 2021 Earnie Award Winners and their Profiles in Design Excellence. Get to know the 22 companies behind the best-in-class products, from girls’ apparel and gifts to sleepwear and special occasion. Perhaps next year, your company’s name will be on this coveted list! We also take a deep dive into a segment of the industry that’s often overlooked—sales representatives and their showrooms. These professionals bring a wealth of knowledge to both sets of their clients—manufacturers and their independent specialty stores. Despite dealing with shifted business models from COVID, staffing issues and supplychain disruptions, regional sales rep are working harder and smarter than ever to ensure that the next season is as successful as possible. I hope you enjoy reading all of the content in this issue as much as I did writing it. Best wishes, Michele Silver Congratulations to all of the 2021 Earnie Award Winners.
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Thank you! We are so grateful for our small business community!
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SCENE & HEARD
SUNNY DAYS FOR ALL AS PART OF its retail footprint expansion in the U.S., the first official Pacsun Kids location opened on Nov. 4 at the Mall of America, where Pacsun has offered its main collection for many years. The 1,435-square-foot Pacsun Kids store is connected directly to the adult location. As one of the youth retailer’s newest categories, Pacsun Kids was designed entirely without gender to cater to its youngest consumer yet, ages 4-14, according to the company. The brand hosted fun digital initiatives in celebration of the opening. Special guest influencer, local mommy blogger and mom of two, Jena Holliday, hosted a livestream shopping event. Additionally, a special Holiday Instagram filter was created that shoppers could access through a seasonal in-store QR code and customers got the opportunity to be featured alongside an animated deer in photo and selfie mode. After the official launch of the Pacsun Kids category earlier this year, Pacsun organized several kid-focused livestreams and pop-ups, including one at the Santa Monica location, the Irvine Spectrum Center in California, and most recently at the Scottsdale, AZ store. The brand will look to host more kids’ live stream events in the near future at the Cerritos, CA, location and Brea Mall. Looking ahead to 2022, Pacsun plans to launch five additional kids stores.
FEET FIRST PALS SOCKS DROPPED a fresh collab designed in partnership with iconic lifestyle designer Paul Frank. The Pals Socks X Paul Frank was dreamed up when Paul Frank reached out to indie brand Pals Socks because he felt a shared sense of color and adventurous style. The collaboration is especially fitting since Paul Frank’s main character Julius the Monkey was originally inspired by a sock puppet created by the designer’s grandmother. Consumers can once again enjoy the beloved Paul Frank signature monkey Julius and his self-appointed wingman Bob; Julius and best friend Clancy the Giraffe, Julius and pal Sam the Grub, and Julius and advisor Skurvy. Now, Millennial parents who were obsessed in their teen years with Paul Frank-designed gear can share the friendly and cult-like characters with their own children.Pals Socks hopes its new designs will evoke great memories for parents and entice a new generation with a retro look for their wardrobe. Pals Socks X Paul Frank comes in youth sizes, 1-12 years.
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Thank You
Best Newborn Apparel and Best Sleepwear 2021
kickeepants.com @kickeepants #kickeepants
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S H O W R O O M S H O W CA S E
THE GREAT CONNECTORS With their fingers on the pulse of the childrenswear business, sales reps from across the country step out of their showrooms and into this Earnshaw’s spotlight to discuss the state of the market and what’s ahead for 2022. BY
MICHELE SILVER
Working safely at In Play
SHOWROOMS AND THE sales representatives who run them provide an invaluable business link between childrenswear manufacturers and their accounts. Often behind the scenes, sales reps are creating inviting spaces to best showcase brands, learning the unique needs of manufacturers and retailers, staying up to date on trends, and offering their business expertise that has been built on decades of industry experience. It’s a job that requires a high level of commitment, time and patience. “Our longtime retail partners trust us to introduce them to brands and products we believe in, and that’s how we pick who we work with,” says Sandra Martinez Roe of In Play. “Our brands depend on us to educate and guide them for a successful launch of a product and/ or brand based on our many years of knowledge
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and partnerships. It is important that what we sell, in the end, sells through.” Allison Moroze, who runs Ali’s Market, concurs about the careful relationship building so that both parties are successful. “I do my best to understand the needs and nuances of my manufacturers/brands. I am not just writing an order—I am establishing trust and a partnership between my manufacturers and the retailers. My job is to bring those two together so everyone gets the best sales they can.” Task Rabbits Throughout the season, sales reps have a host of tasks for their dual set of clients, according to Julie DeJardin Smith, who runs Julie Smith Kids. For the manufacturers, she stages the space to showcase each collection and connects with established and new stores in the region
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with the goal of increasing her customer base. Smith has a continuous loop of feedback that helps her “grow the business for each manufacturer and communicate ideas to support and elevate each collection.” When it comes to her accounts, DeJardin Smith’s goals include building a relationship based on support and service, presenting the collections and assisting and servicing each store. The variety of work and the manufacturerretailer dynamic is what keeps many reps in the business, year after year. “We wear many hats and most importantly is the ability to give mutual respect for each business and their individual direction,” explains Shayna Masino of Shayna Masino Sales. “I personally love to assist my brands to meet the needs of the market and work with the buyers to make selections that will sell in their stores season after season.” Less Supply, More Demand Moving the right product to the right stores hadn’t been an issue until COVID and its ensuing supply-chain disruptions. The growing number of workers, especially in trucking and warehouse jobs who are quitting is partially to blame; the Labor Department in July, reported that the warehouse industry had a record 490,000 job openings. Goods have been stuck in shipping containers, with skeleton crews to get them into port or offload them. The word that’s seemingly on every businessperson’s lips these days is: delay. The ripple effect of delays is being felt industrywide. The later the goods arrive in store, the less time they can be sold in season, re-ordering becomes an issue and the cycle starts all over again, according to Jill Griffith of Cultivated Kids who currently has merchandise stuck in L.A. ports. “Everything from factory shutdowns to port delays have hurt our manufacturers and our retailers,” comments Brittany Harrell of Summer Place Showroom. “My accounts are having trouble planning when merchandise will be arriving, and ship dates are all over the place right now.” Masino says that disruptions in the supply chain are causing lack of resources such as fabric and trims. Moreover, The Great Resignation—the voluntary departure of employees from the workforce—continues to wreak havoc on all industries, including childrenswear. “Many retailers, vendors and sales reps are bat-
tling a lack of consistent, qualified employees,” Masino reports. DeJardin Smith has heard the same feedback: “Accounts have expressed the main challenge that they have experienced is getting employees to return to work as well as the difficulty of hiring new employees.” While many of the complex issues are not under anyone’s control, there are some ways to deal with them and make the best of a difficult situation. Masino suggests that vendors produce samples sooner and buyers submit their purchase orders in earlier in anticipation of delays. When it comes to employment shortages for small retailers and her own showroom business, Martinez Roe sees the glass as half full: “The upside is that most of the owners—including ourselves—have had to jump back in to handle the day to day, and we are seeing an increase in business because this is what we know, do and love.” Web Sales For The Win The global pandemic has created some permanent shifts in how business is conducted as well as client expectations. Griffith expects virtual appointments and online resources
for collections to remain a key part of her showroom’s sales strategy, and Masino says that successful retailers have truly grabbed the social media bull by its horns. “It has been a wild ride, but we have seen some amazing new developments in the in the children’s fashion business,” Masino enthuses. “Boutiques that were teetering on taking their business online did so out of desperation when stores were shut down due to COVID mandates. For many it has been a slow trial and error process, but almost all stores have seen an addition to their business via non-conventional retail. We have seen a major increase in publicity via Instagram, Tik Tok and Facebook groups.” Roe Martinez agrees and adds that the consumer’s buying habits have changed, for the better. “We believe that shoppers are starting to think of quality, longevity and their own contribution towards their local communities and economies, which is very helpful for our accounts.” DeJardin Smith also witnessed the phenomenon of the local economy, which could very well be here to stay. “Many consumers discovered the value and convenience of shopping the boutiques
Who’s ready to write an order at Cultivated Kids ?
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S H O W R O O M S H O W CA S E
extremely strong at the last in person market.” She continues: “Our July 2021 gift market and August 2021 apparel market both set records for us in Atlanta. I think customers were so eager to return to business as usual that they all came to the show.” Masino reports that markets are slowly returning to normal occupancy. “We are seeing a lot of local regional buyers who use to be serviced by small travel shows go to our LA and Dallas markets, which everyone agrees is a better buying experience. The buyers see more product, can shop and compare, get inspired by industry talks and full displays, and meet and discuss business with fellow buyers.” Roe Martinez feels “refreshed” by her recent showroom activity in Dallas. “It was so nice to see our shops in person and catch up. I feel like we are all so burnt out on Zooms that our in-person appointments are that much more personal and fun,” she says. “I feel like it connected us all more and has allowed us to bond over the work that goes into running a business, staffing it and
in their neighborhoods. The stores worked diligently to creatively adjust and thrive. Service, parking, and unique merchandise are amenities consumers realized, supported, and appreciated,” she says. “The pandemic made consumers more aware of shopping local—consumers are kind of ‘rewarding the retailers’ that offered curb-side delivery and home delivery,” says Griffith. However, one unavoidable downside in the current retail climate, according to Roe Martinez, is that across the board, prices have increased. Interestingly, higher costs may cause a consumer shift to higher quality standards for kids’ clothing and accessories. “I am hoping that the quality over quantity becomes the norm as that is the most sustainable way to approach the future, but we shall see how the consumer reacts.” These Buyers Went to Market If the attendance and energy at the last round of regional markets is any indication about buying activity, then 2022 is looking better than ever. Harrell says that “business was
balancing our personal lives while doing it.” Both coasts got rejuvenated. New York City’s Playtime last August was a wonderful success by any standards. Moroze enthuses, “All the manufacturers were eager and excited to be back and the stores—they loved it! We all missed seeing each other, and it brought and energy back we have not seen in years.” In Los Angeles, markets were also well attended, according to DeJardin Smith. “Our markets are slowly returning to normal occupancy, we are seeing a lot of local regional buyers who use to be serviced by small travel shows go to our LA and Dallas Markets, which all agree is a better buying experience. The buyers see more product, can shop and compare, get inspired by industry talks and full displays, and meet and discuss business with fellow buyers.” While virtual showings over Zoom kept everyone afloat from March 2020, there’s nothing that replaces real facetime with customers and the merchandise, says DeJardin Smith. “We all appreciate more than ever the opportunity to see, touch and select the best of the collections for our customers.”
S H O W R O O M S AT A G L A N C E The sales reps featured have more than 125 years of combined experience and a collective passion for what they do. Check them out:
ALI’S MARKET
IN PLAY
JULIE SMITH KIDS
SHAYNA MASINO SALES
Run By: Allison Moroze Years in Business: 16 Regions: Northeast Why She Loves Her Job: Selling and helping the retailers meet their needs. “I really like knowing the people behind the brands I work with.”
Run By: Sandra Martinez Roe Years in Business: 15 Regions: Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York Why She Loves Her Job: The connection, her team and her business partner. “We have met some of the most fascinating people, many of whom are our friends. We share life events, swap ideas and encourage each other as we move forward in our careers. We have built a rad team and it is such a pleasure to work with them on a daily basis. My partner-in-crime Hilary and I are such a great combo—we have been able to enjoy some of the best times in our lives together, face wild challenges and strategize solutions.”
Run By: Julie DeJardin Smith Years in Business: 25 Regions: Los Angeles Why She Loves Her Job: Change with new product and customers, working with accounts and building relationships. “I love being in a field where change is always happening. It’s exciting when the season gets introduced with new color palettes, interesting fabrics and hot trends. Change also reflects in our customer base—new babies are always being born and our children continue to grow. I have made valuable relationships throughout the years with boutiques owners, manufacturers’ colleagues, and sales reps.”
Run By: Shayna Masino Years in Business: 29 Regions: Dallas, Los Angeles Why She Loves Her Job: Creativity, independence, diversity
CULTIVATED KIDS Run By: Jill Griffith Years in Business: 27 Regions: Dallas Why She Loves Her Job: Helping retailers improve their profitability. “The most rewarding aspect for me is the positive things I can make in someone’s business and in turn, their life.”
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SUMMER PLACE SHOWROOM Run By: Brittany Harrell Years in Business: 29 Region: Atlanta Why She Loves Her Job: The people, the product and the process. “I love working with my incredible team. It often does not feel like work because it’s so fun to unbox new samples and display everything for market. When it is ‘showtime,’ you can feel the energy and excitement!”
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E a r n s h aw ’s c o n g r a t u l a t e s e v e r y s i n g l e w i n n e r i n o u r 2 2 c a t e g o r i e s, f r o m t h e first-timers to the repeat performers, w h o s e c r e a t i v i t y, p a s s i o n a n d d r i v e s h i n e s b r i g h t e r t h a n e v e r t h i s y e a r. We w i s h b o t h manufacturers and retailers continued success in 2022!
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EARNIE PROFILES 2021
ACCESSORIES WEE ONES Leadership: Owners Gina and Miles Faust Company Originated In: 2010 # Earnie Awards Received: 14 # Years Designing: 43 # Employees: 20 Design Foundation: The Wee Ones bow has been hand tied in the same four-loop silhouette for more 40 years. The company uses high-quality ribbons and materials and seals the edges to prevent fraying. Its patented WeeStay™ No-Slip Clip, which was introduced 10 years ago, helps keep bows in place. This Year’s Success Story: “With the struggles that our retailers went through at the height of the pandemic, we anticipated that they would buy cautiously in 2021,” says Gina Faust. Even though Wee Ones is known for trend colors and seasonal designs, our designers felt it was best to focus on what was a safe sell—the basics and classics. Our ‘enhanced basics’ collection showcases scalloped and embossed edges as well as colorful stitched edges to provide a cute contrast. We also introduced embroidered icons on the bow tails. These features helped
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retailers offer ‘new’ and ‘fashionable’ bows in the colors that sold best for them in their stores. Best Business Practices: “Keep innovating and growing the company, even with an uncertain retail forecast. The SS22 line was developed when the pandemic was at its worst; it gave us something positive to focus upon during an otherwise dark time, and this collection has been incredibly well received by our retail partners.” Top Sellers: Basic grosgrain bows in medium and king sizes, the new scallop edge grosgrain and moonstitch bows. Advice Column: “The relationship you have with your retail partners is your most valuable asset.” Building trust over time, Wee Ones has more than 40 retailers today that have done business with them for more than 30 years and counting. Their buyers expect quality and innovation, which motivates the company to keep looking for what’s next and how they can be a more valued partner. Labor of Love: “Owning a family business is hard work and offers unique challenges, but what keeps us going is seeing the difference our products make. When we see a smile on a little girl’s face when she’s wearing a Wee Ones bow, or a retailer tells us we’re their most profitable vendor, we know that all the hard work and long hours are worth it. And, despite the evolution of fashion, Wee Ones has remained relevant to our retailers for over 40 years.” Design Mantra: Fashion evolves, quality endures.
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ACTIVEWEAR MALIBU SUGAR Leadership: President and CEO Jil Garcia Company Originated In: 2011 # Earnie Awards Received: 2 # Years Designing: 20 # Employees: 4
Design Foundation: Jil Garcia saw a need for girls’ layering pieces that would give their wardrobe great function and versatility while still being stylish. This had existed in the women’s market, but not for tween and teen. This Year’s Success Story: “We focused on having our customers feel happy, especially after the challenge everyone faced in 2020. We always strive to have fun, bright colors but this year, we introduced new tie-dye prints that were very well received. We also are always looking at fashion trends in the women’s market to see how we can adapt those.” Best Business Practices: Focus on best-selling styles and go deep with color options and style variations. Top Sellers: Bandeau Bra Cami, Full Cami and sleeveless tops. Advice Column: “Susan Blakely, the founder of Spanx, has said: ‘Everyone has at least one million dollar idea. When you think of something that is not out there or that you could do a different way, that is a sign to do it. Just go for it. If it doesn’t work, at least you tried.’ And I am very glad I tried Malibu Sugar!” Labor of Love: “We are offering styles that boosts girls’ confidence and makes them feeling great about what they are wearing. I love to hear that our customers love the softness and comfort of Malibu Sugar and that’s it’s their favorite seamless brand.” Design Mantra: Signature seamless style for girls 4 – 14 that makes them feel happy, comfortable and confident.
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EARNIE PROFILES 2021
BABY PRODUCTS BUMKINS Leadership: President and Owner Jakki Liberman Company Originated In: 1990s # Earnie Awards Received: 1 # Years Designing: 30+ # Employees: 45
Design Foundation: Jakki Liberman started creating feeding products for her own kids. While Bumkins has grown and changed since those days, several of the original items remain best sellers. This Year’s Success Story: “We’ve been flexible and stretched every which way we needed. It’s been a crazy time adjusting to all the problems and demands caused by COVID, but we’ve continued to manage things well, mostly due to our amazing team.” Best Business Practices: Boosted
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strategic efforts for social marketing and e-commerce. Advice Column: Keep Calm and Carry On. “This expression is especially relevant these past two years with so many changes in the world due to COVID.” Labor of Love: “I enjoy building a team, developing talented leaders, and learning how to adapt our business to the changing world.” Design Mantra: Colorful, fun and practical designs for modern families.
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BABY/TODDLER APPAREL ANGEL DEAR Leadership: President Jeffery Cheng, Director of Creative, Sales and Marketing Kimberly Perrin Company Originated In: 2000 # Earnie Awards Received: 6 # Years Designing: 50+ # Employees: 30
Design Foundation: Starting as an accessory company with blankies and lovies, Angel Dear branched out into layette in 2006 with a focus on European-styled cotton cashmere sweater knits. Then in 2008, they added muslin accessories and apparel. Bamboo jersey, organic cotton, corduroy and chenille round out the core collections and organic French terry will be added to the AW22 collection. This Year’s Success Story: The company expanded its bamboo collection from layette to include more playwear and toddler sizes. Best Business Practices: “We have a brilliant design team,” Kimberly Perrin says. “In addition to working with many amazing creative studios worldwide, we have two full-time in-house illustrators. When you take a close look at our art, you can see the different styles of the artists we work with. It’s fun to bring all of our ideas together and put together a cohesive collection with a clear point of view.” Top Sellers: Footies, for the two-way zippers and art; anything corduroy in printed and solid options in contemporary colors and anything muslin, also for the art. “We love to offer up pretty, classic, painterly florals alongside 70’s funky florals.” Advice Column: “Say ‘yes’ to the scary stuff.” Labor of Love: “I love the development process the most. At the beginning of every season, we ask ourselves questions such as, ‘How do you make a dinosaur look new and fresh?’ What fun things will our avocado be doing this season?’ Many wonderful ideas come out of these brainstorming sessions. Take our SS22 collection—we ended up with almost 200 amazing prints!” Design Mantra: Childhood is full of energy and wonder. Children’s clothing should be functional and soft, but also fun and colorful.”
2021
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EARNIE PROFILES 2021
BEAUTY & PERSONAL CARE NOODLE & BOO Leadership: Founder and CEO Christine Burger Company Originated In: 2003 # Earnie Awards Received: 1
Design Foundation: When her own babies had extremely sensitive skin and eczema, business-savvy mom Christine Burger set out to create products that had the efficacy of pharmaceutical products using only natural and proven-safe ingredients for sensitive skin. The company is named after the nicknames of her sons Andrew (Noodle) and Matthew (Boo). Labor of Love: As part of Noodle & Boo’s business model, the company helps children in need. A portion of Noodle & Boo’s profit is set aside for children’s charities. Burger’s personal mission statement is: “To bridge the gap for children who don’t have parents who can fight for them.” Design Mantra: Luxurious products with gentle, wholesome ingredients that are optimal for sensitive skin.
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BOYS’ APPAREL ME & HENRY Leadership: Owner and Designer Mark Jeynes Company Originated In: 2018 # Earnie Awards Received: 1 # Years Designing: 23 # Employees: 10+
Design Foundation: A boys’ line that plays on a classicmeets-vintage aesthetic in fun, unusual and soft fabrics. The collections include sizes 0 to 16 and Daddy and Me. This Year’s Success Story: “Produce soft, cozy fabrics in gorgeous colors and plaids/stripes—and then make sure you deliver it on time.” Best Business Practices: Over the past year, Mark Jeynes continued to travel from his home base in the UK to visit his American accounts, attend as many markets as possible, ensure that samples arrived on time to showrooms, and oversee that all orders shipped on time to stores. Top Sellers: Jeans in denim or charcoal, the white micro pique Henley—that had to be manufactured four times to keep up with demand—and twill shorts available in 10 colors. Jeynes says, “Who doesn’t need great jeans, a basic white top and a mass of twill shorts?” Advice Column: Professionally: “Never let customer service slip.” Personally, “I try to remember this business is kids’ pants and tops, and that there are bigger things in the world happening and to find balance when things get tough.” Labor of Love: “I love selling my line at market and meeting the accounts that love it — I adore seeing what they choose and how they build the line in their stores. Despite being UK-based I try to visit as many stores as humanly possible in between markets so that’s also a huge treat!.” Design Mantra: “Boys deserve fun clothes, too!”
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EARNIE PROFILES 2021
CHILDREN’S FOOTWEAR OLD SOLES Leadership: Designer Vicki Lever Company Originated In: 2006 # Earnie Awards Received: 1 # Years Designing: 15 # Employees: 4
Design Foundation: Inspirational runway fashion that’s both playful and luxurious. This Year’s Success Story: “We have kept our collection large, as we always have, to suit every occasion—we haven’t let COVID take anything from us,” Vicki Lever says. “If anything, we have dug deeper to bring the world of fashion to our customers and give them the support they need from well-made shoes.” Best Business Practices: “In these hard times, we have reinforced our deep connections to all parts of the industry globally. We have overcome challenges and have been understanding to our suppliers and customers. Going forward, I believe our connections are stronger as ever.” Top Sellers: New Leader, Shoot High for the fashionforward customer and Bolted, an easy option for back-to-school and weekends—”these shoes only need to be taken off for bedtime!” Advice Column: “Sit up straight or you will get a sore neck.” Labor of Love: “Before lockdown, I would have said travel and the face time with customers.” Design Mantra: Celebrate little feet with our passion for fashion and an intelligence for fit.
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CRIB SHOES ELEPHANTITO Leadership: Creative Director Maria Frallicciardi Company Originated In: 2004 # Earnie Awards Received: 1 # Years Designing: 17 # Employees: 31 +
Design Foundation: Luxury children’s shoe brand known for elegant, timeless and impeccably made all-leather footwear. After working in international marketing for over a decade, Maria Frallicciardi, took her degree in Design and Art History to try her hand at entrepreneurship. Her niche of choice? Children’s shoes. She aimed to create stylish, age appropriate and expertly crafted footwear that emphasizes good quality, comfort and durability. With Elephantito as a vertical business; Frallicciardi and her team are involved in each step of the process from design through distribution. The company’s stateof-the-art factory in Peru is equipped with Italian machinery that’s run by expertly trained shoe artisans; the location also sets a socially responsible example.
This Year’s Success Story: Elephantito values simplicity, style, comfort, and sophistication. The brand offers timeless styles mixed with unexpected textures and rich color palettes. Best Business Practices: Don’t follow the lead of large corporate retailers, use your unique differences to your advantage. Independently owned companies that can compete with the big companies are few and far between. “Instead of copying their Best Business Practices, their expensive marketing campaigns or complex supply channels, we choose to capitalize our differences such as our efficient infrastructure with low overhead. We perfected a product that has become a leader in our niche market.” Top Sellers: Classic Mary Janes in premium leather; fully lined with natural sheepskin for softness, protection and absorption; outsole rubber soles that are lightweight, lasting and flexible; insoles constructed out of recycled leather sheet for support with extra cushion, softness and absorption provided by a thick layer of Bontex [what is this?] wrapped in a fine layer of soft natural leather; and the heel and toe are reinforced to protect children’s feet as they grow. Club Loafers made from supple leather in rich, natural tones; all-around hand-stitching; breathable leather lining and insole; and a pattern of rubber pebbles on the shoe’s outer sole and ankle for extra support. Classic Sandal with Scallop handmade in premium leather with a breathable leather lining, padded insoles and rubber soles. Labor of Love: We celebrate childhood every day. Design Mantra: A modern approach to classics with quality, style and comfort. “We love to dress kids like kids, but with style and personality.”
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EARNIE PROFILES 2021
GIFTS MUD PIE Leadership: Founder and CEO Marcia Miller, Vice President of Product Development Gina Cullen Company Originated In: 1988 # Earnie Awards Received: 8 # Years Designing: 21 # Employees: 144
Design Foundation: Still run by Founder Marcia Miller, Mud Pie began with 10 items and has grown into an award-winning manufacturer of home décor and gifts, baby and kids apparel and gifts, and women’s fashion and accessories that celebrate life’s special moments. Based out of Atlanta, Mud Pie is carried in more than 16,000 specialty retailers.
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This Year’s Success Story: In a seemingly counter-intuitive move, Mud Pie actually expanded its collections. “No matter what the economic or political climate, people still want to give gifts–for baby showers, christenings, birthdays, and holidays,” says Gina Cullen. The company also saw a need to make the retail ordering process easier for kids’ gifts and apparel so they created separate catalogues for those categories. “This change has also enabled us to maintain better in-stock positions on the items our retailers order most frequently.” Best Business Practices: Mud Pie cites its unique “gift” approach they take when creating products, and that resonates with retailers. “Whether we are designing a bib or a plush toy, every item includes a special touch that makes it feel like a gift.” Advice Column: Listen to what sells. “The customer buying your products will tell you what they like and what kinds of products you should develop.” Labor of Love: “We love to surprise the customer with more than they expected.” Design Mantra: Mud Pie is a lifestyle brand that creates delightful gifts to inspire all of life’s sparkling moments. Our aim is to add laughter, inspiration and joy to everyday celebrations.
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GIRLS’ APPAREL RYLEE + CRU Leadership: Creative Director Kelli Larson and President Kevin Murray Company Originated In: 2016 # Earnie Awards Received: 2 # Years Designing: 7 # Employees: 32
Design Foundation: Kelli Larson worked as an illustrator and graphic designer for 12 years. After she became a mom, she was inspired to create childrenswear that was different from what she could find in the market. Rylee + Cru was created with the idea of merging her original art and earthy colors with contemporary, comfortable kids’ clothing. This Year’s Success Story: Work ethic, leadership, creative vision, and teamwork make the dream work. “As we have grown, Kelli has come to understand that it does require a team to make everything happen. We are so thankful for all our junior designers, tech designers and graphic designers that make everything possible.” Best Business Practices: People first and operations changes. The company added two new staff members to its design team, hired a new warehouse manager and additional warehouse staff to help run the new in-house fulfillment operation. “Jesus, our warehouse manager, has proven to be an amazing addition to our family and is leading a great team that is dedicated to continued improvement to our customer experience at every level.” Top Sellers: For SS21, it was the Layla Dress in the Spring Meadow print and matching Tie Bubble romper. For AW21, it was the long-sleeve bubble romper and Greta dress in the Bloom print. The Tulip Cardigan was also a huge hit, and the Fringe Jacket immediately sold out. Design Mantra: Rylee + Cru merges art and imagination, offering unique clothing for the modern child and mom. “Each collection is built from high-quality basics with soft and well-loved qualities matched with beautifully muted tones and timeless traits. With each shape made to be comfortable, thoughtful fabrics and materials are then meticulously sourced in order to make dressing both effortless and memorable.”
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EARNIE PROFILES 2021
“IT” ITEM OF THE YEAR BARI LYNN MASK CHAIN KIT Leadership: President/Founder Bari Erber Company Originated In: 2007 # Earnie Awards Received: 1 # Years Designing: 14+ # Employees: 23
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Design Foundation: Inspired by timeless, luxury brands such as Chanel and Gucci, Bari Erber started designing her own line of accessible, well-made accessories for young girls. “A headband should be able to be worn in 2010, 2021 and beyond.”
dropped and pop/fidget toys. “Since masks had become the new accessory, I decided to create a kit so tween and teens could add some color and fun to something that has to be worn for safety. I really enjoyed putting a Bari Lynn spin on this product!”
This Year’s Success Story: Rebuilding, reflecting and taking risks. “It was a year where we spent extra time listening to our customers, being more flexible for their needs and understanding the shifts of business. Our goal was to continue making great products that people would want to buy, and to support our customers and clients during challenging times.”
Advice Column: Erber first and primary mentor, her grandmother, always told her to “live and always stay true to who you are.” Her grandmother instilled the qualities of confidence and tenacity and those qualities remain with Erber today and always.
Best Business Practices: Giving back to charities and a return to client-facing values. “We used the year to build stronger customer service. We also shifted from limited, tri-annual seasonal drops to dropping new styles every few weeks. This created constant freshness and immediately filled those voids of having products in stores.”
Labor of Love: Erber is grateful for the chance to be a positive role model for her family and community. “I am a wife, mom of six, business owner and an active member of my New York City community. I also love the opportunities that Bari Lynn has afforded me. We have been able to put smiles on tens of thousands of children’s faces who are ill, less fortunate or orphaned. Those smiles are what motivates me to continue to be the best that I can be and create children’s products that are so popular.”
Top Sellers: In addition to her Earnie award-winning mask chain kit, popular items include headbands in a variety of colors and patterns; Hangonz, which is a bracelet that attaches to your phone so it can’t be
Design Mantra: Our goal is to have our products make girls smile and feel good about themselves. We hustle as if each day is our first day in business.
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MOMMY & ME/DADDY & ME POSH PEANUT Leadership: Founder and CEO Fiona Sahakian Company Originated In: 2011 # Earnie Awards Received: 1 # Years Designing: 11 # Employees: 54
Design Foundation: Whimsical, bold and sophisticated. They aim to bring a smile to faces through beautifully designed, quality pieces that are loved throughout a child’s growth. This Year’s Success Story: “We listened to our community of more than 800,000 moms and designed around them.” Best Business Practices: They added more inventory and introduced toddler and kid collections. Top Seller: Patoos, which means “blanket” in Armenian. Advice Column: Know your numbers. Labor of Love: I love creating and knowing that each piece we make is thoroughly loved by our customers.
MAKING LIFE
Design Mantra: We celebrate the notion of family. Where life begins and love never ends.
sa l es@b umki ns .c om (480) 680- 1071
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EARNIE PROFILES 2021
MOST ECO-CONSCIOUS PAJAMAS FOR PEACE Leadership: Founder and CEO Chandinie Francis Company Originated In: 2018 # Earnie Awards Received: 1 # Years Designing: 3 # Employees: 9
Design Foundation: Pajamas for Peace started creating sleepwear that promotes peace, kindness, inclusivity, and inspires curiosity and learning. Its mission is to bring comfort to children and families in need while also conveying a message of peace and kindness with its sleepwear. Pajamas for Peace has a Buy One, Give One, Empower One model and for every pair sold, they donate a pair to one of their partner shelters. This Year’s Success Story: “Our design success is really attributed to our extremely creative, compassionate and hardworking team of ‘peacemakers,’” says Chandinie Francis. Best Business Practices: The company executed three major initiatives that comprised moving to a virtual working environment and hybrid model that met the needs of their employees, furthering its partnerships with organizations that work to create meaningful change in the world and growing its eco-conscious model and holding our manufacturers accountable to ethically sourced and responsible principles and practices throughout the supply chain. Top Sellers: ABC Animals, I’m Busy Saving the Animals and Save the Oceans prints. Advice Column: Francis’ favorite quote reminds her that we are responsible for creating the world we’d like to see, both personally and professionally: ‘It’s not what the world holds for you, it’s what you bring to it.’” Labor of Love: As an Indo-Caribbean woman and CEO of a growing brand, Francis is inspired by living a life in the service of others and having the opportunity to put her company’s mission into action by engaging with diverse individuals, communities and organizations towards a shared purpose of creating a more peaceful, safe and just world. “I absolutely love working with a compassionate team to advance our mission of peace and empowering others.” Design Mantra: To inspire curiosity, wonder and kindness while creating peaceful and meaningful bedtime moments and learning opportunities for children and families.
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NEWBORN APPAREL KICKEE PANTS Leadership: Founder Aerin Nicole, Director of Brand Marketing and PR Lindsey Sims Company Originated In: 2007 # Earnie Awards Received: 10 # Employees: 47
Design Foundation: While on bed rest with her second son, Aerin Nicole had a vision for KicKee Pants - quite literally as her newborn was a kicker! She desired clothing that honored the whimsy of childhood while also putting first their comfort and safety. Lindsey Sims says that the company was the first baby/children’s brand to utilize a bamboo blend fabric.
This Year’s Success Story: “While sleepwear has always been a bestseller for KicKee, the company has really built up steam by expanding our collections, Sims says. “We love being there for those very first special moments, like bringing home a baby in their very first outfit - and then following them on their journey from there. Seeing the families in our community grow is incredibly rewarding.” Top Sellers: “Our Footie has been our #1 seller for the past 14 years. With bamboo fleece in the paws of the feet, the choice of snap or zipper and our one-of-a-kind prints on our super soft fabric, footies have always been a favorite! Underlayers have also become a top seller for us. Our fabric is so incredibly light and soft, it’s all-day-wearable comfort.” Labor of Love: “My favorite part about my job is the creativity. Brainstorming concepts, producing photo shoots, working with our amazing graphics team, and so much more.” Design Mantra: We choose to never stray from our original vision and mission for our business, despite what is happening around us.
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EARNIE PROFILES 2021
NEW BRAND LEV BABY Leadership: Founder/CEO Liat Levy Company Originated In: 2021 # Earnie Awards Received: 1 # Years Designing: 1 # Employees: 7
Design Foundation: Modern and fun prints that tell a story and capture the important moments in life. The new brand and first-time Earnie Award Winner focuses on bonding with family, which is truly
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more important than ever. The time when children are small goes so fast, Liat Levy says, and it should be savored. “We want parents to slow down and capture every moment along the way, whether large or small and enjoy each sentiment and memory.” This Year’s Success Story: The company’s artist creates original prints that each tell a story and capture emotions, which Levy says is a fresh approach for the market. Top Sellers: Footies, toddler loungewear and blankets in highly creative, seasonal prints. Advice Column: Levy connects to some classic pieces of wisdom such as “push limits and aim high” and “reach for the stars and don’t give up.” Labor of Love: “Seeing families connect to the brand and choosing Lev Baby for both their every day and special moments.” Design Mantra: Make clothes that make memories.
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OUTERWEAR APPAMAN Leadership: Founder and Designer Harald Husum, Co-Founder Lynn Husum Company Originated In: 2003 # Earnie Awards Received: 6 # Years Designing: 18 # Employees: 16
Design Foundation: NYC street wear with a nod to Scandinavian style. This Year’s Success Story: “We have always brought a unique aesthetic to the category and regardless of what was happening this year, we delivered on time and on trend.” Best Business Practices: The company leaned into marketing and e-commerce to increase brand awareness. Appaman also prioritized its wholesale accounts, making sure to understand retailers’ varying needs during these difficult and unusual times. Top Sellers: The girls’ Apex puffy vest and tie-dye concert tee, which are Appaman classics. “They always deliver and never disappoint in both fashion and function. They both merchandise well with the line making them a favorite of both the buyers and end consumer. The concert tee was a crowd pleaser this past spring. The color was perfect and the fit and styling worked for a broad audience.” Advice Column: This too shall pass. Labor of Love: “I love that we grew this company in step with the growth of our family. Appaman is truly like our third child.” Design Mantra: Deliver a quality product that is contemporary and on trend. “Our goal is to celebrate kids and create clothing that helps them feel their most confident and unique version of themselves. Our authentic style elevates remarkable experiences that take children from recess to the reception.”
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EARNIE PROFILES 2021
SLEEPWEAR KICKEE PANTS Leadership: Founder Aerin Nicole, Director of Brand Marketing and PR Lindsey Sims Company Originated In: 2007 # Earnie Awards Received: 10 # Employees: 47
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Design Foundation: Variety is the spice of the company’s sleepwear collections. “Our designs are always changing —we release a new collection of fun, new prints and styles every 60 days so there is always something fresh for store shelves.” Best Business Practices: KicKee Pants truly engages with its customers and uses the feedback to constantly tweak and refine products. “Our community brings us along on their adventures. They rely on us for
comfort, quality, safety and originality. We always keep these things top of mind when designing our products.” Labor of Love: “It’s so rewarding bringing our products to life—from the first sketch to the final photo shoot and launch.” Design Mantra: “We choose to never stray from our original vision and mission for our business, despite what is happening around us.”
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SPECIAL OCCASION IMOGA Leadership: President KJ Kim Company Originated In: 2005 # Earnie Awards Received: 1
Design Foundation: With two young girls of his own, KJ Kim was constantly searching comfortable and sophisticated clothing for them—and it was challenging to find. So that became the cornerstone of Imoga. “The brand focuses on what our customers love the best—functional comfort with sophistication.” This Year’s Success Story: “I adapted to the new normal, designing with a mindset that our little ones need comfier and easier silhouettes.” Best Business Practices: “I made a smaller but stronger collection aiming my design on comfort and simplicity with a hint of our classical luxury details.” Top Sellers: There are three: first up, the Stella tiered dress. “This is an easy A-line dress that looks flattering on every girl regardless of her body type. It has three strong and eye-catching prints mixed together with beautiful shimmery velvet trims.” Next, the Carly multicolor sweater. “Having all the colors of the color wheel, this sweater grabbed everyone’s attention with its one-of-a-kind stitches and texture. It was very easy for the buyers to coordinate with any bottom to make a great outfit.” Finally, the Yuria reversible coat. “This coat was one of the most popular items in the collection due to its ease, comfort and multipurpose use. It was designed with a repeated heart quilting pattern and cozy, warm, faux-fur interior.” Labor of Love: “I love the endless opportunities to design collection after collection that brings joy and happiness to our consumers.” Design Mantra: “There is wisdom in every child’s whimsy. Children trust their instincts. They are driven by their senses, not rules. There’s no planning, no judgement, no editing. What piques their curiosity and catches their eye, what makes them swoon in the moment is what matters. We design with this spirit in mind.”
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EARNIE PROFILES 2021
SWIMWEAR FEATHER 4 ARROW Leadership: Founder/Creative Jaime Riese, President Julie Rich Company Originated In: 2008 # Earnie Awards Received: 1 # Years Designing: 13 # Employees: 8
Design Foundation: Inspired by Southern California beach culture and life lived outdoors. The resort and Spring ’22 collections showcase bright exclusive prints in soft comfortable fabrics in elevated styles. “The ready-to-wear is designed and built off high-quality basics that are buttery soft and mixes and matches with all swimwear,” says Julie Rich. This Year’s Success Story: “We designed a well-curated collection bringing West Coast together with East Coast for a perfect blend of style, comfort, and quality.” Best Business Practices: “We have taken 2021 to focus on building strong relationships with our buyers and suppliers, which has greatly helped our ability to navigate through the global challenges.” Top Sellers: Girls’ Waverly UPF50+ Reversible Bikini, which can be worn four ways; girls’ Sea Breeze Kaftans that are elegant and casual with hand-dyed tassels that mix and match with all swim collections; boys’ Palm Daze UPF50+ board short with four-way stretch—the exclusive-print board shorts are designed for “extreme comfort.” Advice Column: “There is no guarantee in business or in life,” Rich says. “You must adapt to your customers’ needs and your environment. Approach everything you do with humility, grit and determination.” Labor of Love: “I love the creative process of designing our collections and seeing our initial ideas and drawings evolve into a complete, well-merchandised collection. I love working with our incredible team of strong and smart women who are so passionate about what we do—I am inspired daily by everyone’s unique skills.” Design Mantra: “We have curated the best Up-Cycled, Re-Cycled and UPF50+ Sun Protective fabrics to align with our changing world, bringing an innovative freshness to the market.”
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TEETHERS/PACIFIERS THREE HEARTS Leadership: Director of Sales Linda Trieu Company Originated In: 2017 # Earnie Awards Received: 1 # Years Designing: 4 # Employees: 16
Three Hearts is now in more than 3,500 retailers including more than 35 Nordstrom locations. This Year’s Success Story: Trieu works constantly to perfect her designs as well as understand the psychology of the buyer and consumer. “You can be an amazing designer but at the end of the day, you must understand who is using your products, who is selling them and cater to their likes and wants. Sometimes we as designers get tied up in our own ideas and thoughts but it’s not about us—it’s about what makes a product sellable and what we need to do as a company to support our retailers to achieve product that moves.” Best Business Practices: The company hired more staff and chose to trust their expansion and scaling process to meet customer demand. Advice Column: Don’t be so hard on yourself!
Design Foundation: After having her first child, Linda Trieu felt that there was a real void in the market for fun and cute accessories for boys. Inspired by European design and its simplicity, Trieu began to design her own toys, bibs and clips that she started to sell Etsy. That led to pop- up markets, a small brick and mortar and then during a buying trip to Dallas Market, a retailer suggested she start a wholesale business.
Labor of Love: “Meeting with retailers and really having the opportunity to see how the product sells in their stores.” Design Mantra: Alternative baby accessories for young and hip parents that compliment their lifestyle.
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EARNIE PROFILES 2021
TWEEN KATIEJNYC Leadership: CEO and Founder Shari Fine Company Originated In: 2017 # Earnie Awards Received: 2 # Years Designing: 5 # Employees: 10
Design Foundation: The original concept of KatieJNYC—which was named after Shari Fine’s daughter Katie—was to create luxury apparel for the tween girl (7-14) who, at the time, had very few options from which to choose. This Year’s Success Story: Fine attributes her company’s success to the overwhelming support of the specialty retail community: “Their influence, feedback and enthusiasm has been such a crucial part of my journey and it motivates me to work hard every day.” Best Business Practices: Fine remained dedicated to her brand throughout the pandemic and there there were plenty of days where she had to figure out how to congregate a new norm in fashion and production. “I didn’t stop my business because nothing was as hard for me as the thought of not doing what I love or designing or creating.” Top Sellers: The Livi Tank, which has been their most popular product since the beginning; The Dylan Sweatsuit, made from one-of-a-kind plush fabric with exciting colorways that change seasonally; and The Brooke Skirt: a best seller for Spring/Summer 2021—so many colors, prints and pairings which allowed really everyone to make it their own. Advice Column: “They said she couldn’t so she did,” which is the title of a book by Kendra Blevins Ford about the previously untold story of the Navy’s first poster girl and has inspired memes and merchandise. Labor of Love: Fine loves meeting new people and creating new product, knowing that her brand has a part in everyone’s story and personal experiences. “I feel grateful that a part of KatieJ gets to go along for the ride. I hope it makes all my girls feel just as amazing on the outside as they are in the inside, which is greater than anything I ever could have imagined. There is no more rewarding feeling then creating something that people love and enjoy.” Design Mantra: Create clothing that makes girls happy and confident.
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UNDERGARMENTS ESME Leadership: Designer and Co-Founder Sarah Oh Company Originated In: 2001 # Earnie Awards Received: 3 # Employees: 25
Design Foundation: Unable to find quality underwear for her daughters, Sarah Oh set about creating a collection that little girls like hers would love.
and pj’s—all three are necessities.
This Year’s Success Story: Oh had the foresight to stock up on supplies and trims, anticipating global supply shortages and delays with no guaranteed delivery dates.
Labor of Love: “Creating new fun prints that children and moms will love.”
Top Sellers: Girls’ underwear, boys’ boxers,
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Advice Column: No matter what situation you’re in, always keep your head up high.
Design Mantra: To give the most comfort with style and color, as the company’s tagline expresses: “Wear it. Live in it.™”
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