The Biz

Nowadays, the choices in the shoe department are overwhelming. While choices are plentiful, however, they aren’t always high quality, and a new move toward well-made shoes is underway. But today’s kids won’t accept anything less than cutting edge style, so shoemakers have had to combine form with function in some innovative ways. The following companies are showing us that when it comes to quality footwear, there’s life beyond brown Oxfords: Joojos, Shupeas, SWYT Culture, and Shoemees.

A mother-to-be has a lot on her mind. To help her prepare for as stress-free a hospital experience as possible, stock the original Hospital “Go” Bags from Due Date Bags. The Labor Queen Hospital “Go” Bag is stocked with delivery essentials a lady loves (and needs) including a pretty nursing cami; nursing pads; toiletries for her hospital stay; thank you cards; a “shop closed for six week”’ panty; and items for the new arrival, including a “Take Me Home” one-piece, hat and bib. They also offer other bags worth their due. One contains a stash for older siblings, including a coloring book, crayons and a gift for their new brother or sister. Dad’s bag holds a Labor Coach T-shirt and hat and celebratory chocolate bars.

I first met Claire Ekelund, co-founder of Bébé au Lait, about 8 years ago when she introduced her collection of designer breastfeeding covers, which was a first in what became a new product category for nursing mothers. I loved that she had the practical sense of humor to name her creation “Hooter Hiders,” which was brilliant too because it quickly told the function of the product, which previously had not been so fashionably conceived. The company, Bébé au Lait, has evolved into a multi-line brand that is equally known for its fashion and function.

Everyone wants to get the royal treatment: it’s what great companies provide for their customers so they keep coming back for more. People show when they are getting treated well by returning again and again for the same great products and services. Where can wholesale buyers go for great, affordable clothing that customers love and that makes them feel they are being treated like nobility? Royal Spice Clothing has your back: it delivers the fashionable, economical lines that are an ideal partner to the quality service you as a retailer provide your customers.

That’s Not Fair London was created to give children the opportunity to take the first steps towards revealing their fashion consciousness through innovative clothing that they can style and adapt to suit their own emerging tastes. The emphasis is on introducing desirable clothing to children that encourages their developing sense of style, and avoids the childish looks and colors that are often found in children’s wear. That’s Not Fair London looks to tradition for inspiration for their designs and to an era that paid fine attention to detail, where quality was paramount and things were built to last.

If you seek a unique gift for girls in the hard-to-shop-for nine-to-fourteen year range, look no further. Dolls from A Girl for All Time are lovingly created with historical reference, giving girls a way to feel grown up while still relishing the fun of playing with a beautiful, keepsake doll. The dolls give older children the opportunity to feel more “grown up” but still enjoy being exactly what they are – young girls. These enchanting dolls are stylish enough to have been featured in British Vogue and are available for the first time in the U.S in fall 2012, along with the books that tell their stories.

Scratches and scrapes are part of an active child’s life, so when they happen, parents can be ready to soothe them with Ouchies, latex-free bandages in a playful range of styles. For young ladies who are bound to stub a tiny toe, show your customers the 4Girlz offering, packed in a charming, show-offable tin box. These bandages come in twenty spiffy designs, four each of Flower Power, Pink Camouflage with Hearts, “Girls Rule” Tattoo, and Desserts & Doodle. Customers shopping for girls will also be delighted to recognize the Olivia bandage design based on the popular book starring everyone’s favorite pig.

In our trend-centric world, it is vital to be flexible. What looked good on Thursday can feel old-hat by the following Monday, so products that can be re-imagined are bound to have a following. With write-on/wipe off duvet covers and pillowcases from Doodle by Stitch, changeable hair personality via Infinity Bands and Flying Buttress handbags that can take on a new persona with a simple panel snap, making changes is part of the game. Life is never dull when styles can easily be updated, giving accessories a new look and enabling girls to be totally “with it” in ways to suit themselves and their ever-changing personalities.

Childbirth is not for the faint of heart; labor and delivery are tough even for healthy women. Wearing the traditional hospital gown means a mom-to-be has to keep tugging or holding parts of it for comfort and modesty. It gets worse if mom needs pain medication or has to get hooked up to the fetal heart monitor. The already-uncomfortable heroine becomes a kind of 3D puzzle for docs who need to run wires or tubing around or through the gown. Pretty Pushers is out to change a woman’s birthing experience one gown at a time. Started by Mary Apple, who went through her own birthing drama, the company produces specialized apparel: attractive, functional clothing for labor, delivery, and the postpartum period.

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