Welcome New Companies!

Do you remember your favorite dress from childhood? Was there a T-shirt that always made you happy? Are you the sort who looks with a critical eye at every item of kids’ clothing and thinks, “I could make a better shirt/dress/pair of pants than those?” If you answered “yes” to these questions, you have a lot in common with the entrepreneurs behind four new companies.

The Giggle Guide^® is delighted to introduce these newcomers, each with a special niche and vibe but all with one thing in common: the desire to make the greatest, coolest duds for youngsters that appeal both to those who shop for youngsters and to the small people who will wear them. The designers behind Ba Ba Bling Baby, Little Name, Alivia Simone and The Good Ones Clothing Co. offer different takes on fashion but each brings a fresh look to the market. Show these lighthearted, contemporary pieces to your customers and watch them snap up the latest looks.

Ba Ba Bling Baby: Cool Threads for Kids

Oh baby! That is how customers will greet the crazy cute offerings from Ba Ba Bling Baby, where instantly attached bling is the thing. Hand-drawn artwork shines in apparel that goes from blackboard to blacktop in a snap.

A perfect blend of comfort and style, Ba Ba Bling Baby will launch at the ENK Children’s Club Show in January. Here is a brand in which comfortable meets contemporary with a signature vintage style that allows munchkins to dress in dapper attire with accessories hand drawn onto each piece.

A little one can sport a pair of red aviator glasses displayed graphically on a machine-washable cotton tee or rock a tee with cool headphone graphics. For toddlers there are shirts with ties printed right on the tees. Vintage style crew t-shirts also come decked out with suspenders in mint green and purple with black hearts, or with a handlebar mustache design on the suspender graphic. One-pieces and tees are available for cool kids sized three months up to six youth.

Kick-butt cute: www.babablingbaby.com

Little Name: Good Things in Small Packages

Take a look at the Little Lunch Pail from Little Name and watch your customers gravitate towards this charmer: a wooden box that opens into a totally portable place setting. It’s a great idea for a child who is going on a picnic or simply wants to wow classmates at school lunch. Besides utensil holders and a surface providing a personal space to eat is an area for the owner’s name and other pertinent info, so no other kid will bag the box.

In keeping with the “small is beautiful” concept, this company offers the Small Series –– items that pack a maximum wallop of style and function into an itty bitty size. Consider the Small Scarf, made of one-hundred-percent screen-printed silk that can serve as a neck or head scarf; be tied to a wrist; or used to play checkers or chess. Chose from pale blue with poppy red, mauve with pale periwinkle, or indigo with soft pink.

Little Laces are a bright way to help a youngster get the right foot, left foot concept going with Right or Left printed on each mauve lace so they make a fashion statement while helping munchkins learn to tie their shoes.

The brand new Rain and Shine collection includes reversible rain cloaks that manage to offer protection from both sun and rain with one side in a whimsical print like the multicolored parachutes on a white ground and wavy berry branches with blue berries popping against pink, each designed to complement a go-with solid. Cloaks have wooden buttons, loop closure and a hood to keep heads dry. Sundresses are cleverly designed of sun-protective fabric with a sweet oversized Peter Pan collar to protect shoulders from strong rays.

In a nod to practicality and long use, many Little Name items grow with a tot, fitting kids from four to eight years. Items from this new company brilliantly combine the look of vintage with the practicality of new and are bound to be a hit with customers.

Small is beautiful: www.littlenamedesign.com

Alivia Simone: A Passion for Fashion

The debut line of Alivia Simone showcases the work of designers Shirley Newton and her daughter, Simone Colbert — two ladies with a preference for bold color, interesting texture and vibrant patterns. The line caters to young ladies aged three through twelve and features chic yet practical dresses, skirts, tunics, pants and jackets, all with a luxe look and feel.

The Black and White group includes super-skinny stretch satin pants that rate a full wow and can pair with a white blouse with ruched neckline and ribbon tie or a draped silk chiffon blouse with a “scribble” print on the white front panel and black side panels that flow to a longer length in the back. The same look is also available as a dress.

Display the painted lace shorts in vibrant orange with touches of pink and purple with a sleeveless organza blouse embellished with painted lace leaves at the hemline for a show-stopping duet that will grab shoppers’ attention. A young miss would be the life of the party clad in the Sunflower button-down-the-front organza dress with a satin silk collar and ruched belt with brass clasp that provides the perfect finishing touch. A green silk organza bouffant skirt is made for twirling while a floral A-line silk skirt shows off a bright posy print.

Truly “beautiful clothes for beautiful souls,” this is a line that deserves to be admired, bought, worn and loved. Couture for cuties: www.aliviasimone.com

The Good Ones: Introducing The Final Hurrahs

Duds for guys can be more than simply body coverings, as evidenced by many looks from The Good Ones Clothing Co. that feature The Final Hurrahs, a wacky band the company created to entertain and inspire. For a taste of the fictional band, show shoppers the interactive tour blog, coloring pages, videos and free MP3s.

If that isn’t enough of a departure from the ordinary, display items from the collection made using fabrics from the Matilda Jane Clothing line, a girls’ clothing company founded by Denise DeMarchis, who teamed with Matt Kelley, owner of design and marketing boutique, One Lucky Guitar, so that little guys and their sisters can pair in style for photos and special events.

The Good Ones focuses on easy-to-wear tops including jackets, sweatshirts, polos, t-shirts and tanks; trousers, shorts and spiffy accessories. The newest releases from this wild and crazy company include the Road Crew Hoodie, available in brown with red, tan, and blue accent colors, a contrast color zip and flocked Final Hurrah’s characters on the back with the band’s logo on the front; the Stitched Long Sleeve tee in a jersey knit: available in four colorways each with the face of a Final Hurrah character stitched on; the Mighty Acorn light gray short sleeve tee with the iconic verse displayed inside the acorn outline; and Will’s Guitar Long Sleeve Tee with a layered look via red short sleeves and a dark gray body plus a small pocket for stowing that all-important guitar pick or another little treasure.

The dark olive cotton Achtung! trouser is a marvel of versatility and can go to a fancy event and then escape to the skate park with the cuffs flipped up. The fabulous World Tour nylon jacket offers three-season wearability with a knit lining and snap front with red drawstring accents.

Although The Good Ones targets boys, in today’s world, many pieces will be coveted by girls and their parents who are totally on board with a cool, unisex look.

Hurrah for The Final Hurrahs! www.thegoodones.com