10 Minutes With...

It has been a while, but here we are, back on the road meeting up with some interesting shops that opens up their doors and explain a little about what it takes to run some of the best children's shops out there. Today we end up in Barcelona, Spain and meet up with lovely owner Maria Rose who together with her family runs CozyKidz.

Can you tell us a little bit about how CozyKidz started? What is your inspiration, and how did you come up with the name

Well, as many others in the industry it all began when Marcelo and I, Maria, became parents. We basically wanted something for our daughter which would fit our lifestyle a little better, something more original, creative and preferably organic, meaning something VERY different from what was offered in the regular Spanish stores. And we were definitely not the only parents with this unanswered need, so when we saw the chance, we jumped for it!

The name CozyKidz is actually inspired by the Danish word 'Hyggelig'. I am from Denmark and this little word is so important in the Danish culture where you use it for all things comfortable, warm and nice; it differs by having an emotive depth and a special social atmosphere which makes it really hard to translate but cozy seems to be the closest. And kids are just so 'hyggelige'!



The sort of labels a shop carries almost describes the soul of a shop, how would you describe the style of CozyKidz?

Again we come back to the word hyggelig/cozy - We want kids to feel comfortable, free, careless, wearing soft and unrestrainable clothes that are cool, fun and funky like themselves. We definitely like a more edgy style, like Beau LOves and Mainio, with quirky and original prints, like Indikidual, that spike the interest and make us laugh!

How do you source your labels, and what is important to you when you look for new labels?

As a personal side project to CozyKidz I have a kids fashion blog called KID where I very much focus on smaller, ethical and just straight out awesome kidswear brands from around the world. This of course also gives me a perspective of what's on the menu for CozyKidz, even though it also makes the selection so much harder because of the large quantity of super talented brands out there! 

Still all the brands we offer have a clear vision on how to work the concept of sustainability; for example, most of them use organic cotton in their production and/or is entirely produced locally. A second requirement is that they have to fit all three parts of our motto: 'Cool, fun and funky kids clothes' - if the style isn't there, it's not for us! 

Thirdly, accessibility - they have to have a reasonable/respectful price and be affordable to most families. This year, for example, we are very excited to have started with the Dutch new label Lucky No. 7 and will also receive some funky new summer styles from the US label Sweet Luca Mo in March, both of which fit all of these requirements to perfection.

Owning a shop means you always have a look into next season ahead of everybody else. What is on the Spring-Summer agenda? Any new fun trends you can share with us?

I think it is no secret anymore that we are under a serious attack of juicy watermelons! I also see eyes everywhere and the usual portion of tropical animals and plants. For me though it is really more a question about having your own style (sorry for being such a party pooper!) offering clothes that can be used again and again without ever falling out of style. 

I love it when brands dare to brake out and make up their own universe, and even though there really are some seriously cool ones out there, I actually think that we will not receive a single watermelon this spring, but a mix of unique and quirky designs with only the overall theme, summertime and fun! Just to be on the contrary ;)

What would you say is your favorite thing about owning your own children's wear shop?

 

I love to hear the feedback of like-minded parents freaking out over our clothes and sending us pictures of their cool little kids. We really have the best costumers! It is so satisfying and always remind me why I do what I do. It is in general just such a fun, positive and creative world to have stepped into. Almost everybody in our line of work is a parent, which makes it all so much more down to earth, overbearing and flexible.

What are your top 3 'have to have' items in your shop right now?

Well, Mini Rodini has just released some absolute killer styles for this spring, like the adventurous Croco Map dress or the savage Crocodile sweatshorts, and we are so in love with everything by Lucky No. 7, but specially the super cool Panda bodysuit is a definite best-seller! And this is just the very beginning of the season, so much more is to come over the next couple of months ;)

Big thanks to Maria for chatting with us and I hope you enjoyed the little peek into the world of CozyKidz!

:: COZYKIDZ ::