Popupshop AW12

Here are some of my favorite picks from Danish Popupshop's new AW12 collection. As per usual Popupshop uses organic cotton and bamboo for their collections. It is definitely one of our favorite basic wear labels, and they seem to last forever, even after numerous battles with the washing machine :) You can find the new range over at Scandinavian Minimall who have already gotten in some items from the new collection.

Moments | A Trip To Soled Shoes!

A week ago I came across a shoe store called SOLED not too far from where we live that was carrying VIVOBAREFOOT shoes. When we were living in Europe I saw them around and always wanted to try them, and eventually I bought a pair and loved them. Since then I had seen they were making shoes for kids as well and I was happy to finally see a shop that was carrying them here in Australia, and even better quite close to us! The VIVOBAREFOOT shoes are very light and have a thin sole that makes you feel the ground under your feet easily.

In 2003, VIVOBAREFOOT became a pioneer of the barefoot movement by launching the first minimalist shoe with a patented, ultra thin puncture resistant sole that offered maximum sensory feedback and maximum protection. This was driven by the knowledge that 70% of your brain’s information for movement comes from the nerves on the soles of your feet. The more you can feel the ground, the greater your body’s understanding of its surroundings and natural movement. Check out a great little video especially on kids and the benefits of Barefoot shoes.

Well today we decided to go and check out the SOLED shop and see if we could find a couple of shoes that would fit M & D. First off I have to say I love the whole concept of the shop. The interior of the shop is made from recycled furniture and cardboard and sets such a nice tone especially since they sell shoes which cares considerable about the environment. The staff was so lovely and I got to meet the owners Gary and Suey Cooper and their two kids. We quickly got to measure the kids feet and get the trying of the shoes on. Normally this would be an event most mums would dread, but thanks to some clever thinking and a handy popcorn machine the trying out shoes was a bliss, kids happily munching on popcorn while a bunch of shoes were tried on. There were so many nice shoes to choose between, but we finally settled on the Pally model for M and the Ra Kids model for D.

I love shoes you can put on your kids and they seem to fit right away. No worries on having to walk them in or bringing band-aids for soar heels. The kids took their new shoes and tried them out in a nearby playground. Both M&D was happy and called them fast shoes since they seem to be easy to take off in! Since I own a pair of these shoes myself I know just how comfortable they are so I am sure they will have great use of these shoes, both in school and on the playgrounds.

Check out the full range of VIVOBAREFOOT shoes over at SOLED shoes or find your stockist close to your country right here. If you are living in Australia and want to keep up with the latest offers and news over at SOLED check out their facebook page.

Moments | Summer Day

M wears: Dress by Scotch R' Belle // Scarf by Cotton on Kids // Straw fedora hat by CTH Mini // Leggings by Hummel Kids // Shoes by Native. D wears: Tee by Mini & Maximus // Jeans by Cotton on Kids // Shoes by Converse // Cap by Element. 

We had an amazing summers day yesterday. Out of nowhere we got a day with 27 c and it was the first time you could actually wear t-shirt and dresses without looking a bit summer desperate! M got this beautiful dress as a birthday present yesterday ( we won it from I Dream Elephants a while back ). It fitted her so well. We picked a size 8 and my daughter is quite petite but since I find the sizes run a bit small with Scotch R' Belle it was a good choice.

We had a lovely day in the park where the kids played until their cheeks were red and it was time to get something to eat and drink. We had lunch outside and D was busy picking and collecting rocks in his tee pocket (he loves this tee especially for the pocket, and I have found everything from little toy cars, animals, shells, rocks...you name it). Today the weather was back to 15c and rain, so it is nice to have these photos to look back on already! 

Moments | 5 going on 6

M wears: Sweatshirt by Mini Rodini // Shorts by Popupshop // Leggings by Molo // Shoes by Native // Beanie by Vans. 

We have been rocking the lazy days and it has been great to see the kids enjoying their grandparents to the fullest. Here are some photos from one of those days. The sun has come out to greet us every now and then but still hasn't decided if it would like to give us some proper warmth so there is still need for some good sweatshirts and the odd occasional beanie to protect from hard sea breezes. The other night we watched some videos from when M was little and it was amazing to see how time has just passed in such a quick pace. Today M turned 6 and it is quite clear we got a big girl now. These are the moments when you almost wish you could press pause and just enjoy them at their current age a bit longer. But I guess she is still my little girl, who is stubborn, wise beyond her years and always carrying a fluffy toy with a funny name attached to it :)

Moments | Before the party

D wears: Shirt by Molo // Pants by Molo // Shoes by Native // Beanie by Cotton on Kids. 

Some photos from before M's birthday party. D was super excited to wear a big boy shirt. I have to admit we don't own that many but this one from Molo we really like. Kitted out with some nice neon details he actually refused to take it off at the end of the day. We are really enjoying some lazy days with the grandparents, I hope you have had a lovely weekend as well. 

Moments | In Her Own Hands

M wears: Hoodie by Bobo Choses

My daughter is in the age where a pet is the highest wish on the list. We have said we would get one at a point where the age of both our children would be right to understand how to take care of one. M is of course having a bit of a hard time understanding just how long time she has wait, so in the meantime she has taken home all kinds of nature friends as our pets. Here is the latest one, Petronella the snail.

The blog post will be slightly sporadic for a week or so since the kids grandparents are visiting and we want to make the most of our time with them :) Hope you are all taking time to enjoy the small things, we sure will...

Get your CHILL groove on!

The Autumn chill has started for real over in Europe and there are so many great winter warmers over at VIXVAX.COM right now. Above is a few of my favorites for a boy from MOLO. There are also new sneakers and outerwear from Hummel Kids that will do a splendid job in keeping your little ones warm and stylish through the season. Right now my readers can recieve a 20% OFF on all new arrivals by using the code: MINOR20

The code is valid from today and will last until Oct 1st. So hurry on over and check out all the neat bargains you can make!

Leçons de choses

 

Oh my goodness! Being a bit skateboard nuts in this family there is nothing that would look better than a bit of this in the kids rooms. Magali Arbib is a painter and decorator and she is always looking for new ideas. She draws her inspiration from film actors, old-fashioned fabrics, images and photos of yesteryear, subways, architecture, urban culture and advertising. 

Magali uses this world to design decorative items for children and offers them under her brand: Leçons de choses!  I love these original creations, such as skateboards hijacked in benches and racks!

Check them out right here.

10IS | CLASSIC TENNIS

10IS (pronounced tennis) is a new French contemporary and urban label of kids sneakers. Started in 2011 it has quickly become a brand know for its good design and great quality. The models are authentic and functional that makes it easy to feel stylish and comfortable at the same time.

I love the zipper on the side for easy slip on access yet still having nice looking laces on top. There is also several nice looking velcro options for the kids who would like that. There are a couple of neon looks and metal shades that the girls would just love as well.

Check out the Winter 2012 collection right here.

photos by Melinda Blanchet

STYLE SESSIONS | MINI & MAXIMUS

Welcome to the third round of STYLE SESSIONS WITH! This time around I had the opportunity to have a chat with the creators behind the Californian label Mini & Maximus. Megan Villa and Sophie St-Onge put their creative heads together and created a brand of kids clothing that would celebrate kids in all their amazing, dirty and wonderful glory! Sit back, grab a cup of something and tag along on a interesting journey behind the brand that so many kids an parents love today...

Can you tell us a little about how Mini & Maximus got started? I am curious to hear about the spark of inspiration that started it, and how did you come up with the name?

Sophie: I've wanted to start something that would have to do with graphics. I had no idea it would of been clothing and home goods specifically for kids. Originally Megan approached me for some graphic design help she need it for a bedding company she had in mind. Turns out one late night while I was feeding Sasha my 1st child I though of asking Megan if she would start "something" or some creative company with me. And yay! she said yes... At the time I had worked with Megan for few years and I liked her work ethic, personality and her energy. 

I knew I needed a business partner to get on this journey, so much more fun that way. Now I know it actually was necessary. No way I could do all of it myself. NO WAY.  We've been working really well together, I think we have the right personalities to complete each other in the the business world. We both let each other win or loose on some decisions but never any hard feelings. It's just like if we were married. HAH!

Megan and I did ton of research and came up with a million names. Until I heard the name Maximus for a little boy... I was thinking I could call my son Maximus if I ever had a boy. Megan and I loved that name in general but we were not 100% sure until Megan suggested to add Mini. We felt that Mini and Maximus was perfect for us. We love things to be balanced and equal: Mini and Maximus: Boys and girls, young and old, big and small. Mini represent: the small, the girl, the little dream where Maximus is the opposite; the big, the boy, the big dream. On and one... 

  


What is the hardest/most rewarding with having your own label?

Megan: The hardest part of having our label is not having enough time to do everything we want to do.  We wear many hats as it is pretty much just the two of us, so we have our hands in everything.  If we could have more time in the day, I think that would help a lot.  The most rewarding part is when I speak to people that have actually heard of us or see someone wearing our products.  There have been some very unexpected times, when random people will say-I bought one of your posters, or we own several of your tees.  That is very gratifying for me.

Sophie: Certainly not having enough time in the day and all the money we wish we could spend. We run a very tight ship and every penny counts.The most rewarding thing is just like what Megan answered. Seeing random people telling us how much they love our brand, seeing cute photos of kids wearing our clothes. WE LOVE THAT.
And of course we love seeing Gwen Stefani's kids rock our clothes, we love her style and we are flattered that she has her kids in our clothes.
 

What makes Mini & Maximus different from other kids fashion labels?

Megan: Mini & Maximus is different from other kids labels for a number of reasons.  We have a story behind our brand.  Sophie and I have both worked for a major surf company for the past ten years, so having a story to tell is just second nature to us as that is what sets you apart from brands that just churn out apparel.  We partner each season with artists young and old, so we always have new stories to tell about our collaborators and it keeps the line looking fresh.  We also strive to use eco-friendly materials whenever possible.  We do not claim to be organic, but when we can we like to leave a lighter footprint if possible.

Sophie: Megan said it all up here. I would add that we design the line for kids but keeping in mind that we would actually love to wear most of the pieces ourselves. Almost like adult clothing but in a mini format.

Your latest collection, Animal Collective is your forth collection so far. Since starting out and growing in popularity for each collection has there been any valuable lessons learned along the way? 

Megan:  Yes, there have been many learning lessons.  We learn something new everyday, we are learning from our mistakes and hopefully each season, we are getting better and better at what we do. 

Sophie: We've learn that the most reliable people are Megan and I, handing things over has not proven to be very successful so we like to control everything we do, from design to production!  : )

Most of us know that your biggest inspiration for Mini & Maximus is kids, but what gets your creative juices going? Can you take us a little bit behind the process of how a collection is created?

Sophie: Well well, it often starts with graphic in minds. It can be from a graffiti in the street, to a drawing my daughter did, to artwork I see on a school wall, to artists friends of mine that keep inspiring me day after day. For clothing it self, we don't feel like we follow trends too much, if there is a piece I like wearing myself, I'll find a way to translate the idea into kids clothing. Eache season we make this big wall of inspiration mainly taken from our iphones. Put it all up in one place and go from there. Colors can be hard to pic, we can't afford having too many colors so making the right decision is NOT EASY.

 
Can you take us through how a MIMA tee is born? How do you decide what goes on it, what color to choose, and is the screen printing something you do yourself?

Sophie: MIMA (Cut and sew) tee was born cause we just could not find a label where we could buy blanks in the full size range and fit we liked. So we went on a big journey of making our own pattern and all of the above. Now we have it dialed, we love our fit; long and fitted (more of a contemporary look).  SCREEN PRINTING!!!! I took screen printing classes years ago just for fun and felt in love with the process. We print our tees and all our clothes locally at my friend's screenprinting shop.

I like it cause I have full control of the printing as I personally stand there the whole time we print to make sure it looks perfect. Not the most glamourous part of my job but it's worth it to get it down right. We are also proud to be supporting American jobs.

Your artist collabs are always very intriguing choices to me, what sort of artists inspires you? Anybody out there that you would really like to work with

Sophie: Thanks! We like to work with talented artists, young and old or should I say older than kids... Lots of them are friends of mine or friends of friends and in some cases artists I'm obsessed with.

For example, we did a collab with Mike Perry for a previous collection. I've admired his work over the years... I contacted him and he accepted. I was overjoyed to work with him. I'm really inspired by artists that have a bit of a darker side. I don't love the too sweet artwork, that's just me.
 
If I could, I would love to work with.... Ha, I can't tell you cause what if it happens, it won't be a surprise.  : )

Your initiative Kids Will Have Their Say, is a beautiful way of letting kids art speak for itself. We were of course very proud to see our daughters drawings in this collection, and the sense of pride kids get from showing others their art is nothing but inspiring. I am imagining you are being sent young art from all over the world, how do you go about choosing what ends up on a Mini and Maximus tee? 

Sophie: Well, Mika is one of the most talented artist I know. No one believe me when I tell them her age. She is truly gifted.
 

Yes, we get parents submitting artwork for their kids from all over the world. Thank you to the internet. Choosing is just next to impossible, it takes us weeks to choose to make sure we make the best decisions. My 5 year old daughter HAS HER SAY in the process. I value her opinion since kids her age will actually be wearing it. 

 

I love your eco friendly awareness with your label, I have myself been in the fashion industry and know how much cheaper it is to not go down that route - what made you decide you wanted to be a label that focused on eco-friendly clothes even though it might be a more costly path? - Sharon from UK. 

Megan:  I read Yvon Chouinards (the founder of Patagonia) book “Let My People Go Surfing” and it was a huge inspiration to me how he runs Patagonia.  We do not claim to be 100% organic, but we do try to take steps to leave a lighter footprint, some of our product are organic.  All of our posters are printed on recycled paper with water-based ink, a portion of our line uses organic cotton.  We try to do what we can.

Sophie: After all, "kids will have their say" and the future is theirs so let's be responsible parents and business owner for the kids future. There is a lot more we want to do as far as being eco- friendly, we will keep on  challenging ourselves to make sure we have a responsible successful business.

Most countries are heading into winter, but of course over here in Australia we are heading towards summer, any hints on what we can expect from your next summer collection?

Megan:  Our Spg/Sum 13 collection is inspired by Southern California.  We introduced several new styles and also linen fabric.  We have added some linen blankets and pillows as well as some new accessories.  We also did a really cool collaboration this season with two brothers from Santa Cruz that surf and skate and are uber-talented artists, so we can’t wait to share them with the world!

Sophie: We always keep Australia in mind when we design our lines. We love you guys and want to make sure there are some style you guys will be able to wear or decorate your house with.A big thanks to Megan & Sophie for taking the time to do an Q&A with us, and for taking us on a nice little tour behind the scenes of Mini & Maximus. Today more items from their current collection Animal Collective is hitting their online webshop shelves, so make sure you visit them for a chance to purchase some truly original clothes for your little rebels. 

VISIT MINI & MAXIMUS.

Sunday Groove

D wears: Bat tee by Mini & Maximus // Pants by Popupshop // Beanie by Cotton on Kids // Shoes by Native. 

Little D getting his Sunday groove on.  Any kid that has been to a shopping mall for an hour or two needs to get those ants out of their pants and this little guy knows how to do it. I honestly have to say I have no idea where this weekend went. It felt like it just arrived and now it is already over again.

I am looking forward to the upcoming school holiday where the mornings will be a bit slower again. Next week the grandparents will arrive so it might be a bit slower at the end of the week with blog posts. We will have to enjoy them to the fullest since they live all the way on the other side of Australia so visits are quite rare. There will also be a birthday party for M so there are plenty to deal with this week. I am looking forward to showing you my next STYLE SESSIONS WITH... it will be up on Tuesday and a great read for sure! Hope you all have had a good weekend out there...