November 2, 2018

“Hygge is the underlying theme of the entire collection,” McDevitt says. “We had a print designer design a print that looks like a watercolor painting of a magical forest. If you look closely at it, it give you the sense of a walk in the woods.”

Another piece from the collection is a double-layered dress that has two different fabrics layered together.

“It’s so unique in that there’s a playfulness to it,” McDevitt says.

“There’s one pattern on one side, but if you roll up the sleeves, it’s another pattern. It’s very festive and fun for the season.”

New to the Lali Kids line is the boys’ collection, which recently launched. McDevitt notes the popularity of the collection’s arrow pants, which are garment-dyed. During the process, the garment is made first and then dyed, instead of vice versa, like most pieces.

“There’s some color variation there, and they’re a soft knit cotton,” she says. “They’re fun and interesting in the way they look. They check all the boxes I try to accomplish in my pieces.”

Nearly all Lali Kids pieces are made in India – aside from a set of fur vests that McDevitt made herself here in St. Louis and alpaca wool pieces from Peru. She says she chose to have her line manufactured in India because that’s where all the fabrics she wanted to use were, and she wanted to make a difference in the lives of the makers.

“I’ve seen the struggle of what women in India often go through,” she says. “They often lack education and don’t have autonomy to leave their [low-income] lives. It’s important for me to find people who would benefit from what I’m doing.”

McDevitt found a small factory in India that employs mainly women who are provided fair wages and have flexible hours to make her pieces. She designs the patterns for her fabrics herself and provides measurements to the weavers and printers in India, who turn around samples for her to review and photograph. Once adjustments are made, the pieces are manufactured and put out into 60 boutiques both nationally and internationally.

The line was picked up by notable national retailers like Anthropologie and Maisonette and can also be found in Ladue at City Sprouts. McDevitt says City Sprouts owner Molly Curlee has been a Lali Kids supporter “since the day we launched” and was so excited to carry the line and give feedback. Aside from City Sprouts, Lali Kids can be found at pop-up shops throughout the season, including a holiday one at the Saint Louis Galleria’s Anthropologie in early December.

These developments have led McDevitt’s once-small concept to take off more than she had anticipated. Luckily for McDevitt, each season and collection brings new opportunities to be creative.

“Creating is a reward in itself,” she says. “I love seeing children enjoying the clothes and getting comments on Instagram about ‘This is my daughter’s favorite dress!’ It’s fun to know the intentions are coming through in what we’re doing.”

One of the best parts of being the Lali Kids founder, though, is McDevitt’s chance to spend time with her 2½-year-old son, Aiden.

“We were able to keep him in our studio and work around his nap time,” she says. “It’s really rewarding because I’ve gotten to spend those two years with him. Even now, he only goes to school part time. I feel like I didn’t miss anything, and that’s the biggest reward for me on a personal level.”

Lali Kids, lalikids.com