Earnshaw's | February 2017

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VOLUME 101 NUMBER 2

FEBRUARY 201 7 $10.00

Best Foot Forward Through rain or shine...

Apparel for babies and tweens Legwear for girls and women

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F E B RUA RY 2017 CONTENTS

F E A T U RE S 8 Footwear Preview Designers focus on versatile and dependable styles to meet the demands of increasingly costconscious parents.

11 Short View Specialty stores reveal their short-term strategies.

18 Kindred Spirits Lemon Loves Lime owners share the foundation for their strong business is their even stronger relationship.

20 Foot Loose Kick up your heels this fall with an array of funky designs and a pumped-up spectrum of color.

Noelle Heffernan Publisher Kristin Young Editor-in-Chief Nancy Campbell Trevett McCandliss Creative Directors EDITORIAL Emily Beckman Associate Editor Mariah Walker Contributing Fashion Editor ADVERTISING Caroline Diaco Group Publisher Jennifer Craig Special Accounts Manager PRODUCTION Katie Belloff Associate Art Director Production Manager Mike Hoff Webmaster Allison Kastner Operations Manager

DE PAR T ME NT S

Bruce Sprague Circulation Director

4 Editor’s Note

CONTACT INFO

6 Small Talk 7 Up Close 14 Trend Watch 16 Designer Chat 36 Shelf Help

PAGE 20

This page: Teeny Tiny Optics sunglasses, model’s own shirt, We Love Colors tights, Wee Ones socks, Nine West slide (left), LIttle Laundry (right).

On cover: We Love Colors tights, Nanette Lepore cowboy boot; Puma socks, Joules snow boot; Puma socks, Western Chief rain boot.

Photography by Zoe Adlersberg; styling by Mariah Walker/Art Department NY.

Sales/Editorial Offices 135 West 20th Street Suite 402 New York, NY 10011 Tel: (646) 278-1550 Fax: (646) 278-1553 advertising@9threads.com editorialrequests@ 9threads.com Circulation Office 26202 Detroit Road, #300 Westlake, OH 44145 Tel: (440) 871-1300 circulation@9threads.com CORPORATE 9Threads 26202 Detroit Road, #300 Westlake, OH 44145 Tel: (440) 871-1300 Xen Zapis, Chairman Lee Zapis, President Rich Bongorno, CFO Debbie Grim, Controller

EARNSHAW’S INFANTS, GIRLS AND BOYS WEAR REVIEW ISSN 0161-2786 (USPS-320-090) The business and fashion magazine of the childrenswear industry is published 10x a year by Symphony Publishing NY, LLC, 135 West 20th Street, Suite 402 New York, NY 10011. The publishers of this magazine do not assume responsibility for statements made by their advertisers in business competition. Periodicals postage is paid in New York, N.Y. and additional mailing offices. Subscription price for one year: U.S. $48; Rates outside U.S. available upon request. Single price copy, $5. Copyright 2011 by Symphony Publishing NY, LLC. Postmaster: Send address changes to Earnshaw’s Infants, Girls and Boys Wear Review, P.O. Box 8548, Lowell, MA 01853-8548. Publisher is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or photos. Any photographs, artwork, manuscripts, editorial samples or merchandise sent for editorial consideration are sent at the sole risk of the sender.

Symphony Publishing NY, LLC will assume no responsibility for loss or damage. No portion of this issue may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. Printed in USA.

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Step by Step Y

EARS AGO, IN a period of time when my life was overwhelming and I was flailing to tame the unknowable future, my husband repeated to me advice a colleague had given him. “Just do the next right thing,” he said. This simple phrase immediately broke my gargantuan task down to it’s smallest, doable elements. Suddenly, I knew the next step to take.

This thought kept popping into my head during the Earnshaw’s Live panel discussions we held at the Children’s Club trade show in New York last month. Retailers and brands alike were discussing how to navigate challenges of Goliath portions—the shrinking brick-and-mortar environment chief among them.

Commercial real estate research firm CoStar Group had just released a report that called for U.S. retailers to reduce their physical store space by 10 percent or 1 billion square feet in order to turn around same-store sales. The report also warned that more store closing and downsizings are still to come in 2017.

I imagined that the current environment must be particularly scary for the small mom-and-pops. But in talking with store owners across the country for our Retail Report (page 11), I found that most were following a similar philosophy, breaking down the seemingly impossible into small achievable steps they could take, like getting better acquainted with the customer through social media and creating an unforgettable experience.

Speaking of putting one foot in front of the other, the February issue is dedicated to footwear. In our fashion spread “Foot Loose” (page 20), kids kick up their heels in fall’s whimsical

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colors, embellishments and prints while the Footwear Preview Fall ’17 (page 8) highlights the children’s footwear designers who are walking the tightrope between providing customers warmth and functionality and keeping costs affordable. Comfy casual sneakers, short Chelsea-style boots and hybrid sneakers appear to be the styles best able to keep pace with what the child wants as well as the financial limitations of their parents.

For the subjects of our Q&A this month (page 18), Lemon Loves Lime Owners Joy Cha and William Banti, it’s a small ascent up the stairs from their factory to their first retail store in Menasha, Wisc., and that’s exactly where they like to be, interacting with parents, grandparents and little kids who scamper between a play area and an ice cream parlor.

Spending time with the customer has taught them much about their business, as they are eager to share. Looking back on the path that joined them both professionally and personally, it was a series of roadblocks that forced them to be creative and brought them to this point, celebrating 10 years in the business. Who knows, their story may inspire one of you future entrepreneurs to take the leap.

KRISTIN YOUNG k ri s ti n .yo u n g @ 9 t h r e a d s . co m

K A H N L U C A S ’ H O WA R D K A H N • S P R I N G 2 0 1 7 A C C E S S O R Y P R E V I E W • S U N - P R O T E C T I V E C L O T H I N G

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S H OW A N D T E L L : L E E R O S E N B A U M O N T H E F U T U R E O F C H I L D R E N ’ S C L U B A N D P L AYG R O U N D

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DOWN BY THE SEA

From Paris, with Love.

J’adore Fall Fashion

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IS EVERYWHERE

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SMALL TALK Coco Zen Jungle Screen

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Junk Food

Camp It Up MOSQUITOS AND BONFIRES. Canoeing and kayaking. Kids and camp go together like graham crackers and marshmallows (add the melted chocolate, please).

Summer camp is one of the first times kids can be on their own and enjoy the idyllic outdoors. Few memories prove to be as nostalgic later in life. The industry has responded by developing a growing array of camp-centric products ranging from flip-flops made for public showers to bug spray and sunscreen with glitter. With all this gear readily available, the only thing a kid has to worry about is working up the perfect practical joke.

–Poppy Arlo

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Eeboo

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Chalk of the Town

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UP CLOSE

Beary Best Care Bears launches anniversary collection with tween label Boy Meets Girl.

OSTALGIA IS EXTREMELY powerful in the consumer psyche and a recent collaboration between Boy Meets Girl and Care Bears might just prove it.

To celebrate its 35th Anniversary, the licensing division of American Greetings, stewards of the adorable, full-cheeked characters that showed up in movies, TV shows and plush toys throughout the ’80s, wanted to create a limited-edition clothing collection for tweens. Stacy Igel, founder and creative director of the 16-year-old New York-based label, was quick to embrace the opportunity.

“Of course!” she remembers exclaiming upon hearing the proposal, noting she grew up with Care Bears and could easily envision her line’s fashion-forward athleisure and streetwear meshing seamlessly with the loveable creatures. The new mother also anticipated the line’s appeal to other nostalgic mothers, as well as to an entirely new generation of young women. The fit was also attractive from an altruistic point of view. Care Bears’ wholesome view of caring and sharing aligned with Boy Meets Girl’s tradition of tackling causes like cancer, bullying and racism.

The partnership proved prescient, if attracting the interest of one of the premiere fashion retail institutions in the world is any indication. Colette in Paris, an outpost Karl Lagerfeld uses to test products, secured the limited-edition collection exclusively and plans to roll out the line to consumers this month. Based largely

upon Grumpy Bear, Share Bear and Chair Bear, characters that utilize Colette’s iconic blue colorway, Boy Meets Girl X Care Bears has produced a 10-piece collection, including hoodies, sweatshirts, tanks and tees, retailing from $70 to $150.

“Colette is considered the beginning of a trend,” Igel says. “This gives me street cred and fashion cred.”

And that’s putting it mildly. With a cult-like following, Colette is an independent fashion boutique that typifies the City of Light much like 10 Corso Como is synonymous with Milan, Jeffrey conjures New York City or Fred Segal represents Los Angeles—often these latter stores are referred to as “the Colette” of their respective cities.

The love appears to go both ways. “We love Boy Meets Girl, and we love Care Bears so the two together can only be beyond cute,” says Sarah Andelman, creative director of Colette and daughter of founder Colette Rousseau (reminding us that French girls loved Care Bears just as much as their American counterparts).

“Valentine’s is the perfect day to launch this loveable collection.”

Colette is planning a blowout for the launch, dedicating windows to the collection as well as a soirée on Valentine’s Day and a co-branded menu in the store’s famous water bar (serving 100 brands of bottled water).

In March, the line will be sold on the Boy Meets Girl website in the U.S. and will eventually roll out to other specialty stores and major retailers by back-to-school. –Kristin Young

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footwear preview

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Old Soles

Proven Winners Designers focus on versatile and dependable styles to meet the demands of increasingly cost-conscious parents.

B Y E M I LY B E C K M A N

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CCORDING TO DATA pulled by Google from iQuanti, “spend less/save more” ranked among this year’s top 10 New Year’s resolution searches, with nearly 16 million hits—up 17.5 percent from 2016. Clearly, many consumers are looking to stretch their dollar this year, and children’s brands are in step with the trend, offering a bevy of reliable and versatile styles for Fall ’17.

Think plenty of sneakers and short boots.

“Athleisure is shifting from being a trend to an everyday part of our lives and how we dress,” says Lucy Thornley, vice president of women’s and kids’ product at Crocs. “With this in mind, fresh styling, comfort, versatility and ease will be prominent factors when consumers are making a purchase.”

Jenevieve Froncek, footwear designer at Pediped, says kids are increasingly sporting high-tops as the new, more casual boot. “I just don’t think people dress up as much as they used to, so there’s not as much of a need for those beautiful, tall leather boots,” she explains. “People are a little more casual now, so mom wants something that can be warm and functional [for her little ones].”

The elongated “hybrid” sneaker is expected to run the style gamut for fall, dipping its toe into several microtrends from Western to celestial spaces.

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Arielle Suberi, senior designer for Steve Madden Kids, agrees the sneaker will continue to be a huge fashion statement this fall.

“The sneaker is particularly important in the buy-now-wear-now spirit of back-to-school,” she notes. “You’ll be seeing it all—lots of patches, embroidery, charms and rhinestones across the biggest silhouette of the season.”

For Megan Linke, founder of Lili Collection, social media and blogger influencers are also to credit for the growing sneaker movement that is now trickling down to children’s fashion. “I feel like every blogger in the fashion industry is wearing a sneaker,” she says.

“Whether it’s Nike or a more generic brand, we are seeing more embellishments to the sneaker across the board.”

According to Tony Castano, Vida Kids’ vice president of design and development, the warmer winters have also helped the shift away from tall boot silhouettes to the shorter shaft of the Chelsea, which exploded last year in womenswear and is now reaching down into kids’.

“We’re definitely seeing shorter shaft heights than in the past,” agrees Brandy McCarty, global brand sales and strategy manager for Khombu. “Anything that could have more functionality is what’s selling,” he adds. “Customers don’t want to be restricted to outdoors, indoors, dress up or dress down. They want more

Kensie Girl

Livie & Luca

Wild West From glittering cowboy boots to hybrid sneaker interpretations, a Western aesthetic gallops across a range of silhouettes this fall. But it’s short of a full gallop, so to speak.

“The Western-themed styles are not necessarily straight-up cowboy,” explains Sammy Esquenazi, owner of Josmo Shoes.

“We have focused a lot on ornaments and trims, including studs, eyelets, faux fur, tassels and fringe.”

According to Heather Cohen, design director at Mia Kids, the most consistently popular style over the past three years has been the Western boot. “We just update [from season to season] as the girls want to wear it with their shorts all the way through the fall with their jeans.”

Laura Ashley

Election Selection Shades of red and blue run deep in many kids’ collections this season. “Colors usually follow politics,” says Lisa Cronin-Arida, vice president of design for Synclaire Brands. “This year was an election year so we saw a lot of Bordeaux and navy.”

It’s not just the saturated hues, though, being influenced by politics—metallic accents are also tied into Cronin-Arida’s theory. “Whenever a Republican is in office, gold becomes very big—we saw a lot of gold this season,” she says. “Silver and pewter also have made a strong showing this fall.”

Lili Collection Keen

Bearpaw

Hair Brands Fur, real or faux, is the must-have embellishment of winter couture. Gucci, a few seasons back, ushered in the crazy hair trend with its Princetown slippers, and now kids’ designers are letting their hair down in the form of fluffy trims and pompoms. The playfulness of fur can also be seen in the colorways, with some designers rocking cobalt blue wool or pink-dyed Sherpa.

Denise LeMons, senior designer for Bearpaw, says the short boot trend has been a great way to showcase plush faux fur in its collection.

“One of our top-selling styles is the Boo, a short little bootie with long curly lamb in fun colors,” she says. “We like to add details, like pompom accents or knit shafts, that make a traditionally cozy boot really stand out.”

footwear preview

snap

Secret Crush Velvet just may be the material of the season. The posh fabric shows up across a range of silhouettes and collections.

“We are definitely paying a lot more attention to luxurious materials,” says Froncek of Pediped. “I’ve been seeing the velvet trend everywhere from adults down to kids, so I figured it was a good one to jump on.”

For Fall ’17, Pediped released baby styles in velvet and a youth story in fur. “People want to look good, but be warm—a perfect demand for velvet and fur,” Froncek says.

Designers note subdued hues as the most popular in crushed velvet, spanning soft blues, dusty pinks and tranquil plums. Not to mention classic black velvet which, Froncek says, is, “Forever a holiday staple.”

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Trouble Maker The grunge aesthetic that returned for an encore performance in adult fashion last year is making its presence felt in children’s with patchwork, metal hardware, embroidery and kitschy character details.

“The return of ’90s styling and rebellious attitude have really given children a way to express themselves and be slightly rebellious in a fun way,” says Chris Askins, brand manager at Esquire Footwear. “This allows kids to personalize their style with patches and metal accents while giving them a reason to push their limits.” Askins sees an overall trend of bold styling that isn’t afraid to “break the rules,” spanning angst-filled gunmetal studs and patent leather to bright stitching and zipper detailing.

Celestial Solutions Designers have looked into the heavens for inspiration this fall. Think star motifs, metallics, glitter (i.e. space dust), LED lights and other out-of-this-world influences. Modeled after Fendi’s whimsy characters of last year, look out for celestial pals such as aliens and robots popping up in the form of patchwork, embroideries or printed graphics.

“Stars are a must,” stresses Cohen of Mia Kids. “We’re calling it superstar. Whether it’s a sneaker, boot or jacket, stars are huge this season.”

According to Heather Dady, designer for Western Chief Kids, recognizing the evolution of metallic is imperative. “For fall, they are really taking on a luminescent futuristic look,” she says. “It creates a hard-soft feeling, which is really interesting.”

Western Chief is capitalizing on this trend with a collection of new metallic glitter rain boots. “At a glance, it just looks like metallic silver but when you really pop a light directly at it, you get this incredible explosion of light bouncing back.”

Overall, Dady says to expect an overall cooler colorway with charcoal and pewter taking the lead.

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Mia Kids

RE T A I L R E P O R T

The Short View CHILDREN’S SPECIALTY STORES SHARE THEIR SHORTTERM STRATEGIES. BY KRISTIN YOUNG

Y ALL ACCOUNTS, last year was tumultuous for major retailers, and the experts say you can expect more of the same this year. Evidence to back up this proclamation didn’t take long to materialize.

In January, The Limited filed for bankruptcy, Wal-Mart slashed jobs, Sears Holdings said it will shutter Sears and Kmart stores and fashion label BCBG Max Azria announced it was restructuring and closing some of its own stores.

All this begs the question: If times are precarious for the big guys, what hope do the little guys have? Plenty, turns out.

Danny Silverman, head of product strategy at Clavis Insight, a provider of online retail store analytics for manufacturers, believes there are three overarching trends that will affect retail as a whole for 2017. One, U.S. consumers will increasingly buy online but pick up in-store—“click and collect.” Two, omnichannel, or providing consumers a way to switch seamlessly between brick-and-mortar and online marketplaces on their way to a purchase, remains key.

And three, transactions on mobile phones will continue to climb.

From the perspective of the small mom-and-pop retailer, the “click and collect” trend is the most compelling to Silverman.

“The ‘click and collect’ model can help level the playing field for smaller/local retailers,” he points out, noting the technology is widely available and the action gets people into stores. “It has the potential to reverse, or at least puts some brakes on the trend which has seen bigger retail players continue to grow at the expense of small/local retailers.”

Lila Snyder, president of Global Ecommerce at Pitney Bowes, sees the convergence of physical and online as one of the most

important phenomena to watch in 2017. “We used to just talk about the shift of sales from brick-and-mortars to online, but what we’ve seen over the last 12 to 18 months is more of an intermingled experience,” she says. “Retailers that can get the right interplay between physical and digital experiences will rise to the top.”

If you’re in the childrenswear market, particularly if you operate as a small independent specialty store, it appears you are less susceptible to the larger forces influencing large retail entities.

But to get a better sense of what else children’s boutique owners are predicting for the rest of the year, Earnshaw’s batted the question over to them.

Social Media is Key to Getting to Know the Customer When it comes to running a small specialty store, store owners are finding social media has become invaluable for driving new customers to stores and are dedicating resources and time to maintaining that communication.

“We’re most active on Instagram,” explains Carol Faber-Adams, owner of Torly Kids in New York, noting she has shifted dollars and resources away from advertising to focus on social media. “I target the tween market, and that’s where they’re at. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat. My staff puts together a couple of outfits a day and snaps shots of them. I usually have three days worth of posts sitting on my phone ready to go. It’s an awesome free way to reach people.”

Corrine Barth, owner of Elegant Child in Boca Raton, Fla., says she is finding that getting to know the customer is key to her business and social media is the the best conduit for doing that.

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RE T A I L R E P O R T

The store holds VIP events to reward them for their loyalty and spreads the word via Instagram and Facebook. “For us, personally, our first priority is brick-and-mortar,” says Barth. “But we are using Instagram and Facebook as a way to keep them informed and give them reasons to come in.”

“We post three times a day sometimes,” echoes Shanlee Johnson, owner of Little Birdies Boutique in Washington, D.C. “We find that personal communication with a clients—getting back to them quickly—often results in a sale.”

To pique Instagram followers’ interest, store owners advise peers to pay attention to the quality of the photograph posted, promote holidays such as Groundhog Day or Chinese New Year as opposed to better-known observations such as Valentine’s Day and use the store’s brand name often. “You want people to see your brand as much as possible,” says Faber-Adams. “When I was in school, 10 touches was enough to reach customers. Now I think it’s more like 1,000.”

The Next Big Tech Thing Children flocked to Facebook, then parents joined and they fled to Instagram. That seems to be the migration order as retailers describe keeping up with the kids. Snapchat is currently the

CHILDREN’S CLUB Las Vegas Feb. 21-23

platform du jour and, like the nightclub scene, it’s anybody’s guess what the next hot social medium will be. When it comes to technology that can improve buying on social media, however, that’s much easier to for store owners to imagine.

As anybody who remembers how slow and clunky the Internet was in its early days can attest, there comes a time when people can envision the future, or as tech author Steven Johnson, who penned Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation, calls it “the adjacent possible.”

While some retailers are focusing on voice-activated shopping like Amazon’s Echo—techies, listen up—smaller retailers have other ideas. Stephanie Goldstein, owner of Stoopher & Boots in New York City, says her ideal “adjacent possible” would be a better integratation of social media with a click-and-buy mechanism linking to the store. Like other retailers, social media such as Instagram and Facebook are the primary drivers of bringing people into her store and a seamless click-and-buy mechanism on either of those platforms would fast become an integral part of her business. “I don’t even think it’s that important to have a standalone website,” she posits. “My inventory changes way too fast and way too often. I’m constantly maintaining Instagram and Facebook.”

Corporate 1385 Broadway, Suite 1800 New York, NY 10018 212-216-6068 James Rozakis West Coast Teresa Stephen 213-623-8155 Caribbean/Latin America/ South Florida Rolando & Ana Hidalgo 305-599-8717 Midwest Richard Finkelstein & Al Zaiff 847-607-8543 International Nathan A. Mamiye 212-216-6008

“OUR CUSTOMERS ARE THE STAR OF THE SHOW.” — L I S A B U R I K , F R A N K I E S O N T H E PA R K

Create an Unforgettable Experience Aside from social media and getting to know your customer, childrenswear retailers tell Earnshaw’s that creating an unforgettable experience for children, particularly girls, is key to securing loyal customers long-term. “Especially for my tweens, it’s letting the kids experience what they like and help them find what they like,” says Terryn Mann, owner of B Kids Boutique with four locations scattered across Louisiana, Alabama and Texas. “They walk in very timid and unsure of her own body type,” she adds. “We say, ‘hey, let’s try a couple of things on, and you tell me if you like the style.’

We’re here to help and make sure it fits right. It’s very important for self-confidence.”

Sometimes a girl knows what she wants long before she and her

parents enter the store. Particularly in the tween market, a joint buying experience between mom and child, negotiations have likely begun before the shopping excursion, according to Lisa Burik, owner of Frankies on the Park in Chicago. “Through trends and social media, she knows what style is and what her aspirations are,” she says. “Then we as retailers have to give her a positive experience.

Our customers are the star of the show. You have to make that experience unforgettable.”

Evilina Rogers, founder and owner of Pink Lemon Blue Lime, in Westport, Conn., has been testing out novel ideas such as creating a baby basket bar. “We have a bunch of choices,” she says. “We have rompers in three different colors and sizes, a rattle and a bib that comes with a little hair and brush set. We’ve been getting a lot of great response.” Creating the experience is how a small specialty store can differentiate itself from the Amazons and the Gaps of the world, she says. “Our price is never going to be the lowest but we’re always looking to do something different.”

Becoming part of the local community—creating a place where people want to come to attend events and bring their friends—could be the best experience of all and one that plays especially well to to a small stores’ advantage. “I feel like people want a place to go,” He][hi iWoi$ ÇF[efb[ c_ii j^Wj W b_jjb[ X_j$ Oek YWdÊj ][j j^Wj Wj =Wf$È

TREND WATCH

Minymo

Elizabeth Cate

Haven Girl

Elisa B. Hannah Banana

Flight Club SEARCH INTEREST FOR the bomber jacket took off last spring—rising more than 600 percent, according to studies from Google. Top celebs like Gigi Hadid, Taylor Swift and Kendall Jenner were part of the trendsetting flight crew in 2016, so there’s no question why the pilotinspired look is jetting into children’s with an explosion of color and textural appeal. “The bomber jacket continues to be one of, if not the must-have item for childrenswear,” reports Erin Rechner, senior kidswear editor at WGSN. “We see this item continue forward with an interest in new materials such as fur, high-pile and sheer alongside updates in silhouettes such as elongated shapes and oversized interpretations.”—Emily Beckman

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Kapital K

Tocoto Vintage Le Big

Fun & Fun Soft Gallery

Arsène et les Pipelettes

Molo

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DESIGNER

C H AT

Color Story Tara Suarez, designer at Iscream, shares her rainbow of expertise.

IN FIFTH GRADE, Tara Suarez wrote her future self a letter as part of a class project.

In the letter, she asked whether she had enrolled in art school, and if she still had plans of becoming a designer. When the “time-capsule letters” were finally mailed upon her senior year of high school, Suarez proudly confirmed all her younger ambitions were still on track. Always intending on becoming a designer, Suarez attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City with a double major in graphic design and advertising. She was hired right out of college by the kids’ lifestyle brand Iscream where she began her dream career as a designer at the brand’s headquarters in Corlandt Manor, New York (about 45 minutes north of New York City). The 110,000-square-foot facility houses the label’s parent company Mines Press Inc.’s printing factory, as well as the Iscream warehouse.

Established in 2007, Iscream has transformed an explosion of color into a line of smile-inducing products for all ages. Started as a collection of lenticular journals, the company has grown to offer everything from pillows and bags to apparel and keychains.

With experience designing for the Iscream customer since the brand’s launch, Suarez remarks “Our customer lives for products that make ordinary a little more extraordinary.” —Emily Beckman What is most rewarding about being a designer? My daughter is 11, so I see many of her friends wearing our backpacks or T-shirts. It’s so fun to say, ‘Hey, did you know I drew that?’ Just to see how excited they get is very fun and rewarding. We’ve

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even been on vacation, and my daughter exclaims, ‘Mom, those are your pillows!’ It’s those kind of moments that make you want to keep creating more.

What is the biggest challenge of your job? Coming up with fun ideas every day. You always have to be ready to be creative and to think ahead. The team is constantly forecasting what kids are going to want before the next season hits. Luckily, it’s a small group of us that design, so it’s like a little family. We’re always bouncing ideas off of each other—if you’re not creative one day, somebody else is.

We launch new items every four months, so we’re always moving.

Where do you draw inspiration? We really have our own style, so if we stray too much and follow big fashion trends, it can backfire. However, we always keep an eye out for what’s hot now, and then change it to make it our own. It’s important to note what colors are out there, so the runway remains influential for us. We also gain a lot of insight from taking our own kids shopping. Once we find a particular print that works, it typically carries over much of the collection. For instance, if a print does well in the pillow category, we will be inclined to use it in a plush pant or a backpack pattern.

A peek at some of Iscream’s 2017 offerings.

What are your forecasted trends for 2017? When we first started, it seemed that kids were really drawn to the food and candy lines. That is still a big part of our collection, but we’ve expanded to go beyond that now. We have a great line of embroidered pillows and even some items for boys. The boys will love our new junk food line—think potato chips, sodas and

pizza. Plus, we did a cool sports line. We also designed a new patchwork story because kids are all about the patches right now, not to mention emoticons are still hot.

“...YOU WILL MAKE EVERYBODY HAPPY BY DOING WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY.”

the alphabet. Kids loved them, plus they made great gifts for birthday parties or Christmas. We even used the print on our micro-bead pillows, which ultimately led to scented options. Today kids love that their chocolate chip cookie pillow smells like a real chocolate chip cookie.

Are emojis a new perennial, or do you see them fading soon? Honestly, emoticons don’t seem to be going anywhere. I think what happens is the older kids fade out around the 14-year-old mark, but you know a whole new group of the eight- and nine-year-olds are just starting to use their iPhones with emoticons.

How was business in 2016? Really great. We designed a lot of new product, always looking ahead.

We also have a lot of key accounts coming to us. It’s always a great thing to have them come to you.

Any specific colorways that are a must for Fall ’17? This year’s focus on patches makes for a good blue story—mostly gray patches on a dark denim. However, we always offer several different colorways because everybody likes something different—that’s what makes the world go ’round! We try to make everyone happy while still maintaining our bright, fun, vibrant voice.

Anything in the pipeline this year? For 2017, we also have a great new line of bags. One of the trend sites we follow said tactile and mixed fabrics are going to be in, so we incorporated that into our line with fur. Some of the furry bags even had the emoticon faces embroidered on them. In addition, we have a line of clear bags coming out for the beach or sleepovers.

What product has performed exceptionally well over the last few seasons? I’d have to say our initial pillows that we launched a few years ago were outstanding. We worked really hard on those to pick great patterns—a candy theme. We offered all the letters in

What’s your New Year’s resolution? Just to keep working hard and having fun along the way. If you have fun and avoid overthinking, you will make everybody happy by doing what makes you happy.

In that case, work isn’t work and things just come easy.

BY KRISTIN YOUNG

The couple in their first retail store.

Kindred Spirits OY CHA, BORN in Taiwan and raised in Flushing, Queens, grew up chasing the classic American dream.

Her parents of Chinese descent had emigrated to the United States in 1979, sent Cha to Parsons School of Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and subsequently saw their daughter move to Paris for three years—an experience that, despite being “so poor,” Cha still remembers as one of the best times of her life.

William Banti, hailing from America’s Midwest as the youngest of five children, grew up in Franklin Park, Ill., (a stone’s throw away from O’Hare Airport in Chicago). One of his fondest memories of childhood is cooking with his mom, initially having the desire to get into the culinary arts. However, a career in marketing, sales and finance ultimately beckoned.

Years later, after divorces, children (Cha gave birth to Kaitlyn while Banti fathered Katie, Marcie and Bianca) and careers, the two met online, quickly fell in love and struck up a six-month long-distance relationship.

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P H OTO G R A P H Y BY C A S E Y H U R L E Y

Joy Cha and William Banti, owners of Lemon Loves Lime, share the foundation for their strong business is their even stronger relationship.

“It was the strangest experience for both of us,” says Cha, recalling the early days of their relationship. “We feel that we were a couple in a former life. We are so much alike.”

In the meantime, Cha had started Lemon Loves Lime, a collection of boys’ and girls’ childrenswear inspired by her daughter. It didn’t take long for Cha to marry Banti, and consequently move her daughter and her business to Chicago. It was only a short time before Banti started playing a more active role in Lemon Loves Lime.

Now the two are celebrating the company’s 10th birthday and appear to have dovetailed as effortlessly professionally as they did personally. Indeed, talking to the couple is like talking to one

person. They finish each other’s sentences, value the same kind of childhood memories and believe in the same business philosophy—that is, to build relationships for the long haul, not just for the quick sale. The two also believe in creating high quality childrenswear, pieces that can be handed down from sibling to sibling.

Sticking to their deep-seated values hasn’t always been easy, they say, but in the end, it has CHAT RO proved gratifying both privately and at work. b b b

What kind of books do you like to read?

William: Spiritual books. The Power of Now and A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle. [Joy] likes to play the audio books before we go to bed to relax our minds. It puts us in a tranquil state to drift off.

How did you get into the childrenswear business?

Joy: My parents ran away from the communists, and we moved to New York. My mother was working as a knitter, so I grew up Why do you believe you in this world. At 13, I started to were a couple in a former gather up pieces of yarn from my life? mom’s excess scraps, and I used Joy: We think the same. We these scraps to machine-knit and say the same thing at the crochet tiny dresses, scarves, hats same time. and skirts for my Barbie dolls.

William: We call each other Three years later, my mom started at the exact same time. her own knit studio and, at 17, I was knitting my own sweaters. At What’s your favorite childage 19, I was working for my mom hood memory?

Joy: When I was in third as a professional sample maker. I grade, I found a kitten starvwent to Parsons and FIT and in ing on the street on my way 2007 the company that I worked home from school. I picked for for nine years as head designer up the kitten and put her began going downhill. I was laid in my lunch box, I took her home, gave her a bath, killed off because I was the highest paid. all the fleas, then I fed her.

I had started my own collection Every time my mom came on the side, already planting seeds. This was the turning point in my life that opened the door for me to begin my journey into childrenswear. My daughter Kaitlyn was just two years old, and the inspiration for Lemon Loves Lime because I fought for more than six years to conceive her.

What does the name Lemon Loves Lime refer to?

Joy: I was trying to come up with a brand name for a week, then one morning on my way to work, my daughter pointed her little finger to a picture and said ‘Mommy, look, lemon, Mommy, lime.’ Her little voice kept repeating in my ears when I was on the Long Island Rail Road. I thought about how much I love my daughter and put that love in the middle of the name. Lemon Loves Lime was born.

Then you met William the following year in 2008?

William: Yes, I’d been working in the direct mail industry. I was working on finance, marketing and sales. That was my background.

I’m very fortunate because my daughter Katie at that time was working for United Airlines as a flight attendant, and one day she said, ‘You know, Dad, parents can fly using my benefits.’ And I said, ‘Oh, really?’ I never thought about OM it until I met Joy, and then all of a sudden I said, ‘Katie, I think I’m going to take advantage of your into my room, I hid her in my airfare.’ Every Friday when I left closet. That didn’t last long. work, I basically had my bags I was on my knees begging packed and went to the airport. my mom to keep the kitten.

For a while, I was my kitten’s For about six months, I traveled mommy. A few months later, I back and forth from Chicago found her an adopted home. to New York every weekend to visit her.

William: I grew up with dogs my whole life, and I raised rabbits. I started out with one, and then my brother bought me a mate. Before I knew it, I had more than 30 rabbits.

Joy: Now we adopt dogs, and when we retire I want to adopt senior dogs. When animals feel comfortable and happy, I’m happy.

Who is your favorite historical character and why?

Joy: Elsa Schiaparelli. With no background of making garments, she used her vision to drape fabric on a form to create amazing unique looks that has had such an impact on fashion.

When did it morph into a professional connection?

William: In late 2008. I watched Joy for a long time, watched how she was struggling. She was running everything out of her house.

She had boxes everywhere lined up against the perimeter of the wall. The living room was the warehouse, her dining room was the office and the kitchen was the shipping area.

Joy: It was a tiny home in Queens with a child, a dog and a cat running rampant.

William: She did a great job. She worked hard, and I said, ‘I’ll help you if you want.’ I think Joy was comfortable with what she was doing, and she was happy doing what she was doing. She had a good little base of customers, and she had one sales rep in Dallas.

At that point, I thought Joy needed to consider taking it to the next level, and at least put the whole operation into a real work environment.

Joy: We quickly realized that we needed to simplify our lives, and I made the decision to move to Chicago. [William] found a 1,000-square-foot space in Illinois. Then we moved to a larger operation, a real warehouse and office area in Carol Stream. This past April, we moved that operation to Wisconsin. >33

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Left to right: Puma sock, Polo Ralph Lauren short boot; We Love Colors tights, Jessica Simpson shoe; We Love Colors tights, Nina high-top sneaker.

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Left to right: River & Rosy hair clips, model’s own tank top, We Love Colors tights, Nina boots.

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Bearpaw hat, Happy Socks socks, Minnetonka shoes; Opposite page: Puma socks, Florsheim oxfords.

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Clockwise from top left: Lali Kids large felt necklace, Heart Me Jewelry small beaded necklace; Mademoiselle Ă Soho legwarmer (worn on arm); Bearpaw sock, Jessica Simpson sneaker; Bearpaw sock, Umi shoe.

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Clockwise from top left: Art & Eden sock, Bearpaw silver boot; Happy Socks sock, Geox sneaker; Bearpaw sock, Pro Player sneaker; Happy Socks sock, Childrenchic glitter short boot; Bottleblond pompom bracelet and ring; Lilies & Roses stack of bracelets and ring.

Happy Socks sock, Cape Clogs clog; Opposite page: Winkniks sunglasses.

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Left to right: We Love Colors all tights, Jessica Simpson appliquĂŠd boot, Nanette Lepore studded boot, Step & 30

Stride boot with buckles, Western Chief sneaker boot, Nine West boot, Lili Collection shoe, Nina platform sneaker.

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» InGear Fashions, a familyowned company established in 1990, has expanded over the years to become one of the leading suppliers of swim and resortwear in the United States. With more than two decades of experience, InGear produces quality lifestyle apparel for both children and adults. Over the last five years, the brand has prioritized the expansion of its kid, toddler and infant collections. With a soft launch at Children’s Club last August, InGear is capitalizing on its new boys’ offerings for 2017 with an upscale resortinspired “Daddy & Me” collection.

Matching back to several men’s looks, the new boys’ styles offer a range of swim trunks and casual button-downs in a soft color palette of navys, corals and mints.

Classic tropical-inspired prints are the focal point of the new collection (think: flamingos and florals with colorblock detailing).

Sizes range from toddlers’ 2T to 4T and boys’ 4 to 16, wholesaling from $10 to $15

» From a casual conversation while skiing atop the mountains of California came the birth of the girls’ apparel company Lanoosh. Prideful of the comfort of little ones, the brand’s designs omit buttons and zippers to insure the utmost safety and freedom from constraint. The easyto-wear styles allow kids to dress themselves with confidence.

Headquartered in a pink castle located in sunny California, all design and manufacturing is performed locally in Los Angeles.

For Fall ’17, the new collection tells a story of two sisters first visit to the big city. Offerings feature vintage-inspired bodies and box pleats as well as bikeinspired leggings with leather trim. The evolution of the sisters’ personal style from smalltown appeal to edgier streetwear is the epitome of the season’s creative direction. Expect to see 3-D accent fabrics, colorblocking and the combining of contrasting fabrics. Available in sizes 2 to 14, wholesale prices range from $25.45 to $30.90.

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Waddle and Friends

info@waddleandfriends.com www.waddleandfriends.com » Shake up baby’s rattle routine with Waddle and Friends—an adorable collection of tiny rattle socks for ages newborn to 12 months. Each sock contains a rattle attachment on the front that is designed to aid in the development of sensory skills through sound and touch. Available in 19 different styles across a variety of colors like pink, fuchsia and soft aqua for girls and blue, green and red for boys, all socks are made from a combed-cotton elastic blend with logoed grippers on the bottom. Waddle and Friends even implement a special finishing process in the manufacturing to ensure the sock fits and remains secure on little feet. The rattle socks are offered in several embellishments for boys and girls, including fuzzy pompoms, soft felt and detailed embroidery.

Each package contains two pairs of socks, wholesaling from $10 to $12 each.

» Wendy Gross Almasanu and her sister Sondra Gross Mansfield have always been crafty, so when they noticed chalkboard surfaces trending in interior design, a lightbulb turned on. “We thought, ‘imagine if we could put a chalkboard on a shirt to let kids create a new shirt every day,’” Mansfield reflects. “We were determined to create a chalkboard-like surface that could accept more than smudgy traditional limestone chalk.” The basic shortsleeved T-shirt line comes in a heart shape (in raspberry, purple or red) or a speech bubble shape (in lime or brilliant blue). The bright hues of the shirts match the intensity of the vibrant chalk marker ink kids can use on the chalkboard to create fun, custom designs. Ink can be erased with water or by simply laundering. Each shirt is sold as a kit in a handled bag which includes a T-shirt made from 100-percent ring-spun cotton, a white watersoluble chalk marker, a stencil and a wiping cloth. Other florescent marker colors are sold separately. T-shirts are available from kids’ size XS (ages 4/5) to XL (13/14), wholesaling from $14 to $15.

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continued from page 19

William: I took an early retirement in May of 2011 because of all the phone calls, the texts, the emails…

Joy: And the crying.

William: And the crying. It was getting to be too much. We had some good people, but I think Joy was overwhelmed. She just had too much on her plate. It’s tough to be designing three collections and trying to run everything else. I took over the warehouse operations and tried to help with customer service and took over all the accounting functions.

What are you most proud of accomplishing in your business since those early days?

William: We’re very concerned with quality. My trips [to Peru] basically involve doing the quality control checks, so I’m measuring, snapping pictures, comparing dye lots, and I’m just making sure that everything’s up to snuff.

How do you reconcile good quality with the pressure to lower prices?

William: Joy and I have seen this big change from 2007 to now where quality was very important early on. I think back in the ’80s, ’90s and early 2000s, everybody was focused on quality. But after the economic crash, I think people tended to focus more on price.

We were worried because we didn’t want to diminish what we’ve done all these years.

Our brand is all about quality and making a high-end product, and we didn’t want to change any of that. Most of our clothing is done in 100-percent cotton and Pima cotton. Cotton prices tripled over a period of two years. But we didn’t change. A lot of companies changed the blend of their fabrics because of that. We never did. We stuck with it. We absorbed the losses and stayed true to who we were.

Do you think customers appreciated the standard of quality you upheld?

William: They did. They really did. That was a period when our company really blossomed, really grew strong. Then we saw a lot of companies move production to India to lower their costs. We didn’t want to do that. We knew how strong and how good the quality of the product was that we were producing in Peru. We stuck with it. It was tough. I was worried the bottom line was going to hurt, but in the long run we actually grew our customer base.

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Joy: In Europe, a lot of designers want cheaper material. The designs are beautiful, but after a couple of washes, they disintegrate. Our garments can be passed down.

Customers don’t throw it away. They give it to their siblings.

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How do you change with the ebbs and flow of business?

William: We’re constantly negotiating. Our company’s always updating technology. We went to an automated ordering system, a paperless environment. We’ve looked into social responsible ways to make our clothing. Everything we do right now is natural.

Even the dyes we use are eco-friendly. We even explored the organic market a little bit, but we didn’t think it was a good fit for us at this point.

CMY

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What inspires your clothing designs from season to season?

Joy: I do a lot of research looking for something that hasn’t been designed. Besides the ocean group, I do mermaids every season, but she’s a different mermaid.

She does different things. I always try to put a story together. I could be inspired by a painter or a story or just a beautiful picture. I collect most of my images online, and I put together the feeling and the color palette that I like. I don’t repeat the same

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color much and I don’t really follow the trends much. I have my own system, my formula.

asking for reorders. We used to fill about 10 to 20 percent of our warehouse with the layette collection and now it fills 50 percent of our warehouse. I do add new colors every season to keep it fresh and I think it’s time to expand this collection.

You mentioned you bring back sea creatures in every season. Why? Joy: It’s an ode to someone I lost in my life. He was my mentor and introduced me to the buyer of Cole’s of Nassau in the Bahamas.

As a well-known handbag designer, he was known for his sea creatures and ocean themes. He was murdered by somebody who hated him. It was devastating.

You opened a retail store in Menasha, Wisc., two years ago.

How has that helped you understand the customer?

Joy: I talk to a lot of customers. A few times, I caught myself chatting with them for over an hour, and I go, ‘I have to go back to work.’ They share really fun stories and good ideas, and say, ‘Do this, do that and don’t forget to do the same great dress again next season.’ Additionally, I’m involved in customer service and returns.

What categories are you expanding going forward?

Joy: Lemon Loves Layette. We grade it as the finest Pima cotton.

It’s 70 stitches per inch. It’s very technical, and very fine. We’ve created a beautiful layette collection in solid colors. We stand out from other companies because a lot of companies do layettes in print. Because the fabric colors are so vibrant, the only embellishments are ruffles and beautiful shapes for gowns, dresses, rompers and even bibs. We ship all year around. People are constantly Earnshaw Quarter PG 0117.pdf

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William: We opened up our first retail for two reasons. There was a revitalization effort going on here in this town, and we wanted to be a part of that. Then also, we wanted to learn from it because we thought this would be a better connection for our customers, a way we can relate to them more.

In the store, do you carry other brands other than Lemon Loves Lime?

Joy: Yes. Mainly accessories—Aden + Anais, Mini Melissa and Livie & Luca. Plus, we do toys—Melissa & Doug toys.

2:30 PM

Describe the experience in the store.

Joy: We have an ice cream parlor in our store. That’s Bill’s baby.

Kids love that, and they’re pretty good at not walking around with the ice cream. We have a play area in the back. When moms and grandmoms come in, the kids go and play. After the moms and grandmoms check out the clothes, they take the kids to the ice cream parlor.

What else has running a retail store taught you about your business?

William: We concentrate on great customer service. We make them feel like we are here to help, not just pushing for the sale.

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You are also expanding into ecommerce, correct?

Joy: We just started to design our website this year for the retail store.

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William: We have landing pages for every brand. We use social media for all our brands and the retail store, but we’re working on the ecommerce site right now. Joy wants to keep it special. She wants to carry specialty items, some unique things. We don’t want to create conflict or competition with our existing customers.

CMY

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Joy: I am developing designs with my factory in Peru. For instance, they’ve been knitting me dolls and making me hats specially for the store. I also did a 36-inch doll for my window display.

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I PERSONALLY LIKE TO SEE THE SMILE ON KIDS’ FACES WHEN THEY COME IN THE DOOR.

www.lemonloveslime.com Contact: sales@lemonloveslime.com

How do you see retail shifting in the future?

Joy: In our own retail store, the young parents come in, and they have their iPhones on them—price-shopping. They’re wondering what stores are carrying a particular product and are they getting the best deal. That’s what goes through their minds. Retail is a lot more than making your store beautiful.

William: I think a lot of retail stores need to be very careful about the brands that they carry because if it’s something they can find anywhere, if it’s saturating the market, then consumers are going to be more price-conscious. We’ve always tried to keep Lemon Loves Lime special and…

Joy: Exclusive.

William: I guess in the beginning, it was all about, ‘Let’s grow, grow, grow.’ But now we’re more focused on our loyal customer base and what we can do for them and how we can make new retail customers successful.

What do you love most about your careers?

William: We always have a list of things that we’re going to try and accomplish for the day, and we feel good at the end of the day because we tend to get most of it completed.

Joy: And then we walk upstairs to our retail store, and we meet interesting people and see kids running around.

William: We’re lucky. We can go up one flight of stairs and start meeting people who are coming into the store.

I personally like to see the smile on kids’ faces when they Yec[ _d j^[ Zeeh$

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SHELF HELP

stores are organized by brand or by age, but we organize by theme.

Fairies, pirates, mermaids and farm animals all have their own separate sections.

Do you specialize in a certain toy category? We try to focus on toys that help promote a healthy childhood through imaginative play.

Things that force kids to think creatively and will give them skills to use later in life are what we hone in on. For example, I believe when kids play with dolls, they are preparing to become parents.

Does your inventory vary depending on location? The mix is pretty similar in each store, but there are some unique selling points to each location. We have a store in Novato where it’s more rural, so it’s easier to sell sports merchandise there. On the other hand, our location in Burlingame, on the peninsula between Silicon Valley and San Francisco, sells anything related to coding or programming really well.

Five Little Monkeys San Francisco Bay Area

S

TEPHANIE SALA, OWNER of Five Little Monkeys, graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with degrees in sociology and religious studies, but her plans for graduate school were put on hold after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. After the tremendous scare, Sala realized that being close to home was her No. 1 priority. The oldest of “five little monkeys,” as she calls her siblings, she wanted to choose a career path that would play an active role in their lives. To her advantage, going the entrepreneurial route was no stranger to the Sala family. Her father Andre Sala is a toy designer most famous for the Whoozit line of infant development toys while her mother Anna Hobbet is the co-owner and founder of Sweet Potatoes, a childrenswear manufacturing company that won several Earnie Awards over the years. According to Sala, opening a specialty toy store seemed like a natural fit at the time (now having successfully expanded to four locations in California). Since its launch in 2001, Five Little Monkeys has won multiple awards and was even deemed the first green-certified toy store in the Bay Area. Each location carries leading toy brands like Hape, Valtech, Klutz, Lego and Tomy. “It is our goal to provide the community a unique selection of quality toys in a fun and friendly environment,” Sala says. “We strive to give every customer exceptional customer service and encourage children of all ages to come and explore our toys first hand.” —Emily Beckman What makes Five Little Monkeys unique? You are guaranteed a carefully curated selection of toys at all four locations. Other toy

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What were the bestselling brands in 2016? International Playthings, Toysmith and Melissa & Doug were a shilling. In terms of specific product, we did really well with Blankie Tales, the kids’ sleeping bag that makes the child look like she has a mermaid tail.

We also did well with the Rock and Roll It piano, a portable piano that is soft and pliable. Squishables also did great, especially the food pillows.

What’s the biggest challenge facing your business in 2017?

One of the biggest challenges in business today is learning how to compete with online sales. The Internet is taking a bigger and bigger portion of retail sales, so it’s about determining how to capture those customers—how to make them spend money in stores rather than choosing to click a button and have the toy delivered to their doorstep by Amazon.

What are you doing to compete with the shifting market?

Last year we revamped our website and launched it in November, just in time for the holiday season. This made it a lot easier for customers to place orders with us. We also use social media to stay relevant. I have a marketing coordinator who helps me generate ideas to stay on the forefront of customers’ minds, even if it’s just a little post to say ‘hey, we’re here!’ It doesn’t necessarily have to be an advertisement for a product. In fact, I think that turns people off from following stores online when it’s ‘buy this’ all the time.

What is the most valuable advice you have for other retailers?

I’ve gained a deeper understanding and realization that business is really a partnership between retailers, vendors, sales reps and customers. One of the best things I’ve done is learn to leverage that and have conversations with my partners on how to succeed together. If I’m successful, they’re successful. We need to help each other out.

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CHILDREN’S CLUB New York City March 5-7

Corporate

Mark Zelen 212-216-6125 1385 Broadway, Suite 1800 New York, NY 10018

Caribbean/ Latin America/ South Florida

Rolando & Ana Hidalgo 305-599-8717

International

Nathan A. Mamiye 212-216-6008

North East

Bill and Sandie Ellsworth 781-326-3999

Texas/South West

Annette Cardona-Stein 214-637-4446

West Coast

Teresa Stephen 213-623-8155

Western Canada Jeff Swartz 604-681-1719

Mid Atlantic

Mark Wolbransky 215-364-7906

Midwest

Richard Finkelstein & Al Zaiff 847-607-8543

CLOTHING FOR THEIR LITTLE WORLD