Sunday, 26 July 2015

B&S meets...Kate Parker

We're delighted to introduce Bubble London's new campaign image, which will serve as the inspiration for our A/W16 show!


It was taken by Kate Parker, an acclaimed American photographer whose work touches on everything from adoption to being female. We asked the Atlanta-based mum of two to tell us more about our beautiful new campaign shot...


Kate, can you tell us a bit more about this season's campaign image? When and where was it taken?

This shot was taken in a bathroom at a kids play place (one of those places with jumpy castles everywhere). I had taken my daughter to the bathroom, and realised when she was washing her hands that the purple wall and hand dryer would make for a great shot. She was happy to oblige. I had to shove myself under the sinks to get the perspective I wanted, but it was totally worth it! 

Have you always been interested in photography?

I have always been interested in images. My mother is a painter, and was always drawn to design and colour. I love how photography allows us to capture a singular moment, perfectly. 



When and why did you decide to pursue a career in photography? 

I had stopped working (in advertising) after the birth of my first child ten years ago - and, like so many other new moms, I wanted to be able to capture these amazing moments. I threw myself into learning and decided to pursue it as a career. I think my background in advertising and editing has helped me immensely. 

What inspired your work? 

Light, emotion, fun, colour.



Could you tell us a bit more about your two most recent projects, Blended and Strong is the New Pretty?

Blended follows the story of my nephew from adoption to today; we love that little man so much, and have been so lucky and thankful to document so many great moments. Strong is the New Pretty (soon to be a book with Workman Publishing, Spring 2017) showcases young girls as strong, confident, fearless and as they really are. 



What is the key to good children's photography?

Honesty...and good lighting! 


We hope you love Bubble's new campaign image as much as we do! You can learn more about the wonderful Kate at katetparkerphotography.com. 

Friday, 17 July 2015

Best of Bubble

Bubble London has wrapped for another season! And, just in case you missed our S/S16 edition, we've put together an exclusive post-show round-up. Here are the highlights - from Perfect Pitches, to a new Rising Star and a rather special photoshoot...

Rising Star



This season, fourteen launch-brands went head-to-head for our world-renowned Rising Star award. We saw hand-drawn prints from BBbambino, vintage inspired girlswear from Australia's Tinker and Boo, and customisable dresses by Model My Own - but, ultimately, Little Lulu's stole the show. 

Our judges (CWB's editor, Laura Turner, Little Style Fix's Emma Smith, Wing Yin Man of Bubble Chops and Willo Baby and Childrenswear's founder, Lucy Ives) were blown away by the brand, agreeing that its exquisite miniature versions of adult shoes had real star-quality.





Laura Turner explained: 'We loved the design, and felt that they had got everything right - from price and age grouping, to target market. The product itself was beautiful, and had huge gift appeal.'

Laura and her fellow judges were also impressed by founder Catriona Alfaham, whose passion and enthusiasm shone through. Dotty Dungarees and cool new childrenswear brand Mr Wolf were named runners up. Congratulations to all our finalists! 

New Faces



This season, a host of launch-brands and new signings made their debut appearance at Bubble London. Big-hitters like Camper, Original Penguin and Puffa were joined by industry favourites Bakker Made With Love and Heidi Klein. Elswhere, The Little Shoemaker unveiled its artisan footwear, while Rising Star runners-up Dotty Dungarees presented its innovative, unisex dungarees. 



Big Names



Bubble London S/S16 played host to some of the industry's biggest names - including Replay, footwear brand Camper, and CWF's in-house childrenswear label Carrément Beau. A raft of core store winners - from Bob + Blossom, to Kissy Kissy and Aden + Anais - also showcased their latest collections. We loved those signature striped tees!



Perfect Pitch



This season, we brought visitors a new round of 'Perfect Pitches' - five-minute presentations from the designers behind Bubble's best up-and-coming brands. The line-up featured Rising Star finalists Little Kokoro, Dotty Dungarees and Little Lulu's, fashion and accessories brand Mezoome Designs, and Le Petit Croissier - whose founder, Gabriel, told us all about his latest Gaudi-inspired collection. 

Bubble Photo-shoot




We're creating a S/S16 lookbook, featuring Bubble product styled by industry professionals at the show. Seven fashion-fanatics- Smudgetikka's Linda McLean, Style Me Sunday's Natalie Lee, Nicky Hornsby-Clifton and Sarah Clark of Little Spree, CWB Magazine's Laura Turner, stylist Fran Lee and Bubble's event director Lindsay Hoyes - took part in the shoot, photographing their chosen outfits on uShoot Studio's unique machines. You can see the results in CWB Magazine's August edition (or take a sneak-peek here). 




Look Who's Talking

Our Look's Who's Talking seminar programme returned this season, bringing visitors business advice, insights and trend-updates aplenty. 



Stylist Fran Lee presented an interactive guide to S/S16's hottest trends (look-out for colourful ethnic prints and minimalist shapes), while business coach Jim Jordan explained how to double your profits in five easy steps. Stay tuned for a round-up of this season's seminars in the August edition of CWB...



See You Next Season...



The A/W16 edition of Bubble London will take place on Sunday 31 January and Monday 1 February at the Business Design Centre, Islington. We'd love to see you there! Visit the Bubble website for more details...

Monday, 13 July 2015

Bubble Shoot

Day two of Bubble London S/S16 is now well underway - and, here at the BDC, we've been holding a very special photo-shoot. 

We invited six industry professionals to choose an outfit from the show, before styling and photographing it in uShoot's onsite studio. 

The images will be used in a unique Bubble lookbook, which is due to be printed in the August edition of CWB magazine - but, in the meantime, we thought we'd share some of the highlights with you!


Linda McLean of Smudgetikka put together an uber-cool boy's outfit, choosing a jacket, shirt and trousers from Replay and shoes from Camper.

Style Me Sunday's Natalie teamed Sissonne dungarees with a Where's That Bear jumper, Urban Junk backpack and pair of Little Shoemaker shoes. 





Stay tuned for the full look-book, which will also feature outfits from stylist Fran Lee, Sarah and Nicky of Little Spree, CWB's editor, Laura Turner, and Bubble's own Lindsay Hoyes...

Thursday, 9 July 2015

What's On at Bubble London S/S16

There's so much to discover at Bubble London this season; think stunning new collections from some of the industry's best brands, 'perfect pitches' delivered by up-and-coming designers, interactive trend updates and must-hear advice on growing your business. Here's what you won't want to miss...

Rising Star




Fourteen exciting new launch brands will go head-to-head for Bubble's coveted Rising Star Award this season. Amabelle, Baby Acorn, BBbambino, Dotty Dungarees, Hop Shoes, Horses of the Wild, Le Mu, Little Kokoro, Little Lulu's, Little Wardrobe London, Model My Own, Mr Wolf,Tinker and Boo, and Where's That Bear (pictured) are all in contention, with the winner due to be announced on Sunday 12th. Stay tuned...

Look Who's Talking 




Now on the main floor, our renowned Look Who's Talking seminar programme will return this season. Young entrepreneur Henry Patterson, stylist and trend forecaster Fran Lee, and e-commerce consultant Elizabeth Hitchins are sharing their insights on Sunday, while business coach Jim Jordan and Adventure Walks' Clare Lewis and Becky Jones are set to take to the stage on Monday. See the full Look Who's Talking programme here...

Perfect Pitch




Bubble Lookbook

This July, our Perfect Pitch programme returns with a new round of 'pitches' from up-and-coming Bubble designers - including , Little Wardrobe London, Dotty Dungarees, Mezoome Designs and Where's That Bear? See the full line-up here...




Bubble is teaming up with CWB Magazine and uShoot Studios to create a special S/S16 Lookbook. We've invited bloggers Linda McLean, Little Spree and Natalie Lee, stylist Fran Lee, CWB's editor Laura Turner and Bubble's own event director, Lindsay Hoyes, to choose an outfit from the show, before styling and photographing it in uShoot's onsite studio. The full guide will be printed in CWB's August edition - but we'll be sharing highlights here throughout the show! 

Adventure Walks



This season, the team behind the hugely successful Adventure Walks books will be bringing some old-fashioned outdoor fun to Bubble. Visit Clare Lewis and Becky Jones on their stand, G57, and catch their seminar on Sunday. 

Lovi Oy




Family-run Finnish company Lovi Oy will be also be bringing the natural world indoors this July. Look out for its handmade wooden birds and trees across the show...



Kid's Wear

Elsewhere, Kid's Wear Magazine is set to unveil its latest photo-exhibition. Inspired by 'Colour' and shot by founder Achim Lippoth, it features photographs from the magazine's last 40 editions.




TOMS

Those in need of a pick-me-up can head over to the TOMS coffee in our boutique area, Nest. The iconic one-for-one brand will be serving its Toms Roasting Co. coffee, with money from the sale of every bag providing one week of clean water for a person in need. Pick up a complimentary cup, peruse the brand's S/S16 collection and learn more about its giving mission...




Read All About It

Visit our media kiosk, G56, to see the latest from a host of top industry titles - including Baby London, Collezioni Bambini, Collezioni 03 Baby, Childrenswear Buyer Magazine, Little London, Luna, Mum, Mum Special, KIDX Journal, Smallish and new partner Family Traveller. 




Raise a Glass!

Join us for the biannual Bubble party at Islington's Dolls House on Sunday. Kicking off at 6pm, its a chance to relax, network, and raise a glass to a successful first day...

What are you looking forward to about this season's Bubble London? There's still time to register for your free ticket...

Monday, 6 July 2015

Kid Style Junkie's Top 5 Bubble Signings

Suzanne Peters is the fashion addict behind popular blog Kid Style Junkie. When she's not posting about clothes, food, spaces and fun, you'll find her writing for Gurgle and The Huffington Post, creating content for retailers, and freelancing as a retail consultant. This stylish mum-of-two knows what she likes - which is why we invited her to put together an exclusive edit of new Bubble brands...


Bubble London have a host of new signings for S/S16 that are totally worth getting very excited about. They have asked me to pick my favourites, as they know that I'm a fussy little so and so who just loves to impart her opinion. So, to that end, let's get going. I bring you my Top 6 New Bubble Signings. 

1. Bakker Made with Love. This brand is a well established, commercial kids fashion and accessories line that is exhibiting in the UK for the first time.

  top-6-new-bubble-london-signings-SS16-kids-fashion 

2. Le Mu is an occasionwear and accessories brand for girls aged 2-9 years. All garments are beautifully packaged in gift/dress bags so as to keep them special.

  top-6-new-bubble-london-signings-SS16-kids-fashion 

3. East End Highlanders is a Japanese boyswear brand that specialises in high quality shirts.   

top-6-new-bubble-london-signings-SS16-kids-fashion 

4. Mr Wolf is a British brand with vibrant and bold colour palettes and eye-catching, playful prints.

  top-6-new-bubble-london-signings-SS16-kids-fashion 

 4. I saw The Little Shoemaker at Dot to Dot last year. Love it.

  top-6-new-bubble-london-signings-SS16-kids-fashion 

 5. Where's that Bear? This brand has been created by the very person who reviews and writes about kids fashion for The Sunday Times. Bold. Bright. Playful. Well priced.

  top-6-new-bubble-london-signings-SS16-kids-fashion

There are so many decisions for you to face as buyers - hopefully I have helped make some of them easier, as that is what Kid Style Junkie is all about. Have a great show! Follow Kid Style Junkie on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for more more MORE.

You can catch Bakker Made With Love, Le Mu, East End Highlanders, Mr Wolf, The Little Shoemaker and Where's That Bear? at Bubble this season. Register for your free ticket here...

Thursday, 2 July 2015

B&S meets...Picture Book Fashion

What happens when experienced childrenswear agents decide to launch their own brand? Michelle and Andrew Molloy did just that, founding Picture Book Fashion Ltd after 20 years with agencies.

Based in Scotland, the company now has two successful labels; Ariana Dee (known as A*Dee) - which specialises in 'complete look' collections for girls aged three to 12 - and boyswear brand Mitch&Son

Ahead of Bubble S/S16, Andrew has been telling us more about their transition from agents to designers...




Andrew, why did you decide to launch your own brand? 

We launched Picture Book Fashion in 2011, when we could not find the right look and styling our retail clients were searching for. 

With 20-plus years of agency experience, we felt we were well equipped with knowledge about what worked - both in colour and styling, but also in terms of delivery and customer service. We set out to become the perfect company for our retailers, and Ariana Dee was born.




Was the transition an easy one? 

As you can imagine, it turned out to be a whole lot harder than we anticipated! However, we received great support from our retailers, and the small successes of the early days gave a very rewarding feeling that encouraged us to work even harder. 



How did the brand grow?

Slowly Ariana Dee gained a foothold with our retailers, and sales out were also encouraging - so the name and some recognition spread through the UK, Ireland and Holland. 

As we have learned more about the design and production environment, so the collection has changed into what we recognise now. 




When and how did you found Mitch&Son?

Mitch&Son has much the same origins as its sister brand. It was born out of a little frustration at not having the product that our retailers were looking for.

With the knowledge gained from the launch of Ariana Dee, it was a relatively simple process to launch our boys brand. The label was gratefully received, and the growth and sell-through was really terrific. 


Mitch&Son has developed and grown into more colour groups, bigger stories and even footwear, as retailers continue to react well to it.

Catch A*Dee and Mitch&Son at Bubble London this July...