Monday 30 September 2013

sep, 30th - une belle époque....


day 1328 / 427:

 a big sorry about the tumbleweed around this blog lately......i have been concentrating on the third baby for awhile and struggling to balance it all.....

the third baby, is a small, online shop for kids clothes. i started working on the idea with my sister when Limi was less that two and many of the clothes that her and Claya wear are samples from the collection. i wanted to create a range that was heavily influenced by French simplicity and English detail but still accessibly priced. mainly, this came about from struggling to find simple, clothes for the girls made from good quality fabrics but also a stronger need to find a good balance between career and motherhood.....


my sister and I grew up in a small town in South Africa. our mother is a brilliant seamstress and we loved designing our own outfits (there wasn't much variety in our local shops) which she would then sew up for us. i have always loved the process of sketching a design, selecting fabric, watching that fabric be folded and cut and then going through the various fittings until you have a finished piece. this love of creating our own designs hasn't faded over the years and when my sister moved to Hong Kong, we had the perfect environment to continue creating bespoke pieces with access to amazing, natural fabric, trimmings and wonderful seamstresses.


after having Limi, I struggled to find pieces that weren't branded or pink....so, we decided to try some samples and  from there une belle époque grew and i slowly cemented what i wanted to focus my energy on. we created the first range using our trusted seamstress in China but since then, we have decided to move most of the production to the UK and I am working with small manufacturing workshops in East London to expand the range. 






I am loving every aspect of creating this small company from designing and creating the  products through to the development of the website and fun of packaging. i have a strong idea of where i want this brand to go.....it's now, just about figuring out the path to get there.....

if you would like to take a look, the site is une belle époque

p.s. for the month of October, we are offering free shipping worldwide. if you are based in the UK use 'freeukshipping' and for everyone outside of the UK, use 'freeworldwide', at checkout.

4 comments:

  1. Just beautiful Dee & I love the background story as well. Congratulations on a beautiful website & gorgeous clothes & the best of success for you.
    Engracia
    xx

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    Replies
    1. thank you Engracia! so excited about developing this small company.....

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  2. They all look so wonderful and your girls have always looked so stylish from birth. I would love to buy but my girls are far too big (unless you size up to a 6 and 10!) and I hate to admit I'm of an age now where I have to wait for babes from my nieces and nephews!

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    Replies
    1. thanks Victoria. i was actually thinking about this the other day and thinking that it will be strange when I can no longer dress the girls in clothes from une belle époque. they will probably then completely rebel against all the sludgy colours and wear Disney branded pinks :)

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