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New York International Gift Fair: Sustainability - What It Meant and What it Means - Part III
LEGWEAR: BIBI & MIMI Homebase: Long Island City, NY DESIGNER: Jennifer Joyce Sizes: NB to 12 months; Wholesale prices: $9.50 per box of six pairs What do Bibi & Mimi socks, tees and buttery soft leather slippers have in common? Gorgeous colors, mostly cotton fibers, modern motifs and a great box to hold the products.
Outstanding product: The six pairs of animal-patterned baby socks are "Zoolicious" indeed. Tel: 718-383-1452 E-mail: Bibiandmiminy@yahoo.com
TRUMPETTE Homebase: Sacramento, CA DESIGNER: The Trumpette design team Sizes: NB to 24 months; Wholesale prices: $4.50-$150 Spring and fall collections at Trumpette brought great palettes of green market tones: lemon and orange, rose and tomato, grape and raspberry, and blues as fresh as a handful of sky.
Outstanding products: A one-piece for a happy day.
Four different ways to say, "Monkey." Tel: 916-851-0000 E-mail: Cindy@trumpette.com
FOOTWEAR: EDOCHE (FORMERLY LITTLE E.D.A.) Homebase: Seattle, WA DESIGNER: Eda Topur Sizes: NB to 12 months; Wholesale price: $10.50 Fans of Topur's baby booties will have more to love with the soon-to-come items for adults.
Outstanding product: Why are these booties always in demand? They do the job of keeping little feet warm, they're sophisticated, and they come in a mind-boggling assortment of colors. Tel: 206-860-3100 E-mail: info@edoche.com
SEE KAI RUN Homebase: Woodinville, WA DESIGNERS: Cause Haun and Gang Chen Sizes: Smaller collection: NB to 24 months; See Kai Run: 6 months to 3 years; Wholesale prices: $16-$24 See Kai Run is shrinking. By customer demand, the designers have added Smaller, a collection of soft-soled baby booties with the same fashion forward colors, cool details, and non-skid suede soles as the larger sizes.
Outstanding products: Oh, baby, are these cute. The rounded shapes give little toes plenty of room to grow and the soft soles provide new walkers with needed traction. Besides that, they're adorable. Tel: 888-524-7463 E-mail: Info@seekairun.com
TOWELS, BEDDING, BLANKETS: DIAPER DUDE Homebase: Santa Monica, CA DESIGNER: Chris Pegula Wholesale prices: $27 Chris "the dude" Pegula keeps dreaming up practical bags, T-shirts, and now easy-to-tote blankets. Even in a Mommy and Me class, a guy carrying one of Pegula's pieces won't feel like one of the girls.
Outstanding product: Wearing it the way Chris is, the blanket looks like a cool bag; it even has an adjustable, removable shoulder strap and a removable wipes/diaper pouch. Unrolled it's a hip camouflage blanket that's large enough for a picnic. Tel: 213-622-6734 E-mail: Info@diaperdude.com
FUNKIE BABY Homebase: San Francisco, CA DESIGNER: Cheryl Shonnard Sizes: 3 months to 3 years; Wholesale prices for bibs: $9 Bibs aren't an accessory, they're a necessity. And moms don't need the dainty ones either, thank you very much! They want big ones that cover everything that needs covering and look cute too.
Outstanding product: Shonnard's Funkie bibs do the job of keeping little ones clean with a three-layer construction: cotton front, soak proof lining hidden in the middle, and a cotton back which makes the item reversible. And it's washable and dryable. Did I mention adorable prints? There are plenty, like the new Birdies, to choose from. Tel: 510-568-6867 E-mail: Cheryl@funkiebaby.com
GUSTAV MAXWELL & CO. Homebase: San Francisco, CA DESIGNER: Mari Jansdotter Wholesale prices: throw blanket $30, blanket and bear set $25 Modern bedding and blankets are Gustav Maxwell's forte. They've gone soft(er) with a new group of plush, jewel-toned bear and blanket sets.
Outstanding product: A gift that is true to a modernist's heart yet sweet enough for a baby is the cuddly bear and coordinating blanket available in eight brilliant colors. Tel: 510-350-8410 E-mail: Info@gustavmaxwell.com
LITTLE MERRY FELLOWS Homebase: Sandy Hook, CT DESIGNER: Mary Fellows Size: 30" x 30"; Wholesale price: $15 The natural tones and delicate designs reflect the purity of Fellows' all organic, made in the U.S.A. blankets, towels and bibs.
Outstanding product: Scattered inspirational quotes from Jim Barrie, William Blake, and Rudyard Kiplong, among others, decorate the organic terry velour Poetry Blankets. They make lovely gifts. Tel: 203-270-1820 E-mail: mflmf@aol.com
TOYS, GAMES, ETC.: THE PIGGY STORY Homebase: Van Nuys, CA DESIGNER: Peiling Hwang Wholesale price for the Chalk & Doodle: $8.50 Hwang's collection of toys and craft items are covered in the happiest animal prints one can find in the market.
Outstanding product: The Chalk & Doodle answers the need for something entertaining during a car ride. Not that it's limited to travel. The padded piece has one side with a chalkboard surface that can be wiped clean. It's cute, pretty, and creative. That's a lot of good qualities in one, inexpensive item. Tel: 818 908-8838 E-mail: Customerservice@thepiggyservice.com
MIYIM (HOSUNG COMPANIES) Homebase: Shanghai DESIGNER: The MiYim design team Wholesale prices: Toys $5.25-$18, Lovies $7.50 Ever wonder why the colors of these charming organic cotton toys are so soft? It's the PureWaterWash process. Untreated cotton is woven then brightened with natural plant and mineral extracts. The fabric is then hand dyed several times in soy-water to set the color. From conception to last stitch, the process is truly organic.
Outstanding product: The elephant and rabbit are part of the Storybook plush collection of cuddly, perfectly sized and deliciously soft animal toys. Tel: 718-389-8233 ext. 312 E-mail: Sadiebabbage@hosungny.com
Originally published March 3, 2009
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