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Bubble New York: The New Kid in Town Bubble, the new kid in childrenswear trade exhibitions, premiered for the Fall 2006 season in New York on March 12-14th. The founders of this trade fair are Florence Rolando and Vanessa Boz of Kidding Consulting, a company that offers creative direction to the children's market. The team developed Bubble - The Kids Trends Observatory to "represent a true 'inspirational bubble' for visitors, highlighting visual merchandising ideas as well as new ways to mix-and-match products and styles for a new, urban and design-conscious consumer."
Bubble felt less like a trade show and more like a large, modern loft that happened to be hung with gorgeous kidswear. Forty-two vendors exhibited their collections in an airy space in an industrial loft building in Chelsea. Many of the manufacturers were European; others hailed from Scandinavian countries, and Australia. Of course, better domestic designers made an appearance, too. Because of its small size, Bubble's mood was intimate and friendly with vendors chatting among themselves, as well as taking time to explain their design concepts with the press and retailers. Some designers selected the show for its exclusivity. "With fewer vendors, I'm bound to be noticed," some said.
Whether the designers exhibited neutral colored garments or wares with brighter tones, the overall feeling was upscale and modern. The collections will appeal to kids with a strong sense of their own style and parents who can afford high-end items. Retailers in attendance were purchasing for exclusive domestic boutiques, with a few specialty department store buyers writing orders. After the show, retailers I spoke with said they found the venue a good fit for their collections. For more information, visit www.bubblenewyork.com
SPORTSWEAR BU AND THE DUCK DESIGNER: Susan Lane Sizes: NB-2 years; Wholesale prices: $15-$140 A few years ago, Susan Lane stopped wholesaling to retailers in order to devote more time to her SoHo children's store. After a five-year hiatus she's selling to retailers again. Her line of awe-inspiring clothing looks like the work of a world traveler who uses her garments in lieu of a sketchpad.
Outstanding Pieces: There's a lot of pattern mixing with the striped sweater, the tile motifs on the shirt and colored bands on the knit pants. Lane knows how to work scale and color so shapes and tones meld - not clash. Tel: 212-431-9226 E-mail: katoc@att.net
CACHAREL DESIGNER: Clements Ribeiro Sizes: 3 months to 14; Wholesale prices: $23-$92 This French company brings its simple, luxurious styling to childrenswear.
Outstanding Pieces: Rustic leather buttons on the misty plum and gray sweaters; sailor-styling on conservative plaid pants: those are the details that take the clothing from staid to rave. Tel: +33 1 42 68 38 84 E-mail: vlavocat@cacharel.fr
ENTERTAINING ELEPHANTS DESIGNER: Ellen Massee Sizes: 6 months-6 years; Wholesale prices: $7-$90 Entertaining Elephants is an apt name for this playful collection of sportswear. The colors are rich and on the bright side; the craftsmanship is topnotch.
Outstanding Pieces: At first glance this simple charcoal jacket has a serious air. The blooming flowers lighten the mood. Tel: 818-766-9177 E-mail: info@entertainingelephants.com
ESSENTIEL GIRLS DESIGNERS: Esfandiar Eghtessadi and Inge Onsea Sizes: 4-16; Wholesale prices: $20-$180 The subtle colorations, gorgeous textiles, flattering tailoring, and the kind of attention to detail you find in women's couture lines; this collection of sportswear, dresses and knits is what designers aspire to.
Outstanding Pieces: The collar of the lacy pimento colored sweater makes a portrait-worthy frame for a girl's face and does an ideal job of setting off the dark charcoal jacket. The floral silk skirt has a touch of 30's appeal.
White Shoulders perfume, gardenias, and falling in love: this midnight blue velvet dress inspires romance. Tel: +32 3 201 13 80 E-mail: aurelie@essentiel.be
HONEY COLLECTION NEW YORK DESIGNER: Tanya Minhas Sizes: NB-7 years; Wholesale prices: $18-$85 Simple shapes make the ideal canvas for Minhas' playful mix of vintage fabrics and asymmetrical color blocking.
Outstanding Piece: I wore something like this brightly colored knit dress in my eighth grade class picture. It still looks cute. Tel: 212-420-0640 E-mail: tm@honeycollectionnewyork.com www.honeycollectionnewyork.com
HOSS DESIGNER: Madrid design team Sizes: 2-10; Wholesale prices: $24-$249 Streamlined couture for kids. If the sportswear were only larger, moms would wear it.
Outstanding Pieces: The olive leather coat. There isn't a detail on this garment that isn't perfection. Kit + Lili Showroom contact: Teresa Ok Tel: 646-489-1963 E-mail: teresa@kitlili.com
KIT & LILI DESIGNERS: Teresa Ok and Meg Hoberman Sizes: 3 months to 8 years; Wholesale prices: $16-$18 Trees, flowers, animals and urban and rural scenics are reduced to their essence and silk-screened atop the company's tees.
Outstanding Pieces: With all the overwrought T-shirts on the market, this one stands out for its understatement. Tel: 646-489-1963 E-mail: teresa@kitlili.com
LET THEM EAT CAKE DESIGNERS: Ryan Roche and Florence Rolando Wholesale prices: $18-$25 With just three pieces, Roche and Rolando exhibited the tiniest line at the show. Each design is available in a number of homespun, subtly colored solids and neutral striped cottons, so the three pieces can add up to three, 13, even 30 outfits.
Outstanding Pieces: Little House on the Prairie meets Woodstock when the striped apron tops a contrasting striped dress. Shoes are handmade and share the same old world aesthetic. Tel: 212-889-5817 E-mail: welcome@letthemeatcakeny.com
MOE BIMBI DESIGNER: Monica Spezia Sizes: NB-6 years; Wholesale prices: $5.50-$116 Spezia uses vegetable dyes to color her cashmere and wool pieces. The colors are as soft as the hand of the fabrics, and each shape is feminine with a vintage edge.
Outstanding Pieces: This delicate, pale lilac-tinged gray sweater looks like something Charlotte would have spun if she ever got tired of promoting Wilbur. Some sweater! Tel: +39-2-43 90 214 E-mail: monicaspezia@libero.it
MOR MOR RITA DESIGNER: Ryan Roche Sizes: 1-4 years; Wholesale prices: $27-$78 Simple shapes, lush materials and romance: That's Mor Mor Rita.
Outstanding Pieces: The soft wrap sweater and gray tulle skirt. Very Balanchine. Tel: 718-218-6701 E-mail: mormorrita@verizon.net
UNI & VINTAGE DESIGNER: Christine Ekodo-Delaunay Sizes: NB-10 years; Wholesale prices: Contact manufacturer Parisian designer Ekodo-Delaunay worked for Issey Miyake and Bill Tornade before launching Uni & Vintage. She shops second hand stores and flea markets for vintage materials, then creates a few of each design and numbers the pieces.
Outstanding Pieces: The red coat - the woolly hand of the cloth; the snap closings; its shaggy trim - everything works. Tel: +33 1 45 26 36 21 E-mail: univintage@aol.com
ZIPRIP DESIGNERS: Fiona Vasquez and Silvia Galombik Sizes: 1-6 years; Wholesale prices: $19-$50 Overweight kids want one thing: to dress like their skinny friends. Chain stores such as The Gap have added plus-size lines to their inventory, but the looks aren't exactly cutting edge. Ziprip changes all that.
Outstanding Pieces: There are no telltale "husky" clothes markers - like elastic waists - employed in the garments. Instead, snap-in panels on the sides expand the garments and look like a natural part of the item. Hallelujah! Tel: 646-473-1886 E-mail: Fiona@zipripnyc.com
BEDDING CRONOPIO DESIGNER: Agnes Guillemin Wholesale prices: $12-$68 Guillemin favors Indonesian cottons to form her one-of-a-kind, vividly colored quilts, blankets and wall hangings.
Outstanding Pieces: Whether you use the item as a quilt or a wall hanging, it will add uncommon beauty to a child's room. Tel: +33 (0)6 09 96 63 57 E-mail: guillemin.agnes@wanadoo.fr
BATH PRODUCTS L'OCCITANE Wholesale prices: $6-$28 You know this French company for its fine skin and bath products and delicate perfumes. Did you know they have a line suitable for children? The delicately scented "Honey Harvest" products are made with real honey and are suitable for a child's sensitive skin.
Tel: 1-888-623-2880 / 646-284-9293
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