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(Mostly) New to Me: Established Collections at the ABC Kids Expo The ABC Kids Expo was a novel experience, even for someone who schleps through every ENK Children's Club Show in New York. While I'm always on the lookout for apparel collections with a fresh take on the trends, this event rewarded me with plenty of lines doing things right. I was treated too, to fabulous specialty items, diaper bags without the slightest "mommy" or "daddy" vibe, the coolest furniture and bedding, and even toys. Check out Grannimals' collection below for a new - and utterly charming - way of updating knit dolls.
GADGETS AND SPECIALTY ITEMS ACTING OUT MUSICAL SKIRT Company: Acting Out INVENTOR: Anna Villani Hazard Sizes: One size fits 3-6 years; Wholesale prices: $15-$17.50 Little girls love to wear tutus and dance like prima ballerinas. The Acting Out Musical Skirt has a built-in, battery-operated device that plays classics like Swan Lake and The Nutcracker as well as fun tunes such as the Hokey Pokey, so they can dance without worrying about the CD ending. This is a great gift item!
Tel: 732-643-1203 / 877-727-0222 E-mail: anna@actingoutdressup.com
TOYS GRANNIMALS LES ORIGINAUX BY LATITUDE ENFANT Company: Pint Size Productions, Inc. INVENTOR: Latitude Enfant design team Wholesale prices: $2.50-$50 It was amour at first sight for me and the Grannimals' (granny made animals) collection. Everything from their brightly colored boxes to their lovable expressions and affectionate nature charmed me. Look at "Julie and Juliette" and "My Wooly Mummy and Me." See what I mean?
Tel: 847-458-1280 E-mail: info@pintsizeproductions.net
KIDKRAFT KITCHEN Company: KidKraft INVENTOR: KidKraft enterprises Wholesale prices: Contact manufacturer Forget the Easy Bake Oven. This pastel colored kiddy kitchen has more counter and storage space than my first apartment. It's a whole lot cuter, too.
Tel: 972-385-0100 / (877) KID-KRAFT E-mail: christin@kidkraft.com
KINDERWARE YOYO DOLLS Company: Kinderware INVENTOR: Jenny Krauss Wholesale prices: $12 and $25 Years ago when Grandmas made quilts, they'd use the scraps to fashion these little puffed yoyo dolls. Now Krauss employs disabled women in El Salvador to keep the craft alive. Buy one and you'll do a good deed for a child and the women who so desperately need the work.
Tel: 212-777-5332 E-mail: info@kinderwareonline.com
SLEEP SHEEP BY CLOUD B Company: Cloud b INVENTOR: Cloud b design team Wholesale price: $12-$13 each This company is dedicated to helping your baby sleep. Their cuddly Sleep Sheep emits four lulling sounds: Mother's heartbeat, spring showers, ocean surf and whale songs. ZZZZZZZ.
Tel: 310-781-3833 E-mail: sales@cloudb.com
STROLLERS THE STOKKE XPLORY STROLLER Company: Stokke Designer: Stokke design team Wholesale price: Contact manufacturer I'm 5'7", my husband's 6'3". When our daughter was born, we had to slump down to reach her carriage's handrail, and the crossbar that extended between the front wheels left our ankles bruised. Had we found a stroller with an adjustable rail that we could pull to a comfortable height, and a seat that was nearer to us, our walks around the neighborhood would have been happier. If only Stokke's Xplory were around then! This lightweight, modern design features a taller than average, adjustable handrail and a seat that's closer to the parent than the ground. It can convert from a stroller to a carriage; the seat can face the parent or be turned forward for a scenic view. And folding it takes no more than one quick push down. One more plus: It's designed with no crossbar so your ankles will stay pristine - swollen, maybe, but pristine.
Tel: 877-978-6553 / 678.627.0246 E-mail: info-usa@stokke.com
CRIBS/FURNITURE AFK KIDS' FURNITURE Company: Art for Kids, Inc DESIGNER: The AFK design team Wholesale prices: Contact manufacturer This elegant bed, with its head and footboards covered in tufted cocoa Ultrasuede, makes a stylish statement in a kid's room. Later on, the piece could work as seating in a living room. It's ageless.
Tel: 949-459-2800 E-mail: gail@artforkids.net
ENCHANTED BABY AND BIG KIDS, TOO Company: All Things Creative DESIGNERS: Jade Reynolds and Mary Bollanger Wholesale prices: Contact manufacturer Your infant will take center stage inside this round, ornate crib. The piece may not be suitable for a modern home, but it's ideal for a Barron's nursery. (Barron Trump, that is.)
Tel: 615-826-0260 E-mail: jade@allthingscreativeinc.com
NURSERY WORKS SHELVING DESIGNERS: Traci Fleming and Kay Popofsky-Kramer Wholesale prices: Single unit: $347; Double units: $595 The ultra modern furniture and bedding designs this team manufactures are never cold thanks to luxurious fabrics and subtly etched surfaces. The shelving makes sleek, practical storage; the pink interior is just for kicks.
Tel: 888-508-9540 E-mail: traci@nurseryworks.net
BEDDING/BLANKETS GLENNA JEAN Company: Glenna Jean DESIGNER: The Glenna Jean design team Wholesale prices: Contact manufacturer The "Echo" crib bedding is one example of the sophisticated use of color and texture one finds in Glenna Jean's carefully coordinated sets. The rich hand of the cloth and unisex color scheme make it ideal for any modern nursery.
Tel: 804-861-0687 E-mail: kramer678@earthlink.net
GUS & MAX BEDDING Company: Gustav Maxwell & Co. DESIGNER: Mari Jansdotter Wholesale prices: Approximately $185 for a six-piece crib set. For sheets and blanket prices, contact manufacturer. Jansdotter has launched a crib and bedding collection with the same modern aesthetic as her line of buttery soft robes. The all cotton sheets, bumpers, bed skirts and quilts sport simple mostly unisex designs in rich, sophisticated tones of coral, warm gray, aqua blue and sap green. Best of all, when you grow tired of one print, just flip the item over for another design. Teddy Bears and reversible crib blankets in the company's Ultra Soft fleece complete the look.
Tel: 510-350-8413 E-mail: marij@gustavmaxwell.com
MODERN BASICS Company: Modern Basics DESIGNER: Page Ikeda Wholesale prices: $130 for a 4-piece crib set Like a true modernist Ikeda makes her point with as few lines and embellishments as possible. Her new 280 thread count cotton sateen crib sets feature a simply drawn frog, dragonfly or hippo with coordinating botanical themed sheets and crib sets.
Tel: 404-881-6001 E-mail: info@modernbasics.com
APPAREL/ACCESSORIES BABY BELLA MAYA Company: Baby Bella Maya DESIGNER: Marta Sala-Rothwell Sizes: NB-12 months; Wholesale price: $5 Baby Bella Maya is known for its lush faux-mink blankets, car seat covers and baby carriers. Now they're offering booties with the same sumptuous appeal. The leopard print is a heart-thumper.
Tel: 805-778-0701 E-mail: marta@babybellamaya.com
BELLABOO / BEARHANDS Companies: Bellaboo and BearHands DESIGNERS: Buddy Scarves: Julie Dennis; BearHands: Jeff Golden Sizes: 2-10 years; Wholesale prices: $6-$12 These fleecy scarves have the animal's head at one end and the paws at the other; tie them and you have a complete snuggly animal. The BearHands "paws" bring the pet theme to a child's fingertips.
Tel: 877-805-9898 / (818) 615 0721 E-mail: info@bellaboo.com Tel: 877-805-9898 / 201-807-9898 E-Mail: golden@bearhands.net
BRITT Company: Britt Design DESIGNER: Britt Collinson Sizes: NB-2 years; Wholesale prices: $8-$60 Britt Design's plush kids' toys and clothing, are well known in Australia, but new to the states. The feather light and deliciously soft "Baby Snuggles" jacket is detailed with little bear's ears on the hood. Adorable.
Tel: 202-438-7366 E-mail: global531_us@yahoo.com
CRIB ROCK COUTURE Company: Crib Rock Couture DESIGNER: Tracy Bobbitt Sizes: NB-2 years; Wholesale prices: $16 Crib Rock Couture tees are a little bit baby and little bit rock 'n' roll. With fictional bands like the "Cat and the Fiddle Jumping the Moon Tour" featuring the "Holla Back Dawgs," they're sure to please rock 'n' roll loving parents, even if the last concert they attended was Jethro Tull.
Tel: 818-716-1548 E-mail: tracymkb@aol.com
GLAMAJAMA Company: Glamajama, LLC DESIGNER: Heather Nolte Sizes: 3 months-12 years; Wholesale prices: $14-$28.50 These cotton T-sets have a soft hand and the studs have a rock 'n' roll feeling. They're available in adult sizes too, for the coolest mother and child dressing.
Tel: 512-275-6285 / (877) 884-9769 E-mail: heather@glamajama.com
KUNG FU BABY Company: Kung Fu Bambini DESIGNER: Violet Mae Sizes: NB-6 years; Wholesale prices: $9-$18 Bright stripes and polka dots, puckers and round pockets could add up to too much of a good thing, but Mae's mix of prints look just right.
Tel: 360-635-5560 E-mail: info@kungfubambini.com
LUCA CHARLES Company: My Blankee, Inc. DESIGNER: Serge Soussan Sizes: NB-16 years; Wholesale prices: $6-$30 Soussan uses organic Supima Model and Supima cotton for his knit groups, and the hand on both is silky and impossibly soft. Unusual colors and little touches like exposed seams lend European flavor to the collection.
Tel: 213-955-4516 E-mail: info@myblankeeinc.com
MISH MISH DESIGNERS: Ilana Koren and Yael Ravid-Sagi Sizes: NB-10 years; Wholesale prices: $7-$20 Toddlers can get their groove on wearing Mish Mish's funky guitar embellished T-shirt and comfortable cotton bootcut pants. The dusty blue and not-so-subtle orange are the season's hottest color combination for boys.
Tel: 201-641-6991 E-Mail: info@mishmish-usa.com
BAGS Bo2n Company: Born Out of Necessity, Inc. DESIGNER: Beth Kwapiszeski Forget the baby. These ultra luxurious leather bags may have all the diaper tote add-ons: water-resistant coated nylon lining, aluminum Mylar chill pocket, leather key fob and cell phone pocket - but just look at it. Mother or not, this gorgeous leather bag would make any woman happy.
Tel: 832-725-1215 E-mail: beth@bornoutofnecessity.com
BUMBLE BAGS Company: Bumble Bags by Jennie Lynn DESIGNER: Jennie Lynn Johanson Wholesale prices: $100 Lynn is known for her practical bags available in a myriad of great patterned fabrics, so the solid colored, Ultrasuede and the pearlized leather bags with silver buckles are a chic new addition.
Tel: 626-934-8600 E-mail: info@bumblebags.com
DADGEAR Company: Dadgear, LLC DESIGNER: Scott Shoemaker and John Brosseau Wholesale prices: $98 and $129 Dadgear bags have all the flaps and pockets you expect from a diaper tote but they're so much hipper. The Billboard series uses recycled highway signage on the outside flap. The result is a one-of-a-kind messenger bag with a bold, urban edge.
Tel: 303-221-1511 / (888) 258-5610 E-mail: john.brosseau@dadgear.com
FLEURVILLE Company: Fleurville DESIGNERS: Catherine and Steve Granville Wholesale prices: $49 The new "Mini Tote" proves that smaller can be better. It's covered in the same great prints, has all the add-ons as the company's larger bags but is 25 percent smaller, so you can travel light (well, lighter, no one travels light with a kid).
Tel: 866-510-8967 / 415.482.8510 E-mail: info@fleurville.com
LOOM Company: LOOM DESIGNER: Johanna La Fleur Wholesale prices: $24 for the bag; $12 for 3-pack of zippered pouches Diaper bags are getting leaner. The Zoom Kit folds in two to be carried with a chic faux-bone handle. The mod pocket holds the bottle. Inside, the tote is lined with nylon and comes equipped with two mesh pockets. Matching pouches can be added to carry more baby gear, or a good book. The bag is sophisticated enough to use with or without the kid.
Tel: 415-383-5307 E-mail:info@loomlife.com
OFFHAND DESIGNS Company: Offhand Designs DESIGNER: Larisa Snydal Wholesale prices: $16-$113 The unusually shaped Offhand Designs' bags never give away the fact that they're meant for diapers. The fabrics are true vintage upholstery finds - or just look that way - giving each design one-of-a-kind appeal. It's a lucky woman who receives one of Snydal's pieces.
Tel: 866-469-1576 / (510) 444-1267 E-mail: wholesale@offhanddesigns.com
REESE LI BABY Company: Reese Li Baby DESIGNER: Reese Li Wholesale prices: $65 Like all of Reese Li's products, the Cambridge Baby Bag has a sleek shape and is available in a number of different modern fabrics. What makes the design different are the straps. Adjustable lengths mean the bag can change from shoulder tote to hanging stroller bag, so your shoulder gets a break.
Tel: 703-313-8898 E-mail: info@reeseli.com
APRONS BELLA TUNNO DESIGNER: Michelle Buelow Wholesale prices: Bibs $9.50, smocks $17.50 Messy art projects demand a water resistant cover-up, and Bella Tunno's smocks offer that and more. Each piece is reversible; both sides sport funky, vividly colored prints laminated in plastic so they wipe clean. Their bibs work just as well for smaller, kitchen-centered messes.
Tel: 704.517.7771 E-mail: info@bellatunno.com
BUTTERMILK FARM CRAYON APRON Company: Child to Cherish by Perine Lowe DESIGNER: Patrice Lowe Sizes: Wholesale prices: $10 This apron has a sweet Fifties appeal. Pockets along the deep hem hold 24 washable crayons. The item is sold in the gift shop of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Tel: 714-990-1590 / 800-776-7002 E-mail: perinelowe@cs.com
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