cultivate your “I” at: quirkycollective.com
BC: Who started QuirkyCollective and how did you come up with the name?
QC: I am the founder of the blog iamquirky.com, owner of quirkycollective.com and mummy to two little girls, Lola aged 6 and Sissi aged 3. People on the street, friends and family were always so complimentary about the way that my daughters were dressed, that i decided to share my buying habits and created quirky collective.
Launched in late August 2010, quirky collective was born out of a wish to share favorite clothing brands from our children’s wardrobes, and create a platform where i could display how well those brands understand what it means to be a child. Quirky collective is a celebration of childhood and our mission: ‘cultivate the I’.
The name had to embrace the essence of the concept and represent a special place where brands with personality could be found under one roof and by extension where a community of creative minds, parents, and shoppers alike (and cool kids!) could be brought together. Meanwhile, it had to appeal to everyone without being too literal. I think that the alliteration gives it a playful edge without being overly sweet.
BC: How do you decide which products fit in with the QC style?
QC: I have to think about how well a given product will fit into a child’s daily adventures. First and foremost, it has to be comfortable, practical and of good quality. It has to somehow echo that magical time of life that childhood is all about; it has to be fun to wear, enticing for both child and parent.
Great tailoring does not have to be restricting and brands like Kicokids, Buisjes en Beugels or Wovenplay, for instance, are fantastic examples of what can be achieved in terms of children’s clothing without compromising on freedom of play and movement.
BC: What essential pieces should every stylish youngin’ have in their collection?
QC: Stripes are a must! Every child should own a stripey piece of some kind, whether it be top, socks, tights, hat… e.g. the classic French inspired stripes as found in Bobo Choses AW10 collection or the bold, candy-colour stripes by Milibe.
BC: How have stores like yours changed the way people shop for kids clothes?
QC: Quirky collective’s blog, iamquirky.com drives the store content and is very much like a virtual changing room where the posts project ideas to potential customers who can purchase those ideas exactly as they are presented to them or be inspired to rethink their choices and buying habits.
I hope that quirky collective manages to inspire its customers and readers to think beyond following trends and rather adapt them to suit their little ones’ personality, lifestyle, likes and dislikes… the chances are they will then be setting the trend! Overall, for me, shopping is a lot like cooking, one should be able to rustle up an outfit from the content of their wardrobe (however big or small).
Any wardrobe will (should!) have key ‘ingredients’ which will form the basis of any great outfit, all that is then needed is to spice things up a little by mixing high street and designer wear, staples and disposable, old and new, playing with sizes etc…
BC: How does your tailor-made style guide service work?
QC: The style guide service is an extension of quirky collective’s ethos. tell us what your child/grand-child/nephew/etc.. is like and quirky collective will create and compile a shopping list of product and/or outfits guaranteed to nurture or bring out their inner quirkiness.
BC: How has your experience with Big Cartel been so far?
QC: Quirky collective LOVES Big Cartel. Big Cartel has proved to be a fantastic asset. For a small start-up business like mine, it scores very high on many levels: ease of use, value for money, secure and seamless merchant services, reliable hosting service and support. I was able to sign up within minutes and customize the site layout to suit my needs in a few hours! BC very much fits in with quirky collective’s values of promoting individuality!
