JJM receive Enterprise Enfield - Start Up Business of the Year Award

Jo and I were thrilled recently to have been honoured as finalists in the Enterprise Enfield - Start Up Business of the Year Awards held at The Royal Chace Hotel.

JJM received the runner-up award and were so pleased to have been recognised by our local business community.

THANKYOU to John Hetherington at Enterprise Enfield who supported us in the initial stages of our business.

JOJO take on Bamboo Baby

JJM recently visited a trade fair and discovered this fabulous British label - Bamboo Baby and just as their name suggests, all their items are made from 100% cotton bamboo. We asked the ladies at BB to give us an insight into their inspirations and aspirations.

JJM: How long have you been designing and what is your background?

BB: Sophie and I are sisters and it has always been our dream to start a company together. Sophie studied fashion design at Kingston University and specialised in childrenswear in her final year. When she graduated - we started Bamboo Baby.

JJM: When did you first discover Bamboo as a working fabric?

BB: We chose bamboo as we knew from the beginning we wanted to have an eco clothing company and bamboo was something a bit different from organic cotton. Nobody else seemed to be using this fabric yet and it has so many great eco-credentials. It is organically grown (certified by OCIA) and being a grass - after it is cut - it regenerates without the need for replanting/reharvesting.

JJM: As a designer what are the main differences in working with Bamboo than conventional cotton?

BB: There really is not that much difference between bamboo and cotton - you can make jersey, denim, knitwear, fleece and it makes the softest of blankets plus super absorbent towels and robes. It can be washed in the same way that cotton can (but bamboo does shrink a lttle more than cotton). It can however be grown almost anywhere, on hillsides where nothing else can grow, it needs very little water, and produces a yield 10 times that what you get from cotton. It also takes in more carbon dioxide and gives out more oxygen than other plants and to top it off it makes a super soft fabric! We just fell in love with it.

JJM: What is the inspiration for your ranges?

BB: The Hot Chocolate collection is inspired by cold winter evenings sat in front of the fire with a lovely mug of Hot Chocolate! Its the first time we have had knitwear in our collection and we wanted a comfy and snuggly feel for winter whilst also keeping the colours very unisex.

JJM: Where do you hope to see Bamboo Baby heading in 5 years time?
BB: We would like to continue to grow by stocking more independent boutiques around the world, and expand the range to include clothing for children up to 10, outerwear, swim wear, sleep wear, more colours and more styles.

Chole and Sophie

Bamboo Baby

Dinky Tinks Owner/Designer Vanessa Bell talks to JOJO Mangoes

I was over visiting a friend and her newborn quite recently and she showed me a keepsake gift she had received for her new boy. It was an organic t-shirt emblazoned with his name and birth weight beautifully presented in a cotton drawstring bag. We both discussed how fabulous it was and I immediately decided I would contact whoever had made these to discuss selling them through our site. We met with Vanessa and from there we discovered the Dinky Quilt and more.......

Here Vanessa tells us a little bit about herself and the inspiration behind her products.

JJM: As designer of the Dinky T what is your background?
Vanessa: After graduating art college (with first class honours) I went straight into my first job in magazine design, fashion and homes titles.Worked my up the career ladder and was deputy art editor on 'SHE' magazine (at the time known 'for women who juggle their lives'!) At the same time I established myself as a freelance editorial illustrator, work appearing monthly as Elle's Guide to the Modern Girl. Which I thought was hilarious as by now I was nearly 30 and pregnant! Even working on my due date as of course he was late and they had a deadline!

JJM: How did you come up with the Dinky T idea?
Vanessa: Whilst my newborn Felix was sleeping I was working on my illustrations and on a day when I had no commissions I designed his name into a logo and printed it onto a tiny newborn T-shirt from H&M. We showed it off at the nct meetings and friends loved it saying I should do more for others. It wasn't until he started school 5 years later, and my second started nursery, that I realised it's now or never. I either go back to work for someone else, struggle with childcare and school pick or I do my Dinky T's.

JJM: Tell us more about the Dinky Q and who makes them?
Vanessa: The quilts came about when my mother showed me a beautiful piece of craft work from patchwork textiles, she'd made as a hobby with a group of highly talented, mostly retired women, in North Cornwall. When I saw some of the work they had created the talent was astounding, and some of these women were struggling to live on pensions or part time shop work, yet they were making these quilts as a hobby and storing them away in a cupboard. Quilts take many, many 'woman' hours but with the Dinky Quilts I have tried to create a 'formula' for each quilter to follow to try and speed up the process thus making it economic.
Have you any other products in the pipeline you'd like to tell us about?

I have the Dinky Bag which is a logo designed on a cotton drawstring bag to hold nappies, spare clothes, ballet shoes or sports kits for nursery, playgroups, schools & clubs. We are trying to make the drawstring patchwork bags from the children's clothes. As most of kids clothes tend to be T-shirt or stretchy fabric this is causing a problem to create a sturdy bag, but Mrs Isles is working on it.

We have winners!!

We want to congratulate our 2 winners Kieran Sweetapple 5 Years of London and Amilia Boothman 3Years of York. Kieran produced a fabulous bananaman which incorporated both the superhero and his favourite fruit. Amilia sent in great designs of her favourite fruits and we chose the cherry.

Prima Baby will announce the winners in their November issue to go on sale on October 23rd but sales have already been coming in so we will keep you informed as to the kinds of funds we are raising for the NDCS.

Thanks to all the children who sent in entries we loved them and look forward to another 'Designed by kids for kids' fund raising initiative next year.

Please show your support for the NDCS and purchase your long sleeved t-shirt now in time for Christmas. They are a lovely quality cotton and only £10 each or save when you buy 2 for £18.

What's happening at JJM

Jo and I have had a busy few months. Our main focus at the moment is our 'Design a T-Shirt' competition we are running in conjunction with Prima Baby Magazine. Our aim is to raise as much profit for the National Deaf Children's Society as possible. So far we have received a few dozen entries for our competiton but we would like a lot more. The entries have been from all over the country and are of a terrific standard so please keep them coming. Entries close Aug 8th.

We've also just taken delivery on fellow Australian Kylie's label 'and the little dog laughed'. The label is new to the UK and will be difficult to find in the shops. We will aim to take on more and more of her fresh fashion as we proceed into 09.

We are also wanting to start a photo of the month competition so please email us photos of your children in the clothes you've purchased from us and we will choose a winner each month. Photos will posted in a gallery on the site - so please get them in.

Keep an eye on up and coming initiatives at http://www.jojomangoes.com/

Happy Summer Hols!!!

Introducing our fabulous new label 'and the little dog laughed'

We spoke with Kylie Platt founder of and the little dog laughed. Kylie is living and working out of Hong Kong and we asked her to tell us more about her designs, inspirations and visions for the future. Here is what she had to say -

JJM: What made you start your own label?

Kylie: Designing and creating things have been my passion ever since I was allowed to use my grandmother’s sewing machine. It seemed a natural progression to combine my love of design with my desire to own my own label. The added benefit of being able to travel and meet interesting people has been a fantastic bonus.

JJM: How do you find the rag trade in Hong Kong? Are there great differences from Australia?

Kylie: Hong Kong is a fantastic city to live in, it has a continual buzz to it. There is a definite ‘can do’ attitude. There are great markets and in particular an amazing fabric and accessories market that I find myself spending hours in, sourcing ideas and fabrics for my range. No matter how many times I go there I continuously discover new things. I have brought my eldest daughter along a couple of times and she loves getting into all the beads, ribbons and fabrics and has even started making friends with some of the shop owners. Of course being close to China also has its advantages. I frequently travel to central China, in Jiangsu to visit Sunny who helps to oversee the home knitters for my hand knitted toys. I would find this a lot harder to do if I was living in Australia and would not have the personal contact that I currently have with my suppliers. I believe that Australian designers have a very unique and fresh approach to design, along with being practical. There has been some amazing design come out of Australia in the last ten or so years which has made a mark on the rest of the world, not just in children’s fashion but in adults as well. I think this is partly due to the lifestyle, diverse cultural influences, climate and the geography which makes Australia so unique.

JJM: What have been your influences?

Kylie: I have always loved the shabby chic vintage look. When I was younger I spent a lot of time in my Grandma’s back room looking through all her old fabric, wool and ribbons, constantly sewing and knitting clothes for my dolls and teddies. Once I started having my own children, it became a natural continuation of this, but his time the dolls were larger and they move (a lot!) This is partly the reason why I wanted to design a range that is fresh and contemporary, that can be worn to bed or on a big day out shopping with mum, but also brings you back to your own childhood. Ask anyone about their past and it is generally the simple things that people seem to remember. In today’s world of mass produced and throw away goods, it is important to have things around us that connect us to our past,and will hopefully be around when our children are adults. Things that create good lasting memories for our children. For me, clothing for babies, especially for the under twos, needs to be extremely comfortable, allowing lots of room for growth and movement. Which is why our entire range is in stretch fabric that has a ‘memory’. No matter how many times it is washed, it still retains its shape. I have also indulged my love of fabrics in this current range, combining different mediums, wool and fabric; stretch and floral cottons, adding different layers to a piece that would otherwise be one dimensional.

JJM: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Kylie: I love designing and creating new things, so basically I want to be continuing to create, whilst keeping true to the brand’s philosophy of vintage simplicity, style and comfort. The response so far to our launch in January has been fantastic and we are entering a very exciting phase of the brand’s development. Of course, to be considered a successful Australian childrenswear and accessories brand would be an added bonus! Watch out for muslin wraps with a fantastic shabby chic design (a must have addition for any Australian baby), and some new hand knitted toy designs in super soft mohair and cashmere! We would also love to give back to the communities in China that help to create our toys and clothes, so we are looking at a program to help buy books for children in some of the rural villages and communities. So watch out for more details on this shortly.

JJM teams up with Prima Baby

JOJO Mangoes are thrilled to announce we are to team up with Prima Baby for a charity fundraising event. JJM and Prima Baby will soon be inviting entries for a 'Design your own T-shirt' competition to launch the new JOJO Mangoes clothing range.

We were keen to come up with a fundraising idea for children to be able to raise money for children. One which encourages imagination and fun play. The winner will have their design printed and produced onto a t-shirt which will then go on sale to the public.

Profits from the sales will be donated to a national children's charity to be announced very soon.

Entries will be open to children 4 years and under, children will be able to choose from a choice of 3 themes - 1)Design your own Superhero 2)Favourite Vegetable or 3)What's in your pot at the end of the rainbow?
Opening and closing dates along with further details for the competition will be released on the JJM site, this blog, the July issue of Prima Baby (on sale June 23rd) and on the new website from Prima Baby http://babyexpert.com/ WATCH THIS SPACE FOR FURTHER DETAILS.