Welcome to week two of Australian Design in Focus and this week I am excited to be featuring a local Melbourne label, Retrobub.

When I stumbled across Retrobub at Melbourne’s Abbotsford Convent Shirt & Skirt market a few weeks ago I was overcome by the cute! Bronywn makes such a delightful, unique range of kids clothes – for babies right through to older kids – I was completely taken. I’ve got to say that as much as I adore her girls range (and I do) it’s having an equally great boys range that really excites me. It’s so hard to get funky stuff for boys and I just love Bronwyn’s designs! Not only do I love buying local for a myriad of reasons, but the quality of Retrobub clothing and the fun designs have made this a new personal fave.

Tell me how Retrobub came about? What sparked the dream? I started making Retrobub when on maternity leave for my daughter who is now 17. I have always made clothing, first for myself and my friends, then I did fashion design at RMIT and went to work in the industry, so it was a pretty normal next step for me to move into childrenswear when I had my child. With Retrobub I try to make garments that are practical but happy and interesting as well. Some styles are a hark back to what children wore generations ago like little pinny dresses. I try to keep the clothing childish, rather than scaled down versions of adult clothing. This is in reaction to what of the major labels do for children, which is often aggressive for boys or too girly, princess-y or sexy for girls, when it could just be old-fashioned, fun and childlike.

What’s your vision for Retrobub? I have been doing Retrobub now for 17 years and I am pretty happy with where it is. I like selling directly to my customers so markets are great for that. It takes out the middle man , making the clothing more affordable and I like the community of it, people can give me feed back and I can make them things to order and cater to their needs. I have just started working from a bigger studio which has room for a shop, so at the moment the dream is to grow that.

Can you take us behind the scenes and tell us a bit about what a typical day looks like? My typical day involves sitting at a sewing machine from 9 am to 6 pm which is not such a good thing for your back and neck! I spend the week sewing the clothing and then do a market on the weekend to sell.

What do you love most about running Retrobub? I enjoy most the creative side of first designing the styles, playing with fabrics and coming up with new ideas. As a result I make new things all the time, which keeps it fresh for me.whawhah

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And just for those of you with little girls, feast your eyes on this…

What do you think folks? Gorgeous, right?!?

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When baby number 3 comes along it’s hard to know what you *need* to buy to add to the alredy overflowing cupboard and drawers, filled by the little ones who have already set up camp in what used to be your quiet and calm life!

To be honest when Bluey came along I didn’t think I needed anything but I ended up receiving a few fabulous gifts and I really wanted to share them with you because these five things are used/worn almost every single day and I think that’s a pretty high recommendation!

1. Hug-A-Bub I didn’t babywear my first two littlies but after a casual comment from a friend about how useful she found carrying her second I decided to give it a go. The gorgeous team from Hug-a-Bub sent me a Baby Carrier and I am simply in love! Bluey falls asleep almost as soon as I slip him into it, I feel genuinely hands free – comfortable to bend over & carry things – I can comfortably wear Bluey and carry Bear at the same time. It’s genius & I can’t believe I didn’t get one sooner!!

2. Mumma Bubba JewelleryI first heard about Mumma Bubba Jewellery through a business friend and thought it sounded like a fun and practical thing to brighten up my wardrobe. I’ve been amazed at both Bluey and Bear’s reaction to it – they both instinctively reach out to hold it, almost like it comforts them. Bear has broken several of my gorgeous necklaces over the past couple of years so I am truly thrilled to have 2 Mumma Bubba ones that are babyproofed from breakage – one I gifted myself and one was a gift from a friend (thanks Alli!) that I can, and do, wear all the time!

3. Love to Dream Wrap Possibly the most amazing invention in baby wrapping EVER! I wish these had been around when Bliss was born, she would have loved it! I’ve used several for Bear and now Bluey and I just adore them. They keep the bubs snug while allowing them good movement to settled themselves. Love, love, love! The one pictured is part of a new range they introduced for Summer, the Love to Swaddle Up LITE and I have had Bluey in it almost every single day since December!! This is a limited edition wrap that I was gifted by the Love to Dream team – if you are looking for a baby gift or have a bub on the way then the very next thing you need to do after reading this sentence is buy a wrap. Seriously, they are that awesome.

4. Aden and Anais Wrap. It may seem strange that I am talking about this product after just raving about the Baby Wrap above but bear with me. My sister gave me these when Bluey was born and I use them constantly. I don’t often wrap Bluey up in one (because of the Love to Dream swaddles) though they are a great option if the others are in the wash but the thing that is so awesome about these wraps are the size. They are HUGE! At 1.2m x 1.2m they are perfect for a pram cover, a sun shield in the car, a lite blanket on warmer nights and days, a great breastfeeding cover and the list goes on. Can’t believe I hadn’t had these for my other bubs either! All the other wraps I did have are now totally redundant.

5. Bump, Baby & Beyond Cowl Neck Nursing Top Not only do I get lots of lovely compliments when I wear this top, I cannot tell you how comfortable and practical it is. It’s great for breastfeeding, is flattering and I would wear it every day if social graces dictate that people shouldn’t really smell that bad, that often. Instead I will just be buying another one in another colour so I can alternate on a daily basis. Awesome! The Bump, Baby & Beyond store is actually full of awesome products, including this one, whichI wear on alternate days to the one pictured!

So there you go, this is my round up of 5 wonderful gifts to treat yourself to if you are an expecting or new mum, or to buy as a gift for a friend. Tell me mums, am I right or am I right??

Just to be super clear about it – I was gifted a Hug A Bub to review, a Love to Dream wrap to review and a gift voucher to spend at Bump, Baby and Beyond. I would (& have) happily spend my own dollars on all these items as well. The other items I either bought myself or received as gifts from friends and family.

These gifts are all things that will be making their way under the tree for Bliss this year and I couldn’t be more excited! She is all about princesses, fairies and unicorns…oh, and the colour pink of course! I think she is going to be very excited to see what we have in store for her :)

If you are looking for a last minute gift idea for a little girl in your life perhaps one of these ideas will help. There’s only 7 sleeps to go so, happy shopping!!

1. Glottogon Garden Faires BIG Puzzle $34.95

2. Shleich Unicorn $23.99

3. Seedling Princess Crown $24.95

4. Magna Carry Ballet set from Tiger Tribe $24.95

5. An just to keep things real, a fabulously different princess tale, The Worst Princess by Anna Kemp $17.50

One final thing… if you are looking for something particularly special then you really should have a look at the Australian Girl Doll range. These dolls are beautifully made and will be cherished by any little girl. They are located in WA so postage at this late stage might be difficult to receive for those on the East Coast but I have seen them for sale from other online retailers so if they take your fancy it’d be worth having a look around online.

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Dad came home from his trip to China and turned our kids into Super(goregous)Heros!

While he was away we went to a party. And what’s a party without a party dress…not letting the rain stop her either! Do you love the cowboy boots she chose to complement the colours??

My beautiful 4 year old is developing a very distinct sense of style and it’s really so much fun for me to see that I have decided to share it with you here too in a new (likely to be irregular) series called “What She Wore“.

Sandals over socks are all the rage for Bliss…mismatching socks no less! And a swan dress is surely part of every rockstar girls essential wardrobe isn’t it? But of course, let’s be sensible – it’s was still Melbourne winter here when this pic was taken, so any swan dresses must be worn over our princess horse t-shirt and red jeans…to match the sandals. Of course.

 Some of my other recent fave outfits include…

Do your kids have classic senses of style?

DUPLO is one of those classic toys that connect with kids (and adults) of all ages in a way not many others can do. Thanks to the LEGO team I have a wonderful giveaway for you today, with three chances to win!

Doctor’s Clinic RRP $99.99

Duplo Light & Sound Fire Truck $49.99

Nurse’s Car $17.99

Terms and Conditions
Competition is open to Australian residents only and winner must have an Australian address.
Winner must reply to accept prize within 5 days of notification or competition will be redrawn.
The winners will be announced on the winners page of this blog after the 15th Dec.

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