Hello from Bubble London!



We introduced the colorful world of Ode across the pond at Bubble London two weeks ago!  It is a pretty big show that takes place in the Business Design Centre in Islington - kind of the equivalent of the Javits Center here in NYC (but a bit smaller).  There were over 100 exhibitors showcasing some great European design in children's clothing, toys, books, and accesories.  One of my favorite things were these Muffin Pouffes by Matteo Bianchi that were in the plaza area of the show for people to take a break.


Bubble was our first show of the Autumn/Winter 2012 season, and we were excited to showcase our new dress collection as well as our capsule collection of alpaca sweaters.  Our textile journey took us to Bolivia for A/W 2012 where they have been working with  alpaca yarn for centuries.  All of the sweaters are hand-knit and oh so soft!

Amisha at Bubble

Alpaca Sweater Vest A/W 2012

The show was also a great place for us to see what else is happening in the market and to meet other designers.  There were some amazing brands at Bubble and we want to share some of them with you.

Jumina is an organic, fairtrade certified company from Norway.  Elisabeth Grønning Rognmo, the owner, lives in a small viallge in Norway with her family and decided to have her business be in line with her deep concern for the environment.  It's a truly stylish and wearable collection with dresses and separates that are modern but still young and fun.  And the stylized photographs on the website bring to life the landscape of Scandinavia!

Ella & Otto, a London based company, specializes in the most adorable furnishings, accessories and toys for young children and babies.  The patterns with clean lines and bright colors would make any nursery fun without sacrificing style.  It was started by Tania Urban whose background in graphic design is evident in her collections!  We loved her rattles which were stuffed and soft and eliminated the wince-inducing feeling that baby will hit herself on the head.

The ladies at Poppy have created a truly special brand.  They design and print their own fabrics locally in Lancaster and then create their special collections. The designs "feature the adventures of Poppy and her dog, Fred, which are depicted on the borders running around the hem of each dress."  And to top it off, each dress comes with a storybook so your little one can follow the characters.

Pom Pom makes high quality, stylish and comfortable shoes for babies and kids.  It is a Danish company, and it's collection of shoes and boots reflect the minimalist, functional aesthetic that we expect from Scandinavian design.  And yes,  if you haven't guessed, we at Ode love Scandinavian design.    

But as a truly international company, we don't limit ourselves to just one part of the world.  Hucklebones was one of our favorites of the show.  The collections are undeniably unique, uber-stylish and playful at the same time.  Check out their A/W 2011 collection that is currently on sale  - we know you will love it!  The fabrics are designed in-house so you won't find these prints and patterns anywhere else. 

Thinking back on the show it is not surprising that the brands we love emphasize uniqueness of prints, clean, modern style and high quality.  These three elements are a kind of mantra at Ode as we strive to bring your globetoddler phenomenal clothing that comes with a little bit of culture from far away lands!