French Connection babywear launch fc:baby

French Connection, the fashion clothing designers, has announced the arrival of its first ever babywear range.

The capsule range which is being launched as fc:baby will include designs for both genders and will be available in five sizes: 0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-9 months, 9-12 months and 12-18 months. The new baby clothes collection will be available from the end of August in select London and Manchester stores as well as from the French Connection website.

The new french connection babywear range will feature all in ones and full length bodysuits as well as bodysuits, tops, bottoms and hats all made in soft jersey for both style and comfort.

For the boys, the clothing comes in an understated palette of traditional blue or the option to go grey or white. Girls - as well as having the obligatory pink and purple clothes to choose from - can also take their pick from navy and white options.

Plain designs are also available for parents who want to give their baby a more discreet look, while star print pyjama tops can be paired with stripy trousers to give an alternative funkier look for infants who want to make an impression. Sleep suits with drawstring bottoms or elasticated waists and retro button-up detailing will be available in toned down stripes or bold and kitsch flower prints in crimson or grey.

In keeping with the classical designs, the fc:baby collection will also offer tops with thin horizontal stripes for boys and polka dot patterns for the girls for a timeless day wear look, along with stuffed toy rabbits in prints and fabrics from the range.

The Wrapture from Morrck - Helping Toddlers Get Their Coats On

No longer will getting the kids into their coats mean that leaving the house will be a time conduming task thanks to the Wrapture from Morrck.

The Wrapture is a cross between a coat and a poncho-style wrap that is simple for young children to put on themselves with minimal fuss. It has easy to slip into sleeves, a snuggly hood and just one large button on the shoulder for quick and easy fitting. And it’s good value for money as the roomy design fits a wide age range, giving more than a single year’s use.

The fully reversible original Wrapture is available in 100% anti-pil polyester fleece in five beautiful colourways: Aubergine/baby pink; Olive/mushroom; Navy/baby blue; Lavender/lilac; and Lavender/aqua. For a truly luxurious winter coat, the Fur Wrapture is made from machine washable ultra snuggly faux fur, available in Malt, Flowers, Multi Hearts and Pink Hearts.

The Morrck Wrapture comes in 3 sizes: Extra Small (1-2 years), Small (2-3 years) and Medium (4-6 years) and cost £34.95 for the Original Wrapture, £69.95 for the patterned Fur Wraptures and £74.95 for the Malt Fur Wrapture. They’re all available from www.morrck.com

Win a £100 Voucher from ASOS

Online fashion retailer ASOS has entered the childrenswear market with the launch of branded kidswear from the likes of Tommy Hilfiger and Cath Kidston in February this year.

The new range will be appear under the brand ‘Little ASOS’ and will offer 40 brands for babies up to 24 months and girls and boys age 2-6, with prices ranging from £6 to £120 for clothing and £4 to £120 for accessories.

Lee Kidz, the US denim label tots’ range, will be available exclusively in the UK via the site, and Bon Jovi’s Tico Torres rock and roll inspired designs will be available as an online exclusive. Catalogue brands Boden baby and mini collections will also be available.

Well we have a £100 voucher to offer one of our lucky readers. For a chance to win these great vouchers you have to get your kids involved and have some real fun. We want parents to send in either a picture/video of their child in their favourite outfit, send in a drawing of themselves (the child that is) in their favourite outfit or for them to colour in a sheet. These will all be posted on the Little ASOS blog (http://littleasos.dbmblogs.co.uk) that they have set up, with the name of the site you entered from (i.e. Kidszine) and people can vote who is the best entry per site involved.

The winners of the vouchers can then fashion their clothes on the Little ASOS site on video if they choose to.

A fantastic opportunity to fill up your child’s wardrobe with new clothes and to have some fun.

Please send all your entries into Rupert@thedbmgroup.com with the Subject: “Kidszine ASOS entry”

Entries must be received by 14 July 2009.

Morrck Lightweight Baby Hoodies - Sun Protection for Babies

Travelling with a baby this summer needn’t be a sweat. The LIghtweight and Ultra Lightweight Baby Hoodies from Morrck help keep babies at the perfect temperature, protect them from the sun and get rid of the faff of constantly taking off or adding layers of clothing.

The ingenious Baby Hoodie - described by Radio 2’s Janey Lee Grace as ‘a fantastic product’ and which is rapidly becoming a must-have buy for new mums - is a hooded travel wrap shaped to fit into any standard infant car seat or pushchair. The safety harness feeds through a hole in the wrap, which means a baby can be wrapped or unwrapped as needed without disturbing them.

“Our lightweight and ultra lightweight wraps provide easy temperature control,” explains Isobel Thompson, co-founder of Morrck. “In chilly summer breezes or air conditioned cars and buildings, the sides are simply wrapped over the baby to keep them warm, and unwrapped if it gets hot again. They can also be used for sun protection as they cover the baby completely – including a deer-stalker style hood to protect the face - yet are lightweight enough to keep the baby at a comfortable temperature.”

Baby Hoodies mean parents can travel light with fewer changes of clothes, and as buggies will still fold up with the hoodie fitted in them, there’s one less thing to carry. Best of all, they’re so soft and comfortable that babies sleep longer and never need to be disturbed, regardless of temperature changes. It also acts as a superb carseat protector to catch those inevitable baby spills.

The Lightweight Baby Hoodie is made from an outer layer of 100% polyester fleece and an inner layer of easy-care polycotton gingham (35% cotton, 65% polyester). They are warm enough for the colder Spring and Autumn months, but lightweight and cool enough for the Summer. They come in blue and pink with matching gingham linings. Cost is £32.95 and come in sizes 1 (up to 6 months) and size 2 (up to 18 months.

The Ultra Lightweight Hoodie is made from two layers of 100% cotton jersey to provide a light wrap for the very hot summer months. The ultra lightweights come in baby pink/white, baby blue/white and cream/white in size 1 (up to 6 months) and in cream/white, turquoise/lime and fuschia/lime in size 2 (up to 18 months). Cost is £28.95

For more information on the Baby Hoodie and other products in the Morrck range, go to www.morrck.co.uk

Retro Inspired Children’s Fashion Range from Aunty Ollie

Revisit childhood with sweet summer collection from Aunty Ollie

Aunty Ollie, a new retro-inspired children’s fashion label with an emphasis on prints, is celebrating the new website going live with a free offer on all shipping in May and July 2009. The clothes, designed and made in Dubai by Australian Jodie Hampshire, stand out thanks to colourful, unusual prints that are completely different to other high street children’s wear.

Suitable for children aged 0 – 8, the 100% cotton range features classic, slightly nostalgic styles with a roomy cut to encourage freedom of movement when playing. But it’s the prints that pack the punch, with four main themes:

o Elegance: prints include a Viennese masked baroque ball, a 1930s Havana nightclub, vintage ladies and cupcakes

o Asia: prints include Japanese ladies and icons, Chinese girls and peacock feathers

o Nature: prints include a French farm print, toile, roses, owls and classy deer camoflauge for the boys

o Transport: vintage planes, trains and automobiles for boys

Styles include the ‘I like to twirl’ skirt, ‘Tea Party’ dress, ‘Dress Up Day’ dress, ‘In the Park’ top, ‘Summertime’ dress and ‘Mama play with me’ top. For boys, there are ‘Little Man’ shirts while ‘Sunny Days’ hats will have everyone ready for the beach.

“I’ve tried to create stylish, yet unfussy clothes that are easy for children to wear, giving them lots of room to move, so that children are free to be children. The dresses are girly and slightly retro, definitely reminiscent of a past era. They’re perfect for tea parties, picnics, playing in the park or on the beach and even hitting the summer festivals,” says Jodie Hampshire, founder of Aunty Ollie.

“I became a parent to three adopted children within the space of year,” explains Jodie. “My five year old daughter was desperate to have a pink dress for her first Christmas with us all together, but everything I saw was slightly garish, overly branded, expensive or poor quality. So I made her one with some fabulous printed fabric I’d found. I gradually made her more and people began to ask where I’d got them. It was the impetus I needed to turn my creations into a full fashion range.”

All the style and print combinations will be limited edition to ensure exclusivity. On a practical level, they’re machine washable and well made to ensure they’re suitable to pass on to younger brothers or sisters, while the prices are affordable, ranging from £11 for sun hats to £29* for long dresses.

Aunty Ollie will also be introducing a range of children’s bedding and nursery décor later in the year. The new website is now live www.auntyollie.com.

Organic Kids Clothes from Arabella Miller

Organic kids clothing company Arabella Miller is celebrating the launch of their first organic baby clothes collection.

The exclusive new range of Arabella Miller baby clothes includes rompers, nightgowns, long sleeve tops, baby trousers and girl’s dresses. The baby clothes feature two all-over organic ink prints - Flutterbye (butterflies and flowers) and Close Encounters (spaceships and aliens). All clothing is certified organic by the Soil Association.

Alison Rothwell, founder of Arabella Miller explains her inspiration behind her business, “I started my organic clothing business in late 2007. My youngest daughter Ruby had severe baby eczema and I found that wearing organic baby clothes really helped her skin. One day I was looking for some certified organic printed kid’s t-shirts and I couldn’t find ones which included the ink too so I decided to make my own.

“Arabella Miller funky organic kids t-shirts have been really popular with mums looking for something that bit different AND organic, and they kept telling me it was time we produced a range of clothes especially for little ones. So I put my thinking cap on and came up with a capsule collection of organic babywear which I`d like my own baby to wear. It includes a nightgown, blanket, hat, romper and top and yoga pants. An outrageously girly organic “Ruffle Dress” for ages 1-6 years completes the collection.”