My friends and family always joke that Bee is very, very rarely seen crawling around the house in anything but a onesie/pj combo situation. It’s not that she doesn’t have a closet full of frilly dresses and lace (oh does she ever), but outfitting her in daily ruffles has just always felt a bit odd. Maybe it’s the lazy parent in me (onesies are just so easy!), but I also think that dresses just don’t quite suit Bee’s personality at the moment. She’s busy and adventurous and the tiniest bit ornery – more spice than sugar, if you will. Naturally, designer Syreeta Johnson’s newest unisex (and organic!) clothing line is right up our alley, ready for whatever boisterous behavior might be coming our way…
Syreeta created Indikidual after a similar experience with her own daughter. “When I had Minnie, I was shocked at what a strong little personality she had from so young,” Syreeta writes. “I soon discovered she wasn’t going to be a ‘girly girl’ and the idea of dressing her in pink and frills just felt wrong. I think its much better to dress them to suit their personality rather than their gender.”
So after working as a buyer with a textile design background, Syreeta decided to change the market. She founded Indikidual with her friends and family – an impromptu community business – based on the principles she believes in most: organic, gender-neutral clothing at an affordable price (£18-£30). With a sister knitting hats for the collection, another sister handling sales and her husband designing all print and branding materials, it’s a true family affair.
“The photography and film team are all friends, so it means we get to work and socialize at the same time,” Syreeta writes. Even her daughter Minnie is involved, modeling and testing out the clothing with her friends.
Of course, Minnie isn’t just a model – she’s a muse. “She can come up with the craziest stories to go with her drawings,” Syreeta writes. “A lot of my inspiration for the collection comes from her funny tales of banana shaped balloons, jelly fish shaking maracas and skeletons trying to escape from thunder storms – just to name a few!”
Even with a muse as a daughter, Syreeta likes to maintain a healthy balance for her family, scheduling in plenty of down time for play. “We make the most of the time we are not working by going to stay in our summer house in Sweden and completely switching off,” she writes. “And when I travel, I always make a point of staying with friends instead of in hotels so it feels like more of a mini break.”
But the rest, Syreeta admits to figuring out along the way. “Don’t be fooled I have the perfect balance,” she writes. “You can still catch me sprinting through northwest London to get to the nursery on time!”
Image Credit: Indikidual
p.s. The story of two more mother’s clothing lines: KaLLio and Ettel Bettel.
Absolutely beautiful clothes and pictures and story!
When I was pregnant and didn’t know the gender yet, I went into a secondhand baby store and was so surprised to find that I couldn’t really buy any clothes yet, because everything was already so much boy/girl, even for babies! Ridiculous.
When we knew the gender, someone asked us whether it would be jeans or flowers? Well, it’s a boy, but he does not have any jeans (it just doesn’t seem comfortable for a baby to move around in) and he does have an onesie with green flowers, form the belgian label “froy and dind”- also organic cotton and with great prints, which to me seem unisex. I love color and refuse to dress him in only grey and dark blue, but it does require some extra searching. But the internet is great for that!! So thanks for the tip.
Ah, I love Froy and Dind!! And I do hate that it requires extra searching, but I suppose it’s a worthy cause! Here’s to dressing those littles in clothes suited for all. :)
the gender-specific clothing – “little slugger”, “daddy’s little princess” – thing drives me nuts, and i feel like it keeps getting worse (i remember more primary brights clothing for kids when i was a tyke back in the 80s. i had very little pink clothing). thank god for polarn o. pyret. it’s worth the extra money i have to pay! i also make sure to shop the “baby boys” section of gap or old navy. i once found the cutest pair of red corduroys that my daughter wore all winter. who knew red corduroys were “boy” only???
I totally agree – I often find cute little plaid items for Bee in the boys section. It’s total craziness!
love this! my baby girl, beau elizabeth, is just shy of three months old and-aside from sundays-she’s rarely seen in anything other than a onesie (many of which are hand-me-downs from her brother). on occasion, i do love to put her in a sweet little dress (naturally), but most “girly” clothes seem so impractical for a baby. and those crazy-huge bow/flower headbands…don’t get me started:)
Ha – I’m right there with you! :)