What started as a trend is here to stay. Gone are the days when blue was for boys and pink was for girls. We love this range of locally-made, gender neutral clothing for kids!
Durban has no shortage of lovely local brands rising to the occasion when it comes to upmarket fashion for kids – with a little something for mom too. But when we found Carter and Me, we just fell in love.
Embracing slow fashion, this team of four passionate Durban North women, headed by Carmen Hunkin and Natalie Brown, play into each other’s strengths to create a range of trendy, kids clothing – with an emphasis on gender neutral – for babies, toddlers and children up to six years old, as well as a maternity and moms’ line.
“We don’t have children of our own … yet … but rather an amazing network of friends who have little ones of varying ages, and we’ve sat on many couches with a cup of tea hearing what our friends have to say about children’s clothing. This has been the driving force behind our dream to embrace a range of clothing that is about quality meeting comfort.”
And it really is. It’s playful, comes in punchy colours, and is bound to charm everyone on the playground.
With backgrounds in marketing, graphic design and the hospitality industry and a shared passion for fashion and business, Carmen and Natalie teamed up with mother and daughter seamstress duo, Abigail and Enid Mukuze, who bring their product design to life … with incredible attention to detail.
“We’ve hit the streets of Durban and the Upper Highway to source fabric from a variety of local suppliers for our seasonal wear. We also engage with our core range suppliers in Cape Town.
“We choose fabrics and patterns based on what will stand the test of time and also dye a few fabrics in house, which allows for versatility of colours and experimenting.”
When it comes to seasonal prints, textures and patterns Carmen and Natalie use a combination of Pinterest, WGSN, competitive best practice and the word on the street from local moms to play with design ideas for staple items for every age stage.
“We get a little helping hand from the kids in our local church community, or nieces and nephews who try out our clothes, and we engage with their mom’s regularly on the fit, comfort and style, to ensure we’re heading in the right direction.”
Being a slow fashion brand, every item is made to order, and the brand’s main clothing range is gender neutral – allowing for self-expression – speaking to mom’s who look for basic core wardrobe items as well as mom’s looking for trendy one-of-a-kind items.
“Our core products are our cotton knits, that allow for movement and stretch – especially over your little one’s head – while remaining soft to touch, making it the best of both worlds for your babes.”
The Carter and Me Spring collection has just launched and it is just gorge – bold and bright, muslin fabric, cotton knit rompers, T-shirts, dresses and bummy shorts, and more than 16 colours! Most popular in this collection are the rompers, basic T’s and trackie sets, as these are a corner piece to any great outfit.
“You can dress these up, accessorize them and mix and match them all. Our chunky knit sweaters have been a vibe, and our cotton harem rompers have been a great item too – the balance between warm enough for sunny winter days and versatile enough to pair with leggings if there’s a little more chill in the air.
“Our cotton pacifier blankies are a ‘can’t live without’ item. These are great for those ‘oopsie’ drool moments and act as a comfort blanket for your little one.
What’s in the pipeline?
“All things Spring, with a hint of Barbie – for mom and baby. We are also launching new-born gift bundles soon, and a range of muslin blankets and bibs.”
Still building relationships with local stockists to extend their reach, the Carter and Me is available online at carterandme.co.za
