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Babiekins Magazine

A Trendsetting Magazine & Online Community For The Trendsetting Child + Parent

Featurekins // Q+A With Salt City Emporium

By Leslie Schor, Senior Fashion Editor Leave a Comment

Jennifer Wakeland chats with us about the inner workings of the brand Salt City Emporium. Offering urban silhouettes decked with whimsical illustrations that often include capricious animals and characters or eccentric geometric designs, the pieces are always a hit among consumers. The Salt City Emporium brand currently includes women’s leggings, children’s clothing and plush toys/pillows.

Babiekins Magazine|Editors' Choice: Salt City Emporium

What was the catalyst for launching Salt City Emporium?
The catalyst for launching SCE was my desire to work with small businesses in our community, and to fulfill my entrepreneurial spirit. SCE was originally designed to be a large open market that would rent space to like-minded vendors as their own piece of the pie without running an entire brick and mortar. As the planning took longer and longer, I just decided it was time to create the fashion side and Salt City the brand was born.

Babiekins Magazine|Editors' Choice: Salt City Emporium

Tell us about your design process. The brand use to outsource artists, but currently employs an in-house illustrator. Can you elaborate on how your visions become prints for the pieces?
We did originally start with a pool of international and domestic artists. We absolutely loved having different points of views to roll out, but as the brand built momentum and we were receiving requests for wholesale partnerships, we needed to build more cohesive collections. Kellie Holley, our in-house illustrator, is so incredibly talented and fits right into the misfit community we have built.

Usually the process goes like this: It’s 3:00 AM, and I cannot sleep because of all the crazy ideas floating around in my mind, pick-up the phone next to my bed and text Kellie who is usually up as well. I send her a thought that I’ve been wanting to try out, or from a team meeting we had the previous day. We continue to shoot texts back and forth to develop the idea and then she’s off! Meanwhile, I wrack my brain figuring out silhouettes, different applications or ways to bring it to market. The process is long and there are a lot of edits and mishaps with ill-fitting configurations, but it’s definitely a team effort. Some of the best ideas, like the pillow gift kit come from a comment a team member throws out and we decide to run with it!

Babiekins Magazine|Editors' Choice: Salt City Emporium

Where is your product produced and what types of materials do you use?
Our product is 90% produced in-house, we have a studio that has a production room where almost all of the sewing is conducted, or with an outside stitchery team we have used for two years, that team makes up a group of women who are in business for themselves and are supporting their families through quality stitching.

We pattern, fit, style and source almost exclusively from our local community. We do have some killer relationships in LA, but otherwise it’s based in Salt Lake. The materials we use are cotton based with minimal blends to create a great fit. We use to use recycled polyester, but find that cotton is reigning superior to the other options available.

What was your fashion sense like as a child?
Oh boy, as a product of the 80’s and 90’s I’m not sure I want to revisit this, but I would have to say it was
was always edgy with one or two feminine elements. I have always been a minimalist and my go-to outfit is still a interesting top, with jeans, some great heels and a chunky ring or two.

You reside in Salt Lake City, Utah. How does this city inspire you and influence the design of the pieces within your brand?
Being from SLC, we are notoriously close to the mountains and outdoors. I am a BIG advocate of animals and their natural habitat, so the wildlife has been a constant influence from the region. I try to put an animal on anything. Our joke in the studio now is to say “Put a bird on it.” I have two big Portlandia fans on the team that are always teasing about it.

Babiekins Magazine|Editors' Choice: Salt City Emporium

Babiekins Magazine|Editors' Choice: Salt City Emporium

Are there any new pieces that you are excited about?
Yes! We have been working our way to expand more on the “Emporium” side of the business and have a few non-apparel items that we think will be a big hit with our customers. We like to figure out how to add a different aspect to the same old and our new toys are creating a lot of high hopes around here.

In regards to a new silhouette, our rompers have been on the design table for months, and we finally feel like we hit the mark. They are rolling out in our Spring ’15 collection and will be a mainstay piece going forward. We cut them on the bias to create a real sense of quality, added pockets, and the right amount of snap tape to make them a must have for every household as they are great for the kids, and the busy-but-style conscious parent.

A Few of Jen’s Favorite Things:
Winter treat: My favorite winter treat is frosted sugar cookies and coffee. I die.
Women’s clothing brand: I love Rag and Bone. Their silhouettes are modern, yet simple, and they use lots of blacks and neutrals.
Family travel destination: We love the Pacific Northwest, specifically Seattle. I love the ocean and city, plus that overcast weather makes for great layering.
Film: Any of the cult classic 80’s and 90’s movies. Pump up the Volume, Heather’s, Teen Witch (Yep, I said it), Legend of Billie Jean. I could go on, I am so nostalgic because of the great relationship I have with my older sister, and all the goofy things we did after being inspired by these movies.

Babiekins Magazine|Editors' Choice: Salt City Emporium

Babiekins Magazine|Editors' Choice: Salt City Emporium

Babiekins Magazine|Fashionkins//Editors' Choice: Salt City Emporium

Babiekins Magazine|Editors' Choice: Salt City Emporium

Salt City Emporium|Website|Instagram|Facebook

Filed Under: Editors' Lifestyle, Fashion Tagged With: #babiekinsmag, Babiekins, Babiekins Magazine, childrens fashion, editors' choice, Fashion, fashion kids, illustrated, interview, kids clothing, kids fashion magazine, kids trends, leslie schor, q+a, Salt City Emporium, urban Posted By: Leslie Schor, Senior Fashion Editor

Featurekins // Q + A with Studio Escargot

By Leslie Schor, Senior Fashion Editor Leave a Comment

Studio Escargot’s range of plush dolls seem to come alive with every detail and tiny article of clothing. The characters are both lovable and fashionable. Sophia Smeekens, the creative behind Studio Escargot, gives us a little glimpse into her creative process and lets us in on what life as an artist on Instagram is like.

Where are you located? Has this always been home for you?

I am located in a suburb near Amsterdam (The Netherlands). I was born and raised in Amsterdam in a very green and child friendly area just outside the center.

What inspires you to create these plush characters? Tell us Pierrot’s story.

I have always had a wild imagination and love for old fabrics, trimmings and haberdashery. Vintage pictures and movies, haute couture, editorials and art inspire me. The pierrot was created after I saw a collage someone had made and put on Instagram. We ended up trading the collage for the first pierrot doll and ballerina I ever made!!!

How does your little one inspire you to create? Is she helpful or active in your creative process?

My little one helps me by being herself! Wandering around the studio…pulling out little treasures like pieces of wool, yarn and other fabric. I am inspired by listening to her tell herself all kinds of stories and watching her play with her dolls and toys. Every now and then, she wants to help by stuffing the dolls. I let her, but it’s not really helping as I end up doing it all over again of course.

What color palettes are you drawn to?

I love color palettes that are a little “off”. I like when you look at something and see that something is not completely right, but you can’t exactly put your finger on it. Pale colors and pastels are my favorites.

How did you transition into the children’s market?

I have always loved making dolls, dollhouses and clothes. All of my life, fairy tales and children’s rooms have been an inspiration to me. I started out making some quilts and cushions. Then one night, I thought of making my daughter a rag doll. And that was the first of many…

Tell us about life on Instagram.

I am really trying to use my feed as a mood board and journal at the same time. I love to document and treasure moments in life. I found fellow artists and have had some great collaborations. I get inspired by a lot of other stylists, photographers, doll makers and artists. I also find that through social media the world gets so much smaller, so that you find out that ideas that you thought were, unique were already shared and done by others. It makes me work harder on new projects. I am very critical of the things I make and put out there.

How do you push through a creative block or the feeling of being overwhelmed by what is already out there? What advice would you give fellow creatives when they experience this feeling?

It mostly comes natural, I have a block and then nothing gets done. Then I start browsing trough my art books and archives of inspirational images (paper or Pinterest).  Ideas begin to pop up in my mind and I start collecting images and sketching. Then, I start to actually create from my idea/sketch. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. I have a lot of unfinished projects lingering around the studio. I would advise my fellow artists to stay true and close to themselves.

Studio Escargot// Website|Instagram|Pinterest

Babiekins Magazine| Studio Escargot

Babiekins Magazine| Studio Escargot

Babiekins Magazine|Studio Escargot

Babiekins Magazine|Studio Escargot

Filed Under: Fun Tagged With: design, featurekins, inspiration, interview, leslie schor, plush toys, q+a, rag doll, studio escargot, toys Posted By: Leslie Schor, Senior Fashion Editor


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Copyright © 2021 · Babiekins Magazine | A Trendsetting Kids' Fashion Magazine and Online Community for Parents and Children Alike · Since the Southern California birth of Babiekins in 2010, the magazine has grown from into an internationally-recognized print publication with a global circulation and now a thriving online community. We are more than a kids’ fashion magazine. We search everywhere for inspiration, and go beyond trends to bring you fashion, style, decor, design, books, DIY, parties, and playthings. Our readers look to us to keep up with the best and most up-to-date concepts in the children’s market worldwide. We have an eye for quirk. We’re high-fashion, but we value whimsy over tradition. Playful childhood is more important to us than making kids into copycat adults. We believe life is beautiful, life is valuable, and life changes when you see it through the eyes of a child. We seek to transcend skin color, language and zip codes and bring out the real, wild, magical creativity inherent in every child. And behind Babiekins is an optimistic team of mothers-turned-editors, working from home, often with our own little babiekins climbing on, under and around the desks. We want to encourage you, and challenge you to see something different — something special — in yourself and in this world we all share. Welcome to Babiekins!

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