Do people drive you crazy? Or do they inspire you? Joanne King? November 9, 2009

People – now this is def. where I get a lot of inspiration – the way people lead their lives, the way they care for one another, and often times, what they wear.  I look at people constantly and look at what they are wearing. Now you might be surprised, but on a daily basis, I dress very simply. I actually show most of my love for colors on my nails! People are a great way to get inspired, to hear their life stories, and thoughts, and ideas. I have a friend named Jacqueline Gartland-  Jacks to All Trades – who is full of culture, art, and love.  Whenever I hang out with her, I literally feel ten times better.  Surround yourself by people like this, and you can’t go wrong.

Mireya, Jacqui, and Joanne King

Anyways, these are just a few of the things that inspire me. I am always inspired by other people’s fashion ideas, moms views on children’s clothing, and much more. I just thought I’d share with you some of the basics of what can jumpstart, and inspire you to follow your passion in life, as I did with mine.

Sama Baby supports Local Elementary School! November 2, 2009

We support local schools!
West U Elementary Bazaar:

I want to tell you about the beauty of talking to your neighbors, and how things can work out organically! One of my neighbors had mentioned that their son goes to West U Elementary.  I thought that was pretty interesting, and one day they needed a ride to go pick him up.  I offered, as I thought it would be nice to see the school – and helped him get his son! In the process, we ran into a set of parents that were also picking up their kids – and my neighbor was mentioning that I owned an organic baby line called Sama Baby.  The parents immediately responded and said, “I read about you on the front page of our community newspaper a few months ago – congratulations – that is so cool!”  I had no idea how much people actually remembered reading that article – as it was posted in December of 2008!  After that, my neighbor proceeded to put Sama Baby postcards at West U – at a little table in the front area.  After three days,  he went back just to see if people had picked any up, and there were only three left. How crazy is that?  If you know that your school has any little area for postcards, please let us know by commenting – and we would love to have you put postcards with a discount at your school.  Moms apparently love our postcards, and think they are so interesting – as it talks about who we are, why we do what we do, and what clothing we have to offer!

BIRTH FAIR Houston – Wrap Up! October 30, 2009

BIRTH Fair took place at United Way from 11am-4pm in Houston, Texas. The event was focused on BIRTH, and all the opportunities and ways you can get involved in Houston – with midwives, doulas, and birth centers. It was amazing to meet so many other female business owners in Houston – who were focused on children, natural approaches to birth, and organic.  We had a wonderful little fashion show featuring 15 models in Sama Baby. It was daunting, but being the MC was quite a bit of fun – I spoke about each outfit, as well as each child’s favorite activity! One kid’s favorite food was tofu and broccoli. Sounds like my kind of kid!

BIRTH FAIR

Many moms purchased Sama Baby outfits, and were so excited to see such young entrepreneurs focused on all natural, and organic products for children. It was also wonderful to build a partnership with Bay Area Birth Center – the same area I grew up in when I was a young child in Houston.  They will be putting postcards in each of their birth bags, and leave our postcards at the front with discount codes for moms in the area! We love parterning, and if you are a midwife, doula, birth center, boutique, wellness center, we would love to cross-promote and partner together!  We even built some relationships with West U Wellness and are going to talk about doing a fun little Bollywood Green Chai Chat for their center – since I have grown up in West U for such a long time!

BIRTH Fair was a wonderful way to connect with other moms, and other hospitals, mom groups, and much more!

 

 

The Day in the Life of a Children’s Fashion Designer – and no, not like Paris Hilton Style! October 28, 2009

You may think that the way I design may be similar to this:

Paris Hilton and Little Child!

But.. I don’t. I dont create miniature versions of adult clothing… which is the misconception – Sama Baby is a playful, childish line with a beautiful inspiration from India!

So, as a designer of a children’s clothing line – I have been looking at the trends of which moms buy products. Sometimes I even ask moms in airports, boutiques, grocery stores – why did you put that on your child? (of course, in an inquisitive manner, not insulting!) What is it about that garment that makes your child comfortable, and what is your favorite silhouette?  Now, I know that may be weird to you – but who knows – you might be sitting next to me on a plane with your cute little one, and I might ask you these same questions.

I have figured out a few things that moms focus on. If you have any other suggestions, please comment because I will incorporate it into my next collection.  Every mom’s voice counts when it comes to Sama Baby!

1. Accessibility – how easily can I slip this on and off my child?
2. Comfort – how comfortable is my child in this? Does this make them itch? Are they allergic?
3. Size – does this fit my child well? Too well? Too loose?
4. Warmth – will this garment keep my child at the right temperature – keep them warm when needed or, keep them cool when needed?
5. Price – is this a good price for the quality I am getting?
6. Design – is this designed with good materials? Is it beautiful? How will my child look in this garment?

So, these are the top six pointers I use when designing a collection. Every single garment I create, I use these points to figure out how to create something that is beautiful, well-priced, comfortable, and easy access.

Whole Foods Chelsea features Sama Baby! August 26, 2009

We were very excited to stop by Whole Foods Chelsea to see our items hanging beautifully and displayed nicely!

Whole Foods Chelsea is on 27th St and 7th Avenue in the Heart of Chelsea! It is also right next to where both CEO and VP of Sama Baby took classes – the Fashion Institute of Technology!

Whole Foods is such a great store – as the Whole Body of this store is separate than the Whole Foods itself in this area – this store has so many beautiful items, and great choices for every mom that wants to go organic!

Giggle, Giggle, Giggle and Kelly Rutherford! August 21, 2009

Shivani and I visited the Giggle store in NYC – and ran into KELLY RUTHERFORD from Gossip Girl!

As we were walking in, she was walking out -and of course I just froze and stood there.. it was quite hilarious.

Here is a picture of Shivani under the Giggle sign…. one of her favorite stores to purchase baby items – great service, great choices.. we are hoping to get picked up by this store! If you have one near you, ask them about Sama Baby – tell them to write it down and tell the manager! It would be great to see what a grassroots effect would do!  They are def. interested in carrying us – as they have talked with us over the past year – and love our mission, story, and line!

and if you look closely in this picture – the woman in all black, and black leggings is Kelly Rutherford – she looks amazing in person! She loves to shop at Giggle- as you can see by the big shopping bag she is carrying!

I can’t believe I have literally run into the entire team at Gossip Girl in NYC – they are all so beautiful in person!

Anyways – just thought I would share you that fun tid bit!

Annual Mom’s Night Mixer, THIS SATURDAY in Houston! Sama Baby Fashion Show! June 25, 2009

The Annual Mom’s Night Mixer is going to be an awesome event for moms in Houston. It will be held on a Saturday evening at the Westin Galleria Hotel. Be prepared for a delightful evening of music, fun, decadent desserts, giftbag giveaways and more! If you want to find different resources for stay at home moms, expectant mothers, autism, the Houston Woman’s Shelter, postpartum depression, even local mom’s clubs – everything will be under one roof. It will be a fun and fabulous evening! Tickets go on sale online April 1, for $25, but discount tickets can be purchased at participating locations.

 

We are VERY excited about this event!

 

Entrepreneurship and Mom-Empowerment: This enchanted evening just for mom will provide a much needed night of entertainment, and encouragement, focused solely on you and your unique needs and interests. You’ll make new friends, enjoy hors devours, drinks from Jamba Juice, mini massages and facials, fabulous gift-bag give aways, and more!