Behind The Designs

Here at Brave Little Ones, we strive to create unique products that will be the first thing you reach for in the closet and the last thing your little one will let you put in the hamper! 

Today's blog post will showcase bits on where we started, what makes our product mix unique and ultimately how we get a whole lot of love into one tiny package. 

Step One: Discover Design Inspiration

Every idea comes with a dose of inspiration. Having my son Hudson is what inspired me to create our loungewear line and to this day, he still inspires me in all that I do. As every mom does, I got excited about dressing my little boy! I would spend so much time searching the internet to find clothing with gender neutral graphics that interested me and never could quite find what I was looking for. This, as you may have guessed, is where Brave Little Ones loungewear was born. I’ve always had an eye for natural elements and unique but timeless pieces. Things I would find on my walks outdoors and even in our home, spark inspiration! I look for simple, minimalist shapes and lines along with neutral clean colors. A lot of our pieces, you may notice, have a like vibe!  

Step Two: Color Selection

When we first began our color choosing journey, we didn’t have the funds for a Pantone Cotton Swatch book. This resulted in many field trips to the local hardware store to pick out paint chips and do our best to match the color online. As you could imagine, the dye never matched what we saw on the screen. Thankfully, we now have access to thousands of shades with the Pantone Cotton Swatch Book and can carefully select 4-6 colors per collection. 

Step Three: Designers Work Their Magic

This is where things start to get really fun! We start the process by sketching out a design we have in mind and then send it over to the professionals. The designers create a vector repeat pattern. This step includes a lot of editing, resizing and color merging. It is so exciting to see it all come to life! We then place the final pattern into our product mockup software to get an idea of the final look. A life size version of our zip romper is printed with the new design to get a peek at sizing. Even our ribbed fabrics, which seem simple to the eye, take a lot of steps to create! We custom make the ribbed count to determine how thick the ribbed pattern is. We love that every step is intricately planned, carefully executed and unique to us! 

Step Four: Order Lab Dips

Now, this is where I start to do a happy dance seeing all the things come together! Our next step is to order lab dips from our manufacturer. It takes about a month to receive our mailed designs printed on our buttery soft bamboo fabric. Lab dips help visualize the fabric color and once we approve, the lab dip productions begin!

Step Five: The Final Manufacturing 

There are a lot of steps when it comes to clothing production encompassing an extremely detailed plan. Each collection individually takes about 4 months. Our manufacturers start by spinning the bamboo pulp into bamboo fiber. They then create a weaving yarn that’s referred to as Bamboo Viscose. Following that, they dye or print on the fabric and then cut, sew, less and package. When the output arrives, it is pure bliss to see everything come to life. Dressing Hudson and seeing your little ones in our cuddly loungewear makes all of the hard work worth it! 

Thanks for taking a look into the process behind the product!