Having met in 2007 as creative and editorial heads of a newly launched online fashion store they were colleagues first, friends soon after and then some time after that, mums to their little dudes, Tobias and Arlo (the Bear in the tale).
It was a post maternity leave water cooler conversation (yes, they really do happen) that triggered the idea for Tobias & the Bear – great printed leggings, with unique designs created, for boys, or tomboys (or for any mum who wanted a break from the sea of pink out there). Their hunt for just this had failed time and again and their babies were at risk of having to wear styles they felt were suited for men more than boys. That was in the autumn of 2013 and just 10 months later, they were up and running with their first four designs.
Leanne Mckeever and Ruth Cozens, the founders of Tobias & the Bear, have since learnt that actually, there are an awful lot of mums who don’t want to dress their girls in bows and frills and so the collection has a real unisex handwriting. Tobias & the Bear is not about seasons. They believe in building a large collection of incredible styles and prints which they add to regularly and everything they do is 100% made in the UK. Leggings are their love. Cool bedding and interiors are another passion and tees and sweatshirts have just arrived – because why wouldn’t they want to complete the look.
Tobias & the Bear is available at Kidshop here.
