Tootsa MacGinty is not only a line full of beautiful autumnal colours, cool graphics, and comfortable sweaters, T-shirts, pants, and more, but it’s also unisex, which means you can pass all the adorableness down to your next child, no matter if your nursery switches from blue to pink.
I first discovered this brand months ago, when I was browsing the internet to find a nice jumper for Alexander for the cold summer nights. I found this lovely Ice-Lolly jumper in a ‘Sun’ shade and it still is a big hit!
Tootsa’s winter collection “A Walk in the Woods” is inspired by the forests and woodland of the European countrysides. It features tartan, folklore and woodland animals. It’s clearly designed for children who love to go on daily adventures, get dirty and have fun! All items are pre-washed so that they can be thrown into the washing machine and won’t shrink!
The clothing ranges from size 0 through to 8 years old and you can find the full collection of Tootsa MacGinty online at www.tootsamacginty.com. Unfortunately no stockits in Paris yet, but that might change very soon!?
We caught up with Kate to find out more about Tootsa MacGinty:
Interview with Kate Pietrasik , the owner of Tootsa MacGinty.
How would you describe your brand?
Tootsa MacGinty is quality, colourful, childrens wear styled exclusively for children; we don’t have separate sections for boys and girls.
What lead you to working with fashion?
From a very early age I’ve always love to draw and make things. I studied contemporary art which led to a year in New York to study illustration which led to graphic design. I entered the fashion industry as a graphic designer, once I had a foot in the door I moved to accessories design and then onto clothing.
How do you define your own personal style?
Stylish comfort! I think the most stylish women are always those that look not only stylish but comfortable and therefor confident.
Who has been your biggest fashion influence?
My french girl friends. I lived for a long time in France and most of my very good female friendships were forged there. They always look fabulous. They dress appropriate for their lifestyle, their age and their figure. Rarely are they influenced by fast moving trends, they tend to spend more on fewer items which last for several seasons. They are the epitome of stylish comfort! (see above)
What’s the biggest highlight of your career untill now?
I think Tootsa MacGinty as a whole – it’s only been 2 and a half years and the whole roller-coaster ride has been a highlight.
What do you find most rewarding, and most challenging about your job?
The amazing positive response Tootsa MacGinty has had from parents, and their children. It’s so rewarding to build a brand that people clearly love. We receive a lot of “happy customer” photos (pics of children wearing their latest Tootsa MacGinty purchases) and it really makes my day everytime! The great press we receive is also extremely rewarding. Most challenging has been just trying to manage the workload involved in running a rapidly growing business on a very tight budget. We are a tiny team and until only a few months ago I still worked from my house.
What is your favourite item from your AW13 line?
Very hard to choose one item!! I really like The “New Forest” jacquard knit jumper. The colours and quality are beautiful. The style is quirky and illustrative yet very stylish.
What do you like and dislike about the fashion industry?
I love creating and anything creative in general. Fashion is such a creative industry. I adore all aspects of the design process; it’s so much fun inventing themes, colour palettes, patterns, graphics and motifs and then putting these into production. Receiving proto-types of my designs can be so exciting. I don’t like the high turnaround and fast-throwaway-fashions the big brand high street retailers offer. The consumer culture in London is quite frightening. People are buying too much; they ought to buy less; quality not quantity! Also the fashion calendar is kind of crazy; we deliver outerwear and warm woolen knitwear in July (when the weather just starts to heat up). Summer shorts and t-shirts are delivered in January and then the large high street department stores wonder why, come March, the items aren’t selling fast and by the end of April everything is discounted. As soon as the large department stores go on sale all the little independent retailers are forced to follow suit. Rules are in place in other parts of Europe (Italy, Spain and France for example) preventing year-round or mid-season discounting. The smaller independent boutiques there are given some protection.
Alexander in his new Epping sweatpants from Tootsa’s AW13 collection: Pre washed 100% cotton marle sweatpants with striped jersey ribbed cuffs. They’re so comfy and beautifully made!
Next week week a Tootsa MacGinty review on the blog so stay tuned 😉
