When Ted was a tiny baby (we’re talking 5 months old-ish) and I was getting, quite honestly, a little bit bored of the usual baby hangouts. I decided it was time to engage my brain again, attempt to say goodbye to the Mum fog and do something a little bit exciting and creative (as much as you can do with a clingy 5 month old anyway).
I was kinda confined to a radius of two miles from our flat in Stoke Newington. I wasn’t ready or mentally prepared to tackle the underground alone with Ted and I hadn’t driven a car since I passed my test five years ago. I certainly wasn’t going to start up again in central London AND with a baby, who if you’ve read the previous blog post, does not drive well.
But what to do? I had three factors to consider.
1) I had a baby to look after and he was sort of (who am I kidding, very) high maintenance. He'd have to be part of the plan.
2) I had become pretty much obsessed with buying kids clothes. As soon as I’d seen the Mini Rodini panda tracksuit in a trainer shop in Shoreditch I just KNEW there was more to kids fashion than a pale blue knitted cardigan or a digger t-shirt.
3) I was time limited. Sure, Ted could be chill. But he could also be exhausting, so it had to be something I didn’t have to put much time into and I could do on the go.
It then came to me.
I N S T A G R A M.
Cactus trackie top from www.minirodini.com
I’d had a personal Insta account for some while, but the thought of having another account just for Ted and his new garms, well. That. Made. Me. Excited.
I thought of my new Insta handle (@what.ted.wore) and decided it would be a page to promote ‘the best bits baby fashion has to offer’. And I loved it. LOVED IT. Searching out new items for Ted’s quickly growing wardrobe, finding people to follow and get inspo from and chatting to all the other new Mama’s out there. I started creating flat lays, figuring out fun places to go for mini photoshoots (Dalston Curve Garden in London is my fav btw) and generally just getting out there more. For anyone who thinks that Instagram is unsociable, you’re not doing it right. Instagram helped me so, so much in those early days with Ted. I know it’s only kids clothing, but it gave me a purpose and a challenge to get out there and to see new things on days when I really felt like doing nothing.
But what now? Now I’ve started my own brand I didn’t really know which way to take the Instagram page. Did I really just want to show my own designs? In all honesty, no.
Handprinted tee from @life.of.piris
I’ve never been a hater of the competition. There’s so many amazing kids brands out there and a BIG chunk of them independent businesses. I’m in AWE of them and what they’ve achieved and what beautiful products they produce.
I’m all for bigging them up. To the max.
Half of Ted’s wardrobe is high street and the other half is small businesses that I’ve mostly found through Instagram. Ted’s not exclusively dressed in What Ted Wore garms. Firstly, I don’t have enough product (haha, I’m working on it) and secondly, how boring would that be? I LOVE buying him a t-shirt, a jumper, a print or a garland from another independent business. Knowing that I’m supporting another person and their and dream is really, just pretty great.
Am I naïve? Most probs. A bit stoopid? Yeah, defo. But for me, it’s all about the bigger picture and where I want my brand to go. Don’t be afraid of the competition. Embrace it, learn from them and proudly do your own thing.
Big loves as always,
Lucy (and Ted)
x
P.S And yes, I'm using this blog post to look back at photos of baby Ted. Look how small he was!