Love Bubby broadens baby culture with activism at NY NOW
Jaime Windau in her NY NOW Love Bubby booth
Love Bubby product, which owner/designer Jaime Windau brought last week to the Summer 2019 edition of the NY NOW home/lifestyle/handmade/gift market trade show at New York’s Javits Center, focuses on “baby culture,” albeit of the most expressive kind.
The Brooklyn-based brand makes knits for tykes that make a statement, in fact, it’s slogan is, “You are never too young to make a statement.” Hence, Love Bubby youngsters sport tees emblazoned with statements like “Little Feminist,” “Little Activist,” “Speaker of the House” and “Vote for Me”--though there are also less empowering pronouncements, such as “Mama is My Queen” and “Caught You Smiling at Me.”
Windau is also into “twinning” her product, such that “Little Feminist” can match with mom’s grown-up “Feminist” version--part of Love Bubby’s Women’s Collection also including “Queen,” and in an evenly matched face-off, an adult replica of the child’s “You Will Adore Me” tee.
But she noted that the brand is unisex--black, white and gray (“no pink and blue here).
“We don’t do colors, and all our designs are for both boys and girls--and for the more modern families,” Windau said. “A lot of people are thinking we’re more of a political brand because of the current culture, but our focus is on pop culture: We only have four shirts with political statements--for the political parents.”
The rest is a “socialista line for Instagram parents,” she said, or for lovers--which jibes, of course with the Love Bubby company name.
Bubby, by the way, is the nickname of Windau’s son Parker, who was born in 2013. Up until then she had spent most of her career in fashion with Limited Brands and Gap Inc., but following Parker’s birth she became his dedicated personal stylist, and after a few years decided to leave the corporate life to found Love Bubby, which last year made "Oprah’s Favorite Things" list.
“My niche is not for everybody, but people who love it, love it,” concluded Windau.