Hello! I’m Sophie, a mum of two incredible children with a first class honours degree in Fashion Design & Interpretation and an employment history in graphic design and print. I’m a qualified pattern-cutter, dressmaker, fashion and graphic designer, with an eye for colour and passion for childrens learning & development. I’m a NICU mum, a traumatic birth survivor, a cat lover and my children have transformed my world, mind and soul : I adore them!
I opened BabyArlo whilst on maternity leave with my son in 2018. As well as never being able to find high street clothing that fit him, everything was so bland, beige & badly made. Typical boys wear was definitely limited in colour & prints. I decided to stop wasting money on unethically made fast fashion with its poor fitting and bad quality fabrics and design my own.
It was my life long dream to become a children’s wear designer & teacher. I wanted to be able to offer creative fabric patterns that engaged children, that encouraged them to express their enjoyment of learning through colour and from features on the prints themselves. I wanted to create prints with meaning behind them, prints with children in mind, with the design ideas coming from children themselves. I want to dress youngsters in what they’d like to wear, to encourage their personalities and showcase their own creativity. Clothing can by stylish & comfortable but have deep meaning to it too. I love that children interact with my clothing. It fills me with pride when they tell you about the duck on their romper and it opens up a whole conversation of learning and adventure. I believe my clothing is made for learning: its made for play, not display.
A little about the business:
Simply styled, unique, playful, baby, toddler and children’s clothes, handmade with love in the UK. Many of our fabric designs are unique to us, developed in-house with children in mind. We aim to promote sustainable, eco-friendly, long lasting fashion thats made mindfully. At BabyArloStudio everything is designed, developed and made under one roof in my home studio in East Yorkshire. I’ve brought together years of education and skills to make my dream a reality. I illustrate, design fabric prints, create and develop dressmaking patterns, pattern cut, trial, test, sew, content create, develop sales and marketing and I even pack ( I cant take full credit for this, my supportive husband helps).
Design: Everything is thoughtfully designed and developed in our studio. All items are pattern cut, mocked up and tested before selling and I aim to design items that are long lasting to grow with your child where I can.
Learning: Imagine, Create, Play. I believe art is wonderful for children’s development and will expand their imagination, this is expressed through our clothing choices. I aim for colourful prints designed with children in mind, for play not just display. We love fabric designs that let you interact with your child. There’s nothing better than seeing a child get excited about what they are wearing!
High Quality: I Aim to make garments of exceptional quality using good quality industrial machinery, haberdashery and fabrics. The products are all made by hand.
Sustainability: So long fast fashion! I make your wares to last. Fold up cuffs, looser, longer lasting fits and I provide care instructions so you can get the most out of the garment. Please pass them on when and where you can.
Eco-Friendly: Not one scrap of fabric goes to waste. The big scraps become accessories, then the teeny tiny scraps become accessories so small, that I donate them to the local NICU for premature babies. I’m big on design and print processes, so I always aim to source high quality, eco-friendly fabrics that are not only kind to the environment, but also kind to the most delicate of skin. I’m always looking to improve in all areas of the business.
Creativity : I draught all my patterns from scratch. I do trials & testing of all garment styles to make sure that it works & the fit for children is just right. Utilising my graphic design skills, many of our fabrics are designed by me in house. So if your looking for something truly unique, BabyArloStudio is your place.