The Piccalilly Way – New Range for Autumn/Winter 2021
Piccalilly at Babipur
Piccalilly were the very first clothing brand we stocked at Babipur, almost 15 years ago. They featured on the website on our first day of trading, when all our stock was stored in boxes under the bed! Back in 2007, there wasn’t much choice when it came to organic kids clothing. It’s hard to believe now, but it was all a bit bland and boring! Piccallilly stood out with their fun prints, bright colours and practical, non-gendered design. With their commitment to fair trade and organic cotton, and bright, colourful designs it was the perfect fit here at Babipur.
With their latest collection arriving on our shelves, it’s a great opportunity to see what sets Piccalilly apart. They’re rethinking the fashion industry, which places such a heavy burden on our planet and the people in the manufacturing chain. We’ve sent some samples to our Buddy Alex and her twins – already huge Piccalilly fans – to find out what makes it a great choice for an ethical consumer.
The Piccalilly Way
Piccalilly is an independent brand who always do things the right way – people come before profit, every time. They source their organic cotton from a fair trade project called Chetna Organic. All their cotton is grown on small marginal farms without the use of child labour, synthetic chemicals and GMOs.
Chetna is a wholly farmer owned project and ensures full traceability. Every last bale of organic cotton can be traced to its own farm and even the field it’s been grown in and cotton seed source. The Chetna farmers also own a 10% share in the factory manufacturing Piccalilly’s clothes. Farmers are pre-financed and guaranteed stable cotton prices, with a premium to spend within their local community. The manufacturing partner takes ownership of the cotton directly from the farmers, enabling 100% transparency from field to factory.
A New Normal
During the 2020 Covid pandemic the Piccalilly team had the opportunity to evaluate how they do business. Already a sustainable brand, they felt they could take their ideas further. It was a testing time, with summer ranges landing in the country just as retailers were having to shut the shop doors. Many big conventional brands were withholding payment to manufacturers and cancelling orders, but this is just not the Piccalilly way.
Out of adversity came a new focus, bringing the brand closer to their supply chains, stockists and customers. The Piccalilly community and commitment to true values would bring a new and exciting way for Piccalilly to work in these uncertain times.
The conventional kidswear market follows a high street pattern of seasonal ranges, Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. This is followed by discounting the previous season, continuing the cycle. This puts huge pressure on supply chains to create seasonal ranges in unrealistic time frames, with short sell-by dates. The team at Piccalilly want to create a healthier and more sustainable way for fashion retail. By looking after their supply chains and promoting a less seasonal approach to clothing they can benefit people and planet.
Slow Fashion
Piccalilly are bringing the best of Slow Fashion to their business. Instead of strongly focussed seasonal ranges there is a core range which is available throughout the year. These are interspersed with launches throughout the year, bringing you the best from Piccalilly’s fantastic design team.
Teaming up fun prints with the versatile core range, you can create an exciting capsule wardrobe. Piccalilly tread their own path, bringing us fun and colourful prints that are loved by children and adults alike. Their brand of high quality, sustainable fashion is one you won’t find on the high street.
Review Of The New AW21 Collection
We love the new Piccalilly collection, but don’t just take our word for it! Here’s what our Buddy Alex has to say:
I love Piccalilly for many reasons, but particularly because the clothes on offer strike a wonderful balance between practicality and a super fun kids’ style. The mammoth print reversible dress is probably my favourite thing from Piccalilly at the moment, as it has amazing versatility for just one garment, and can be worn in loads of different ways as it’s sleeveless too!
It’ll be perfect by itself for hot summer days, but equally brilliant for winter with a long sleeved top underneath. I’ve been pairing it with the blue and red stripe long sleeve top and a pair of tights to make a fab autumnal outfit, and my two year old daughter loves it.
Hooded Playsuits!
Another favourite in my household is the hooded playsuit. I have one for each twin in the Wild Woods and British Birds prints, and they’re all-round winners for us. They’re very unisex prints, have clever cuff designs so they’ll grow with your child, and rather excitingly, the Wild Woods print playsuit comes complete with adorable ears on the hood.
These are great for cosy days at home or an easy after-swimming outfit – they’re so wonderfully soft and comfy that we’ve been using them for long car journeys too. Both of these particular prints are utterly beautiful and the attention to detail is really quite stunning!
When it comes to quality, I can’t fault Piccalilly. Everything we have from them has been made to the absolute highest quality, and there is a remarkable difference between our Piccalilly clothes and things from other brands!
I wear my adult wrap dress an enormous amount, and despite having been through the wash and covered in all kinds of toddler-related gubbins more times than I could possibly count, it still looks and feels as good as new! This exceptional quality means that I’ll be able to pass on all of our clothes to a new home in fantastic quality when my twins have grown out of it, and it’ll get a whole new lease of life!
