KUALA LUMPUR, July 3 — These days, parents have a lot of choices when it comes to dressing their kids. And instead of buying imported accessories which can be costly, Malaysian parents now have equally good quality local handmade accessories for babies and children. From bigger brands like Sereni & Shentel to new ones like All That Baby, there is a variety of designs and different price points to choose from.
Some of these accessories are made by parents who just love to dress up their little ones, like Mayya’s Button’s founder Nur Farhanah binti Muhammad Fauzy who spends a lot of money buying accessories for her daughter, Mayya.
“I really like girly stuff. Whenever I go out shopping, I must buy something for my daughter.” Prior to starting Mayya’s Button, Farhanah owned a boutique selling headscarves and urban Muslimah wear.
When her daughter turned two, the stay-at-home mother decided to go into baby and children’s accessories. She started Mayya’s Button as an online business last March with Nur Hajar Asuad who is based in Singapore. Her range of stretchable fabric headbands uses material sourced from Jakarta and is suitable for kids from newborns to toddlers. The premium range starts from RM55 and is embellished with sequins and fashioned from materials like lace and brocade. Smaller sizes are priced from RM25 to RM35.
Sarawak-based brand Sereni & Shentel has been making headbands for adults since 2009. Their headbands are so popular that it appeared on American TV show Gossip Girl almost every episode. Founded by best friends Sereni Linggi and Shentel Lee, the brand also includes cute baby and children’s accessories for both boys and girls.
“We noticed that parents are really into matching outfits with their kids and kids love wearing accessories that look like their parents’ accessories. As such, our baby and children’s range are mini versions of our adult designs.” Unlike other local baby and children’s accessories brands, Sereni & Shentel also makes accessories for boys. They saw that there was an untapped market with accessories for boys, so they made cute bow ties that can be buttoned onto a shirt collar for practicality. In terms of pricing, their children’s accessories are from RM38 to RM106.
When it comes to using various channels to sell the accessories, there’s more to just setting up a brick and mortar store or participating in bazaars. Some like Mayya’s Button also go the extra mile and bring their accessories to their regular customers’ homes.
An online presence is also important. For Mayya’s Button, their online business has brought in customers from Brunei, Singapore and Australia. Social media platforms like Instagram also work fine for newcomer All That Baby that was started about two months ago by university lecturer Siti Norbaiti Yahaya or Bet. Their best-sellers are hair clips and nylon headbands which are targeted at newborns or children aged up to four years old. Her understated accessories are affordable and priced below RM20.
Fancy Fleur’s Fazreen Nadia A. Aziz or Nadia is another one in the children’s accessories business. Originally a crafter, Nadia decided to start making accessories for children when she acquired a craft machine. “After giving birth, I tried to start a couple of businesses. I enjoy making cute stuff and I get inspiration from Pinterest, YouTube and Google.
“I love doing craft and I can take care of my kids at the same time so that’s why I decided to do these businesses from home.” The types of felt designs she makes are usually flowers, leaves, ice cream and clouds. The name Fancy Fleur Studio came about because her first designs were focused on flowers. Fancy Fleur Studio accessories are priced between RM5 to RM30 which is affordable for many.
Safety is always a concern for parents when it comes to their young ones. In terms of design, Sereni & Shentel ensures that all their headbands and clips for babies and children are comfortable with no sharp edges. Similarly, their stretch bands are meant for a comfortable fit. “As with any items in the market we encourage parents and care givers to be mindful that our accessories are not play items and should be worn with care,” said Sereni.
As a parent, Mayya’s Button’s Farhanah’s rule is she will only sell accessories that she is confident to put on her own daughter. Anything that might threaten the safety of her children will not be used to make Mayya’s Button products. Even the fabric she chooses is of a softer material. “I noticed that now diamante is very popular for children’s accessories but I decided not to add it to my collection because toddlers might choke on them if they fall off,” said Farhanah. Beads are definitely a big no for these accessories as attested by Fancy Fleur’s Nadia, since they can be hazardous if a child swallows them accidentally.
The choice of fabric is also important and softer materials are usually picked. For Fancy Fleur, their accessories are made from felt as it’s a soft material that is safe and comfortable for newborns and children. She also prefers felt as there’s less sewing involved and the colours are more neutral. All That Baby prefers using knit cotton for some of their accessories. “I did a lot of research on the types of fabric and I chose high quality knit cotton which is comfortable. I don’t compromise on quality.”
Sereni & Shentel’s best sellers for baby and children’s accessories are baby bow clips and boys’ Eton bow ties which are available in a whole range of colours and designs. The brand also caters for newborns all the way to grandmothers and grandfathers, with a huge selection for anyone at any age.
The “mini-me” fashion is also a big trend, where mothers dress their children in scaled-down versions of their outfits. “The trend now for baby and children’s accessories is matching mother and child sets. Overseas, babies wear big bows. Some Malaysians buy it for their children but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. I have designs in smaller as well as bigger bows,” says Farhanah of Mayya’s Button.
Sereni & Shentel is also big on this trend, expanding into shoes to match the adults. “We come up with new collections every month so there will always be new items customers can purchase for the child who has it all. Our latest product are girl’s shoes to match our adult Sereni & Shentel x Cipela shoes so mum and daughter can wear matching outfits from head to toe!” added Shentel. Recently, Fancy Fleur Studio also collaborated with local children brand Petit Playground to create matching headbands for their Raya clothes. They have also done custom-made accessories for a mother-and-daughter duo.
To keep in trend, Fancy Fleur’s Nadia likes to create headbands based on the current year’s Pantone colours. In the course of her business, Farhanah also noticed something interesting about how children react to their accessories. Newborns are usually fine with wearing accessories but toddlers aged 10 to 12 months tend to find it annoying and will try to take them off.
Once they hit two years old, when they accept compliments on how nice they look they will like wearing accessories again. When it comes to inspiration, All That Baby’s owner Bet likes to scan through sites like Etsy and Google or photos of celebrities’ children for inspiration. This includes Harper Seven Beckham, the daughter of David and Victoria Beckham, who inspired their knotted bow headband.
All That Baby
Fancy Fleur Studio
You can find Fancy Fleur Studio on the shopping app Shopee.
www.instagram.com/fancyfleurstudio
https://www.facebook.com/FancyFleurStudio/
Mayya’s Button
You can also find Mayya’s Button at Babytots@play which has branches in Subang Jaya, Kota Kemuning, Bukit Jalil and Klang.
www.instagram.com/mayyasbutton
https://www.facebook.com/mayyasbutton/
Sereni & Shentel
