Last fall, we took a quick family road trip and on the drive back, Bart and I started chatting about starting a line of children’s products.
What initially began as a fun conversation to pass the time quickly morphed into a detailed discussion of the kind of dream brand we’d love to create.
Our girls are at such fun ages right now, full of curiosity and excitement for life, and we wanted a brand that could capture all the magic and adventure of childhood.
We discussed dozens of different options for what product would be right to launch this brand with, and we kept coming back to rain boots.
I love the bit of whimsy that rain boots inherently have, it’s super convenient that my girls can put them on and take them off on their own, and they’re so easy to wipe down after all sorts of adventures, from stomping in puddles to sandy beach days to playing in the sprinklers in the backyard.
Ten months later, we are preparing for the launch of London Littles in September and I could not be more excited.
I’ve never really done anything like this, and it’s been one of the most fun adventures of my life.
Bart and I have spent most of this year working on everything from packaging and logo design to prototypes, sizing, and patterns.
And when our first samples arrived, it was a magical moment.
It was the craziest thing to see this actual physical product after so much time figuring out colors, patterns, logo placement, sizing and all the other things that go into designing a product.
Even better has been watching our girls wear them on an almost daily basis since May, and seeing how much they love them and how cute they look with everything from little dresses to shorts and t-shirts.
Right now, as we get close to launching next month, it’s a flurry of figuring out packaging, having the required safety testing done (who knew this was even a thing for children’s footwear in the US?), and doing photo shoots.
It’s been a crazy ride so far, and it’s just getting started!
We’ve told very few people about it over the last year – just a few friends and family members that we asked to give feedback about different patterns and colors or help with the logo and packaging design – so you guys are some of the very first to know about London Littles. I’ve been dying to tell you and it feels like Christmas morning to finally get to share this with you!
You can follow along over on our Instagram account to see more sneak peeks (I am in love with the little pink polka dot boots!) and stay updated on our progress, plus we have some fun things planned over there for launch week! I won’t be posting much here about London Littles, so if you’re interested in seeing it all unfold, Instagram is the best place to follow along.
Mainly, I’m just over the moon at seeing this idea come to life, and I cannot wait to see other little kids wearing these darling rain boots for all their own little adventures.
Photos by Christie Knight
Laura says
Darling boots! I’ve been following the blog for a few years now and am excited to follow on your newest adventure. Congrats!
Janssen Bradshaw says
You are so nice! Thank you for your kind words – they mean a lot!
Helen Reynolds says
Wow! Congratulations! How did you make that happen in 10 months? I am so impressed and curious. Best of luck in your endeavors!
Janssen Bradshaw says
It’s basically been what we’ve spent every free moment and evening working on since last fall!
Anna says
Such cute rain boots! I have a two year old daughter and I think she will need these when they launch. Congratulations!
Janssen Bradshaw says
Thank you! We went through so many iterations of different patterns and I’m so pleased with the five we finally picked!
Taryn says
This is so fun and exciting for you guys! Congratulations. We are obsessed with rain boots over here, so I will definitely be getting some for my girls! This really was the perfect market to tap into.
Janssen says
Thank you so much! We are super excited about the whole project.
Kelsey says
Such cute designs! How small in sizes are they going to go?
Janssen Bradshaw says
They’ll go down to a size 5! (For reference, my two-year-old wears a size 6).
KT says
So cool! I love the names of the boots – I think we might need a pair of Darkest Peru in our house 🙂
Janssen Bradshaw says
We had so much fun coming up with them (and Darkest Peru is my favorite name of them all)!
Faye says
Cute! Will there be boy designs?
Janssen Bradshaw says
I think the navy blue pair and the red pair are pretty unisex (and even the yellow kite ones too!).
Emma says
I’m definitely eyeing off the little yellow ones for one of my boys!
Paige says
Oh my gosh! This is so so exciting Janssen! Can’t wait to see all of this unfold… and to buy a couple pairs for my kids! You’re amazing.
Janssen Bradshaw says
Thanks for always being the biggest cheerleader – you are the nicest.
molly says
Congratulations!! I’m so excited for you! They look ADORABLE. And my four munchkins are in need of new boots, so I can’t wait to buy some! xo
Janssen Bradshaw says
Thank you so much! I cannot wait for them officially launch!
Bethanie Garcia says
Sooooo excited for this!!!! ♥️♥️♥️♥️
Janssen Bradshaw says
You are the BEST! Thanks for all your help.
Jodi says
How Exciting! How great to be able to work on this project as a couple, and what a bonus to have an MBA husband, I’m sure that helps! I hope it all goes really well.
ellen patton says
Can you make them in “big girl” sizes for me?!?
Heather Cook says
They look amazing! So excited for you guys.
Beth says
These are darling! I had a two year old who spent a year in rain boots (almost froze his toes off at Salt Lake City for Christmas because his Texas- bred mom had no idea there was a difference between snow boots and rain boots and didn’t argue with him about his favorite footwear) and they do sum up a great part of childhood. Best wishes for the new venture!
Amber says
Congratulations on your new adventure! They look adorable!
Kylie says
Adorable! My boys love rainboots, so if you ever need any boy models, let me know! Love the Paddington Bear reference!
allison knab says
SO fun!!!