BRAND NAME: Kapow Kids  

DESIGNER: Andrea Goulding

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN BUSINESS: 4 years

DESCRIBE KAPOW IN 3 WORDS: fun, quirky, different     

KAPOW IS ETHICALLY MADE IN CHINA & VIETNAM, HOW DID THIS COME ABOUT? Can you elaborate more? (working conditions, did you join an organisation, was it hard to find makers who were ethically made?)

I work with my production manager, Kristy, who is based in Sydney. She has been in the rag trade for many years and established good relationships with top factories in China and Vietnam.  I pay a premium price for my garments, but they are good quality, made ethically and made slowly by our 2 small factories, they're never rushed. Each range takes over 6 months to produce. My production manager has done all the hard work in sourcing my factories, she travels there to meet them regularly and ensures everything runs smoothly for my ranges.

WHAT WAS YOUR TIPPING POINT INTO MAKING THE BUSINESS EXPLODE?

I think maybe Instagram is what has caused KaPow to explode. I'm still quite small though, I know it can look big from the outside but honestly it's just me working from home. All the stock is at home in a spare room. I pack every order myself. I don't really want it to get too big because I can manage it easily. That's why I don't try to take on too many stockists now.

YOU HAVE A SERIOUS INSTAGRAM FOLLOWING (53K) WHAT ARE YOUR TOP 3 TIPS FOR BUILDING INSTAGRAM ORGANICALLY? 

1. Let your personality show through your posts. People love the brand but people also love engaging with another mum - I am a pretty down to earth person and I personally respond to pretty much every comment I receive on Insta; I think people love that they are talking to a real person.

2. Post every day, at a peak time when your audience is most likely to view your posts. For me I try to post after 7pm each day as thats when mums are usually free to sit down and look at their phone after the kids are in bed.

3. Encourage customers to post and tag you in their photos, use brand reps and enthusiasts to create content.  

THE KIDS CLOTHING MARKET HAS GROWN SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE LAST 2 YEARS IN PARTICULAR; IN YOUR OPINION WHAT HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THAT?

Yes it has. When I first had a baby (6 years ago) their wasn't much children's fashion around, or it was all quite the same and conservative. Fashion in Australia and worldwide has grown so much for kids - I think because of Instagram? Mums love dressing their kids up and showing them off on Instagram I think. Certain brands have achieved cult status and fashion loving parents want to be a part of the brand.  There is so much variety in clothing now and as a mum I love buying cool, independent brands for my 2 children, its a fun way to express their little personalities. 

Check out Kapow Kids Range for yourself here. 

Does your little one want to be a SuperCool Kid? They can with our new pop up shop "TheSuperCool Kid" dedicated to all things baby and toddler. Think ice cream printed drop crotch pants, tee pee rompers, leopard print pre-walker leather shoes, batman mask wall decals, flamingo wooden shelves, gold stripes bibs, hand made mini superhero rattles and more....

We have toys, gifts, interior ideas, clothing for up age 2, shoes, books and decorations as well as storage.

Location: South Melbourne Market (right next door to our existing shop within SO:ME Space) Enter from Cecil Street right near Simply Spanish and we're on the corner. 

Hours: Wed 8-4, Fri 8-5, Sat 8-4, Sun 8-4 

Duration: Launched Sat 26 September for a couple of months 

We are super excited that its time to defend our 2 winning titles from last years very successful Melbourne Market Awards.

We won the below awards:

Best General Merchandise Category in all Melbourne Markets 

Favourite Shop in all Melbourne Markets in all categories (woot woot!)

So this year, we are under a lot of pressure to do it all again! 

If you would be so kind as to vote, not only will you have an abundance of good karma, but you will go in the draw to win 4 x $500 vouchers to spend in the markets! (that's a lot of fruit & veges or $$ to shop with us!!) 

What you need to do to help us win! It takes around 2-3 mins to complete.

1. Go to this link.

2. Select Vote Now

3. Select "General Merchandise" category

4. Select "TheSuperCool"

5. Write your name, email, phone (optional) and postcode

6. Select how you heard about awards (vendor or social media)

7. Select if you wish to join their newsletter or not

8. Accept terms & conditions & submit 

THANKS SO VERY MUCH FOR HELPING US WIN!!! (we hope!)

Image design by the rad: James Gulliver Hancock 

We're super excited to be involved in the upcoming Sydney Finders Keepers Market. This market has grown to include more music, heaps of food options, craft, gifts, design and the best shopping around. PLUS, this year it falls on Mothers Day weekend. 

Where: Australian Technology Park Locomotive Workshop, Henderson Road, Eveleigh SYDNEY

When: Friday 8 May  6-10 pm Saturday 9 May 10-6pm Sunday 10-4pm 

Entry: $2 

You should totally pop by, as we don't take our mobile emporium to Sydney very often, so this is your best chance (except for making your credit card do some damage online) to see us in the flesh! 

See you there, Kate & Noonie 

Thanks to the Supergraph crew for looking after us. We had a ball meeting all the creatives out there. Here are the pics from our Pop Up.