Children's clothing is a multi-million dollar business. Buugi Wear, which launched its first collection in August, is also looking to get a piece of the pie. It was created by two friends who were frustrated by the poor quality of modern fabrics.
Designer friends Jenna Kujanpää and Maria Hanhiniemi had known each other for years. During evening walks together, they began to think about what they would like to do when they grew up. Maria was on maternity leave and Jenna had just graduated from the University of Applied Sciences.
“We enjoyed sewing and shared our experiences. We soon realized how frustrated we both were with the sometimes poor quality fabrics of Finnish designer brands,” Jenna says.
The two began to feel like they could handle the job better themselves.
Through a fabric store to an urban children's clothing collection
Initially, the plan was to start a fabric store together. Soon, the idea of designing our own clothes came along.
– In the end, we decided to focus on one thing and do it properly. Children's clothing is booming, but we believe there is room in the market for a brand like ours, Maria sums up.
The first collection of streetwear brand Buugi Wear was released in August.
– We have been received better than we dared to hope for. From the feedback, we have noticed that mothers of boys in particular have been looking for something different, a little more urban, in our offerings, the entrepreneurs are delighted.
According to the entrepreneurs, all activities are guided by ethics. In addition to certified fabrics, quality is taken into account in careful design. The clothes are sewn in a small factory in Portugal.
Thanks to the vest, you can move around more
Maria and Jenna are full of praise for the business atmosphere in Seinäjoki. There are many types of sparring sessions available for budding entrepreneurs. At one of the events, they came across Liiver.
– We immediately thought that we had to look at that card. We received funding from Liiver, which enabled us to launch on a larger scale and with a credible look. Without support, we would not have been able to implement such extensive marketing packages, from photography to trade fairs.
Negotiations are currently underway with retailers, but announcements will have to wait for last-minute confirmations. Online shopping Sales are already underway.
Photo: Buugi Wear | Tuukka Kiviranta