kico snapshot: Geoff Barrenger

Geoff Barrenger is a man on the go. The talent behind most kicokids campaigns has been all over the world capturing the essence of inspirational women’s collections.
With a large map on his wall, he pins all the places he has been. So what place is next for him? Check out the kicokids news page to find out, along with more on Geoff Barrenger.

kico snapshot: Mindi Smith

Mindi Smith may be considered a superhero in her own right. As a stylist, she has brought us brilliant images that bring clothing to life. Her work has been featured all over the world, however she considers the ‘lively’ and always inspiring city of New York home. Mindi continues to show us exploratory images in the children’s market while working with women’s wear as well. Go to our our news page to get to know more about Mindi Smith…

kids in kico

This aspiring princess, Eva is a part of the kicokids family. Eva likes to spend her days with mom, Abby, our Account Executive and brother Elijah. We sat down with our latest kid in kico to ask her a few questions…

kico snapshot: Ken Kinzie and April Riehm

There is a sky full of sunshine outside this duos Orlando based studios. Inside, Ken Kinzie and April Riehm style and photograph a winter wonderland with fake snow and cozy clothes, including some our FW11 favorites.

kico storefront: Juice

Meg Moore dreamt to bring the sophistication and quirky garments of the big city to the south. This ‘Playful, Multifarious, and Vibrant’ store as Meg, owner of Juice describes it, is working on its’ fifth year representing high quality brands such as kicokids in a town called Hartsville, South Carolina. With fall/winter on the shelves, Meg gives us a tour of Juice and answers some questions.

kico snapshot: Payton Turner

Payton Turner, the talent behind Flat Vernacular, combines the use of stickers and hand painted watercolor illustrations into an interior masterpiece of digitally printed wallpaper. This talented and inspirational young lady has kept a playful and childhood spirit in her day to day with her work, but what was Payton like when she was a little girl? Payton took some time with us to answer some questions…

PlayLOVEPop

This past summer, two global fashionistas came together to create PlayLOVEPop, the ultimate travel pop-up. PlayLOVEPop’s purpose is to bring a handpicked selection of fashionable children’s brands from across the globe, together in a unique environment where Fashion meets Art meets Crafts—and we must say they do a great job at it!

Kicokids proudly collaborates with Anthropoloigie:

So excited to be recently featured on one of our favorite fashion/trend sites WGSN!
Kicokids and Anthropologie collaborate to create a charming capsule collection for girls ages 2-6 for holiday 2011.

kico snapshot: Ritsuko Hirai

Japan born illustrator, Ritsuko Hirai is the talent behind the kicokids illustrations. From her translation of children’s quotes into playful images to our ‘doggie bags,’ Ritsuko’s youthful presence can be seen across the world. In celebration of our Fall Winter 12 ‘smarty quote’ competition, Ritsuko takes a minute with us to tell us more about herself…

SS12 Press Days

Resuming festivities during market season, Tia presented the kicokids Spring Summer 12 Collection to press in the comforts of our Chelsea showroom. Stylists, bloggers and editors joined us by the fire place as we celebrated good company and a new season of quirky and innovative children fashions.

kico snapshot: Amanda Pratt

This season we soared to new heights, working with photographer Amanda Pratt on a whimsical photo-shoot with cardboard hot air balloons, fences and sailboats. Amanda, a mother of two and photography extraordinaire shares with us some fun facts about herself.

Playtime Tokyo

We have traveled across the world, playing around with some of the best fans one could ask for. Playtime has taken us from Paris to New York and most recently to one of the most vibrant cities in the world, Tokyo!

kid in kico

Summer nights in the big apple are the perfect time to spot fashionistas. Sophie shows us her beach dress while going out on the town in New York City! So simple yet chic…

kids in kico

It may not exactly have been raining cats and dogs, but New York’s cloudy skies showed us a decent amount of rain this past weekend. This did not stop Ava, who recently celebrated her birthday from going outside and showing off her new kicokids clothes!

Pop-up

While we have been focused on Market season at our offices, our Sassy Swans popped up in Korea to show off our SS11 collection at the Galleria!

Playtime New York

Right in the heart of the beautiful Soho, the kicokids team came together for Playtime New York this past weekend. We were excited to see new and past friends who shared with us the launching of our SS12 collection in New York.

Photo-shoot

Today we were delighted to have Sarah Conroy in our showroom. Sarah is one of our frequent stylists and friends who we work with at kicokids. We were delighted to hear news of a past shoot she had worked on with photographer, Mei Tao.

kico snapshot: Alysha Caine

We are excited to share with you our latest addition to our News Page; kico snapshot! We thought what better way to share with you, our followers, the amazing people that help pull everything together!

Playtime Paris

Playtime Paris has past and we had a blast! Presenting our SS12 collection, Tia, Donna and Laura give us an inside look of all the quirky and fun findings that Paris and Playtime had to offer…

kids in kico

Look at our latest kicokid, looking magical in her Two-in-one Flower Girl Dress

kids in kico

Look at these sisters sporting their kicokids! They are such fashionistas… if we didn’t know it, we would think this was an editorial! We are enjoying the graffiti background and how it compliments kicos langouste and dauphin colored leggings!

Chalkboard Pop-up

Anita Da Silva is not clueless when it comes to fashion. As a world traveler and fashion lover, her idea was to create a space that stimulates Chinese children’s imagination and encourages originality in China. As founder of Chalkboard, the first Shanghai based children’s store selling western designers, including kicokids she has done just that.

More recently, Anita ran a Chalkboard pop-up shop in Isetan, a department store in Shanghai. A neon sign reading Chalkboard glowed on a chalkboard wall, amongst playful lifestyle products and our DIY sailboat tee. Our slithering snake hangers presented the kicokids SS11 collection with our cereal boxes sitting beside our flapper dress. Anita’s style is magical in the eyes of adults and children alike!

kids in kico

Two kids in kico this time around has us super excited! These adorable and energetic twins are full of life.
Mona and Kais are not only wearing kico, they are wearing their Smarty Quote Tees as winners from our S/S 11 competition!
Hey Kais, Cheese is our favorite color too!!!

Olivia’s Birds Saving the Gulf

Eleven-year-old author and artist, Olivia Bouler has raised over $200,000 to help save birds in the Gulf of Mexico after the terrible oil spill in 2010 and was named 2011 Artist Inspiring Conservation by Audubon, amongst other things.

On June 11th, Moomah , one of the most inspiring children’s play-spaces in New York, along with Olivia and kicokids will be hosting creative time and book readings to celebrate Olivia’s Birthday and book tour.
To RSVP, please contact Moomah at (212) 226-0345

The event is 9 a.m.- 12 p.m. with 30 min. time slots. Any drawings donated at the event by children will go up for sale on kicokids and Moomah’s site. All proceeds will go to Olivia’s cause.

We at kicokids, are lucky to launch some of Olivia’s work on our site. With three pieces created especially for us, you can not help but fall in love with the energy and drive Olivia has to save the birds!

The MacDella Cooper Foundation

The MacDella Cooper Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to providing youth with an education and the basic necessities of food, clothing and shelter. Their goal is to give as many Liberian children as possible, the chance to escape the poverty cycle and grow in the nurturing environment of an MCF Academy.
We at kico, provided our aritist kits to the children of the MacDella Cooper Foundation. It is always a pleasure to see children enjoying the creative process. They are truly precious and we wish them hope and success for the future!

Look at our latest kid in kico Looking stunning for a birthday party in Kuwait!
We can’t help but love the pairing of our large gummy bead necklace with the smocked princess dress. She’s looking like a summer princess for sure! And is that yummy cotton candy in her hands? What a sweetie…

Ritsuko Illustrates

kico journeys to our Xiamen office with illustrator,Ritsuko Hirai where she brings our office to life!
Known for her quirky styling of our ‘smarty’ quote tee’s, Ritsuko transfers our office into a playful atmosphere. Whether it be her cartoon styling of a chandelier or her arrangement of flowers in a vase, these illustrate a simple form of sophistication to our workplace- not to mention all of our new friends; birds, dogs, even Mr. Kitty Cat reads to us a story. It is Ritsukos illustrations that transfer us into a world of make believe.

kids in kico

Working his “brise de mer,” Zhang Lei Xin Ran is full of color in his mix-matched colored ‘clown shirt’ and hat. It looks like he’s off to a day outside under the sun!

kico travels… to Chalkboard

Kitty and Tia explore Chalkboard in China! One of our favorite children’s boutiques and long time fan of kicokids, Chalkboard is a fun, bright, and creative store located in Shanghai. Kitty and Tia began their adventure by climbing up the neon pink stairs where owner of the boutique, Anita, welcomed them. They caught sight of the kicokids girl’s pastel hues for spring in Chalkboard’s window and were excited to see what else was inside. The ‘kicokids wall’ greeted Tia and Kitty as they entered the boutique. There were cute displays with quote tees and D.I.Y. tees in cereal boxes, and kicokids signature snake and head hangers were illuminated by big bright spotlights. Fun and creative spirit was flowing throughout the boutique, with a big chalkboard display and amazing props. kicokids accessories were uniquely displayed pouring out of a vintage accessories box and our pearl necklaces and headbands showcased in a cute jewel box. Unique lifestyle products, like Jess Brown dolls and Babar books, were arranged within a vintage suitcase. After much fun and exploration, Tia and Kitty rounded up their great day at Chalkboard.

The Elements

Earth, Wind and Fire are the elements that are conquering the online magazine, Babiekins; Issue 5.
Styled by one of our friends, Mindi Smith, our FW11 collection has been represented in new depth. Our illustrated patchwork cape blazes in the green grass symbolizing fire while our patchwork tutu dress is represented in soft hues inspired by earth.
It is in the FW11 season that you will have access to these elements and more!

kid in kico

What a bundle of joy! Cosimo, pictured in his kico is showing off his relaxed look and we love it! Mom says, “He loves the clothes, especially the cut out tees.”

Happy Easter!

On behalf of all of us at kicokids, we want to wish you a Happy Easter and April season. We do hope you have had a wonderful month as we look forward to a beautiful Spring!

kids in kico

We love to see kico around the world! Four year old Zhang Xin Ran shows off his kicokids from China. What a handsome young man!

Sample Sale

It is time… sample sale time! Surrounded by all those lovely sweets and savory treats of Chelsea Market, come join us for a kicokids sample sale! On Tuesday April 19- Thursday April 21, 10 am- 7 pm drop by for a selection of kicokids products, including Fall/Winter, Spring/Summer product and some amazing accessories! It’s always nice to take a little break, so we highly recommend dropping by one of the many delicious food marts for fresh fruits, veggies, seafood and many more!
We hope to see you there!

Lucky kids Tell a Tale

In the first edition of Lucky kids, kicokids Two-in-one Flower Girl Dress is worn in a tale entitled, “Liesl of the Woods.” It is a story about a boy named Ben who has an imaginary friend, Liesl. Ben goes into her home, a tree. Here the trees grow so tall that you can not see the sky. Liesl, had never seen the sky before, so Ben invites her to his home. As the tale concludes, Liesl wears her kicokids dress as she views the sky for the first time. The perfect reflection to our dauphin blue..

kico travels to Beijing

With Spring in the air, kico takes us on an adventure. Traveling to Beijing this past week, Tia Cibani and Kitty Pu nestled under the blooming Yulan magnolia’s and over-sized China red doors of the Cote Cour Hotel.
This charming hotel is tucked away deep into one of Beijing’s oldest districts, full of treasures and serenity. While off to view trade-shows, the ever so cool Beijingnese style was even visible on the roads which a floral printed Volkswagen Bug. Happy Spring!
Check out our facebook page to see more images from kico travels!

‘French Day’ for kids in kico

Far from our New York offices, in Kuwait children dressed in their french inspired clothing for ‘French Day’ at school.
Sophisticated and chic pairings of our accessories; fish print kerchief and crochet beret added for a super french look with a mix and match pairing of stripes and checks from our SS11 collection.
For this handsome man, we adore his pairing of our fedora sun hat and check henley.
Check out our facebook page for more looks from this event!

Thank you kicokids Kuwait for these amazing images!

Lil’ Miss Stache

It was just another Tuesday afternoon in the office when we had the pleasure to have stylist Mindi Smith and her daughter Marley come join us in viewing the FW11 collection.
Marley, a fashionista herself as seen in the Itsy Factor, drew us images of a princess named ‘Oliver.’ Seen here in the picture, she shows our mustache bow-tie off. We can’t wait to see how she will style up some kicokids!

Whimsical Photo-shoot

On a chili Saturday morning in the East Village of New York, our friends photographer Amanda Pratt and stylist Katelyn Mooney combined the designs of kicokids with several scenes depicting a dream-like state for our FW11 collection.
Clouds, raindrops, sailboats and hot air balloons are just a few of the things that were magically created by Sara Foldenauer using recycled cardboard pieces. Stylist Katelyn Mooney did what she does best and mixed and matched different elements from the collection to add volume and play with color giving it a more modern and hip twist.
Behind the scene images including photographer Amanda Pratt and Creative Director of kicokids, Tia Cibani are seen above. Additional pictures can be viewed on our facebook page as well as a video on our youtube channel!
Special thanks to everyone that was apart of this shoot. It would not have been what it was without you!

kids in kico

On a trip to The Nutropolitan Museum of Art, these adorable siblings got on their kico best to discover the world of peanut butter. Ellie and Edward- two cute lil peanuts!

Sailing into Spring

The weather outside may not be bright and sunny all over the world, but with spring right around the corner, it is time to think about those upcoming holidays. For April’s edition of UK’s Junior Magazine, we prepare ourselves to hit the ocean blue with a bit of sailing as they show off some of our seasons must haves!

Playtime New York

This past weekend, our kicokids team snuggled under a lovely Soho venue for Playtime New York. Although the weather was gray, we enjoyed all the bright smiles that came by to greet us and view our upcoming Fall/ Winter 2011 Collection.
Upon entry, we were greeted by a pop-up shop filled with respected children’s products by other vendors showing. Some of our selects from our Spring/ Summer 2010 collection along with our gummy boots and artist kits were some of the products featured.
Trend spaces of quirky and fun themes including ‘In the Human Body’ by Joshua Ben Longo and ‘In Between Dream and Reality’ by Matthew Speedy which we took part in, combined fashion with art for some unexpected stops.
kid’s wear also made an appearance with photographer, Adrian Crispin snapping shots of passer by’s and vendors in a massive scarf for a project entitled, “Knit Your Image.”

kids in kico

Whether she’s all dressed up or more casual with our simple yet chic pearls, we absolutely adore Sophie’s look with kicokids. Beautifully pictured spending time with her sister and others, even Creative Director, Tia Cibani, we are so pleased to see those gorgeous smiles, the perfect accessory to any look!

kids in kico

It was a beautiful spring last year, and 3.5 year old, Rachel Lee embraced her kicokids in the park. Mom says, “She likes to dress up everyday but wants to be comfortable at the same time. Kico makes mom and baby happy!”
We can’t wait to see what you pick out for Rachel this year… Spring is after all just around the corner!

In the neighborhood…

Not to far from our showroom, My Little Sunshine, our neighborhood children’s boutique shows off kicokids in their store windows!
With the sunshine creeping out and spring in the air, these windows reflect the bluest of skies and the happiness that comes with the coming season!
Location:
177 9th Avenue
New York, NY

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Today we want to wish everyone a very Happy Valentine’s Day from all over the world! Above, Simone, a 5 yr old girl drew us a beautiful heart all the way from our China offices. Thank you Simone!

kico travels… around the neighborhood for Valentine’s Day

Just up the street from our New York offices sits the Chelsea Market. With a wide range of delicious food options from seafood to fresh veggies, books and more; Chelsea Market is a popular spot to grab a bite to eat or gather your groceries.
For today, we took a walk through the market to see what they had for this lovable holiday. With yummy treats to oh so sweet cards, we have to say, “Happy Valentine’s Day Chelsea Market. We love you!”
Check out our facebook page for all of our favorites!

Happy Chinese New Year!

Here at kicokids we wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year! One of our favorite illustrators, Ritsuko Hirai, created this super sweet drawing to celebrate the year of the rabbit! You can see more of Ritsuko’s illustrations on our quotable tee’s when our shop goes live later this month!

Behind the Scenes

Playful music and delectable cupcakes was just a sampling of the sweetness in our New York studio this past weekend. For our Fall/Winter 11 photo-shoot we set up with creatures from the forest and a touch of antiques to create a mood of the classic tale, “Oliver Twist.”
Our studio was filled with smiles off stage; while on, we got serious! Handsome looks with suspender accessories and lots of layers kept the boys interested as they discovered all the little details. While girls enjoyed tutu skirts and patchwork prints.
Check out additional pictures on our facebook page!
Photography by Geoff Barrenger.
Styled by Tu Ly.
Makeup and Hair by Yuko Takahashi.

kico travels…to London

We couldn’t help but snap some shots from our trip to London to present our Fall/Winter collection at High Road House. With weather perfect for venturing out, we explored the charming area of Chiswick. Whether it was the antique store presenting the letters of the alphabet or eating some hearty breads at Gail’s for a morning pleasure, this neighboorhood made us feel right at home.
For a look at our adventures, go to our facebook page!

Check us out in Milk!

In the latest Special Edition Milk Magazine, kicokids presents it’s SS11 collection amongst other children’s wear brands world wide.

Kicokids sails to the coast of Brittany for Spring/Summer 2011. Inspired by the classic French seaside uniform of the sailor on the dock, the kids at kico render utilitarian classics playful and poetic.

Check out our facebook page for full spread. Become a fan or sign up to our mailing list to keep posted on when you can get your very own piece of Brittany in the coming weeks!

Volume Control for Junior

Across the jolly blue ocean, in a land called United Kingdom, kicokids hits the stands with Junior Magazine. Whether under the water with our favorite hooded trench coat or volumized with our two-in-one flower girl dress, the vibrant colors prepare us for the spring months coming ahead.

Check our facebook page for additional images or your local newsstand to get a copy for yourself and keep an eye out for our webstore to get your very own kicokids look!

A kico artist…

While we were all preparing for market, it was nice to enjoy the company of Simone at our Xiamen offices. Excited to pull out her paints and start on a little project of her own, we watched our white walls turn into a beautiful piece of art. Here she is starting on her very own graffiti wall.

kids in kico

Happy February from kicokids!
Although our city streets here at our offices keep us wearing our wellies, there’s something refreshing about our kico kid of the month, four year old Amelia as we look back on her first day of school. With her big blue eyes and youthful smile, it keeps us looking forward to the coming seasons. It is images like this that bring a form of sunshine upon our offices!

Around the World with kico

As we got out our luggage and packed up our samples, we ventured around the world to show you kicokids. It is trade-show season!

As we prepare to send out and get our spring/ summer on our online store, we are already preparing you for next winter. Starting with New York, we went to ENK this past week with a great deal of supporters and beautiful smiles. We were thrilled to show in our very own city. With a couple days between we gathered up our collection and prepared ourselves for the streets of Paris for Playtime.

Bringing in the last days of January, we got to the city of love, the perfect place to show you what we love, our fall/winter 11 collection! We were surrounded by Liberty balloons, hanging dip-died dolls, scrumptious macaroons, hot chocolate and flowers in bloom. Images can be viewed on our facebook page!

On behalf of all of us at kicokids, we thank you for coming to visit with us and your continued support!

Forest Kingdom

With quirky animals that range from frogs and monkeys to bears and giraffes, Forest Kingdom brings us a twist on socks we typically need while walking around.
Handcrafted by Laluu and a group of friends, each sock doll is unique, some with bold stripes and oversized eyes, while others embrace large smiles and tall ears. These socks don’t come in a pair, rather are all a statement of their originality, with materials meticulously selected by their designers.
Here at kico we say, “Don’t leave without your socks!"

kids in kico

A handsome bow-tie for the sweetest little gentleman. This photogenic young man, 10 month old, Jun Hyuk Kang shows kico at its most innocent.

Festive in the Office

This year, there are several things to be thankful for including our new offices! Kitty, kicos’ Managing Director gets festive while decorating for the holidays!
One thing we are looking forward to sharing with you is our expansion to blogging, twitter and facebook! Here, you will be able to stay posted with up to date news, at home projects, special offers, you name it…we will have something going on as the year progresses.

Happy Holidays!

Wishing everyone a very happy holiday season from all of us at kicokids!

For each holiday season, we make a donation to Barbara Matthews. This holiday we sent over some cozy wool capes for the girls to snuggle up in and our activity tees for the curious boys. We couldn’t help but send some kicokids aritist’s kits as well. I mean, they are an essential for the classroom! We hope they enjoy their gifts, and to everyone a Happy Holiday Season!

Spring Summer 2011 Photoshoot

Slithering Yellow Octopuses with green polka dots! Giant Red and Pink Lobsters! White-toothed Sharks! The kicokids studio was turned into an under the sea wonderland by Twisted Balloon Company’s Todd Neufeld.
Creating everything from Balloon lighthouses to flounders, he was able to bring magic to our Oceanside theme.
It was so much fun that even Creative Director, Tia Cibani, got into the act!

Todd Neufeld has been featured on the Late Night with David Letterman, The Today Show and has entertained at special White House events. To find out more about Todd or to book him for your event please visit Twisted Balloon Company.
Photography by Geoff Barrenger.
Styled by Tu Ly.

kids in kico

Introducing our new kico “kid of the month”. Parents, Aunts, Uncles and Grandparents, send us your favorite kid rocking their kicokids’ fashion. Each month we’ll select the best of the bunch to be featured on the kicokids news page. And don’t forget to check back. Not featured this month? We’ll do our best to include your favorite kico-kid in the months to come.

Our first kid in kico is Kate, a beautiful little girl that represents the spirit of kico. Half Korean, half Irish, she’s a true global soul!
She loves anything stripes and dots and her aunty purchased this kico look for her.

Don’t forget to sign up for our mailing list so you can be included in our other fun contests and receive notifications for all our sales and events.