The wonderful woman behind Wild Things!
Kirsty Hartley is the owner of Wild Things and the woman behind the fabulous print of our Rainbow Starburst carrier. Here we find out a bit more about what makes her tick.
Like myself, Kirsty Hartley is small business owner juggling her passion for her brand with bringing up her children. Labelled “The rise of the mumpreneur” it’s a trend that has really gained momentum with the number of self-employed women rising at nearly three times the rate of men and an estimated 300,000 'mumpreneurs' now contributing £7.4 billion to the economy each year.
They say necessity is the mother of all invention and Kirsty, mum to Ewan, Lila and Silva agrees – having been desperately seeking a “flexible, creative life balance" which her business now provides.
She said: "Following a career in fashion design, designing children’s clothing and products for major UK retailers such as Mothercare, I was challenged to continue a regular 9-5 position with the commitment of three young children and a long commute to work."
“It was during maternity leave for my youngest daughter that Wild Things was born. It turned out to be the perfect time to experiment and launch my own company."
Wild Things is a wearable, colourful, vibrant brand which makes dressing children fun. And Kirsty says her children are the inspiration behind that.
“My motivation is to continue to create things for children to inspire their imagination, but which provides quality and durability,” she said.
“But the products also appeal to parents who are style conscious, adventurous, and appreciate the artisan ethos of the brand.”
News of her beautiful clothing has spread through word of mouth, boosted by her online presence and keen eye for a good photograph. An image of her daughter modelling her popular mouse dress on her first day at school went viral and since then the range of printed fabrics has grown and led to her creating mini collections all using bold colours and distinctive imagery.
On top of all this, she has maintained a British business ethos – something that Sleepy Nico is also very proud of.
Kirsty said: “I am passionate about manufacturing in the UK. There is a huge base of skilled makers out there who were forced to diversify following the mass exodus of brands and the UK high street stores to produce cheaply and en masse overseas. I feel I am offering something different and with a little more heart and soul.”
That is certainly true about the incredible fabric she has supplied us with to create the Rainbow Starburst carrier – something she was thrilled to collaborate with us on.
She said: “I met Angeline at Meet the Manufacturer last May where I showcased Wild Things and we just clicked."
“Angeline loved the vibrancy of my prints and sense of fun in the clothing. We also both make in the UK so quality and workmanship is important to us both."
“We also both support the principals of babywearing – and I used a carrier with all three of my children – so I was thrilled to be asked to provide a print for Sleepy Nico.”
See more of Kirsty's gorgeous clothes at http://wildthingsdresses.com/
Rainbow Starburst is available at sleepynico.com