Designer Showcase
Baby Lulu
Baby Lulu designer Erin Murphy hasn't always been a children's clothes designer. At the age of four, she found her fashion muse while dressing her pet frogs. As she got older, she lost her interest in the frogs, but her dreams of fashion only grew. By the age of ten she abandoned her amphibian line and began sewing clothes for her niece and nephews.
Later, the Canadian designer took the big plunge, leaving behind her native British Columbia and headed for the U.S. fashion bastion: Los Angeles, CA. Murphy studied design in college and got her start working as a design assistant. Three years later, she made her fashion debut when her unique hand painted overalls hit local children's clothing stores. The success of Murphy's overalls inspired an L.A. clothing rep to pick up Murphy's line.
The results were impressive: within the first few weeks, Murphy had over seven thousand pieces to design, which she made by hand working out of her own apartment. The popularity of her product inspired Murphy to leave her job as a textile artist at a women's dress company and by 1992 she had her own line, Baby Lulu.
From there it was a fashion designer's dream. Within just a few months of opening, Murphy was swamped with orders from high-end clients like Nordstrom and L.A.'s Fred Segal, all eager to carry Murphy's adorable children's fashion. The success of Baby Lulu was so huge, Murphy's husband Leland quit his job and came on board to help with the production end of things.
But Murphy still wasn't happy.
For the designer, something was missing from the dull fabrics and baby fashion on the markets. Murphy wanted to create baby clothes "distinctive for...unique styling and original spirit," according to her website. To create this unique children's fashion canvas, Murphy turned to an old love for inspiration: painting. Combined with her background in textile prints, Murphy was able to channel her artistic edge and begin designing and producing her own custom fabrics.
It is these unique prints that give Baby Lulu its handmade, one-of-a-kind charm. Today, Baby Lulu caters to infants, toddlers, little girls, and has added the popular Pepper Toes line, distinctly created for little boy cupcakes.
But Baby Lulu designer Erin Murphy isn't stopping here. The innovative designer is expected to debut a Baby Cruise line in late October 2005, Lulu Girl, a casual girl line in November 2005, and has also launched a line of custom-made baby bedding, inspired by "flowers, antique bedding, and vintage wallpapers."
These new trends in children's fashion and specialty products ensure Erin Murphy has earned a permanent niche in child couture. We can't wait to see what she comes up with next!
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