Two childhood friends who launched a luxury childrenswear brand at home have seen it become a massive hit with children of A-list celebrities including P Diddy, Kylie Jenner and Snoop Dog.
Natasha Formoy and Chantelle Etienne, both 32, started House of Juniors as a sideline venture from Ms Formoy’s Bradford home three years ago, keen to create a successful children’s clothing brand alongside their full-time jobs as social workers.
The entrepreneurial duo joined forces with now head designer, Kamila Ogrodnik, 26, working together to develop the design for the brand, which is aimed at five to 16-year-olds.
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Before developing House of Juniors, Ms Formoy spent years researching the children’s fashion market worldwide, visiting trade shows in Europe, and gaining insight into how rival brands have become so successful in the marketplace.
She built invaluable relationships at the trade shows, with suppliers from the manufacturer of fabrics to garment producers.
In 2018 House of Juniors was chosen to showcase products at Mini Mode, the official children’s runway at London Fashion Week.
On the back of the success on the catwalk, they were awarded a campaign with Harper’s Bazaar - a pivotal moment point for the duo.
The turning point for the designers came when the daughters of American rapper P Diddy posted an image of his twin daughters, Jessie and D’lila, wearing the brand’s signature fur coats on his Instagram.
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From that moment the brand skyrocketed, with a spike in sales and thousands of new followers on the House of Juniors’ Instagram.
The fashion entrepreneurs then reached out to other Hollywood A list stars such as Chris Brown, Snoop Dog and Kimora, who also posted photos and videos of their children wearing pieces of their fashion line.
More recently their girls’ pink fur coat was seen in Stormi’s wardrobe on a post on Kylie Jenner’s Instagram.
Ms Formoy said: ‘When we first started the brand, we had to convert the downstairs of my house into a workspace because we didn’t have the funds for a warehouse or office. At one point, every room in the house was overflowing with clothes.
“The demand for clothes has been insane since Diddy posted his daughter wearing one of our fur coats.
“The power of social media has been such an important part of creating awareness for our brand. It was surreal to see the clothes designed by two mums from Yorkshire being worn by the children of Hollywood celebrities.
“It was these posts that helped take the business to another level. The most surreal moment had to be when Kimora Simmons messaged us on Instagram, inviting us to work with her in LA.”
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Ms Etienne added: “We have seen our pink coat in Stormi’s wardrobe on Kylie’s Instagram and we are hoping it will make an appearance in this season of keeping up with the Kardashians!”
The celebrity endorsements have triggered rising sales around the world - mainly in the US, Europe, the Middle East and parts of Russia.
As with any business, Covid-19 has had a significant knock-on effect on the brand’s development and growth as the supply chain quickly ground to a halt.
However, the pandemic has given them the time to work on their third collection, which will be available to purchase soon.
Looking ahead, the firm has recently partnered with sports brand Puma on a design collaboration that will reach stores across the 海角视频, France, Germany, Ireland and the US, also involving children in the actual design process.
Further expansion in the US is also planned, as well as work towards having representation in large luxury retail stores such as Selfridges and Harvey Nichols.
Ms Formoy added: “It was a huge struggle when the pandemic hit as we didn’t have access to our suppliers based overseas. However, we have used the time wisely to develop the range and now there is light at the end of the tunnel.”