Pili Pala Blog
Thursday 03 May 2012
For the last 8 months Pili Pala has been working out of a little shop called Bro-Mor in Aberystwyth. As well as stocking Pili Pala organic childrens clothes Broc-Mor also stocks a small range of gifts, cushions and jewellery. A customer recently told me that our shop is like a sweet shop for adults. That made me smile. As the horror stories on yet another high street shop closing down continue, I am pleased to say that our little shop so far is doing ok. As mentioned, it is only a small shop, but the local people of Aberystwyth and the tourists that visit seem to like us being here and we in turn are ever so grateful for their custom. As much as I embrace the age of shopping on-line, there is still something irreplaceable about coming into a little independent shop. It usually smells nice (depending on type of shop of courser) and staff aren't afraid to say hello and actually offer to help. Broc-Mor likes to offer little extras as well...for example gift wrapping and personalised gifts at no extra charge. Love and attention is constantly given, ensuring that stock looks fresh and caters to our customers needs and wants. This makes a difference. The need for people to shop local has never been more pressing in some ways and with out local support little Broc-Mor just couldn't survive. However, local support must also be earned..we can't just throw a pile of rubbish on the shelves and expect people to buy it... careful chosen stock of good quality for a fair price and first class service is demanded by our customers and rightly so. If not, be prepared to lose out to Google.
0 Comments | Tags: organic kids clothes, Pili Pala,
Wednesday 08 February 2012With a little help from Comins Coch School, Pili Pala won the stand out competiton at this years Bubble, London trade show. The prize? A bigger stand for free @ Bubble's June show! Thanks Bubble! We better get busy designing a new collection for June! Looking forward to going back. Gosh...right...back to work!!
0 Comments | Tags: organic kids clothes, Pili Pala,
Friday 13 January 2012Judging by the date of our last Blog entry, I need to start off with an apology for leaving it so long! I suppose in many ways its a good sign. Pili Pala has been busy!! 2011 proved to be a year of growth and change and I am really proud of what we have achieved since starting the company two years ago.
So what's on the cards for Pili Pala Childrenswear 2012? For starters, we are kicking off the new year with a new collection! Our Fifth collection sees the return of our trademark stripes! Now two versions are available: thin stripes in red and grey organic cotton jersey, plus our chunky stripes in our beloved organic velour in new shades of blue and light blue. We are also really excited to introduce organic cross weave in shades of red and blue, plus very cute organic gingham! Not to mention some AMAZING Welsh merino wool slippers! New styles include button front dresses and dungarees as well as besting selling jumpsuits being continued. The result? A very special collection that offers consumers and retailers more choice. And I didn't even mention that we still manufacture everything in a beautiful converted farmyard led by the fab Bob and Lynne! Gosh...Pili Pala rocks! I can say that can't I??? In a humble way! :) Seriously though folks...thanks for making 2011 so great. Your support and belief in our beautiful clothes makes me all the more determined to prove that 2012 will be even better!
0 Comments | Tags: organic kids clothes, Pili Pala,
Monday 13 June 2011 This one goes out to all you little girls out there! Pili Pala would like to introduce our new girlie girl dresses! Our brand new bluebell print makes its mark on our loveable so soft pink organic long sleeved dresses...perfect for everyday casual wear. We have also introduced our beloved bird and bird houses print to this season's shade of organic teal. Both dresses feature our signature chocolate brown trim...just enough to give it that Scandinavian edge we are so fond of! Team these organic girl dresses up with sandals, trainers or indeed barefoot for summer fun and when the weather isn't playing ball...a pair of Pili Pala leggings will do just nicely thank you!
As always...Pili Pala is passionate about how are clothes are made. These dresses along with all our garments are made and designed in Wales with love. Here's to lazy summer fun ahead!
0 Comments | Tags: organic dress, pili pala,
Thursday 19 May 2011
Well folks its that time of year when Pili Pala likes to stretch our legs and dust the winter cob webs off our shoulders! We are getting ready to hit the road! First stop...the Royal Welsh Spring Fair this weekend 21st and 22nd May. The Royal Welsh is located in an otherwise sleepy town known as Builth Wells...in Mid Wales..most famous for The Royal Welsh Show held every summer. The Spring Fair is a smaller affair but is a fun day out for the whole family...especially if the sun is shining! Fingers crossed! This year Pili Pala will be tagging on to the Green Horizons Exhibition located in the Montgomery Pavilion and we are really excited!! We love doing these type of shows. It is such a great way to personally meet your customers, get great feedback and make new friends and contacts!
It goes with out saying that our lovely organic childrens clothes will be going with us! Our sunny organic T's, dresses and cosy velours all essentials for this time of year bring colour and fun to such events and we can't wait!
Wish us luck and hope to see you there!
xx
0 Comments | Tags: organic kids clothes, Pili Pala,
Tuesday 08 March 2011Sara Cox loved our blue/brown bubble hem dress her daughter Renee had and is passing on the Pili Pala love to friends! Sara recently tweeted; “I loved the dress. Thank you. Tho she sprouted out of it pretty quickly. It will be passed on to friends if that’s cool?” Yes...please pass it on Sara! Pili Pala is made for sharing!
0 Comments | Tags: organic dress, pili pala,
Wednesday 19 January 2011
It is that time of year for Pili Pala when we are getting ready to launch our new collection for trade. Needless to say it is an exciting but stressful time for us. Our new collection usually makes a début at a trade show and for the 3rd time running, this trade show will be Bubble, London. The lead up to this event is quite immense. Not only does it not come cheap, but there is always a fear that no one will like the collection or almost worse no one comes to the stand! Its kind of like having one those anxiety dreams where you turn up to an event with no clothes on! No??? Maybe that's just me then!
Putting fears of not turning up dressed aside, I am really proud of our new collection. For the first time ever, Pili Pala will be introducing pink into a collection. If you have followed our previous collections then you will understand that this is BIG news ! Now for all you pink haters out there...don't worry...trust me...we wouldn't just do ordinary pink would we???!
In case you are a retailer reading this...short orders will be available on the new collection, which means for all you shoppers out there and providing the buyers like the new collection (fingers crossed!) you will be able purchase this wonderful new PINK stuff this spring / summer!
Retail bit again: We will be at Bubble, London on the 30th & 31st January, stand VD4. Come see the PINK stuff!!
Wish us luck!!!
Ps. If you are new to Pili Pala...Pili Pala specializes in organic kids clothing all made by wonderful hard working people in Wales!
0 Comments | Tags: organic kids clothes, Pili Pala,
Thursday 18 November 2010
We’re getting ready for Children in Need
day tomorrow! We have spotty outfits and
spotty cakes all ready for our fundraising efforts with Pudsey and Blush. We
even have some spotty teddy ears which look really quite attractive!
The welfare of children is naturally very close
to our hearts here at Pili Pala Childrenswear so we’re really looking forward
to getting involved and raising some money for children’s causes here in the
UK.
So, what do you have planned? Sponsored silence? A fancy dress party? A bake off?
Let us know what you’re planning and keep sending in your photos. We’d love to see what you get up to, the most
innovative fundraising efforts and how much you manage to raise for this worthy
cause.
Most important of all though is to make
sure you dig deep. Please take a minute
and visit the BBC’s Children in Need web
page and, if possible, please make a donation.
0 Comments | Tags: Children in Need, Pili Pala Childrenswear,
Tuesday 05 October 2010We’re
busy collecting conkers this week. We
spend ages scavenging through leaf litter under the huge Horse Chestnut trees
to find the spiky green balls. Minding
our fingers we carefully peel back the prickly shell to reveal the brown shiny
seed. It’s one of the great joys of autumn! We don’t know about you, but we also love
wandering through the woods, collecting bright orange leaves to make collages
and running through the puddles of leaves everywhere. When the rain stays away, it’s a great time
to be outside don’t you think?
So,
back to conkers. We’re out and about
searching for the biggest, fattest ones. We then line them up and select our
best ones ready for a conker battle. By
the way we’re not allowing any sneaky tactics involving vinegar dunking or nail
varnish to harden them! We’ve just been making a hole through the middle(ish)
and threading shoelaces through them before going for gold and taking it in
turns, walloping each other’s until someone wins! Great fun!
Go
on, send us your conker battle photos to news@pilipalachildrenswear.com
0 Comments | Tags: Conkers, pili pala, childrenswear, organic,
Friday 24 September 2010The nights may be drawing in and
there may be a nip in the air but the call of the great outdoors has never been
louder. With piles of leaves to run
through and shiny brown conkers to collect it’s a great time to pull on some
wellies and get out there! Building a
den or playing hopscotch on the pavement - hurtling around in the fresh air gets
the blood pumping and blows away the cobwebs!
Playing outdoors is hugely
beneficial to the physical and mental health of children of all ages yet
there’s increasing evidence that we’re doing less of it. We’re therefore lending our support to the
Love Outdoor Play campaign – a great initiative which encourages people to get
together within their communities and look for ways in which we can all help
children play outdoors safely.
Daniel Raven-Ellison, one of the
Love Outdoor Play’s organisers explains the aims of the campaign: “We are asking people to take a very simple action.
Make or get a Love Outdoor Play sticker and put it up where you live or work.
Research shows that in many communities we’re afraid of what other parents will
think of us if we let our kids out to play or walk to school. By putting a
sticker up you not only show that you support outdoor play but can start a
conversation about how play can be improved for children where you live”.
So,
come on, get involved, sign up,
make a sticker and get out there and explore!
0 Comments | Tags: Pili Pala, organic, Love Outdoor Play, clothing, ,
Tuesday 21 September 2010Win! Your name on the door! We’re thrilled that Inc, our fantastic local bookshop in Aberystwyth, has kindly provided the prize for our competition.
In addition to a wide range of books, Inc also has a fantastic range of Welsh gifts - from slate frames and handcrafted notebooks through to trendy mugs and screen printed tea towels, there’s something for everyone! Check out their website or call in to see Angharad and the team at the shop on Bridge Street, Aberystwyth.
For your chance to win a name plate from a wide range of shapes, and with the name of your choice, simply send your name and the name of your child to us at news@pilipalachildrenswear.com by the 30th of September.
Good luck!
0 Comments | Tags: Inc, Competition, Pili Pala, organic,
Friday 17 September 2010
Apple
chutney. Baked apples. Apple
bobbing. Apple pie. Apple juice. Cider! The autumn is a fantastic season. One of our
favourite activities is going out and collecting apples from a friend’s
garden. We’re lucky that we go out with empty baskets and bags and come
home with a bountiful harvest of apples – almost too many to know what to do
with!
Of all the things we could do
with our autumnal treasure, our favourite is crumble. Soft, juicy tangy apples topped with
the deepest, crunchiest topping. We
then add a generous dollop of cinnamon cream on top. Scrummy!
Drooling yet? If
the thought of our big bowl of crumble is causing you to search for your
wellies and a bag for your apple collection then we can save you some time in
searching for a recipe and strongly recommend Jamie Oliver’s crumble and our cinnamon
cream. We sometimes throw
in some blackberries if we’ve been lucky enough to find them (or clever enough
to freeze some from our earlier hedgerow shopping trip!). To make our cinnamon cream simply mix
together 150ml of whipping cream with a teaspoon of powdered cinnamon and a
tablespoon of icing sugar. Serve
with the crumble and we bet that you’ll be in apple heaven!
If you’re looking for suitable clothing for your kids to keep warm
and cost on your apple hunt then our velour hooded top and velour jumper are both great with their handy
pockets for hiding the extra apples!
0 Comments | Tags: apples, autumn, pili pala, organic childrenswear,