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Shopping trends from Smallable's Cecile Roederer
The founder of the online emporium for childrenswear, womenswear, toys and interiors on their origins and what’s new this season
Smallable was founded in August 2008, at which time I did not have any children. I did, however, see my sister and friends on the one hand struggle to find beautiful pieces for their children and on the other complain about having to run to four or five different shops on the weekend to find everything they needed. So I started to look around and, when I was looking online, I found great brands that were interesting in range but very fragmented and not widespread. Hence the idea of combining all of these beautiful products, handpicked from all over the world, and making them accessible to everyone. Today, our focus isn’t solely on children’s collections but the whole family. We select designers from fashion and decor sectors to offer a wide selection for the entire home. I like to describe Smallable as a Family Concept Store. Above all else, we love to discover, feel wonderment, and surprise our customers with brands that tell us different stories.
When we started, our fashion and design selection was aimed at children from birth to eight years old. Now, we have a much larger range. This season, children’s design trends have multiplied. For children’s bedrooms, we always love a display cabinet on which they can keep all of their favourite things, souvenirs or special items, like the very beautiful module shelf from Gassien or a shelf from La Chance. Colour-wise, dark green is the new charcoal, we’re seeing it everywhere! From bed linen to curtains, to paint and cushions. You can find it in brands such as Camomile London, Garbo and Friends, La Cerise sur le Gâteau and also in little touches with accessories from Maison de Vacances.
When it comes to toys, we find that parents are developing more of an ecological approach. Luckily, designers are responding to this demand by making pieces in an ethical way that is both responsible and respectful of the environment. Certain parents don’t hesitate when it comes to investing in beautiful pieces because they know that they’ll last a really long time. This is also part of our philosophy. Our aim isn’t to list all fashion, furniture, decor and design brands but only the most beautiful and the ones that are right for us.
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Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
We discover new brands while travelling, from exhibitions, on blogs and on social media. We keep our eyes open and look everywhere. Some brands also decide to get in touch with us. It’s one of the most stimulating facets of our business – unearthing new designers, falling in love with a certain artisan, fabrication method or creative approach that will really make a difference and fit in with the Smallable universe. Above all else, we work with brands we love, whether they’re big or small, known or unknown. We’re also proud to discover new talents to help their business take off, as well as working with timeless brands like Stella McCartney, with whom we created a capsule collection.
Today, we have over 700 brands, so you’ll find a mix of pieces that are classic and minimalist and others that are contemporary and bright. We’ve noticed that many of our customers like pieces that remind them of their childhood but with a modern touch. I think that it’s mostly about wanting beautiful and long-lasting pieces, which their children can pass down from sibling to sibling while fitting in with their interiors.
Each year, we release a Christmas toy catalogue in which we present all of our most beautiful toys. This season, our selection includes giant soft toys from BigStuffed, the Rocking Cloud from Maison Deux, and the sublime model elephant from Vitra, just to name a few. If you’re looking to buy a present for a child, wooden toys are a great timeless classic. Children of all ages also love teepees, it’s like their little secret hideout. We have beautiful models from Numero 74 and Nobodinoz. No matter the age, we all love a bit of fancy dress, bike riding or collecting soft toys like the ones from Main Sauvage. They’re as soft as they are beautiful and add a special touch to children’s bedrooms.
