The story behind
Are you curious about who we are and the story behind Witlof for kids? This is a summary of a number of interviews we had with bloggers, magazines and on TV, in which we answer these questions.
Who are you?
We are Jolanda and Milou. Jolanda worked as a Communication Manager for a large International and Milou has her own hair salon. The birth of our kids and the fact that we missed certain products in this area, have inspired us to start our own company Witlof for kids. We had no experience at all in designing, so when we decided to start Witlof for kids it was a huge shot in the dark. Both in the area of designing as well as running a business that develops, designs, produces, and promotes its own products.
Why did you choose the name Witlof for kids?
We had 3 pages with names, among which ‘With love for kids’. Because we wanted the sound of our Dutch roots in it, we decided to choose Witlof for kids. It sounds the same, but Witlof in Dutch means Chicory, which is a very healthy vegetable.
What makes your company unique?
Our promise to consumers:
We listen
And create
Witlof ♥
Because we are both moms and we love practical and beautiful things, we have a fairly good feeling what could be done differently or better in regards to quality, style or ease of use. In addition, we work closely with parents and children to test our plans and ideas. With the feedback we received from hundreds of moms, dads and kids we were able to launch our first collection in the beginning of 2016.
How did you come up with Tuck-Inn?
We both hated to make a baby bed and a high sleeper because it was such an effort to do so. For many years we’ve had the idea to start a business in sleep, care and play products for children. In 2015 we finally dared to take this step. By adding elastic corners on one side of the bedding, it is so much easier to make a bed. And… children cannot kick loose the bedding.
What plans do you have for the future?
We have many plans for the future! We have many ideas ourselves, but we get more and more requests from customers to develop certain products. This is why we’ve launched our changing pad covers and the Tuck-Inn bassinet and junior bedding. The coming months and years we will further expand our collection with new products, colours, concepts and designs.
If anything would be possible, what do you see as the biggest developtment for Witlof for kids in five years?
That we will have made a lot of progress in the area of sustainability and a big expansion abroad.
As a ‘young’ label, how do you become visible between all of the other (established) brands?
As a starter, it is very difficult to stand out among all of the other (larger) brands. By being unique, by surprising people with our products, and by treating customers the same way we ourselves would like to be treated, we’ve been noticed by retailers and customers and received a lot of positive feedback via social media.
Where do you get your inspiration?
Everywhere. As moms we know what we do and don’t find easy to use for our kids and what we do and don’t like. Looking around, doing a lot of research, translating beautiful images to designs for kids, and listening to what parents and children want. That’s what inspires us.
Do you also design the prints yourself?
For the design of our prints we work closely with a friend of ours. She processes our ideas to files that we can use for for example the printing of our fabrics.
Can you tell us a ‘did you know’…
We met each other in 2008 and had an immediate click, despite an age difference of 19 years (Jolanda is 50 now and Milou 31). Soon thereafter we got the idea to start a business together, someday… That dream has now become reality!
Interview at Hey Baby, on the Dutch channel RTL4