pP: Hi Aaina! We're so excited to see the debut of Blu & Blue on the petitePARADE runway! Tell us why you started the brand and how long ago.

B&B: Thank you and we are equally excited to debut Blu & Blue on the petitePARADE runway! After several years of working in corporate marketing for luxury brands such as La Mer, Jo Malone in North America, I wanted to use my experience in building my own brand. With my family’s clothing business in producing premium denim clothing for past 35 years under private label, combined with my passion for fashion and the kids wear market, I knew this was meant to be. I wanted to utilize our resources and heritage from years of being in the business and bring our product expertise to our customers directly.

The best thing about us is there is no middle man involved. All our products are made in-house and shipped directly to our customers, thereby giving us complete control over our design, quality, as well as being able to provide better pricing.

With a vision to bring a fresh take on American classic denim clothing, I started Blu & Blue in December 2015. Since the brand launch a year and half ago, we have received a great response from everyone and our collections have been appreciated by our customers across all markets.

They love the softness of the fabrics and how well made the garments are. We love to get feedback from our customers and it makes our day when they have sold out on our collections! At Blu & Blue, our strength lies in our passion and commitment to deliver quality. This is reflected in the way we make our clothes, our design process, and the product safety tests and procedures we have in place for kids well being and comfort. We simply love what we do!

pP: Your materials and design are so unique. Where is it the collection made and what inspires your design process?

B&B: We produce our clothing in-house in our own state of the art manufacturing facilities in India. We hand select premium fabrics and have an expert sourcing team that sources our fabrics, trims, and materials from markets around the world such as; Japan, Italy, Turkey, California. We also have a quality assurance team that runs quality checks on all of our clothing.

I found something was missing in denim where not much was done in the children’s wear market. I wanted to bring a new dimension to denim clothing and offer more than just plain denim jeans or jackets. Denim is evergreen, it’s traditional yet modern at the same time. I wanted to embrace that and bring elevated denim styles for all ages from newborns till 16 years.

As a team, we are constantly re-inventing ourselves and try to bring something new in every collection we launch. My inspiration really comes from creating fashionable timeless pieces that are comfortable and easy to care for.

pP: There are so many social media influencers and celebs! Any that stand out to you that you'd like to dress?

B&B: I would love to dress up Jessica Alba’s kids! It’s inspiring to see how she has built a company based on ethical standards and we would love to associate our brand with that. At Blu & Blue, we do our best to incorporate eco-friendly and sustainable business practices such as recycling water, using solar panels for electricity, saving natural resources, as well as waste management. These are all areas that are close to the core of our business. I would also like to dress up Coco Rocha’s baby girl! She’s so adorable and I think she will look great in Blu & Blue.

pP: What are some of your favorite kidswear magazines?

B&B: Ah… I love so many! Some of my absolute favorites are Vogue Bambini, Babiekins, Earnshaw’s, MILK & Hooligans.

pP: Once market is completed, then what? Do you take a summer holiday?

B&B: Once market is complete, I will travel to my parent’s house in India and work with our design team on our new collection; Fall Winter 2018. I will also incorporate a family/friends visit on this trip. Usually, it’s just enjoying being home and getting good home cooked food, which is a luxury living in New York as me and my husband love to explore new restaurants in the city.

pP: What can we look out for at your first-ever runway show for Blu & Blue?

B&B: I am very excited about our New SS18 collection which has modern and fashion forward pieces adorned with beautiful hand embroideries and artwork. The collection is fresh and stands out. Some of my favorite pieces which will showcase on the runway includes a distressed denim jacket with big embroideries and cool badges for a perfect rock chic look.

A toddler outfit with a sleek military style jacket paired with heart patch jeans, an eye-catching peach and blue print skirtall with a matching cotton peach flutter sleeve blouse paired with a matching sunhat. We also have new styles for infant babies in mint color chambrays with soft grey prints and matching bloomers, which are so adorable!

The best part about all our collections is that they are versatile and can be mixed and matched with anything. Blu & Blue clothing gives kids a cool and sophisticated look to add to everyday style and comfort.

Visit Blu & Blue to learn more and stockist information - follow #petiteparade for live runway updates on Sunday, August 6th!

In Conversation with Aaina of Blu & Blue on SS18 Collection