10 minutes with Babyccino's Esther van de Paal (18 May 2016)
[Photocredit: Katrina Campbell]
Babyccino started as an online diary between three friends. Esther, Emilie and Courtney met in London in 2005 when their first babies were born. They quickly bonded over motherhood and the questions, concerns and joys that come with parenting. In 2007, Esther moved to Amsterdam, Emilie moved to Paris and Courtney remained in London. They started the Babyccino blog as a way to stay in touch and continue to share their parenting discoveries, tips and ideas from their three corners of Europe.
In 2011, they launched the Babyccino shopping portal, a curated directory of stylish, independent boutiques that are organised into relevant shopping categories and highlighted by key products and editorial reviews.
Nine years on, the Babyccino site now offers inspiring daily content and interesting blog posts, weekly Top Ten product round-ups, kid-friendly city guides and a handy directory of more than 350 of the best children’s shops from around the world. Babyccino also hosts annual ShopUp events in London, New York and Los Angeles, offering readers the chance to shop in person from some of the finest children’s brands and boutiques.
10 minutes with Esther van de Paal...
Here we take 10 minutes with Esther to talk about the inspiration behind the brand.
Babyccino has become an institution among mothers! What inspired you to set it up initially?
When we all lived in London, Courtney, Emilie and I used to hang out together (babies in tow) and talk about all sorts of things young mums talk about. We continued the conversation online after we moved to different cities (London, Paris and Amsterdam) -- the start of our blog. A few years later we felt we could do more for our readers and the brands we were working with, and created the shopping portal, and a bit later we launched the ShopUp.
And who/how did you come up with the name?!
In London, we used to meet up in cafés and keep our babies entertained with babyccinos while we chatted. So we decided that 'Babyccino' would be an apt name for our business!
We are a British brand and you obviously lived in London a few years ago. What did you enjoy most about having children there?
I loved the parks and the fabulous museums.
What is the most important thing for you in dressing your children?
My children's clothes should make them feel comfortable, and reflect their ages and characters.
Ok, quick fire time:
- Night in or evening out? Both!!
- Tea or coffee? Coffee
- Newspaper or magazine? Magazine
- Camping or clamping? Camping
- Theatre or movie? Movie
- New or vintage? Vintage
- Hike or bike? Hike
- Savoury or sweet? Savoury
- Snow or sun? Sun (snow too, as long as it's sunny ;) )
- Muted colours or brights? Muted colours with a pop of bright
