Based in Scotland, the company now has two successful labels; Ariana Dee (known as A*Dee) - which specialises in 'complete look' collections for girls aged three to 12 - and boyswear brand Mitch&Son.
Ahead of Bubble S/S16, Andrew has been telling us more about their transition from agents to designers...
Andrew, why did you decide to launch your own brand?
We launched Picture Book Fashion in 2011, when we could not find the right look and styling our retail clients were searching for.
With 20-plus years of agency experience, we felt we were well equipped with knowledge about what worked - both in colour and styling, but also in terms of delivery and customer service. We set out to become the perfect company for our retailers, and Ariana Dee was born.
Was the transition an easy one?
As you can imagine, it turned out to be a whole lot harder than we anticipated! However, we received great support from our retailers, and the small successes of the early days gave a very rewarding feeling that encouraged us to work even harder.
How did the brand grow?
Slowly Ariana Dee gained a foothold with our retailers, and sales out were also encouraging - so the name and some recognition spread through the UK, Ireland and Holland.
As we have learned more about the design and production environment, so the collection has changed into what we recognise now.
When and how did you found Mitch&Son?
Mitch&Son has much the same origins as its sister brand. It was born out of a little frustration at not having the product that our retailers were looking for.
With the knowledge gained from the launch of Ariana Dee, it was a relatively simple process to launch our boys brand. The label was gratefully received, and the growth and sell-through was really terrific.
Mitch&Son has developed and grown into more colour groups, bigger stories and even footwear, as retailers continue to react well to it.
Catch A*Dee and Mitch&Son at Bubble London this July...
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