Vandal Kids

Tell us about your business…

Vandal Kids is a clothing brand for kids aged 3 to 10 years old. Our missions are to champion kids’ creativity, make parents’ lives easier and be kinder to the planet. How? By making clothes that are practical, comfortable, and durable for kids to wear without worry and no fuss every day, over and over.

That means a high quality make with super soft cotton on skin with stain-proof and abrasion resistant layers where clothes suffer the most (knees, back of the legs, chest) to reduce the need to wash and prolong their lifespan.

All this without compromising on style: The first collection is inspired by 80’s street art and every collection will have a strong artistic spin with cool art collabs to come.

Because we believe clothes should be inspiring and enablers rather than a source of restriction or concern. Because we believe that wearing clothes for longer is kinder to the planet and easier on parents

What inspired you to start your business?

As a mother, I spent so much time washing, mending, and replenishing my son’s clothes, I concluded that kid‘s clothes are not adapted to their lifestyle.

They are either comfortable but stain and tear quickly, or they are resistant but not stretchy nor breathable and result in occasional wear and a lot of fuss.

So, I made it my mission to create unisex clothes that are truly thought through and crafted to be practical, durable, and comfortable as well as fun and colourful so kids can play freely, be creative and messy without worrying about damaging them.

I also believe that creativity is a very important tool for children to express themselves and will lead them to happy and successful lives so it’s very important to me to nurture this natural gift they have but that they often loose when growing up.

Finally, I believe that fashion is a form of art and self-expression, so I always thought it was a shame to have to wear dirty, old, damaged clothes when you want to do fun and creative activities and keep the cool and pretty clothes for rare occasions.

How long has your business been running for?

It’s just launched before Christmas when I finished my production, but I did a pre-launch campaign in October via Kickstarter to raise funds so I already sold quite a few pieces and receiving 100% positive comments on the quality has been the most rewarding feeling ever.

What is your favourite aspect about working in the local area?

I love working from home, in Hampstead and having the flexibility to do some errands during normal hours, not rush in the morning to take my son to school and most of all not spend 2-3 hours a day in transport which is what I used to do when I worked in Wimbledon.

Hampstead is such a great area to live and work in, the perfect balance between lively streets and quiet nature to reset.

Where do you see yourself and your business in five years time?

I hope that Vandalkids will be profitable enough for me to live comfortably from it to the level of my previous corporate jobs.

I’d like to have a small team, an office and be able to do something bigger such as give back to a children’s charity once I am profitable.

But most of all, I want Vandalkids to be more than just a clothing brand, I’m already making sure I offer useful, entertaining, and inspiring content to my customers on my Instagram but want to push this more and build a community over a customer base.

What encouraged you to join Hampstead Hive and what has your experience been like so far within the Hive?

After working for years in big companies 5 days a week I realised I didn’t build much network in my neighborhood as I was always rushing.

When I quit my job and spent more time in Hampstead it was one of my priorities to connect with other mums be it from my son’s school or other entrepreneurs like me. It has been lonely at times to work alone from home, especially during Covid and especially building a business from the ground, so I have enjoyed being part of the Hampstead Hive group as I have met great women who are going through what I’m going through. And I can’t wait for amazing projects and collabs to come out of it.

Where can we go to find out more about your business/access your services?

You can find me on Instagram @vandalkids_london where I’m the most active and on my website www.vandalkidswear.com where I have a blog and my shop and where you can also read the reviews I received on Trustpilot (100% excellent score)

If you sign up to my newsletter you’ll get 10% off your first purchase.

You can also find me on Facebook @vandalkidslondon

And soon on Tiktok (god help me ) and Pinterest.

I’m looking for reseller as well online and in small boutiques, so if you know of any that could feature my brands, please do get in touch on katheline@vandakidswear.com

Hampstead Hive Member Spotlight - Katheline Vandal