Scandinavian Minimall

New  Scandinavian Label Alert Launching At Scandinavian Minimall Friday 18 May!

I received an email from Basak Akbijik and Berit Oestergaard about a month ago with info about their brand new kids wear label WAKAMONO which was about to be launched with their first ever capsule collection for summer/autumn 2012.  We receive a lot of emails at  Scandinavian Minimall from brand owners wanting to sell their brands on the website, and although it is always a question of budget, a label also needs to meet a few criteria for us to be interested in buying it.

Firstly, it needs to be distinctive in its design, in a way that feels Scandinavian Minimall - e.g. minimalistic, cool, fashionable and have great design. Secondly, it needs to fit into a certain price point as we strive to offer mid priced Scandinavian designer wear. It should also ideally be Scandinavian, though we've already brought in a few labels which are not, Bobo Choses for example (who can resist them?). Added bonuses for any label would be that they are organically produced and have a great ethos. We had a look at the lookbook and information WAKAMONO had attached and were happy to find that it just happens to be a rare instance of a Scandinavian kidswear label ticking all the right boxes, and so we couldn't resist buying this new collection of lovely GOTS certified unisex baby wear.

Both Berit and Basak have worked for COS STORES (H&Ms more upmarket designer brand with a  true Scandinavian minimalistic look and feel), where Berit was the head designer for COS Children's wear and Basak worked in production and development. They describe their new venture, Wakamono, as 'a label that tries to combine a universe of quirky simplicity, focus on functionality, making and comfort - always bearing in mind it should be a fair product for the environment, for everyone involved through all production stages as well as the end consumer'.

At Scandinavian Minimall we love this new brand, and hope you will too!

Scandinavian Minimall plus husband is expecting Baby Number 2!

They say you can never be 100% sure at detecting the gender of a baby at a scan, but we've been told some 15 weeks ago by the sonographer at our hospital that we're having a baby girl some time in June this year (hopefully more towards the beginning than the end!). It's a very exciting time of course and Mr Scandinavian Mini, 3 years old, can't wait for the arrival of his baby sister, and neither can we (....minus those sleepless nights!!).

We've been trying to prepare as much as possible lately, having just repainted the cot and had a brand new Bugaboo Bee delivered to our house (it's the only decent buggy that fits into our tiny hallway), but I've gone for the safe option of buying everything in neutral colours - black pram with black details, white bedlinen, an offwhite blanket, grey socks....I am going to tempt fate however by creating this wishlist for everything I wish I could buy from Scandinavian Minimall for our baby. Not everything is in pink of course, but it's still VERY girly, don't you think? Anyhow, we'll keep you updated, in a few weeks' time, Scandinavian Minimall should have a new model on our hands :)

A while ago, I met up with Pianna Hyggen, a Danish woman living in the UK, who has recently become the UK agent for Danish baby accessories label The Organic Company which produces 'meaningful accessories in organic cotton only for tasteful homes and the next generation'. We love anything organic at Scandinavian Minimall, and also the fact that these cotton cloths and bibs are both practical, very soft and not over the top in terms of patterns and colours - and so in our mind, perfect, stylish essentials for a baby. As of now, we stock two products - the cloths and the long bibs from the Organic Company in three different colours, however please contact us if you wish to buy a different colour - Pianna has kindly offered to supply us with more colour options, should there be a demand.

A "must have" product for many baby situations, Exclusive weaving. 100 % organic certified cotton (EKO/GOTS)

Our favourite colour, the lavendel blue cotton cloth!

The bibs have extra length and are made by 2 layers. The bibs have 2 functionalities; to be the child's own table cloth or the long part to be tied into a pocket to prevent food from sliding into the child's lap

100 % organic certified cotton (EKO/GOTS)

Hurrah! It's the midseason sales, and as of today Monday 7th May until Sunday May 13th 2012 you can grab yourself 25% off everything (except new Zum Zum Rata Dum Dum tees) with the voucher code midseason12. So hurry, some items are selling out fast, and there may only be one left in each size on others.

Happy Shopping!

SCANDINAVIAN SPRING /SUMMER FASHION SHOPPING EVENT 23rd April 12-8 PM

With the success of our previous event in January, we would like to invite you again to join us on Monday 23rd April 2012 when Scandinavian fashion shops Älva and online kids fashion boutique Scandinavian Minimall will join forces at Älva fashion boutique on Fulham Road, to showcase the full spring/summer 2012 collections with special discounts of up to 30% off on the new collections available to those attending the event. You will also be able to shop from the mid season sale and the previous collections at heavily reduced prices.

Pop in for a coffee or a glass of bubbly and some Swedish sweets, and take a look at the latest fashion from several great Scandinavian fashion labels, both for kids and women!

Where: Älva, 353 Fulham Road, SW10 9TW, London

When: 23rd April 2012, between 12 am to 8 pm.

Feel free to bring a friend or two.

Welcome!

Gabrielle & Mari

Scandinavian Minimall is a new kids fashion website aimed at bringing the best of Scandinavian kids fashion online, for babies, boys and girls aged 0-8. Labels include Mini Rodini, LIVLY, How To Kiss A Frog, Cheap Monday, TUSS and Finger In The Nose, amongst others. www.scandinavianminimall.co.uk

Älva is a leading fashion boutique that specializes in discovering, showcasing and promoting Swedish designers and labels for women. Labels and designers carried by Älva include Filippa K, Greta, Malina, J Dauphin, Mayla, Dagmar, Marville, Anna Holtblad, Stylesnob, Busnel, Triwa, Misst, Skultuna, Promise, del Rio London, Swedish Hasbeens and many more.  www.alvalondon.com

Later on this month, we'll be running our popular competition 'Scandinavian Minimall's Outfit Of The Week' again, which is a competition where all our Facebook fans have the opportunity to shop a weekly selected outfit for 25% off its normal retail price as well as a chance to win their selected Scandinavian Minimall outfit up to a value of £150. Two runner ups win a voucher for £50 to spend on the Scandinavian Minimall website.

We've run two competitions so far for Scandinavian Minimall's Outfit Of The Week, and last season's winner, Estrid nearly 2, couldn't look any cuter in the outfits she won last season. Her parents picked out some gorgeous items from Pale Cloud, Norlie and Pom Pom Shoes (we've run out and we're getting new stock this month!) from the autumn 2011 collections, and mum Melissa was kind enough to share these gorgeous pictures of little Estrid in the outfits she'd won.

We'll post more information about the competition as it approaches, but do email info@scandinavianminimall.co.uk or comment here/on Facebook if you have any queries, comments or suggestions.

Happy Birthday to us!!

Can't believe it's been a year since Scandinavian Minimall was launched! It's been an overall great year filled with lots of hard work (all the 'behind the scenes' work with the website), some tough learnings (the market outside of Scandinavia does not appreciate black baby clothes the same way Scandis do, for exampe), some really challenging decisions (strategy, marketing...) but mostly it's been a year filled with fun, new friends, huge personal and work-related rewards (more flexible working hours, getting to work with something I truly love etc) and some great insights into the world of Scandinavian kids fashion as well as online marketing.

And I couldn't of course had done it all without you, dear customers. Scandinavian Minimall has customers from all over the world including Japan, the UK,  Russia, Australia, Brasil, Korea, France, Spain, Germany, the US, Scandinavia and even Belize - and that's just a few examples!  Very happy that you seem to like our offering, and what the world of Scandinavian kids fashion - that isn't just retro style and crazy colour combinations - has to offer. That's why we are treating you with 25% off and free shipping for the next 48 hours. Enjoy, and thanks ever so much for shopping at Scandinavian Minimall! And don't forget to enter the discount code before checkout, it's: happybirthday.

Now, all that's left to say is: Bring on year two!!

Best wishes and lots of love,

Gabrielle, founder and owner of Scandinavian Minimall

Gabrielle and her son Wilhelm, 3 years old

A year ago, at the launch of Scandinavian Minimall!

Big Congratulations to Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden, who became first time parents to a baby girl, Sweden's newest little princess, this morning, February 23rd, 2012. The name has yet to be announced, let us know if you have a guess!

To celebrate the occasion, you will get 15% off all new items at Scandinavian Minimall, today 23 February 2012 only, just enter the code princess at checkout. Scandinavian Minimall have also gathered a selection of cute, pink baby items from Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia below - Scandinavian Baby clothing fit for anyone's little princess!

Soon to arrive at Scandinavian Minimall is a new denim brand from Sweden called I Dig Denim! We got an email this week saying that our order is packed and on its way to the UK and we are super excited!! We love this newcomer of a brand which has already become a hit back in Sweden, and we're obviously hoping for the same response here at Scandinavian Minimall. The collection is based on denim and simple, comfy tees, and the colour scheme is inspired by the Swedish west coast with its grey cliffs, blue skies and dark blue sea. Simple, clean and extremely wearable Scandinavian kids fashion for both boys and girtls. Scandinavian Minimall dig I dig denim too!

We've got some fabulous new items for spring/summer 2012 coming in from Swedish kids fashion brand MINI RODINI any day now and we're very excited, because it's a superb collection of cool graphic animal prints and pop colours, trendy cuts and soft, organic cotton summer dresses and tees - amongst other things. Below is a small selection of the new  MINI RODINI 2012 collection - we can't wait for the crocodile sweater, or the zebra dress, or the....

This time of year is one of the more exciting, with the arrival of the new spring/summer collections and all the kids fashion fairs happening around the globe, which exhibitors use to showcase the new autumn/winter 2012 collections from their respective  brands to all the shops and boutiques around, including Scandinavian Minimall.

I've just been to the Formex Fair in Stockholm, Sweden, where I caught up with How To Kiss A Frog amongst others and saw their gorgeous autumn/winter collection. This weekend it's time for Bubble in London, where I'm hoping to find some new labels as well as catching up with some of our 'old' favourites including Pale Cloud. On Monday next week it's time to travel to Paris for Playtime Paris, another kids fashion fair which is very inspirational, and we've got meetings booked in with Bobo Choses and Tuss, which we're very excited about, as we love both brands. Finally, next weekend it's the main Scandinavian kids fashion fair CPH Kids in Copenhagen, Denmark. We've got back to back meetings both days, including all the Danish brands BANGBANG Copenhagen, Poppy Rose, Soft Gallery and Petit By Sofie Schnoor.....Phew!! I'll try and update on Facebook and Twitter as much as I have time for, but hopefully you'll forgive me for the blog being a bit quiet over the next couple of weeks ;-)....Now where did I put my passport?!

I've always loved the Svenskt Tenn fabrics by Estrid Ericsson and Josef Frank, who any Swedish Design lover in Scandinavia will know, are very popular in Sweden.

As such, I fell head over heels when I saw the beautiful notice boards that Swedish interior designer Magdalena Asplund through her company DESIGN BY SIGRID makes, as she uses so many of the fabrics that I've always loved, and in such a practical AND stylish way. Great for the entrance hall, the kitchen, the living room, a kids room...you name it!!  As of spring '12 we will sell a small but limited collection of notice boards at Scandinavian Minimall. Check out the design by sigrid notice boards here

The Scandinavian Minimall event today at Älva boutique in Chelsea, London, was a great success and as such, we are doing it again tomorrow Tuesday 17 January 2012 from 11 am to 3 pm. If you missed us today, make sure to pop in today for some great bargains on the Scandinavian Minimall autumn winter collection 2011, with discounts of up to 70% and a bargain box with items on sale for £5-£10.  The Scandinavian Women's Wear Boutique Älva and luxury shoe brand del Rio LONDON are also having some great discounts and some fantastic pieces for Spring/Summer 2012, which are definetily worth checking out.

Where: Älva boutique, 353 Fulham Road, SW10 9TW

When: 17 January 2012 between 11 am - 3 pm.

Welcome!

Gabrielle, Mari & Linda

Online kids fashion shop Scandinavian Minimall together with Scandinavian fashion boutique Älva and luxury shoe brand Del Rio LONDON invites you today, Monday 16 January, to see the brand new spring summer 2012 collections as well as give you the opportunity to shop the autumn winter 2011 collections at discounts of up to 70%. There will also be special discounts on the new collections available to those attending the event. Join us for some refreshments and Scandinavian sweets, and feel free to bring a friend or two.

Where: Älva, 353 Fulham Road, SW10 9TW
When: 16 January 2012, 11am to 8pm.

We hope to see you later. Welcome!

Gabrielle, Mari and Linda

Hope you've all had a nice weekend? Today is Monday and this week we're busy planning and organising the shopping event Scandinavian Minimall will have at Älva fashion boutique in London next week, on Monday 16 January.  An invite will go out by e-mail but below is the lowdown. Please join us if you're around, there will be some amazing discounts available to those attending the event.

You are cordially invited to join us on Monday 16th January 2012 when two different London based Scandinavian fashion shops, Älva and Scandinavian Minimall as well as luxury shoe brand Del Rio London will join forces at Älva fashion boutique on Fulham Road, to showcase the brand new spring/summer 2012 collections as well as give you the opportunity to shop the autumn/winter 2011 collections at discounts of up to 70%. There will also be special discounts on the new collections available to those attending the event.

Pop in for a coffee or a glass of bubbly as well as some freshly baked cinnamon buns, and take a look at the latest fashion from several great Scandinavian fashion labels.

Where: Älva, 353 Fulham Road, SW10 9TW

When: 16 January 2012, between 11 am to 8 pm.

Feel free to bring a friend or two.

As announced just before Christmas on our Facebook page, Henrik Hedqvist was the lucky winner of £200 to spend at Scandinavian Minimall from the competition Scandinavian Minimall's Outfit Of The Week. Runner ups were Mika Kawanobe from Japan and Gemma Taylor from the UK, which both got £50 to spend at Scandinavian Minimall. Thank you to each and one of you who entered and for those who won: Big Congratulations! For those who didn't, we wish you better luck the next time!

Here is little Estrid 17 months, who was lucky enough to have her father Henrik choose this gorgeous outfit for her with items from PALE CLOUD, NOWALI, POM POM & NORLIE!

The competition will be back again this spring, so keep your eyes open, and most importantly, check our Facebook page...!

Scandinavian Minimall

The blog has been unusually quiet lately - I know, and I feel slightly bad about this, but if I may say so myself I've been on a well-deserved Christmas and New Years break. Orders have of course gone out as normal (well, as normal as can be when the post office and other courier companies are closed half of the time), but apart from that we've rested, taken it easy and indulged in lots of comforting Christmas food - which has been great and very relaxing. I know feel energised and ready to start a New Year, with lots of exciting new brands arriving soon at Scandinavian Minimall including Danish brands Soft Gallery & New Generals, Swedish jeans brand I Dig Denim and shoes brand Mina Shoes amongst other cool Scandinavian kids fashion brands we've been lucky to find lately.

To finish off this post, I would like to wish you all a great 2012 - thanks for all your support, great feedback and lovely comments about Scandinavian Minimall in 2011 - we hope you'll like what we bring you in the New Year too.

Her's a picture of Mister Scandinavian Mini on New Years Eve in London - all clothes from Scandinavian Minimall of course, apart from the bow tie - I think it says something like H&M on the back....;-)

HAPPY NEW 2012!

It's been a busy few weeks, but today is Christmas Eve, when all of Scandinavia celebrate Christmas, and so I will spend time with the family over the next few days and enjoy some Swedish Christmas food & drinks, and watch my 3-year old son get excited about Santa and all the Christmas presents. The house is decorated for Christmas with typical Scandinavian Christmas stars and advent candles in the windows, and I have spent the morning baking traditional Swedish Christmas bread, vörtbröd - and Swedish Christmas candy - knäck and chokladkola for the family to enjoy. Tomorrow, on Christmas Day, the UK will celebrate Christmas, we'll go to a local pub and enjoy a typical English Christmas lunch with Turkey and all the trimmings. The best of two Christmas (food) worlds according to me!

It's now time to log off  - at least for a few hours - the Scandinavian Minimall online shop is of course open as usual and the orders which we recieved yesterday are being sent out today.  Hope you all have a relexaing holiday, and get to spend some quality time with family and friends. Now all there is left for me - and Scandinavian Minimall - to say is.....

Have A Very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Red Amaryllis on the dining table

Mister Scandinavian Mini is looking forward to Christmas Today!

JUL means Christmas in Swedish....

Typical Scandinavian Christmas stars in the living room windows.

Scandinavian Minimall's Outfit Of The Week continues! From today and for 7 days onwards, you can get 30% off this stylish and Christmassy Boys Outfit with items from Scandinavian kids fashion brands MINI RODINI, FINGER IN THE NOSE & HUTTELIHUT If you become a Facebook fan on http://www.facebook.com/ScandinavianMinimall. If You like the Outfit Of The Week Post you can also WIN an outfit OF YOUR CHOICE worth up to £200 with two runner ups winning £50 pounds each to spend as they like at Scandinavian Minimall.

On Wednesday December 21st 3 winners will be drawn at random. Come on and join us on Facebook and good luck for the draw!!

Best,

Scandinavian Minimall

Gorgeous girls dresses - who can resist them? And this week, our promotion Scandinavian Minimall's Outfit Of The Week continues! Starting today, you can get 30% off a range of cute and stylish Scandinavian party dresses that would suit any more dressed up occasion this autumn/winter! And perhaps the best of it all? If you become a Facebook fan on http://www.facebook.com/ScandinavianMinimall you can also WIN an outfit OF YOUR CHOICE worth up to £200 by liking the Outfit of the week post by December 21st when a winner will be drawn at random! 2 runner ups will win £50 to spend at Scandinavian Minimall.

Come on and join us on Facebook and good luck for the draw!!

Best,

Scandinavian Minimall

Today at my son's nursery I was asked by one of the nursery teachers if I could bring something in to the nursery for Saint Lucia. I was a bit taken aback by this since I didn't think that that was celebrated or even known about in the UK, but it turned out they had had Swedish children at the nursery in previous years and as such, they'd been told about and ecelbrated this sweet tradition.

As I don't think many of my non-Swedish readers will know what St Lucia is and why it is celebrated, I will tell you a bit about it here.

In Sweden, and in parts of Finland, Norway and Denmark the day of the 13th December each year is known as 'Lucia day' - named after the Sicilian saint St Lucia, and one of the few holidays in Scandinavia which is named after a saint. It dates back to the 12th century when the 13th of December was viewed upon as a dangerous day and night when animals could speak and supernatural forces were in action. In the olden days, you would eat and drink a bit more during this day, as well as finish all the Christmas preparations. The connection between St Lucia, a patron saint, and the celebrations on this day are in Sweden more or less extinct and today's Lucia celebrations are quite different, to say the least.

Since the late 19th century, Lucia is celebrated all over Sweden. During this day children and grown-ups sing specific Lucia songs, eat Lucia saffron buns called 'Lussebullar' and drink glögg e.g. Swedish mulled wine and celebrate a day of light on one of the darkest days of the year with lots of lit candles. Either you tend to take part in, or you watch a so called Luciatåg (directly translated as a Lucia train) e.g. a group of people singing Lucia songs and handing out ginger bread and saffron 'Lucia' buns to the public.  This 'train of people' usually consists of a St Lucia e.g. the head girl of the train - this girl should according to the tradition wear a white cotton gown witha red ribbon around her waist and a crown on her head with lit candles. It's also obliguatory that little 'star boys' e.g. stjärngossar and 'maid girls' dressed in white cotton gowns and glitter garlands around their heads - so called tärnor - take part in this singing train.

See below for some pictures of what a Lucia train looks like, as well as a picture of my personal favourite - a sugary lussebulle. You can also watch a real life Lucia train in London on Friday the 9th december 2011, at St Pauls Cathedral, but this concert is usually a sell out so be quick: http://www.svenskakyrkan.se/default.aspx?id=793392

I'll keep you posted on my son's Lucia celebrations at the nursery, and I will hopefully post pictures here to show you later on.

Best,

Gabrielle, Scandinavian Minimall

Another week, another outfit to get 30% OFF of by liking us on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/scandinavianminimall. This week we have a stylish baby boy outfit with items from MINI RODINI, POPPY ROSE, ELODIE DETAILS & MONAMICI and the 30% off voucher code is valid on each single item in the outfit e.g. you don't have to buy the entire outfit to get a discount.

One lucky Facebook fan will also WIN AN ENTIRE OUTFIT of their choice with a retail value up to £200. The winner will be announced on December 20, 2011 and will be chosen at random. Two runner ups will get £50 each to spend as they like on the Autumn/Winter 2011 collection at Scandinavian Minimall.

So hurry, like us on Facebook, and fingers crossed, you'll be one of the lucky winners of a stylish Scandinavian kids fashion outfit!!

Best of luck!

Gabrielle, Scandinavian Minimall

Here is the sweet baby girls' outfit that is this week's Outfit Of The Week and that you, as of today until Tuesday 28th November, will get 25% OFF if you simply become a Facebook follower on our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/ScandinavianMinimall. (Helpful hint: Like the page, and you are a fan of Scandinavian Minimall!)

You will find the voucher code on Scandinavian Minimall's Facebook page and you can also WIN an entire outfit of your choice from Scandinavian Minimall (maximum retail value of £200) by liking the Outfit Of The Week post. Easy as pie!

We are happy to announce that as of tomorrow, Scandinavian Minimall's outfit of the week is BACK! We've got a total of 4 outfits, and we're kicking off with a baby girl outfit with items from Mini Rodini, Pale Cloud, Poppy Rose and Petit By Sofie Schnoor = a lovely mix of Danish, Norwegian and Swedish kids fashion. For one week as of tomorrow, you'll get 25% off each item included in this outfit and when the last outfit has been shown, one lucky reader who is both a Facebook fan and has liked the post on the Facebook page, will be chosen at random to win an entire outfit of their choice (maximum retail value of £200)!

To receive 25% off, go to http://www.facebook.com/ScandinavianMinimall and become a fan, and like the outfit of the week post on our Facebook page. The voucher code for 25% off will also appear on our Facebook page tomorrow.

Have a great Monday!

Gabrielle, Scandinavian Minimall

ps. below is a picture from last season's outfit of the week winner Maya showing off her sweet outfit!

As seen on the Mini Rodini blogthis week,  here is a sneak peak of the Mini Rodini Spring Summer 2012 collection, which is Mini Rodini's biggest collection to date, and a safara themed one at that with lots of amazing animal prints and vibrant colours. We will of course stock it here at Scandinavian Minimall, and we can't wait to get  the collection and get it up on the website! We Love Love Love! Only a few months to go....

If you can't wait for Christmas to start and if you've taken a particular liking for Scandinavian food and tradional Scandinavian design and you live in London,  there will be two Christmas fairs this weekend that are worth paying a visit - the Christmas fairs at the Swedish and Norwegian Churches. I know this is particularly popular amongst the Scandinavians who live here, including myself.

The Swedish Church, Ulrika Eleonora, in London has their fair on Thursday 17th November, as well as Saturday and Sunday 19-20 November. Admission is £1 and you will get a ticket which is valid for all three days. At the Christmas fair you can find lots of lovely traditional Scandinavian Christmas decorations for sale as well as Swedish food and sweets. For more information, check out the Swedish Church website http://www.svenskakyrkan.se/london.

From 18-20th November there is also the Norwegian Christmas Fair at the Saint Olav's Church in Bermondsey, London. Similar to the Swedish fair, there will be lots of Nowegian food and Christmas gifts for sale. For further information and opening times, click here: http://www.norway.org.uk/News_and_events/culture/Christmas-Events/Annual-Norwegian-Christmas-Fair/

We think it's pretty amazing that LIVLY CLOTHING - which is a completely new Swedish brand that was only launched two months ago - has won the prestigous design award 'best designer of the year' in Sweden's biggest style and parenting magazine 'Mama' which also has a popular 'mums' blog, read by over 100,000 people each week. That is a lot for a country like Sweden which only has about 8.5 million inhabitants!!

We say Big Congratulations to Livly Clothing to the designer of the year award! Scandinavian Minimall is looking forward to a long and successful relationship, and we can't wait for the spring/summer 12 collections to arrive. So many beautiful pieces...

Right now we're crazy about all the bird inspired items that are around and here is a selection that we have at Scandinavian Minimall. Just take a look at these items - funky and cool clothes and toys!

This week we have a new brand to tell you about at Scandinavian Minimall -  Sebra toys from Denmark. Sebra is a modern danish design company for children which are mainly known for their collection of crocheted and knitted toys, but also for their use of contemporary colours and fun designs. The company was started by Mia Sela, a Danish designer,  in 2004 when she had har son and couldn't find the interior products she wanted to decorate her son's room. Today the company is made up of 14 employees, 300 different designs and the products are sold world-wide. And as of end of this week you can also find a selection of Sebra toys at Scandinavian Minimall. I hope you like them as much as I do!

I love these shots from Mini Rodini of the gorgeous Leicester Faux Fur jacket so I couldn't help share them with you here. The front cover of the latest issue of La Petite Magagzine also features this lovely winter jacket, and is shot by talented Swedish photographer Carolina Henke. Simply amazing photographs!

I've just come back from 4 days in Stockholm, Sweden, which was a trip mixed with both leisure time and business meetings. We had some lovely days with sunny weather and not too cold weather, and we really enjoyed meeting all the family and our friends back 'home', as well as eating some Swedish delicacies that can sometimes be difficult to get hold of in the UK.

I also had some business meetings and one of them was with new kids shoe fashion label, Swedish Mina Shoes, which has just launched their first ever collection of pretty ballerinas for girls in sizes EU25-35 for spring/summer 2012.  I fell in love with the yellow pair, but in fact I think all of them are mega cute, and now that I've seen them with my own eyes, I can vote for how well-made they are too. In the words of Mina Shoes founder Linda Gullberg : 'Mina shoes are both playful and pretty and are designed to be both comfortable and cool'. Scandinavian Minimall will as of spring 2012 stock Mina Shoes, and now I am wondering what colours to go for. As I said, the yellow is my favourite, but I'd love to hear from my readers too so do let me know on Facebook, leave a comment here or e-mail me what style you prefer and why, and I shall place an order soon...

Swedish soft toy conpany Oskar & Ellen is Scandinavian Minimall's latest addition. We adore the sweet pretend play toys, and the nativity set is just beautiful.  Oscar & Ellen are known for making toys that stimulate children’s learning, imagination and role-play, they make ideal gifts for a new baby, Christening or Christmas.

All products are handmade by middle aged women in handpicked sewing studios in the Philippines. Oskar&ellen is a family run business based in Stockholm, Sweden, and was founded by Petra Rigby Jinglöv, mum of Oscar and Ellen, when they lived in the Philippines some years ago. For the selection we sell at Scandinavian Minimall, check out our Oscar & Ellen designer introduction page.

Bonjour Dear Readers! This ultra soft and super comfortable Mini Rodini Bonjour sweater in a stylish royal blue, with matching Mini Rodini sweatpants are new in store for today. I know for sure that my little son is going to have a new favourite outfit....and a very comfy, stylish one at that.

As a mother of two girls who lives in the Swedish countryside I am very thankful for online shopping! I am not sure how my children would have any clothes otherwise...It is so convenient, but there's of course the issue that you can't try the clothes on until you get them sent to you, but that would have been impossible anyways, with a wild 2 year old and a hungry 4 month old baby, it is not exactly easy to get into a changing room and try things on.

When it comes to dressing Elsa, she is a very determined little girl and she always wants to pick out her outfit herself.  Her favourite items are a pink sweatshirt with a blue denim heart print from Mini Rodini and her softest pair of jeans, which are by Finger In The Nose, that I bought from Scandinavian Minimall some time ago. If I get to choose what Elsa should wear I sometimes like to dress her as a mini version of myself - black leggings, a cool dress from Tuss,  a faux fur gilet that we've bought from Zara, grey or brown boots and a stylish jacket. At the top of our wish list for Elsa at the moment is this faux fur jacket by Mini Rodini. I think we would struggle to get Elsa to take it off, should we get it for her!

Signe, the baby, is of course too young to have her own opinions about style so I dress her in soft little rompers that she can freely move about in - and I think the How To Kiss A Frog rompers are adorable! I am also very curious about the Norlie and Pale Cloud playsuits, they might soon replace the slightly boring rompers that she is often dressed in....

Lisa, Elsa & Signe

This week we caught up with Marion, the designer and founder of new Scandinavian kids fashion label PALE CLOUD, which has received a lot of positive press for their luxurious baby and girls fashion collection in soft, muted pastels and high quality materials. Here Norwegian born & raised Marion tells us what she thinks about kids fashion, her own daughter Freyas' style as well as some exciting news regarding Pale Cloud's future....

1) What is Scandinavian kids fashion to you? Seeing that you're a kids fashion designer we're sure kids fashion is a very big part of your life - but if you were to describe kids fashion, and especially Scandinavian kids fashion, how would you describe it?

I feel Scandinavian kids fashion are divided in two. On one side you have the “Lego” coloured loud prints and stripes in more basic qualities. On the other you will find brands with a more delicate toned down colour palette using more minimalistic cuts. In this category you will find a wider range of qualities and more tonal subtle prints.

2) When you had Freya, what was your style inspiration in terms of dressing her?  

In Freya’s first months she lived in classic playsuits. She was born in the fall so I used a lot of knitted cashmere/angora blends as they where soft and kept her warm. When she grew a bit I loved dressing her up in distressed denims with delicate tops. The outfit that she was often seen in was her distressed  Dior denim pants, Chloe bow blouse in a dusty pink colour and Dior baby shoes. Before she could walk she was always dressed in pants or shorts as I feel dresses does not come to its full right when the baby just lays or crawls around. I like mixing delicate femininity with the more raw to create a more edgy look.

3) How did Pale Cloud come about then?

During my maternity leave my husband and I decided to start our own children's wear line with focus on design and quality. Being a women's wear designer I saw the opportunity and place in the market for children's daily couture shopping for my own daughter. The frustration of not finding what I had in my mind needed to be confronted.

4) Does Freya have her own sense of style? If so, what is it? What does she like, and what doesn't she like?  

Unfortunately yes. We very often find her dressing in her favourite pieces: Viviane Westwood Melissa Shoes, Stella McCartney PJ’s with a Cashmere Hat on a summer day. Other combinations can be a tutu skirt, pink Hunter wellies finished off with a red Polarn O’Pyret hat. Her favourites pieces rarely or never compliment each other in creating a sophisticated look, maybe instead it can be called cutting edge....?

5) What kids (clothes) brands do you particularly like - both Scandinavian and non Scandinavian? Why is that?

It is difficult to isolate just a few brands; it is all depending on the collection, and may vary from season to season. However I am always able to pick a few favourites from Chloe, Anne Valerie Hash, COS Children and Isabel Marant’s Collections. You can always rely on H&M and Zara for good basics at low prices.

6) Any other news that you would like to share with us?

Pale Cloud is at a very exciting stage in it's development, with great news arriving almost everyday. Today, the Inez Raincoat arrived in our warehouse, so it will be hitting stores very soon. Another recent but fantastic piece of news for us was our Spring Summer 2012 Collection being stocked in Barneys New York. Looking forwards to Autumn Winter 2012; I know that seems a long way off but I am now designing SS13!!!, AW12 will see some exciting new lines in the collection which we can't quite share with you yet but we think you will love them.

Thank you Marion and Pale Cloud! We are very happy to have you onboard at Scandinavian Minimall.

Make sure you check out the gorgeous Pale Cloud Collection, and especially the new in Pale Cloud INEZ Rain coat. 

Scandinavian Minimall will showcase their collection at CUPCAKE MUM in Parson Green, Fulham, London tomorrow,  Friday 14th October between 10-4 pm. We've had events at Cupcake Mum before, but in short it's a lovely baby and  mums spa, cafe and gym - where parents can attend anything from zumba classes to baby weaning information sessions as well as meet other mums and their children in the lovely cafe area. For further information, please see their website http://www.cupcakemum.com/

There will be special promotions during the day and the chance to win a cute baby outfit from HOW TO KISS A FROG. So if your nearby, come along, and get the opportunity to get introduced to this lovely club as well as the chance to view Scandinavian Minimall's very stylish autumn/winter '11 collection, and perhaps even win a cute outfit.

Esencia is a Danish brand, which is already a favourite amongst many Scandinavian kids fashion enthusiasts, and as of next week, we will have a small - but very pretty - collection at Scandinavian Minimall. Yay!

The label was founded by two mothers, a Bolivian and a Japanese, living in Denmark, at the beginning of 2006. When they started Esencia, the goal  was to produce high quality natural products with simple designs, making use of the craftsmanship of indigenous women/artisans from the Andes region, and that objective still very much remains. Focusing on the purity of children, Esencia’s products are made from the finest natural alpaca and llama fibres and organic cotton, cooperating only with suppliers who value the principles of fair trade and sustainability. What make us adore Esencia even more, is that the company is a socially responsible organization, only working together with suppliers who adopt these Fair Trade principles.

This brand is most definetily for socially aware parents who like simple, modern, high quality clothes - like most labels we sell at Scandinavian Minimall. Below are some gorgeous items from the Autumn/Winter 11 Esencia collection. Enjoy!

Our series about Mums & Scandinavian kids fashion continues. This week we've got another favourite blogger of ours, Little Scandinavian, to talk about one of her favourite topics : Scandinavian kids fashion, and what inspires her to dress her daughters the way they do.

Name: Bianca Wessel

Bio: Lives with husband and two children, Little B age 10 and Little A age 6 in London UK. Professional blogger, loves home made bread and spending time outdoors with my girls.

Blog: http://www.littlescandinavian.com

My passion for kids fashion was born in 2001, when I became a mum. I've since then tested and experienced a variety of styles and qualities along the years and based on that I've developed my own sense of what works for us. Of course what to wear needs to be a compromise between the child and the parents though. Obviously the baby is happy as long as she's comfortable. But already as early as the age of 2 the discussions starts in the morning! "Why can't I be wearing my pink sandals out in the snow?"

One interesting experience is how much I find children's fashion to have developed over the last 10 years. The focus on creating clothes with children in mind is greater than ever. Playful and fun, cool and funky, shabby chic with layers or just sleek and minimalistic -the children can choose apparel that reflects their personality and mood. And the clothes nowadays are comfortable and allows the child to move freely and the quality have improved so that the clothes not only can last wear and tear but also be handed down both one and two times. Which brings me into another subject that lies close to my heart; Sustainability! The focus on eco friendly fabrics and production is so great it's even prompting the high street stores to include organic lines in their collection.

Another change, or should I say development, of the children's fashion industry is the internet. Children's Boutiques can't afford not having an online presence any longer as more and more customers do prefer to do their purchases in the comfort of their own home and at a time during the day (or night!) that suits them. The internet has also made it possible for budding entrepreneurs to set up sole online stores, offering clothes from world wide to a constant growing amount of discerning online consumers. Personal and excellent customer service including a good return policy is as important as the selection of brands and the virtual user experience of the online store.

My interest in all of this has resulted in my blog becoming my full time job. The growth of Social Media with Blogs, Twitter and Facebook has taken the value of "worth of mouth" to a whole new level. And personally I think we've only seen the beginning of it!

My favourite brands vary from collection to collection. For Autumn Winter 11 I do have a special fondness for Sprout by GRO, Pale Cloud, Waddler and Esencia. If I could only buy one item this season it would have to be the glam and retro down jacket by Finger in the Nose

This weekend, it's the Scandinavia Show in London, at the Earl's Court Exhibition Centre. If you live locally and you're interested in Scandinavian Design & Interiors, Scandinavian Food, Scandinavian Fashion, well pretty much anything that's Scandinavian, then you should definetily try and go to this event. It's going to be packed with great Scandinavian brands like Hästens beds, Bang Olufson, Ferm Living, Scandi Chic, Fjällräven, My Cinnamon Girl - a Norwegian Girls Clothes label & A.K.A. Relocations - a relocation Service for Scandinavian companies and individuals who wishes to move to London - amongst many others. There will also be some great food delights by the Scandinavian Kitchen & Madsen Restaurants. Scandinavian Minimall won't be exhibiting, but we will most certainly pay the show a visit during the weekend at some point, to visit all the exciting exhibitors and hopefully have time to eat some great food too.

And here is some advice: If you pay online now, tickets are half price (£8 per person, instead of £16 at the entrance). For more details about the show, as well as tickets, please see the website: http://www.scandinaviashow.co.uk/

Scandinavian Minimall has been invited to showcase our baby collection (up to 2 years of age) at the Local Baby & Mother Show in Parsons Green, Fulham (SW6) in South West London this coming Sunday. We'll be displaying Scandinavian kids brands like MINI RODINI, ELODIE DETAILS, PALE CLOUD, NORLIE & POPPY ROSE which will cover everything from cute baby-grows & cool t-shirts to wrap-up-warm winter overalls and jackets. The event is free of charge, so if you happen to live locally or be in the neighbourhood - why don't you pop by and say hello? There will also be different retailers on site selling lots of lovely baby goods, and promotions only available to those attending the event, as well as a raffle. All the more reason to go!

What? The Local Baby & Mother Show

When? Sunday 9th of October, Time: 13:30 - 16:30

Where? Forever Living, Alexander House, 14-16 Peterborough Rd, London, SW6 3BN

Meet Helena, the girl behind one of my favourite kids fashion blogs http://www.thejunior.no/,and proud mum to Lykke, a stylish little girl who gets to dress in some fantastic pieces thanks to her parents. As we are doing a series over the course of the next few weeks about Scandinavian kids fashion and how mums think and feel around dressing their little ones, I asked Helena to take part and she kindly accepted.  Here is her view on Lykke's clothes, and how she thinks about kids fashion in general. Read on and be inspired by the beautiful pictures!  

I have always been very interested in fashion, but Kids fashion, who knew I would be so in to that?. But kid´s fashion is a whole different story, it´s almost a NO-NO wanting to dress your kid in nice clothes. I could´t disagree more, why should´t our little ones get to dress up and show their personalities. The good thing is that I feel that this is about to change, with all the great people behind kid´s magazines, blogs and webshops popping up, guiding us through a jungle of fashion.

 I´m a graphic designer and I think that has effected me very much, it´s a lifestyle (good and bad). I´m really in to details when I pick out clothes for Lykke and I like clean, simple tailoring. Nothing too colorful or too many prints or slogans. My favorite Scandinavian brands must be Swedish TUSS paired with Norwegian Pale Cloud, the simplicity of TUSS with the femininity and softness of Pale Cloud, perfect! Of course I have different favorites for winter and summer and for winter I love Danish Esencia with it´s warm alpaca wool, a must-have for the long Norwegian winters.

 Scandinavian kid´s fashion I think can be divided in to two groups, you have the classic clean, simple  style and the brands who do a lot of prints and strong colors. It´s good to mix, I´ll go for the first group as a base and team it with something fun from Minirodini, who do excellent prints!.

 I like to think that Lykke will develop a great sense of style, with her own personal twist. My biggest hope is that when or if she goes through "the-pink-phase" it will be pale dusty pink and not 100% candy she´ll go for…. a mom is allowed to hope, right?.

Another day, another new delivery, that's how it feels like at the moment. Not that I am complaining, I get to look at and feel the fantastic quality of some pretty nice kids stuff. Now it's Danish Kids fashion label POPPY ROSE's turn to be showcased on this website. They arrived yesterday and now they're all online - ready to buy, or at least being drooled over. POPPY ROSE is a fantastic Danish brand which was started by Minna Speerschneider Larsen, and the designs are from newborns up to 12 years. The motivation behind starting this label was a vision of combining simplicity and quality in stylish kidswear, and quality in particular being an area of focus. And that we can guarantee, the softness of the merino wool sweaters..ahh. And the liberty print pattern fabrics, another ohh! If I was a baby I would want to wear POPPY ROSE every day of the year!

Check the full collection here: http://www.scandinavianminimall.co.uk/Poppy-Rose

I never normally wish that I had a girl when it comes to children's fasion, I am very happy with my cute little son who I can dress in cool t-shirts and jeans, and brands like Mini Rodini and Finger In The Nose do really cool clothes for boys. Then sometimes - and let me stress - this doesn't happen very often - you come across a brand so gorgeous that you wish you had a whole army of girls just so you could dress them in adorable dresses and gorgeous, stylish coats. That's what happened to me when I came across LIVLY CLOTHING, a new children's fashion brand from Sweden, some time ago. This label was started by Lisa Carroll, a Swedish children's clothes designer, and the first ever collection is this one for Autumn/Winter'11.

So, where do I start? The blue LIVLY CLOTHING JULES coat? We know that Suri Cruise has one, and if anyone is a child fashionista, it's her. The tailoring is superb and the strong blue colour is so gorgeous you just wish you could have one in your size. And one each on my imaginary army of girls...The Minou dress is another favourite of mine, a colour block dress in rusty orange and beige with ruffle detailing. Very, very stylish!

We're proud to say that we will be the first retailer in the UK who will start selling an exclusive but small collection of LIVLY CLOTHING as of next week. We will let you know as soon stock has arrived, in case you're as smitten as I am.  And something tells me, style-consious parent, that you will be....

Press from Sweden's leading baby/child magazine

Last week, we told you that we were going to have different mums blogging on the Scandinavian Minimall blog to showcase Scandinavian Kids Fashion and what it is for different people. These guest bloggers all have one thing in common and it's that they all appreciate Scandinavian kids fashion but all of them have different tastes and styles - as we all do.

First out is mother of one, Swedish Ulrika and her son Ruben. I asked her to describe Ruben's style, what she likes and doesn't like him dressed in and what her favourite brands are. Read on for the low-down on Ruben's cool style....

Ruben is 15 months old, and a bit of a giant baby right now since he can't walk yet, though he is getting there. He is very talkative, cuddly and sociable and loves to bathe, eat and travel. A bit of a bon vivant really. He loves playing with cars, and to shout out 'hello' at the top of his lungs, as soon as anyone is around to listen to him. Getting dressed in the morning is not one of Ruben's favourite things to do at the moment, but we're hoping it's just a phase he is going through.

Even though Ruben is very young it does feel like he has his own style already. We like cool t-shirts and college sweaters, colourful socks, navy style clothes, shirts for special occasions, cool jeans, animal prints and tights. I don't want him to be too cute, but not too 'tough' and edgy either. Skull prints are not our thing, for example. Now that Ruben has started nursery it's harder to get him dressed in nice things though as we need think practical - I mean, a pair of wellies and a rainwear set aren't usually that much fun or stylish...

Our favourite Scandinavian kids fashion brand is Swedish MINI RODINI! Not only because of the cool graphic prints and designs, but also because of their sizing - especially when it comes to denim. Ruben has had his Mini Rodini boyfriend jeans for about 6 months, and I am sure I can squeeze another 4 months out of them, which is a really good thing when you have a growing baby. Another brand we like is the Brandstrom Company - they have such comfy and stylish college sweaters! And, our next buy from Scandinavian Minimall - the Finger In The Nose Owl print t-shirt! We love it!

Ulrika & Ruben

Next week, we will start selling the lovely knitted designs by Danish brand Lucky Boy Sunday. Two Danish women, Camilla and Camilla started Lucky Boy Sunday in 2007, and have since gone from strength to strength. They produce two collections a year filled with lovely softies, graphic pillows and other sweet characters. Aren't they gorgeous?

I've always been fascinated about what makes other people tick, so much so that I spent 5 years working with Consumer Insight before I decided to start this website. In fact, one of the best things about having your own online shop is that you can help other people discover some great brands they had otherwise never heard of. Most of the time you find brands that other people love too, though sometimes you don't get the reaction you'd hoped for - and understanding why this does, or doesn't happen, is another piece of the puzzle that I find really intriguing. It's also this understanding that I hope will help make this website better and better for each season that passes by.

Because I like to find out about other people's  thoughts and behaviours, I find it fascinating to read about other mums and how they think when it coms to dressing their children. As such, I've asked some fellow Scandinavians about their style choices when it comes to kids fashion, and what Scandinavian kids fashion, specifically, stands for according to them. As of this week, and a few weeks onwards, this blog will feature different Scandinavin mums, and their style choices when it comes to their little Scandinavians. I hope you will find this inspiring too - and perhaps you would even like to feature?  E-mail me at info@scandinavianminimall.co.uk if that's the case, or if you have any other suggestions in relation to this.

We had a small photoshoot at Scandinavian Minimall last week,  which you will see more of in the next few weeks. One image I had to share with you though is the fabulous MINI RODINI faux fur Leicester jacket which has now arrived in store.  Isn't our little model Livia the cutest ever? And with this fashion-forward jacket, she looks ever so stylish too!

Our first ever non-clothes and shoes items have arrived! It's the colourful kids bike/scoot/skate helmet from Danish brand CRAZY STUFF. These helmets are fully compliant with British and European safety standards and tested and certified in Germany. Your child will definetly stand out in this helmet - in a good way! We think they are super cool, and at areasonable price too at £35.00.

Which Scandinavian kids fashion brand has the coolest winter jackets for babies and children? And how about the best prints? You've guessed it - it's MINI RODINI. They have now arrived at Scandinavian Minimall, together with other cool items such as eiffeltower beanies in grey and powder pink, lightning print rompers and raglan tees, bear raglan tees and a bulldog sweater. Amongst other things. Our MINI RODINI favourite? Sorry, we can't choose - but we do think the Mini Rodini Eiffeltower dress and the Bulldog sweater will do really well. What is your favourite? 

You know what is even better? That you get 20% off of the entire collection, in fact everything we sell at Scandinavian Minimall from today until Sunday 18 September 2011 to celebrate Scandinavian kids fashion blog Little Scandinavian's 2nd birthday today www.littlescandinavian.co.uk. Just enter vouchercode LittleScandinavian2 in the vouchercode area at checkout.

It might be a little early to tell you about news for Spring/Summer 12 already, we've barely started the Autumn/Winter 11 season...anyhow, we came across this Swedish jeans brand for kids on the Little Scandinavian blog and then saw it live in Copenhagen during the kids fashion fair week in August this year. I Dig Denim is such wearable and cool kids denim, and with a collection in different washes, shapes and sizes, there is sure to be a I Dig Denim favourite for everyone! Created by Swedish designer Hanna Clavegård, it's only been going for a few seasons but it has already been snapped up by the big fashion houses in Scandinavia, and the brand has numerous fans across the Scandinavian countries. Since we're in such good company, we thought we might as well tell you that we'll be the first store to stock I Dig Denim in the UK come spring/summer 2012. Check out the styles below for autumn/winter 11. E-mail us at info@scandinavianminimall.co.uk if you would like to know more - or just ask questions about the styles we'll stock.

Tuss - The Ultimate Simple Solution - have some great new news this autumn. Their fabulous Scandinavian simplicity and timeless design have definetily won us over, and so has their high quality fabrics. A favourite is the Boys' Cowboy and Austrounaut sweaters and the Tuva cardigan and Tone skirt below. Tuss Clothing proves that black, grey and other neutral tones needen't be boring and instead can look both stylish and playful on children. Scandinavian Minimall are big fans!

Scandinavian Minimall was in Stockholm, Sweden, last week to check out the latest clothes collections and toys from Swedish kids design brands like Tuss and Franka Stockholm - and we've been very impressed with what we've seen for Spring/Summer 2012 so far. One of the best and most exciting things about having a Scandinavian kids design shop online is of course to view all the fantastic collections that all the talente designers and brand owners have put together, and then to envisage it on the Scandinavian Minimall website come spring next year.

We also went to the Formex fair in Stockholm which is a design fair, and it includes a fantastic mix of Scandinavian toy, interiors and baby assecories brands which had gathered to show their latest collections. Below are some pictures of some of the fantastic displays and brands we came across at the fair. It is going to be hard to choose a selection to sell at Scandinavian Minimall! Do you have any favourites? Let us know by commenting on this post, e-mailing info@scandinavianminimall.co.uk or share your thoughts on our Facebook page!

All the best and have a great week.

Scandinavian Minimall

It's been 5 months today since we went live with Scandinavian Minimall, and we're really pleased with the response we've gotten so far. The autumn collections have started to arrive now, and September is going to be a very exciting, and busy, month with new arrivals, new brands as well as 'old favourites' (well, in our case, old is 5 months!) as well as a new category which we will add to Scandinavian Minimall, namely: Scandinavian kids interiors, accesories and toys, all carefully selected by us. It will be a selection of mainly Scandinavian kids design brands, and we couldn't be happier with what we've found so far! It won't be a huge selection, as we're keen to keep it small and curated. One of the first kids design accesories brands which will arrive at the shop is Elodie Details, which is a Swedish kids design brand, which are known for their designed baby products, primarily for their dummies, dummy clips and stroller bags. We're very excited to start selling this great brand in a few weeks, and we hope you will like them too! And do please let us know if you have a favourite brand that you think we'd like, e-mail us at info@scandinavianminimall.co.uk - we'd love to hear from you!

Not many days now until the simply GORGEOUS high end girls fashion brand Pale Cloud will arrive at Scandinavian Minimall!! We have already told you about Pale Cloud in the Scandinavian Minimall blog before and how it came about, but if you've missed out, here's the lowdown: Pale cloud is a brand new luxury girls fashion brand. Behind the brand is Norwegian designer Marion and her British husband Ian, and their first collection is this one, autumn/winter 2011. What we don't think you know, but might expect when you see the below adorable items, is how well received it has been with big fashion houses like Barneys New York - who apparently are fans - and kids fashion bloggers alike, like Little Scandinavian and Smudgetikka, who've written great reviews about the brand. We think we may see this brand Pale Cloud sold in a few more places come spring/summer 2012...

Here are some items that we will start selling on the website soon - e-mail us at customercare@scandinavianminimall.co.uk if you'd like some more information about each piece including prices, or if you would like to reserve an item - stocks will be limited.

We're big fans of Finger In The Nose here at Scandinavian Minimall and we're super excited about receiving the autumn/winter '11 collection any day now. We agree with blogger Little Scandinavian, it's the best collection to date, and being Scandinavians ourselves, we of course love the Nordic owl and troll prints in this collection.  Here are some of our favourite items - arent't they both cool and stylish? If you've never bought a Finger In The Nose item before, we can assure you that the clothes are very high quality and even the skinniest of jeans are in a stretchy cotton material, so that your little one can move around as usual.

The excitement is big at Scandinavian Minimall over having received the first drop of items from Swedish kids fashion brand Mini Rodini for autumn/winter 2011! We love the Mini Rodini bear print and the eiffel tower prints and they look even better in real life - even though we must say they look pretty great online too.

The first items have already started selling so hurry - we think we may have a few bestsellers on our hands. Thank you Mini Rodini for creating such gems of children's fashion clothing. We can't wait for the second drop of more long sleeved t-shirts, jackets and even a Mini Rodini tuxedo for the upcoming festivities in December.

We first came across Danish kids fashion brand Norlie when a friend of ours recommended the brand - she said the quality was great and the styles were very cute, and now that we  know what we're talking about, we couldn't agree more. We then met Norlie at the CPH Kids Fashion fair where most Scandinavian brands exhibit their latest collections in January 2011 - months before we launched the Scandinavian Minimall website, and after having viewed the collection, and felt how soft and high quality their materials were, we decided to bring Norlie's autumn winter 2011 collection to Scandinavian Minimall. And now it's here!

Norlie was created by two family related friends in Denmark in 2005. They've become known for their knitted garments and pointelle fabric t-shirts and bodies - items you can now find at Scandinavian Minimall. We know that the brand has a loyal following back home, amongst them the Danish royal family! Below is a picture of an 'all-in-one' from their autumn/winter collection which we simply love - the gorgeous jersely slub jumpsuit with a stylish flower for all baby girls with panache!

We've just been told that the Mini Rodini Autumn/Winter 2011 collection is on its way to us at Scandinavian Minimall and should arrive any day now. There will be some great pieces to select from, and we're SO excited about receiving all the items soon. Amongst other things, this beautiful Mini Rodini Luton jacket in blue will be available for £65 and the Mini Rodini Penworth Panda Knitted Sweater for £53 is another great buy! Check out our website soon again, as new news will be updated and added regularly in the next few weeks.

Happy weekend!

Scandinavian Minimall

You may remember our Facebook competition from a while ago, where all our Facebook fans could like an outfit Scandinavian Minimall had put together, for their chance to win it. Maja, and her mother Nicola, in Sweden were the winners, and we've just received some pictures of Maja from her mum in the winning outfit. Little darling Maja is wearing The Brandstrom Company Girly Tee, Mini Rodini Santiago Slim jeans and a Geggamoja hat - all on sale for the final weeks. So cute - and just about the right mix of girly and cool if you ask us! Nicola has told us that her daugher Maja loves the outfit, and that it fits her perfectly too. We're glad you like it Maja, and thanks both for sending us the lovely pictures. We love them!

And just so you know, our Facebook competition, 'Outfit of the week' will return this autumn, so watch this space..

It's very busy times at Scandinavian Minimall right now! We have just received the first shipments of the new autumn/winter 11 clothes - from the Brandstrom Company and Tuss (The Ultimate Simle Solution), and we hope to get at least one collection out on the website by end of this week or early next week at the latest. It's also order time for Spring/Summer 12, and there are important decisions to be made, from which new kids fashion brands we think would suit Scandinavian Minimall, to what to order from each brand, including the ones we already sell. It's a fun time, but it's also very hard work.

Our trip to the CPH Kids Fashion Fair last weekend to view the latest in Scandinavian kids fashion was a lot of fun, and oh my, what a fantastic selection of brands we've found! We're very impressed by the latest collections from Mini Rodini, How to kiss a frog and The Brandstrom Company, and can't wait to sell it here.  There are some other great new brands too, which we'll tell you about later on this autumn. To showcase some of the lovely styles available at the CPH Kids fashion fair, here are some pictures from a small selection of brands. Enjoy!

A gorgeous baby romper from How to kiss a frog:

Colourful baby shoes from Danish brand Petit Nord

US brand ESP No. 1

Today we're travelling to Copenhagen and the CPH Kids Fashion Fair - were many of the most trendsetting brands in Scandinavian kids’ fashion will show their Spring/Summer 2012 collections. We're going there to find out what brands like Mini Rodini, Pale Cloud and How To Kiss A Frog have in store for us for next season, but also hopefully discover new brands that we feel would fit Scandinavian Minimall (if you have any suggestions or ideas, dear customer, please let us know!). This will be our third fair - and we now know how fun and inspiring they are, and how upbeat about the future of kids fashion you feel after having been to see all the new collections. It's also a great way to meet all the people behind the brands, so that they can tell us their idea and story behind each collection, and what their favourite pieces are. We promise to keep you updated on this blog about our trip to Copenhagen and the CPH Kids Fashion Fair and how we found it next week. For now, we hope that the sun is shining on you, that you have a great weekend, and - until next week!

Scandinavian Minimall

We've already introduced you to kids fashion brand Pale Cloud which will be launched on this website later on this month (we're very excited!), and every week from now on we'll tell you about our new brands for autumn '11.  Second up is a Danish brand called Petit By Sofie Schnoor, which sells both kids fashion clothing and fashionable shoes for babies, boys and girls from 0-10 years of age.

The designs by Petit by Sofie Schnoor are classic, yet contemporary, and was launched by Sofie Schnoor - an established womens wear and shoe designer in Denmark -  in 2007 as an alternative to the many  children’s’ clothing which feature large brand names and extreme patterns. Clothes and shoes that you would like to wear yourself, but with more mobility, so that a child's movement is never hindered. The designs for Petit by Sofie Schnoor are clean and never fussy, and in soft, earthy colours like pink, brown, grey, khaki and black. It has become a very succesfull brand on the Scandinavian market, and the children of the Danish Royal family are fans - amongst many others. Below are some pictures from the upcoming Autumn/Winter '11 collection, which we are looking forward to receiving soon!

The Babyccino Kids Blog is an established blog for parents and others who are interested in reading about modern family life; cool kids fashion and interiors,  restaurants, daytrips and travelling with kids as well as suggestions about parenting in general. It was started a few years ago by three girlfriends in London, Courtney, Esther and Emelie, who now live in three separate cities, London, Paris and Amsterdam.

The Babyccino blog has since developed into so much more than a blog, and is now a shopping portal too which features carefully selected Babyccino Kids Shops, and we're proud to say that Scandinavian Minimall is one of them. Please check out our shop here.

The children that appear on the Scandinavian Minimall website are either our own, or our friends' children. Because we think they deserve an introduction, we've introduced you to Livia, Wilhelm and Filippa so far. Now it's Josephine's turn, the cute baby girl who is pictured below. And in the words of her own mother Lena, here is a short description of her, and what she likes to do:

Josephine just turned one year. Her dad is from Australia and her mum from Sweden, they met in Miami. Josephine was born in Stockholm but the family moved to London (where her dad has lived for six years) when she was tiny, only five weeks old.
Josephine might look quite girly, and she has many moments where she is really affectionate and loves cuddles and kissing - but she can also a very rough baby. And she loves to hide stuff inside people's clothes. Remote controls is the favourite item to hide, and then she demands everyone to ask for it - and then she pulls it out like a true magician.

She loves to have a long warm bath with her pink Scandinavian Minimall duck but showers freaks her out completely. She loves cats and dogs and rabbits but fears sheep and goats - oh how dangerous they sound! Josephine will walk quite soon, and in the meantime she picks up any pair of hands available to help her walk around and exploring the world. Her parents don't think that she will have the patience to walk though, they think she will RUN everywhere.

TUSS - The Ultimate Simple Solution - is the go to brand for high quality, cool kids fashion basics. We love their designs and how great they fit and how superb their quality really is, both their fashion for baby and kids fashion clothing. The Tuss Hans T-shirt is such a cool basic piece - now £16.50, down from £28.00. The Tuss Hal Hoodie is such a cool wardrobe stable and is now only £17.50, down from £44.00. The supercute Tuss Helga blouse is now £15.00, down from £38.00 whilst the cool Tuss Henrik Shirt now retails at £16.50, down from 44.00. See Scandinavian Minimall's TUSS sales favourites below:

Swedish Kids Designer Of The Year 2010 Monamici have some seriously delicious items in their Spring/Summer 2011 collection, and most of them are now at 60-70% off at Scandinavian Minimall. See below for our Monamici kids fashion favourites - and view the whole collection available at Scandinavian Minimall here: http://www.scandinavianminimall.co.uk/monamici

UP 70% OFF SEVERAL ITEMS IN STORE! Check out Scandinavian Minimall's new, lower sales prices at http://www.scandinavianminimall.co.uk/sales.html.

See below for our own favourites sales picks!

From one week only you can buy our Swedish Hasbeen's high braided clog for women for only £59.50! That is over 60% off on the normal retail price of £150 - so hurry and get yourself a pair - stock is limited!

Cheap Monday was founded by Swedish entrepreneur Örjan Andersson in 2004, when he set out to make jeans and fashion for the people — high level design at a low price, to counteract the more expensive brands that existed (and still exist!) on the market. It was an instant hit in Sweden, and today the brand can be found in more than 35 countries. Cheap Monday has several women's, men's andaccessories collections, and most importantly for Scandinavian Minimall - a Cheap Monday baby collection. It features the famous Cheap Monday Baby Tight Jeans, and several Cheap Monday skull logo t-shirts. Best of all, all items from the collection are now on sale, and so below are our current Cheap Monday favourites - all at 50% off!

When Scandinavian Minimall discovered Franka Stockholm we fell head over heals in love with the collection, the beautiful prints, the soft high quality material used and the cute, unusal kids fashion designs. Now it's summer sales here at Scandinavian Minimall and all Franka Stockholm is up to 60% off, so you can get some really good deals from this lovely brand! Our own favourites are below, amongst others it's the Franka Laura dresses now £14.50 down from £36.00, The Franka Muriel top £14.50, down from £31.00 (team this top with Tuss Holly shorts for a very stylish baby look),  The Franka Miles T-shirt £15.50 (was £31.00) and the flutter sleeved Lulu dress which is now £18.00, down from £36.00. Another stand out item is the Franka Oksana dress, which is now £18.00, down from £45.00. Actually it's hard to choose only a few items as favourites, as there are so many lovely high quality designs, but see below for a selection of Franka Stockholm sales items:

Nothing makes us more happy here at Scandinavian Minimall than when we receive pictures of our customers' children wearing the clothing that they have bought from us on the website, and seeing little Anni below dressed in the Brandstrom Company MiniFlounce is certainly no exception. It is such a cute top, and we think this picture really shows it off well! Thanks Anni and her mum for the lovely picture and please keep on sending us pictures like this by e-mailing us at customercare@scandinavianminimall.co.uk.

Thanks to everyone for 'liking' Scandinavian Minimall’s Outfit Of The Week entries on our Facebook page - we have now selected a winner at random from all the likes we received for each weekly post.

Mum of two, Nicola Klink who is 30 years old and lives in Stockholm, Sweden but is originally from Germany, is the lucky winner. We spoke to Nicola on Monday and delivered the good news.

Scandinavian Minimall: Congratulations, Nicola!

Nicola: This is really great, thank you. Simple functional clothes are my favourites and I am so happy you’ve opened Scandinavian Minimall because I think it is really something that is missing in the UK market. I lived there recently with my family for 1 year and every time I went back to Sweden I stocked up on clothes for my children.

Scandinavian Minimall: Who is going to wear the outfit that you've chosen from us?

Nicola: My daughter Maya - she is 3.5 years old.

Scandinavian Minimall: Why did you choose the outfit you chose?

Nicola: The outfit with the Mini Rodini jeans, pink Geggamoja topline and pink Brandstrom company girly tee. When I choose the outfit my daughter Maya sat next to me and she really liked the pink stripy Geggamoja topline! She is not normally a 'girly girl' who wears a lot of pink, so this will add a bit of cuteness and coolness into her wardrobe in one go. So thank you so much Scandinavian Minimall!

Scandinavian Minimall: Congrats again Nicola, and we hope you like your new outfit Maya!

The BIG SALE at Scandinavian Minimall continues and French/Norwegian brand Finger In The Nose has some real gems in the sale with up to 50% off EVERYTHING from the Finger In The Nose Spring/Summer 2011 collection. The Dita dress - now £31.50, down from £45.00 is really well cut and looks very sweet with its flutter sleeves and cool flamingo beach print, it is sure to make your little one stand out from the crowd. The Dalton shark t-shirt, is such a cool boys' t-shirt - now £22.50 down from £36.50. The Bart Bermuda shorts, now £21.50 down from £40.50 is a true classic pair of shorts and will last in style season after season. All the Finger In The Nose jeans has an amazing fit, and our personal favourites are the light grey Icon Jeans, now £38.00 - down from £69.50.  For girls, team the jeans with the Dune short sleeved t-shirt  - a cool print girls' tee - now £19.50, instead of £37.50. All items from Finger In The Nose have outstanding material quality and are always a good fit - which is why it is such a favourite brand of ours, and we hope that you will, if you haven't already, soon discover this great brand too.

We're keeping mum about most of the new brands that we will start stocking as of AW11, but one brand that we can't help tell you about is the gorgeous new girls' fashion brand Pale Cloud - which aim is to create children's daily couture. This brand is all about the details - like hand-stiched small clouds on the white Dalia blouse, or small flutter sleeves on the otherwise very classic girl's Charis cardigan  (both are pictured below). The shades are pale, and the fabric used is luxurious (cashmere, silk and alpaca are used throughout the collection). The Norwegian designer Marion has worked for several top fashion houses, but after having her own daughter, she turned her eye on children's fashion and decided to start her own label, together with her husband Ian. We say well done on a contemporary and absolutely gorgeous first collection, and we're very excited about receiving our first pieces in the autumn. Here are some pictures from the upcoming collection, enjoy!

The sale is now on at Scandinavian Minimall! You can save up to 50% on selected items of Mini Rodini, Swedish Hasbeens, Tuss, Franka, Monamici and Cheap Monday amongst other brands.

Here are some of our sales favourites from Mini Rodini, including the San Remo Hot Dog jacket (now £30, down from £43.00), The Acapulco Flower dress (now £24.00, down from 34.50), and the Ballerina Body (now £15, down from £21.50) and the Mini Rodini detroit denim shirt (now £22.50, down from£32.50)

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In time for the summer festivities, Swedish brand How To Kiss A Frog is your perfect brand to go for for perfect little princess dresses and adorable details like lace, frills and sweet pastels on both baby rompers and girls clothing. Below is some of our How To Kiss A Frog favourites that we sell on the Scandinavian Minimall website - romantic 'boho' fashion for girls at its best.

The first picture below is the Angel dress £48.00, followed by the Bella dress £52.00, Mandy Jumpsuit £36.00 and finally the Levy set £36.00. Check http://www.scandinavianminimall.co.uk/how-to-kiss-a-frog for more details.

Photographer: Josiane Faubert.

An outfit fit for midsummer is this week's OUTFIT OF THE WEEK from Scandinavian Minimall! As usual, you will get 20% off each individual item included in the OUTFIT OF THE WEEK and your chance to win an entire outfit of your choice by liking us on Facebook www.facebook.com/ScandinavianMinimall AND liking the Outfit Of The Week post.

Included in outfit number 06 is an outfit for both babies and older children. First up is the adorably cute summery Acapulco dress by Mini Rodini (now £27.60, down from £31.50) - which is also a baby outfit and comes from ages 0-3 months up to 6-7 years of age. To give you shoes to match, we have decided to give you 20% off either of our  Swedish Hasbeens childrens sandals - which are £39.60 this week, usual price £49.50. For the boys outfit, we have two items from one of our favourite brands Finger In The Nose and both the Steal t-shirt (now 25.20, down from £31.50) and the sharp blue Scott Chino Trousers (this week £47.60, usually £59.50) are included. And finally, the quirky hot dog print body from Mini Rodini is a very suitable baby boy body for those midsummer barbeques - down from £21.00 this week to £16.80. Hope you like the outfits as much as we do - happy 20% off shopping and good luck for the draw!

And again, here's to a Happy Midsummer!

Best wishes from Scandinavian Minimall     

On Friday this week it's midsummer - or the summer solstice -  the longest day of daylight of the year in the northern hemisphere. In Scandinavia, where winters are long and summers are short - it is one of the most important holidays of the year. In Sweden, it is celebrated in a very Swedish way - from what people wear to what they eat and drink during the day. The traditional way of celebrating midsummer is to start the day by collecting flowers and leaves and tie these aound a pole - which is called a maypole, an ancient fertility symbole. Usually large parties, including families, gather to raise the pole (this is typically done by the  boys and men), whilst the girls and women decorate the pole and put flowers and sprigs in their hair. When this is all done, you usually have lunch - which is normally a traditional feast of herring, salmon, and large quantities of boiled fresh potatoes. The grown-ups usually drink beer and snaps, whilst singing traditional Swedish drinking songs. Dessert is more or less always strawberries. After lunch it's time to dance around the pole, when traditional music is often played and some even wear traditional folk costumes. The party usually lasts until the crack of dawn, it is just one of those days when it is hard to go to sleep, as it is so light outside.

At Scandinavian Minimall we had our own little midsummer lunch last week before we all part ways for the summer holidays. We had a traditional lunch, dressed the kids in clothing fit for a midsummer party and put flowers in their hair though there was no pole to dance around (and no snaps or beer either, for that matter...!!). Hope the pictures below will give you an idea of what midsummer in Sweden is all about. By this short introduction to how we celebrate midsummer in Sweden, we wish you all a very HAPPY MIDSUMMER!

The Brandstrom Company or The Brand in short (which it is called in its home market) is a Swedish company which was set up by husband and wife team Mr and Mrs Brandstrom when they couldn't find any Scandinavian kids fashion that they liked or wanted to buy for their own daughter. They design fashion clothes for kids which are both trendy and cute and their designs resemble grown up fashion but in miniature - the Army College with its brown suede imitation elbow patches which you can see in many mens fashion shops at the moment,  and the flutter sleeved MiniFlounce blouse are both good examples. Their motto is of course that kids should still  be kids - just a bit more fashionable thanks to their great items. They have featured in many fashion magazines, of which Vogue Kids Spain is the latest . Several of the big Scandinavian kids fashion shops sell the Brandstrom company too (Pst! Our prices are better though - thanks to the weak pound!). In the UK they are rather unknown - so here is a selection of our favourites as an introduction to this great brand -THE BRAND.  Enjoy!

Below you see the John jacket in pink (it comes in dark green as well), unisex army shorts in grey, and the fashionable mid grey girls tulip skirt - all by The Brandstrom Company. 

This week's OUTFIT OF THE WEEK from Scandinavian Minimall is another boys' outfit which go from sizes 12-18 months up to 6-7 years. You can get 20% off each individual item included in the OUTFIT OF THE WEEK and  your chance to win an entire outfit of your choice by liking us on Facebook www.facebook.com/ScandinavianMinimall AND liking the Outfit Of The Week post. So hurry, stock is limited!

Included in outfit number 5 is the supersoft cotton jersey Miles t-shirt by Franka Stockholm now £24.80 (normally £31.00), Siracusa shorts by Mini Rodini now £15.60 (usual price £19.50), and the midmight blue, high quality cotton Bill cardigan by Franka Stockholm ( now £39.20, normal price 49.00) - all with 20% off this week. What is even better is that we have included all the Franka Stockholm Bill Cardigans we sell, the powder pink Mini Rodini Siracusa shorts AND the Franka Stockholm Lula dress (now £28.80, down from £36.00). You can find the voucher code to get this discount on our Facebook pag

Photographer Josiane Faubert

The cutest of chidren's sandals have now arrived in store - del Rio London's luxury children's sandals, hand-made in Spain using the finest leather, and with a recycled rubber sole. For each sandal sold, a tree is planted! Scandinavian Minimall can vote for how very comfy these sandals are, and the quality is superb.

By: Jessica, Co –Founder of Scandinavian Minimall

The next model for Scandinavian Minimall to be introduced is Filippa, my daughter.

I would describe Filippa as having lots of different interests and actually already passions in life. She has so many things that she loves to do, but her absolute favorites are dancing and listening to music (always gets the whole family up dancing on the floor when it is music around). She also really likes reading or singing from her books (even if it is not a singing book) and she is a pro of the puzzles. For a long time the only thing that was important for Filippa was Pippi Longstocking. For you who have not heard about her, she is a fictional character in a series of children's books by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren, and adapted into multiple films and television series. Eight-year-old Pippi is unconventional, assertive, and has superhuman strength, being able to lift her horse one-handed without difficulty. Filippa has all sorts of things related Pippi Longstocking. She is surrounded by Pippi Longstocking.

Filippa is approaching two and a half years of age. She is very girly, wants to put make up on every time I do. When I photograph her for e.g this week’s outfit she runs to the camera straight after and says Mummy, can Filippa see, then back to the wall and wants to take more photos. I will show you one of her posing sessions her on the blog soon. She also really enjoys playing with her friends who you have already been introduced to here at Scandinavian Minimall, Wilhelm and Livia. Filippa and Wilhelm have known each other since they were borned. They have not always been the best of friends but lately they have come extremely close, almost like an old, very in loved couple. Cute!

In the photo below, you can see Filippa wearing a Butterfly Wing t-shirt and Siracusa Shorts, both from designer Mini Rodini.

It's high time for a boys outfit in Scandinavian Minimall's Outfit Of The Week. This week you can get 20% off the below outfit and your chance to win it too, simply by becoming a fan and liking this week's post on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/ScandinavianMinimall. Everyone who likes our Outfit Of The Week get 20% off each individual item in this outfit, but one lucky winner will be able to chose an outfit of their choice from all the outfits on display on our Facebook page during May and June, which they will then receive for free. The winner of this outfit will be selected at random after June 30th 2011.

Wilhelm is wearing Mini Rodini Grandpa t-shirt - available from size 0-3 months up to 6-7 years. From today, Tuesday 7 June until 13 June, the price is £17.20, down from the usual £21.50, if you use the vouchercode found on our Facebook page. The shorts are from The Brandstrom Company's Army Shorts. The smallest size is 6 months, and the biggest 6 years - but as the Brandstrom Company is rather small in size we recommend you go up a size when you buy from them. They are currently priced at £26.00, down from £32.50. Finally, the limited edition Geggamoja's Army Topline, now £13.20, down from £16.50. What a cool boys look!

Photography: Josiane Faubert

How To Kiss a Frog...is a rather unusual brand name that is hard to forget - especially when you’ve come across their adorable clothing! It is a Swedish brand which was started by sisters Malin and Maria Holmberg in 2006, and has since gone from strength to strength, especially in their home region of Scandinavia. In the UK they are still relatively unknown, but we of course hope that it won’t take long before they are discovered on a larger scale here as well.

What signifies How To Kiss a Frog clothing then?  Many of their adorable baby and girls fashion designs have ruffles, lace embroidery and flutter sleeves which will make any little girl feel like a princess. Another signifying theme are the colours and the patterns; soft pastels, hot pink and blue colour tones. Romantic flowery fabric is another. Traditionally girly in some ways, but their Toile de Jouy patterned fabric (see the Cara dress and the Levy set), and the cute Mandy Jumpsuit also make it a brand that is highly on trend.

Below is a selection of the How To Kiss a Frog clothing we love at Scandinavian Minimall. Enjoy!

We just wanted to share a picture from the photo session we had with talented photograper Josiane Faubert about two weeks ago. Several images will be uploaded on our website in the next few weeks, but we thought you wanted a sneak peak with this great photo. Wilhelm is dressed in top to toe Finger In The Nose clothing whilst Filippa is wearing Monamici.

Another week, another OUTFIT OF THE WEEK from Scandinavian Minimall. Yes, that's right, our Facebook fans continue to get 20% off each individual item included in the OUTFIT OF THE WEEK and  your chance to win an entire outfit of your choice by liking us on Facebook www.facebook.com/ScandinavianMinimall AND liking the Outfit Of The Week post. So hurry, whilst this offer lasts!

This week a gorgeous baby girl outfit takes centre stage. The pink frilled basic body with collar for £28.75 (this week for £23.00) is from the masters of adorable girly outfits; Swedish brand How To Kiss a Frog. The body comes in sizes 0, 3, 9 and 12 months old, but as we are feeling generous this week - we've decided to give you 20% off ALL their jersey bodies, including their adorable boys bodies: How To Kiss a Frog's bib body and the body shirt. The Holly bloomers (normally £28.00, now 22.40) are made by TUSS (The Ultimate Simple Solution) - our favourite brand for sleek, stylish and very wearable baby fashion. They are available in both light and dark grey in sizes 3-6 months up to 18-24 months.

Happy 20% Off Shopping and Good luck For the Draw!

Next up of the brands we sell at Scandinavian Minimall that we want to introduce to you is Tuss - The Ultimate Simple Solution, created by Swedish designer Catti Åman in 2004. The brand is Scandinavian minimalism for kids personified with its clean, simple, fuss free, and generally monochrome colour design. What matters here are the details: Henrik, a grey and white striped shirt is beautifully cut and has a hidden white hem beneath the buttons, whilst the rushed Helga blouse is feminine and girly, but as with all things from Tuss, it’s never too much, or too sweet. It’s simply fashion for kids where style and quality are at the forefront of the design, and which garments can be mixed and matched to suit most other things in your child’s wardrobe.

Tuss and Acne (a very successful Swedish fashion brand, which is also minimalistic in style) are currently collaborating and have created an amazing kids fashion collection that will be launched in autumn 2011. Most fashion forward Swedes are fans of both Acne and Tuss, so imagine just how cool and stylish their joint designs are going to be. We hope that by bringing The Ultimate Simple Solution to the UK (we are the first UK retailer to do so), you will discover, and fall in love with them too. Like we already have!

Scandinavian Minimall is going to be at Cupcake Mum in Parsons Green, London, tomorrow 27 May from 9 am until 5 pm, and you are very much welcome to come and join us! Cupcake Mum is a lovely members' club and spa for pregnant women and new mums, which hosts different events for both children and mums several times a week.

At the event we will showcase some of our Mini Rodini, Tuss, Finger In The Nose and Swedish Hasbeens collections, amongst other brands. There will be special offers available to those attending, so please feel free to pass by if you are in the area. In the meantime, you can find our free giveaway ducks with a 15% off all our products at Cupcake in Wandsworth and Cupcake in Putney.

Hope to see you then!

Gabrielle and Jessica

A few weeks ago we introduced you to Livia, whose parents have been kind enough to let us photograph her for our styling shoots. Now it is Wilhelm’s turn.

So, who is Wilhelm? To start off with, he is the mega blond little fellow that you see in quite a few of the pictures on the Scandinavian Minimall website and blog, and also in the picture below. He is also my (Gabrielle, one of the founders of Scandinavian Minimall) son.  So, how would I describe him? Apart from the basic facts, e.g. 2, 5 years old and very Scandinavian looking he has a few things that make him stand out from the crowd.  Quite literally actually, with his 99 centimeters versus the boys average for his age, 93 centimetres. He is more or less always happy and cheerful, and he has what I am sure would be defined as an obsession; an obsession with the TV series Peppa Pig, which he watches as soon as we let him.

So, what else? He is a very happy, sociable and ‘chatty’ person and he is a typical boy in the sense that he loves playing with cars and throwing a ball, and he is never still.  He doesn’t in fact like ‘modelling’ for Scandinavian Minimall at all (the evidence is below)– but it is amazing what the promise of a packet of raisins can do.....

In the picture below, you see Wilhelm dressed in a John Jacket by the Brandstrom Company and Halvar Shorts by Tuss

As you may have heard already we are as of last week, offering our Facebook fans 20% off each individual item included in Scandinavian Minimall's outfit of the week and  your chance to win one whole outfit of your choice by liking us on Facebook www.facebook.com/ScandinavianMinimall, as well as liking the Outfit Of The Week post. It is on our Facebook page that you will also find the voucher code to get 20% off each week's selected items.  

This week we have a gorgeous girly outfit with clothing from Geggamoja, The Brandstrom Company and Mini Rodini. The cute and funky pink girly college for £25.50 from the Brandstrom company comes in sizes 1-6 years old, whilst the Geggamoja topline £16.50 comes in a range of colours,and is available for both boys and girls from size 2-6 months up to 5-6 years. The unisex jeans are Mini Rodini's Santiago Slim jeans for £32.00 and is available from sizes 12-18 months up to 6-7 years old.

The winner of this competition will be selected at random and notified by 30 June 2011. Good luck!

We wanted to introduce you to the brand Monamici that we are selling here at Scandinavian Minimall, as we know this brand is more or less unknown to the UK market. That is however not the case in Sweden, where the two sisters behind the brand, Helene Edsta and Caroline af Jochnick won the award for best children’s fashion designer 2010 in Sweden’s biggest  parenting magazine, Mama (www.mama.nu).

The magazine’s motivation of the price:

‘With a detailed collection, a dressed up design fuses a simplistic Nordic feeling throughout the entire collection, from the very basics to the fashion items. These two design mums create simple, high quality garments, ranging from baby to the rebellious teens.’

Their designs are now very popular in Scandinavia, and our hope at Scandinavian Minimall is of course that consumers over here and across the rest of the world will discover how stylish their clothing are, and how great the quality is.

Monamici is also an ethically conscious company proud to follow global codes of conduct with respect to environmental issues and human rights. We love their Spring/Summer 2011 kids fashion collection and are proud to be the first retailer to sell their clothes in the UK.

Below are some of our favourites fashion for kids picks from the recent collection:

We've got a very exciting day ahead of us today at Scandinavian Minimall! We are shooting some adorable fashion styles from our collection of brands with photographer Josiane Faubert www.josianefaubert.com in London. We have been taking most of the photographs ourselves so far so it will be fun and a real learning experience I am sure to work with a pro.

All the kids are lined up apart from beautiful Livia who unfortunately broke her arm last week. 5 kids in one studio will be interesting - especially as they are all so young. Here is a picture of our last photo shoot - it all went well in the end, but there was definitely a point we were all wondering where this was heading.... 

As of today and every week going forward in May and June, we will showcase a girl's or a boy's outfit on our blog and on our Facebook page, which we have called Scandinavian Minimall's outfit of the week.  Each week you will get 20% off that week's selected outfit and by the end of June, one lucky winner will get to choose their favourite outfit and receive it for free. 

This week we are celebrating Norway's Constitution Day and what better way to do it than dressed in this country's flag's blue, white and red colours?The boy's outfit consists of Gingham checked blue, white and red Bart Bermuda shorts from Finger In The Nose (now £32.40 instead of £40.50) and a dark blue coloured Pistoia Cardigan from Mini Rodini (this week for £27.60, usual price £34.50). The girls outfit is a red and white Big stripe wing t-shirt from Mini Rodini  (now 15.90 instead of £19.90) and dark blue Curry denim shorts from Hot To Kiss A Frog (now £25.60 - usual price £32.00). All clothing comes in sizes from 1 years old up to 6 years of age, apart from the Pistoia Cardigan which is also available in baby sizes from 0-3 months and the reduction in price is valid until midnight 23 May '11.

For your chance to get 20% off  this week's outfit and be entered into the draw to win your choice of Scandinavian Minimall's outfit of the week, become a fan of us on Facebook www.facebook.com/ScandinavianMinimall, then like this post on Facebook. On our Facebook page you will also receive the voucher code to get 20% off. The winner will be selected and notified by 30 June '11. Good luck!

These stylish and practical items from the Geggamoja Spring/Summer 11 collection have arrived in store now.

Our guilty pleasure this season is the sky high braided Swedish Hasbeens in dark blue for £149. We know we are a kids fashion store, but we simply couldn't help ourselves when we saw these beauties. Mother/daughter matching shoes from Swedish Hasbeens is a very good look indeed, we think! Check out our selection of children's Swedish Hasbeens here

A little while back, we at Scandinavian Minimall held our launch event at champagne bar Amuse Bouche in Parsons Green, London. As the event was Scandinavian themed, our guests were served Scandinavian canapés including Gravad lax rolls and Swedish sweets. Most of the collection sold on the website was on display, including  Mini Rodini, Finger In The Nose, Monamici, Swedish Hasbeens and del Rio London children's sandals. Many friends and family as well as new acquaintances that we have met through Scandinavian Minimall came to the event, which was a great turn out for us and we had a great time showing everyone what we had been working for over the past months.

See below for some great pictures from the evening. Thanks to everyone who showed up and supported us at this exciting time!

We are very pleased to announce that Scandinavian Minimall's first ever newsletter has been sent out this morning. If you want to read it, just click here: http://bit.ly/iQsB0d. It features information about our current Free UK delivery and half price international postage promotion, together with some lovely summer clothing which we have picked out for you. If you haven't subscribed already, just go to the Sign Up feature on our homepage and enter your e-mail and press Go. Easy as pie! And happy reading, hope you like it!

Scandinavian fashion for kids is very close to our hearts but there truly are some great things that originate from Scandinavia, including the food. As we are Swedish, there are always some things we really miss when it comes to food products that come from Sweden. That is why we wanted to take the opportunity to tell you about Totally Swedish which has plenty of Swedish food and drink, and other bits and bobs like Swedish children's cutlery and Astrid Lindgren children's books. Buy online or go to the store on 32 Crawford Street, London W1H 1LS and grab a Scandinavian Minimall duck with a 15% off coupon (valid until May 31) whilst you are there. Alternatively e-mail us at info@scandinavianminimall.co.uk if they have run out of stock.   

We would like to introduce you to our models here at Scandinavian Minimall, and first out is Livia. Livia is almost 2 years old, as a matter of fact, she turns 2 next week. She is Swedish, but has lived in London, UK, all her life. As such, she is a very bilingual little toddler who currently says 'Hello' and 'Bye Bye' in English instead of the Swedish 'Hej' and 'Hej Då'.

Livia has been part of our lives since before she was born as we at Scandinavian Minimall met her mum when she was pregnant with her. She is very good friends with Wilhelm, 2 - who also features throughout the site, and with Filippa, 2, who is another regular. Livia is known for being easy-going and having a cheeky smile, and you can always hear her laughter whenever she is around. We reckon she will love fashion (like mother, like daughter we say) and already has a strong sense of what she wants to wear and what not. When we did the style shoot for Scandinavian Minimall with her and the other children, she was the only child who was happy to put up with various changes in clothing, and she posed like a professional. A model in the making, we think! And a very happy birthday in advance, Livia!

Livia is wearing kids fashion from Scandinavian Minimall: Helga blouse from Tuss £38.00 and Mini Rodini Bristol Baby Jeans £30.50 in vintage wash.

We just wanted to share this cool kids fashion t-shirt with you. It is the funky Mandrill t-shirt from Mini Rodini, and in true Mini Rodini fashion this boys' top stands out from the crowd by being both fun and stylish at the same time.  It is available from Scandinavian Minimall at  a cost of £19.90, in sizes 12-18 months up to 6-7 years, now with free UK postage and packaging and half price international delivery. The perfect gift for all little cheeky monkeys out there!

The excitement of the week is of course the upcoming Royal Wedding in the UK. Scandinavian Minimall therefore thought it should give you some suggestions for the perfect prince and princess outfit for your little sweethearts to wear when waving the flag for Prince William and his lady Kate on Friday the 29 April 2011.

It is Easter Eve today, and 50% of Scandinavian Minimall is in the south of France.

We have just eaten Tarte Tropezienne, which is a tradional cake from the Provence region together with some French bubbly. The egg hunt is coming up and so is a big lunch at a restaurant nearby. Mixing French and Scandinavian Easter traditions in other words.

It is raining, so the kids are putting their The Brandstrom John jackets to good use. Yesterday, the sun was out so we took a trip to the nearast beach. Wilhelm is dressed in stylish and soft Franka Giles shorts and a cool Finger In The Nose Dalton Horses Tee. The straw hat is from Gap Spring summer 11.

Happy Easter Everyone!

Scandinavian Minimall 

Going to the UK on holiday used to be an expensive affair, but with the current weak pound versus many other currencies including the Euro and many Scandinavian currencies, things have changed - for the better for all the tourists who are visiting the UK. And we thought we would let you in on a secret: the same goes for shopping online at Scandinavian Minimall!

Now, we don't suggest that the items we sell are cheap. Still, we can’t help but letting you know that buying products from brands like Mini Rodini, Geggamoja or How To Kiss a Frog from us, even though you live outside the UK, can save you money versus buying it at home. The weak pound versus primarily the Euro and the Swedish, Norwegian and Danish krona have made the UK, and Scandinavian Minimall, a shopping heaven. Not for all the brands or items we sell, but many.  And if you buy more than one item, it may even be cheaper to buy from us even if you include postage which we currently charge at a flat rate of £7.45 to Europe and £8.95 to the rest of the world. Google the Mini Rodini Detroit denim shirt (pictured below) and see for yourself!

There are savings to be made, and we just wanted to let you in on the secret!

All the best,

Scandinavian Minimall

Easter is soon here! As Scandinavian Minimall’s founders are Swedish we thought we would do a short introduction to some Swedish Easter traditions, in case you're curious.
 
"Easter" in Swedish is called Påsk, and originates from the Hebrew word for pasach which in English means Passover. In Sweden, traditions around Påsk include egg decorating and children dressing up as Påsk witches on the Holy Thursday. Kids then go from house to house presenting the neighbours with self made drawings which they give away in the hope of getting sweets or money in return. Not dissimilar to trick or treat around Halloween in the UK or US, in other words. 

In some Swedish homes you will see Easter decorations, including colourful feathers on birch twigs. Typical Påsk festivities revolve around lunch or dinner on Easter Saturday with a traditional smörgåsbord, including pickled herring, gravad salmon, potatoes, eggs, small sausages and lots of other kinds of food.

Last but not least is the Easter egg. Each family member has their own egg to find, hidden somewhere in the house. Most likely it is full of sweets but more recently I think you can find all sorts of small gifts in your Easter egg.   

Meet Ruben Hjertman 9,5 months.

Ruben's mum was one of our first customers and she has kindly shared this lovely picture with us featuring her fashionable son Ruben dressed up in top to toe stylish Scandinavian Minimall clothing. The beanie hat in Robot prints is from Mini Rodini. The stylish and on trend Hal hoodie is by Tuss. Ruben's  jeans are by Mini Rodini and the style is called Barcelona Boyfriend. We ♥ your style Ruben and thank you Ruben's mum for your purchase! We are honoured to kit out such a stylish and cute little boy.

We have some exciting news for you today at Scandinavian Minimall! We will be stocking del Rio London’s children’s sandals from early May and onwards, but you can already pre order a pair from us today. The luxury sandal manufacturer del Rio London makes sandals for men, women and children and was started by Swedish/Spanish designer Linda del Rio in 2010. The brand has already gained lots of attention from the style conscious with coverage in the international press as well as fashion blogs.  

del Rio London sandals are luxury sandals that are both eco-friendly and high quality, and the shoe model dates back from ancient Spain. All del Rio London sandals are hand-made in Spain using the finest leathers, and the soles are made of re-cycled rubber tires. For each pair sold, a tree is planted. For pre orders, please allow 4-6 weeks for your sandals to be ready for dispatch.

To view our selection of del Rio London sandals that are now available to pre-order, simply click here

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Give the Scandinavian Minimall Duck a home, and save 15% on new Scandinavian online children’s retail shop

As a new retailer we offer participants the chance to win a £150 shopping spree at Scandinavianminimall.co.uk.

Scandinavian Minimall, a new online shop for stylish Scandinavian children’s designer wear, announced today that in celebration of its duck logo, 500 high quality rubber ducks in different colours will be handed out at different locations in London, primarily in West Hampstead, Holland Park, Fulham, Barnes and Chelsea, from 11 April to 21 April 2011.  Customers who receive a duck are entitled to 15% off their next order at Scandinavianminimall.co.uk.  Each duck will feature a voucher code for 15% off, the Scandinavian Minimall logo, website address and a message which reads ‘I need a new home. As a token of appreciation for giving me a new home, you will get 15% off your next purchase at http://www.scandinavianminimall.co.uk/, a new website with stylish Scandinavian children's designer wear’. 

Customers who use the voucher code and shop between 11 April to 30 April  2011 will also be automatically entered into a draw, where the winner will receive a £150 voucher to spend at Scandinavianminimall.co.uk.  

Scandinavinminimall.co.uk is a recently launched web shop, that stocks styles for girls, boys and babies aged 0-6 years old. The website will initially feature 10 brands, including Mini Rodini, Cheap Monday, Swedish Hasbeens, Tuss, Monamici, Finger in the nose, The BRANDstrom company and How to kiss a frog. These children’s brands all have a modern, minimalistic and fashionable feel, and most originate from Scandinavia or have a link to the region, including Finger in the nose. More brands will be added in the spring and summer, and will be updated on Scandinavianminimall.co.uk.

Featuring a clean, sleek design and feel, the website is easy to navigate and has a one page check-out for speedy purchasing.

For more information and locations for the promotion, please contact Gabrielle Spång at +44(0)7799-076262 or email gabrielle@scandinavianminimall.co.uk. Visit Scandinavian Minimall online from 28 March 2011 at Scandinavianminimall.co.uk.

We thought we should introduce you to the brands we are selling and why. The reason why we have chosen Finger In The Nose as part of the lines we are selling here at Scandinavian Minimall is quite simple. It’s kids fashion at its best. But it’s more to it than that. You can find preppy items, classic clothing, and rock chic t-shirts and jeans amongst many different styles that are still distinctly Finger In The Nose. All their clothing is functional and superbly cut in very high quality materials. It is always on trend. And the head designer is Norwegian. Do we need to say more?

We love their cool t-shirts with beautiful graphic prints, their different fashionable denim styles in different washes and functional yet beautiful jackets.

Below are some of our favourites from Finger In The Nose’s spring&summer’11 collection for children here at Scandinavian Minimall. Clothes that we think rock!

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We are pleased to announce that Swedish Hasbeens children's shoes have arrived today.  

Scandinavian Minimall is finally here! We have been working and preparing for this day for ages and are very excited to be online.

We decided to open this shop to give parents more choice when it comes to stylish baby and kids' fashion by bringing the best of Scandinavian kids' fashion online. The Scandinavian region is famous for its minimalistic and cutting edge fashion styles which is also true for its kids’ fashion. Our website was born out of a desire to capture this style and bring it to consumers in the UK to showcase an alternative way of styling your kids.

The brands we will be selling are from the Scandinavian region, but we will also stock designers who have a link to the region. In the coming months, we will write about the brands we have selected and why and also introduce you to the brands we will be selling in the future. For now, you can enjoy shopping for stylish baby clothing, boys' fashion and cool girls' designs and shoes from brands like; Tuss, Mini Rodini, Swedish Hasbeens, Cheap Monday, Franka Stockholm and Finger in the nose, and many others.

We will add more designers, primarily from the Scandinavian region, in due course, so sign up to our e-newsletter and find out more about Scandinavian Minimall and our latest Scandinavian kids' design additions.

We hope you will enjoy our shop. In our blog, we will frequently update you with the latest news from Scandinavian Minimall’s world - so come back and visit us soon and often!

Best Regards

Jessica Lilja Ewetz and Gabrielle Spång, co-founders Scandinavian Minimall