Hi, I'm Emma,
The Founder of Next of Kin, and Mum to a 1-year-old rascal.
Before becoming a Mum, I was a Fashion Buyer who worked for all sorts of brands, from high-street to luxury. I tried to return to Buying when my daughter was 4 months-old and I couldn’t extend my maternity leave any longer, but ultimately the stressful days and travel was not compatible with a breastfed baby who was refusing a bottle (I told you she’s a rascal!).
Whilst out walking with my daughter I would often think about the types of kids clothes I would like to buy for her, but it wasn’t until my partner said in passing ‘Next of Kin would be a great kids brand name’ that the idea stuck and I couldn’t shake it.
I was first drawn to creating a podcast Next of Kin The Podcast as a passion project. I feel so fortunate to have met so many incredible people who have kindly recorded with me as guests. But also from the podcast, a wonderful community of supportive parents started to grow over on Instagram.
In between recording podcast episodes and enjoying spending time with my baby, I set about working on the baby clothing brand, trying to figure out if my ideas were feasible. I wouldn’t launch unless I could create a brand that ticked all of my boxes:
Affordably priced because they grow out of their clothes too quickly and I was fed up of paying more for fashion in UAE than other countries.
Cute, timeless designs that can be handed down for years to come.
Designed by Mums for Mums because it takes a Mum of a wriggly tot to know how important a well-placed zip or popper is to minimise fuss when dressing and during nappy changes.
Appropriate for the warm UAE climate all year round. With options to keep cool but also cover limbs from the sun (and the over-zealous AC!).
Community is central to Next of Kin. From the supportive followers of the podcast, to the feedback loop from our customers to be able to create even better clothes going forwards. And giving back, with our preloved initiative.
It's now clear to me that only a Mum can design the perfect baby clothes. And since launching the brand I've had the pleasure of meeting so many other small, local, Mummy-owned baby brands with the most perfect products that my inner-ex-fashion-buyer has been so desperate to champion, and tell you all about them. Now you can shop from all of these brands in one place... right here!