Il Tutto launches at Kind & Jugend

So I’m back in the office after doing a whirlwind 3 trade shows in a month for il tutto and finally have 5 minutes to sit down and tell you all about my overseas adventure. After the Brisbane show, I packed my wheely suitcase full of bags and flew off to Cologne, Germany to set up shop as part of the Australian Pavillion at the Kind & Jugend Trade Show. What a set up ! Never before have I seen anything like it. To give you an idea of the sheer expanse of the show...Picture the size of a football field and then add another story or two. That’s what we are talking about here. One European stand near us who specialises in car seats and strollers allegedly spent £500,000 on their stand fit out ! Another stand looked more like a night club (complete with flashing lights and models swanning around in cute outfits) than a sales stand promoting baby product !!

Needless to say, the il tutto stand was very clean and graphics based and the product (as always) spoke for itself.

Kind & Jugend is basically THE show to be at for the baby and toddler universe in terms of showing on a worldwide stage and meeting potential International trade partners and the show was a big success for the il tutto. Visitors from all over the world stopped by to visit and were delighted by the quality, design and functionality of the collection. Comments like, ‘interesting’, ‘very clever’, ‘It’s a nappy bag ?’ and ‘I like them a lot’ were common ones heard around the il tutto stand. We were also able to catchup with and update our current international clients on all that is happening back at the il tutto HQ and also put faces to names we have been in touch with over the email.  We will be delivering to several new markets as a result of the show which is a great result so keep an eye out on facebook when we welcome our new stockists to the il tutto family in the coming weeks.

All of the big name brands were represented but I was limited in my wandering time but I managed to sneak a peak at the cool, spacey-feel Bugaboo stand and caught a glimpse of these hand painted Mima prams which were created for a Charity Auction with all of the proceeds going to UNICEF.

I was impressed by the super cool Flip Bike which is basically a mini bike for toddlers sans back wheels that teaches them to learn the skill of balance by pedalling with their feet. They are an Australian brand,available in super cool colours for summer and are in production at the moment.

Another stand out would have to have been the ‘ My Carry Potty’ which is a Swarovski crystal studded potty on sale for £600 ! This was certainly the flashest looking toilet training device ive ever seen...take a look.

After the show was wrapped up and I couldn’t possible eat another schnitzel, potato or sausage, I popped in for tea with Harrods and Mamas & Papas in their London offices and a sneaky side trip to the ever-enchanting Paris paid off when I met with 2 fabulous and dynamic business women who are keener than keen to get the il tutto collection onto their websites later this month. There is even talk of getting one of our best sellers on an upcoming Parisian TV special on changing bags !

As Paris was the last port of call I took a few snaps to share with you. All things in my favey fave city basically revolve around the iconic landmarks, food, shopping and being effortlessly cool so off I went with my Nico and best Parisian outfit I could russle up ( think jeans, scarf, ballet flats, Ray Bans and my trusty Nude Nico) to take in the key enchantments!

I am always amused that no matter what time of year it is there is always a queue outside Louis Vuitton. Check it out...

I also stumbled across a cooking class taking place on the Champs Elysses which was roped off and had the full red carpet and guest list thing happening but I managed to sneak my way into the middle row (whilst pretending to speak in French on my mobile) to soak up the sun, atmosphere and free gourmet food and wine which they kept wheeling out. Despite not understanding a word that was being said, I managed to stay undetected by nodding where appropriate and also looking as typically nonchalant as my Parisian counterparts........ until next time, Clare xx