A little over three years ago, expecting parents Keith Walker and Tiffe Fermaint found themselves wishing for clothes beyond the usual designs of trains, planes and ballerinas.
“We had a little girl on the way and going to some of the stores and looking for some of the clothes it seemed to be not exactly what we were into, aesthetically,” Walker said. “We were interested in her looking more kind of stylish.”
Fermaint began to experiment with designing baby clothes more fitting to her style, spurring friends who saw the designs to request similar pieces for their kids.
As requests increased, the couple started an online shop through Etsy, a website for independent craft makers and designers to showcase their products.
The shop soon moved to its own personal website, becoming Baby Teith, an online baby and kids clothing company operated out of downtown Phoenix that brings alternative indie designs to the children’s clothing world.
Walker said there are plans to open a brick-and-mortar location in the Roosevelt Row area in fall 2017. The store will incorporate other brands that fit with Baby Teith’s aesthetic, including companies that do kid’s footwear.
“It’s going to be a great spot for cool parents to visit with their kids,” Walker said. “We’re going to make it very comfortable and fun and interactive while having a really great array of stylish clothes for the future of kids.”
Fermaint, a fashion designer, said designing kid’s clothing is the same as designing any other type of clothing, just smaller.
“Like anything art related, passion is a big part of designing,” Fermaint said in an emailed response. “I love designing and creating new pieces and draw inspiration from music, nature and the aesthetic of life itself.”
She said what she’s most looking forward to with opening a physical location is “having a home for Baby Teith.”
Walker said the decision to locate the store downtown is because they live in the area and see the vibrancy of the community.
“Roosevelt Row is a great place for creatives,” Walker said. “Phoenix has a great pulse right now and it’s getting stronger and stronger.”
He said he never expected the store to grow so fast.
Walker said it was primarily Fermaint who ran the business at the beginning. About eight to nine months in however, the clothing line was growing so fast that Walker decided to quit his job to help run Baby Teith full-time.
New designs built up the company’s presence, allowing it to shift to its own website. Companies from across the country were soon looking to stock Baby Teith products.
The company was recently picked up by world-famous Amoeba Music in Los Angeles.
According to Walker, Baby Teith’s 80s-inspired T-shirts have been extremely successful. Some favorites include the Joy Division-inspired “Toy Division” tee and the Morrissey-inspired “The Morrissey See You, The More I Like You” tee, for infants and adults.
“There’s a certain style to Baby Teith,” Walker said. “It’s unique — it’s not something you walk into a typical children’s store and see … and there’s a market for that.”
Baby Teith customer and Phoenix resident Amy Oyler was drawn to the company because of its moon leggings. She said she does not see a lot of space and science-themed clothing elsewhere.
“Just the idea that I could deck my kids out as the moon was the coolest thing ever,” Oyler said.
She said she’s excited for the potential of the Roosevelt Row location, saying she expects people will love seeing the cool and unique products offered. Oyler posts photos of her kids wearing Baby Teith clothing on social media and said the posts receive a lot of attention from her friends, both local and out-of-state.
That interest is what Fermaint and Walker have built their company upon.
“There’s meaning to what we do,” Walker said. “There’s passion and meaning with Baby Teith, and it strikes a chord with people.”
Contact the reporter at kara.carlson@asu.edu.
