I started my current job (working for a group of record labels) in 1999 – one of the labels A&R people was Ian McLaren – he left, and after a while word got back that he’d started his own company making extremely cool baby clothes. We knew it would be really cool company as we knew Ian, and his attention to detail – he’d worked for Beggars for many years as well as running his own label in that time. You know when you know? (plus when he came to visit he’d had metal business cards made!)
Nippaz With Attitude was born in 2001 out of an irrational fear and loathing of baby and toddlerwear covered in bunnies & bears – as well as an almost religious love of graphic design and cultural shoplifting – Ian is a man with an unhealthy obsession with good typography, terrible puns, tattooing and sunshine.
These days Ian lives in Brazil where he still does all the designs and sends them over to the UK where, it being a very small world, it happens one of his friends runs Nippaz for him, who again is one of my old music friends – Leza! All the production; manufacturing and printing is all made right here in the UK helping to keep other small companies like Nippaz in business.
Nippaz brings you cool clothes, or rather in their words, clothes for ‘little gangstas, punks, rockers and ravers’ – indeed I believe Nippaz were the first to do the BA/BY AC/DC style tops way back when Kate Moss’s girl was little and Madonna’s also was… Jack White’s kids wear Nippaz, all the cool kids do.
There’s more than just cool clothes there – there’s music too (lullaby versions of all the music you never thought you’d hear done that way), some cool toys (how ace is the rock hand?)and books and some extremely cool wall art.
So it’s with great sadness in my heart that the coolest t-shirt of all has been launched, and H is TOO BIG to fit in it. Now, if you’re getting the idea of what Nippaz is about – check this out – and if you love Sonic Youth, then you’ll get it immediately.
How utterly fantastic is this?
How about some Tupac Shakur inspired clothing then?
Even better than that, Nippaz are giving this months competition prize – you can choose any item of baby clothing for free – just enter using Rafflecopter below – good luck! You’ve got until the 18th May 2012.