This article is sponsored by Amazon.
When Mirabai Winford founded Purebaby in 2002, she was driven by a personal need. The lack of well-designed, quality baby clothes was something she faced with her new daughter, Samara.
So Mirabai began building her brand from the ground up after noticing this gap in the market. “In the beginning, having a baby was my driving motivation,” Mirabai explains. “I was living the journey and reality that inspired Purebaby to grow.”
As a self-funded business conceived while pregnant and studying law, Mirabai has continued with the vision she first set for the brand 17 years ago. “There’s nothing like working to build something that is truly yours, with your own ideas and your own money,” Mirabai says. “My vision for Purebaby has always been to develop beautiful baby wear that doesn’t compromise on the environment.”
This is why sustainability has always been at the core of the brand she has poured her heart into. Despite finding initial difficulty in sourcing ethical factories to produce the organic cotton needed, Mirabai has continued to maintain her ethical standards over the years. Through carrying a Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), Mirabai ensures that everything from the cotton supply to the production process remains aligned to her company values.
Mirabai believes that the fashion industry has a long way to go when it comes to sustainability practices, but “leading the way is crucial to a brand with longevity”. Constantly inspired by her children and own journey with motherhood, Mirabai deems it counterintuitive to build a brand dedicated to children if we’re “not prepared to commit to ensuring that the world, in which they grow and play, is protected and looked after.”
Beyond this, the continuing issues with fast fashion and its lack of quality, durability, sustainability and ethical production, brings welcome challenges to the brand. Mirabai explains that Purebaby doesn’t try to compete with these brands, and instead focuses on what makes Purebaby special. Confident in the services they offer, Mirabai says that they’re not worried about competitors as their “quality is what drives continued loyalty as it can be passed down from child to child.”
Originally making her start through selling in boutiques in the inner suburbs of Melbourne, Purebaby now has 15 standalone stores across Australia. Citing opening her first retail store as one of Purebaby’s greatest highlights, Mirabai has managed to successfully navigate the shift from brick-and-mortar into e-commerce.
Websites like Amazon have been a great way to reach new customers and expand the Purebaby community. “Amazon has amplified our marketplace presence in Australia, extending our arm to reach new customer segments,” Mirabai explains. Through initiatives like Amazon’s new Unisex Baby Store and Baby Wish List, Purebaby can connect new customers with the opportunity “to put our product in their hands.”
This is important because offering gender-neutral clothing is a major part of the Purebaby brand. Mirabai says “beautiful design is not about dictating what someone should wear,” especially with children expressing themselves from such a young age. Mirabai believes it’s important to allow toddlers the opportunity to express themselves and explore during the developmental stages of their lives.
While Mirabai values the wider reach of an online store, she believes it’s crucial to recognise how important the offline experience is in the customer journey. Purebaby’s standalone stores now run a number of bi-monthly events including Nesting Workshops designed to teach parents-to-be practical tools and tips on caring for their newborn.
The strong, loyal community obtained by spending time in-store with customers is something that contributed to the early success of Purebaby. Though the online experience can’t perfectly replicate these relationships, Mirabai is committed to reaching new target segments and customers through webinars to reach areas where brick-and-mortar stores don’t exist. Mirabai says that now is more about the global community and “generating conversation about the brand without being physically involved.”
Mirabai’s next goal is to grow the business and become more than just a baby wear brand. “We’d like to be a parent’s first choice when thinking about their baby needs, and become a go-to resource for first-time parents,” Mirabai says. “We are more than a clothing brand.”
Purebaby is one of many local Australian brands now making their products available to customers on amazon.com.au and making the most of the services that Amazon provides, so that they can focus on what matters to them – designing beautiful products. Amazon Fashion now has millions of products across clothing, shoes and accessories for our customers to choose from, across more than 1000 brands and sellers and these numbers grow nearly every day.
