Leather moccs, linen smocks – it’s no accident that Freo-based Hubble + Duke label is worn by the most stylish tots around the world. The beautifully made moccasins, printed socks, accessories and clothing for babies and children has online shoppers eagerly awaiting each release and continually coming back for more.
Name and label? Rosie Flynn & Jo Hankin from HUBBLE + DUKE
What were you doing before starting Hubble + Duke? We started when our youngest bubs had just turned 1 year, Rosie is also an interior designer/architect and Jo has a degree in marketing, we had all mainly been stay-at-home mums for 6-7 years though!
Millie wearing a Hubble + Duke pinafore dress and gold bow Mary-Jane moccasins
Describe the Hubble and Duke child: Words I seem to use all the time on Instagram to describe the children who wear our clothes are ‘gorgeous’, ‘absolutely divine’, ‘stunning’ ‘incredible’ lol! We can’t get enough of seeing beautiful kids in our clothes and moccs! Moccs themselves are super trendy however we love them paired with classic, comfortable clothes like our new leggings and T-shirts. Our knee-high socks seem to create a buzz whenever they’re worn as they are just such a cute vintage look which make mothers and grandmothers swoon!
Millie before her 1st birthday party wearing Hubble + Duke handmade moccasins
How much of your designs are influenced by your own children? Jo and I have a really similar taste in kids clothes. We really love looking back at our favourite pieces of clothing that our kids have loved and worn to death over the last few years! Classic styles that stand the test of time in fabrics that wash well seem to be what we are drawn to most.
Hubble + Duke’s organic cotton, leather patch leggings are coming soon. Pic: Hubble + Duke
Why do you think your designs resonate so well with shoppers? We like to think that our designs appeal to both kids and their parents, many of our customers have a similar aesthetic to us when it comes to interiors and their own clothes – kids’ clothing and interiors more than ever can be seen as an extension of the mothers’ taste and design style. Within the Instagram community there is also a strong desire to support local handmade businesses and we are so grateful for this incredible support base, Instagram is such an amazing tool to really connect with customers.
Handmade goodness. Pic: Hubble + Duke
Do you still pinch yourself about your label’s meteoric rise? It has been a huge amount of work and a steep learning curve seeing as none of us had any experience in business before Hubble + Duke! We definitely wouldn’t be where we are today without Instagram and it is truly amazing to us that we have 48k followers!!
Throwback: Millie in Hubble + Duke bow moccasins and screenprinted tee
Is it important to have your moccasin and linen collections remain handmade here in Australia? Why? We feel that our customers appreciate the time and effort that goes into a locally handmade garment or pair of moccs. Our local sewers love working for us and they are able to work from home and be paid well for consistent and regular work. As our moccasins are made-to-order there is little wastage and our turnaround time is really fast and efficient. We have been so lucky to have recently found a brilliant small family-owned manufacturer in Portugal for our new jersey leggings and T-shirts. We have been really impressed with the quality of other brands who manufacture in Portugal, Spain and Turkey using beautiful organic cotton, we are constantly being approached for wholesale and we hope this will allow us to produce larger quantities and expand into the wholesale market with a great quality, ethically-produced range!
Hubble + Duke AW15 tutu, drop waist dress, smock top and vintage romper. Pic: Hubble + Duke
Are there plans for a bricks and mortar store? Not in the near future, we ship our products all around the world each week and our online store works brilliantly for this. We have a new website in the works which is exciting.
Millie wearing a Hubble + Duke AW/15 drop waist dress in dusty pink and knee high socks
Do you have a favourite Hubble + Duke item? Definitely the moccs are our favourite item, they were our first product and where it all began! Our rompers and knee-high socks are incredibly popular.
Ice blue handmade leather moccasins. Pic: Hubble + Duke
What’s next for Hubble + Duke? We are so excited to get our first big delivery from Portugal! Our new T-shirt collaboration with Lulu Lucky is just so cute, we cannot wait to launch them along with the leather patch leggings, beanies and bibs etc. We hope to do some international trade shows next year and hopefully get more into wholesale with our SS16 collection.
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Highly energetic article, I loved that a lot. Will there be a part 2?