Kallio is an inspiring New York-based children’s brand whose ethos is “Making Old Clothes Young Again.” When I was at Playtime New York I had the pleasure of meeting designer Karina Kallio who explained what’s unique about her vintage clothing brand.
As a designer Karina is aware of how much waste there is in the fashion industry and that many of the gorgeous high-quality fabrics used in men’s fashion can be upcycled to create unique children’s clothing. I absolutely love the idea and am amazed at the adorable items from dresses, shirts, and jackets for boys and girls.
Meet The Designer – Karina Kallio
Watch my video interview of Karina Kallio at Playtime New York where she explains how she started her Kallio vintage clothing brand and shared her favorite looks for girl and boys for the season.
“I’m a designer by trade and I decided to start Kallio about two years ago. It was an answer for me to what was happening in the industry with so much waste being produced. And I wanted to do something that would remedy it, and bring attention to that issue. So I came up will Kallio which recycles men’s shirts into kids clothes that are young and stylish and made for the modern-day child.
We take vintage men’s shirts and reconfigure them so each piece will be slightly different and unique. Which means that everyone get’s a unique piece. It creates something new and fresh for every season for the customers.
Kallio Spring Summer 2014
For this season, Spring Summer we started to do Indigo, taking vintage Indigo shirts and making them into kids clothes. So this is the Kimono Dress. It’s very simple and easy shaped. Girls love it because they can spin around in it. You can see that we’ve used the original detailing from the men’s shirts – the back yolk as well as the placket from the shirt front. The seams stay the same as well. So every shirt will have seamed details that make it unique and special.
This is the apron dress and again this is in denim fabric. We have contrast fabrics here and the one button at the top. And a strap that ends in a V in the back creates a really beautiful shape. It’s great for layering all through Fall, and by itself in Summer.
Kallio Fall Winter Collection
This is a special piece because it comes from military men’s liner, and what I did was turn it upside down, gave it a shawl collar. Now it’s a little cute dress with pockets, which is really sweet and easy to wear. It’s great for Winter. And then Mom can wear it in the other direction as just a normal vest under her jackets.
This is one of our best sellers – it’s the cape. It’s great for the Fall, and into Winter to layer over a puffer or your favorite dress. It really grows with your child and really last for a number of seasons. Plus it can be passed from brother to sister, or sister to sister.”
Thanks so much to Karina for the interview at Playtime New York.
Kallio’s story is inspiring and I look forward to seeing what new vintage children’s clothing Karin will be designing each season!
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