A Pitt Meadows company has been featured in Vogue magazine in the United Kingdom.
Carin Baxter’s business, Ready Set Romper, is mentioned in the February issue of the monthly fashion and lifestyle publication, which, according to Statista – a German company that provides market and consumer data – reached almost 2.3 million people online between April 2019 and March 2020.
Another 1.4 million women alone read the print format.
Baxter woke up to an email on Dec. 30 from a British Vogue representative who said they had browsed her website and really enjoyed the content, saying her product was very innovative and would be popular with their “affluent readers”.
“A nice little present,” said Baxter of the email, since it came right after Christmas.
The people at Vogue also liked that her company gives back, in partnership with The Tekera Resource Center and the International Community Empowerment Foundation, by supplying expecting mothers in Uganda with “Mama kits,” without which they would be turned away from the hospital.
Each kit contains: two gloves, two surgical blades, one child health card, one plastic sheet or blanket, one roll of hospital grade cotton, and thread.
Baxter also donates rompers.
Her patent pending elasticized rompers have been gaining in popularity after the mother of two boys attended the 91st annual Academy Awards luxury gifting suites in 2019 – an event that takes place a day before the awards and showcases innovative businesses to celebrities and media.
Baxter first came up with the idea for the rompers in 2018 while looking at an overlapping pillowcase on her son’s bed.
She immediately purchased a sewing machine and created a rough prototype to bring to a manufacturer.
And after her first six months in business she was making about 100 of them and selling them online.
Just before her Oscar appearance, Baxter said she was receiving orders for around 500 rompers every two to three months. Now she is receiving orders 10,000 a month.
She has also expanded, adding a two-piece set for older children and a one-piece lady’s lounger.
Two months ago the Pitt Meadows mother hired two people to help her – one a social media coordinator and the other a customer relations manager.
And she said she has a huge medical-family following because the rompers are ideal for children who have medical devices attached at the abdomen, like a feeding tube.
“I kind of thought it was a joke at first,” said Baxter of the email from Vogue.
But, she gave the person a call back and found out the offer was indeed real.
“This was such a thrill for me to even be considered in one of the worlds most iconic magazines,” said Baxter, who will also be included in the upcoming March/April editions as well.
And she was happy to also be able to involve a local photographer, who provided the art for the write up.
“These moms and photographers have been paramount to helping small businesses stay afloat, really, because of product images and helping us with marketing that way,” added Baxter, who thought it would be a great way to say thanks by giving someone else the opportunity to write on their website that they had also been published in Vogue.
British Vogue can be found online or at Chapters.
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Carin Baxter’s Pitt Meadows business, Ready Set Romper, is in British Vogue. Here Callum is wearing the “Prehistoric Pals” romper. (@jennavhphotography/Special to The News)
