STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM is a British luxury baby and girlswear brand from 3/6m to 6 years, which is launching with a capsule collection this Christmas, ahead of the brand’s main launch for SS21.
Created by experienced childrenswear designer Ingrid Lewis who studied fashion, design, marketing and commercial management, and has worked as a design manager, buying manager and art director for some of the best known fashion brands, Strawberries & Cream is the brand she always dreamed of creating.
“I have so many fond memories as a child twirling around in my favourite skirt over and over again, convincing myself I could fly,” explains Ingrid. “Our childhoods are such a magical time and so many of these memories are inspired by the clothes we wore. As a mother to a young girl myself, I wanted to recreate these memories for my daughter as she grows up.”
Designed for babies and girls, the brand will feature small, timeless collections using the finest fabrics made by artisan and specialised weavers that are designed to be treasured. Commenting on the design process Ingrid says: “First we imagine a story and from there we choose our prints, create the embroideries – selecting the best organza, silk, cotton, tulle and ribbons – with everything ending at the hands of our local expert seamstresses and craftsmen who use traditional techniques to turn magic into reality in each of our garments. The process of designing and making an exceptional garment is an artform which deserves to be preserved and celebrated.”
Strawberries & Cream is designed to be remembered and to be different. A true family business, the collections are lovingly created around a kitchen table in a converted garden shed in Hampstead Heath, in fact it isn’t uncommon to see Ingrid’s mother helping with the hand-smocking.
Magic is at the heart of the brand, which extends to the name. “Children love to eat strawberries & cream and through our clothes, childhood can be sweet and magical,” explains Ingrid. “The threads with which we stitch our garments will be filled with the stories and the adventures that our children will experience when wearing our clothes, living their unforgettable moments and creating their own memories in them.”