We are delighted to welcome Loan Bor as a new brand at Niños Y Niñas.
Last week I flew over to Spain for a very special meeting with Victor & Dolo, owners of Loan Bor. My mother Angela and I were made to feel very welcome as we were shown around their modern factory.
As many of you know, I am very passionate about Spain and where possible strive to buy only genuine Spanish children’s clothing - not just designed in Spain and then mass produced elsewhere in the world…
We were taken to see each department in the the factory and view all of the steps in the design & manufacturing process - design, cutting, sewing, pressing, quality control and packing, as well as marketing and photography.
I learnt how the designer chooses the fabric, trimmings and fastenings to make truly unique outfits for babies of 3 months to children of 12 years. We had the opportunity to meet and speak with some of the staff working on each area of production, learning just how complex each outfit is to construct.
Victoria showed us how the collars were cut, using huge laser machines to first cut the inner linings (in all the different sizes), then the top fabric was cut on a different laser cutter and stitched together and on to the jacket. Being August, most of the staff were on annual Spanish August holiday leave, so the rows and rows of sewing machines sat idle.
Mercedes and Manoli proudly showed us how to steam each garment correctly, smoothing all the ruffles and frills, layers and petticoats, then placing them on hangers ready to go to the final inspection area, where fastenings, bows and buttons are checked, and any loose threads cut.
The garments then move on to a motorised bagging section where each item is fed into a machine that wraps polythene bags over to protect each garment. We were shown to the huge storage section where each shops order is checked over then ready for shipping all over Spain - and to Niños Y Niñas in Scotland!
Lastly we went upstairs to the designers offices to look at the photos of each outfit and then to make our choices of the spring/summer 2020 collection!
A truly wonderful experience for us which only further cemented our commitment to this truly beautiful brand. We look forward to working with Loan Bor each season and visiting them again in the future.