Kate: Where did the name Nippaz With Attitude come from?
Ian: My love of music and puns…back in 2000 while I was thinking about quitting the music business to design babywear this twist on rap pioneers Niggaz With Attitude woke me up as a 6am epiphany – utterly ruined a good night’s sleep, but looking back it was a small price to pay.
Kate: Tell us about the brand and the journey…
Ian: NWA was created out of my frustration finding anything worthy to give my friends babies… the endless pastel babygrows saying “Mummy’s Little Angel” made we want to hemorrhage, so for the good of my health I had to step up.
I got some test designs printed and headed to Old Spitalfields market in early 2001 – thankfully, amid the pointing and laughing, everything sold so I kept going back. The place has changed a bit now but It’s still a great place to spend a sunday… I remember Noel Fielding from The Mighty Boosh walking by most weekends insisting I make him some Y fronts… anyway, after a year of that nonsense I realised if I got a website I could have one day off a week… it was a shame to stop dealing with customers face to face but I don’t miss riding over there with so much gear strapped to my back that I looked like a one-man motorcycle display team.
Kate: So you work in Brazil and Leza works in England – how did this partnership come about?
Ian: I’ve known Leza for years, and when I was looking to spend some time in Brazil from ’09 it freakishly coincided with her return from a 16 month round-the-world adventure and wanting something to do. There was clearly no safer pair of hands in the country to leave the company in.
Kate: My parents were born in Brazil and it’s a place we always want to go to! Tell us about a typical day…
Ian: Well, it’s the same as London, the only difference is when I look up from my computer I can see the sun shining on the ocean. And coconuts. And a few more kids with guns.
Kate: What makes your brand different from other babywear brands?
Ian: They don’t have our ATTITUDE!!!!!
Kate: What inspires both you and Leza for your designs?
Ian: Music is a key one, but we’re happy to go cultural shoplifting pretty much anywhere.
Kate: You’ve just launched in Selfridges – that’s amazing! How did this news come about?
Ian: Thanks!! we’re totally thrilled about it, and It was all thanks to the clever folks at Circus London PR, who put our fabulous range under Selfridges noses during their last press day and defied them not to like it.
Kate: Where else would you like Nippaz to be stocked?
Ian: Attractive out-going brand seeks educated intelligent stockists everywhere for long term relationship. Must have GSOH. Non-smokers preferred.
Kate: What’s next for Nippaz?
Ian: We’ll keep doing our damnedest to connect with all our people out there currently unaware of the NWA way, whilst eliciting tuts of disapproval from everyone else.
Thank you so much for joining both Ian and myself on Chit Chat Tuesday! Join me next week for another session of chinwagging <3 Kate –x-
Follow Nippaz with Attitude:
● Nippaz with Attitude – http://nippazwithattitude.com
● Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nippaz-With-Attitude/47531115264
● Twitter – @Nippaz
● Flickr – http://www.flickr.com/photos/nippazwithattitude
● Pinterest – http://pinterest.com/nippaz
Post by Kate Hill from Circus London Pr.
Photographs courtesy of Ian McLaren from Nippaz with Attitude
