The Butterfly Has Landed

In just nine months Katy Ellis has established Babu as a growing name in maternity fashion.

(PRWEB) February 27, 2005 -- Katy Ellis was only tiny when her father Chris, gave her the nickname Babu, and it seemed only apt that Chris Ellis (chrysalis) should have a daughter who developed a love of butterflies!

Twenty-five years later and Katy has established Babu, with its distinctive butterfly signature, as a growing name in maternity fashion.
Katy launched the business nine months ago, taking from her own irreverent sense of humour and love of life to create stylish t-shirts for expectant mums, with titles such as 'Tall Oaks from small acorns grow... 'Chicken or Egg? 'Bun in the Oven and the pop-art style, 'Booom!

Sherrilyn Brighton spoke to Katy about the birth of her business and how she can see it growing into a fully fledged Oak.

"I found this acorn on a train, and now in some ways I feel like a gardener who has planted this little seed and helped it to grow! The last nine months have been really exciting."

Katy left school after her A Levels and spent the next six years or so picking up a varied and somewhat colourful CV, realising as she went that the kind of job she wanted, she would have to create herself.

"I enrolled on a business-planning course organised by Business Link, and travelling there by train, flicking through a magazine, I found this beautiful oversized photograph of an acorn. Not long before, I had worked as an assistant to the boss of a record label in London, who was pregnant at the time. She looked fantastic but couldnt find anything to suit her style. Suddenly the concept of stretch t-shirts and the phrase, 'tall oaks from small acorns grow... seemed a match made in heaven."

Katy's first t-shirt design, and Babu as a business was conceived.

"My aim is to create garments that embrace, rather than hide pregnancy, and do so without compromising on style. A pregnant tummy, and the potential of a new life inside is awesome. Why wouldnt you want to show it off?"

Babu t-shirts have graced the bellies of several pregnant celebrities, and many Babu customers buy them as gifts to celebrate the pregnancies of their friends, relatives or partners. Available to buy online at www.lovebabu.com and from a number of maternity boutiques and gift shops around the UK, the t-shirts are proving a hit with pregnant women the world over.    

"The beauty of the internet is that from day one the designs could be seen around the world, and I have sent parcels as far afield as Hong Kong and Singapore! I have also received alot of interest from retailers in the US... which is nice."

Now that Babu is firmly established, Katy is welcoming new challenges. She is currently designing a small collection of garments to extend the Babu range, and she is looking for investors in order to market the business even further afield.

"Babu is literally pregnant with ideas, and Im looking forward to bringing out the new designs and adding more lines to the range. I have proven that it works, so now is the perfect time to push things forward. The seed was sown nine months ago, and now it is ready to take on a life of its own. Who knows, maybe in a few years time, when Ive been there, and done it, I might be wearing one of my own t-shirts!"

You can find the full range of Babu maternity t-shirts on www.lovebabu.com as well as a full list of stockists.

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