Baby Teith - New Wave Fashion Brand For The Coolest Kids

Baby Teith are a small business creating clothes for kids and parents with alternative style. inspired by The Cure, The Stone Roses, Depeche Mode and more.

Baby Teith are a quintessential shop to any parents with an affinity for music. It’s easy to see why BT is such a great music-inspired brand when you get to know more about Tiffe and Keith, the co-creators of Baby Teith: they first met at a DJ gig of Tiffe’s, Keith was a musician too, and then they formed the Electronic band Being Cool is Lonely when they started dating. With the birth of their Daughter in 2013 also came the birth of Baby Teith, after Tiffe began creating clothing originally for their daughter that appealed to her style which she couldn’t find in the marketplace. Combine all of this with Tiffe’s background as a visual stylist and merchandiser, Baby Teith was always destined for greatness.

When was your company founded and where are you based?

2013 when my daughter was born. We are based in Phoenix Arizona, where everything is also made.

How many are involved in your small business?

Up until this year, I was cutting and sewing all of the garments myself other than our graphic tees. I continue to design our tees, along with collaborating artists. I handle all of our marketing, social accounts, accounting, and creative direction including new prints and styles.

What inspired you to start your own company?

When our daughter was born, I started making her clothing that appealed to my style, which I couldn’t find in the marketplace. Soon after, I opened up an Etsy shop and started selling the designs. Months later, I was able to quit my styling job and work from home on Baby Teith.

Did you have a background in business prior to starting your company?

I attended a local community college for Fashion Merchandising and the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in LA for Fashion Design. I learned a lot about fashion marketing and retail operations from my previous career as a visual stylist and merchandiser for a corporate fashion chain. But most of my business knowledge is from running Baby Teith and learning as eCommerce continues to change swiftly.

Did you run into any problems or resistance while launching?

We didn’t really have a launch, but a gradual growth into becoming a business. With a few items listed on Etsy, I made more of the ones that sold and ditched the ones that did not. The process took months before I saw a steady stream of income and could call it a business. I handmade everything myself including trying my hand at screen printing. That was a mess! And my bathtub is still stained. I learned that it is better to outsource certain services to those who will do a better job and do it more quickly, then try to learn it myself. At the end of the day, quality is the most important factor for me.

How do you get the most out of your day?

Planning and planning. I plan the year, the month. Then, every week I try to plan the next 4 weeks of my days. I prep the day before for the next day so I can get stuck into it as soon as possible. I use apps that automate certain tasks where appropriate.

How is your family a part of your business choices?

Well, Keith, my fiance, and father of our daughter, left his corporate job to help grow the company in 2014. He and I run Baby Teith together and most of the decisions are made together. I think of our daughter when I design something new and consider if she would be comfortable and happy in it. Would I dress her in that? I also think about our family as our customers and how Baby Teith would fit into our lives if we were not the owners. Is it a brand with a message we’d relate to? Would the marriage of music and parenthood be obvious to us? How would Baby Teith make our lives better, happier, more fun?

What music inspires you?

80’s and 90’s indie should be obvious :) Keith and I first met at a DJ gig of mine. I was the opening DJ for Andy Rourke of the Smiths. We both share a profound love for the Smiths. There isn’t a day that you won’t hear some 90’s Britpop or new wave in our studios like Blur, the Stone Roses, Morrissey, Pulp, Oasis, James, or Talking Heads. Sometimes I’ll put on Keith’s old band from Ireland, Power of Dreams. We love our darkwave, too. Joy Division, Siouxsie, etc. And electronica, techno and newer indie. Keith and I also had an electronic band when we first started dating called Being Cool is Lonely :https://soundcloud.com/being-cool-is-lonely

What is your favorite thing to do when you are not working?

Although I don’t get to do it often, I love to go out dancing at new wave and dark wave nights here in Phoenix. Or going out to catch a gig. Next week we are going to see Kraftwerk in concert for the first time and I hope to catch Echo and the Bunnymen next month. Other than that, hanging out with my daughter is the best. We love to bake. And when we can, we drive up north to the metaphysically in-tuned town of Sedona where the weather is cooler and it’s beautiful. Lots of UFO sightings. And crystals.

What do you see in the future for your shop Baby Teith?

We have aligned with so many awesome people and families since becoming a business. I hope that our products continue to make people happy and that they keep connecting parents through musical references. We are planning to expand our t-shirt line, garments with awesome prints, and bigger sizing.