We’ve been firm fans of littlehipstar since the earliest days of this online boutique. They’ve always had a great selection of the coolest goodies, yet every season (every month even?) they seem to manage to bring even more to the party! We were intrigued to find out more about this one-stop-hip-shop, and how they manage to go from strength to strength. Happily, founder Ceyda was pleased to answer our 5 Questions!
1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself, where you live and about your family.
My name is Ceyda (pronounced Jayda) and I’m originally from Istanbul, Turkey, though we moved to Zurich when I was 20 months old. As my parents thought they would be here for just “a few years” they wanted my brother and I to have impeccable English, so we attended the Zurich International School throughout our primary and high school years, and headed off to the US for university. After university in California, I moved to Istanbul because I had never lived there and wanted to be a part of the young and vibrant life the city had to offer. I did my masters, worked in a few companies, ranging from event management to non-profit then corporate communications, and met my husband in the 5 years that I was there. A year after marriage, I found myself back in Zurich after a total of 10 years away. Now I live here with my husband and two sons. My parents (31 years later!) are still here, as are my brother and his wife.
2. Tell us a little bit about your shop and how you came to create your store.
It all started in 2012 when I was pregnant with my first son Ali, now 4. I was desperately trying to find baby clothing, shoes, accessories, toys and décor that was eye-catching, easy-to-style, high quality and without file-for-bankruptcy price tags. Living in Switzerland, it was not as easy as it may seem. Somewhat giving up on local boutiques and large corporate brands, as an avid online shopper I was sure I would find what I was looking for on today’s go-to shopping destination, the Internet. While I discovered many great individual brands, there was no online shop that had it all: a great selection, an easy-to-navigate website, good shipping and logistics service, accurate product descriptions, cool gift packaging, and a strong newsletter and social media channels to tie it all together and keep me updated. Then I thought, “if this is a problem for me, maybe it’s also a problem for other like-minded moms”. And that’s how the idea was born! As a result, over two years later, if you are a mom looking for cool, unique and high quality baby and kids products online from ages 0-7, at littlehipstar we make it our top priority to handpick nothing less than the coolest and the best: brands that feature superior-quality kids fashion, comfortable fits, and one-of-a-kind products.
3. What is important to you when selecting products and brands for your collection?
Design and quality are our top two priorities. We have to love the product we are buying in terms of design, but it also has to adhere to a set of standards, such as 100% cotton, organically produced materials, eco-friendly products, and so forth. Since the items are for babies and kids, we believe it is imperative that quality is top notch.
4. Which items are your favourites for the holidays?
I would have to say our toys and décor category is my favorite for the holidays. From brands such as Ferm Living to OYOY, design letters, Nobodinoz and a little lovely company — these are the perfect brands for the perfect gifts for cool moms and their kids. And nothing beats warm and cosy sweaters from brands like Oeuf, The Animals Observatory, Bobo Choses, and tinycottons.
5. What do you love most about your job?
The feedback! It gives us such a thrill to get valuable feedback and appreciation from our customers – it makes it all worth it! We strive to be super close to our customers, always responding right away, trying to help them with their questions and various needs. In fact, we asked our customers on our Instagram what they love about us and most of them replied service! We were absolutely thrilled, their appreciation makes it all worth it.
