Grass & Air meets... Our Kid

We met up with our beloved Manchester retailer, Our Kid, to talk about our brand new Wellies from the #ColourStories collection. We discuss the "in's and out's" behind the Chorlton based store and what makes it so unique to other retailers.

What do you think about our new Colour Stories collection?

The colour palette is so impactful, with the perfect mix of trend-led colours such as Neo Mint and classics like Banana Split that are sure to widen the appeal of Grass & Air wellies to customers. Kids love colour! It’s refreshing to see bursts of vibrancy in the shop as Spring approaches.

What do you like about Grass & Air?

As a Manchester retailer, we love the provenance of the brand and always make sure customers know they’re a local business with homegrown expertise of living in the rainy city! From an aesthetic point of view, the minimal styling of both boots and outerwear is very in line with what our customers are looking for. Products such as the umbrella have great crossover appeal in our basics and gift categories. At Christmas we couldn’t keep them in stock as they were selling so fast!

What do you think about your chosen colour?

We love pink! It’s never been a problem to us to champion pink in the shop, it’s a simple fact of life that little girls…and sometimes boys, love it. Prawn to be Wild is a charming story that shifts the focus away from girly pinks and really brings the contemporary vibe of the collection to life.

How do you embrace colour in your own lives?

We each have a special fondness for our own personal ‘brand’ colour. Kate has always been known for a love of yellow and accents it to perfection in her own style and home interiors. Laura loves a strong coral and always defaults to this statement shade. For me, pink is always my go to. I live in a household full of boys so it’s my way of owning the space with a touch of femininity.

Looking ahead to s/s19 which colour of wellies will be the biggest hit with your customers?

Banana Split has made a big impression but we’re stocking the whole collection and it’s been a close call across all 4 shades. Navy is a perennial favourite and Neo Mint is a lovely alternative if customers are looking for a twist on a classic shade.

What makes ‘Our kid’ unique to other kids wear stores?

Our combination of shop and café has allowed us to go beyond traditional retail and harness the social side of ‘mum life’ to create a unique experience. Our regular customers love popping in for coffee with friends and doing their shopping in a relaxed way, even with the kids in tow.

How important are events to your shop experience?

Events have given us a platform to develop our brand and grow our own community within the local area and beyond. Over the years we’ve finessed our approach to events and now focus on retail-driven experiences with our brand founders at the heart of everything that we do. Storytelling is crucial to the success of an in-store event, once guests hear the back story to what they’re buying we see a huge sales uplift. It’s rewarding on so many levels.

You were the first independent to launch grass & air. How has the brand evolved for you over the last year?

Grass & Air has been such an inspiring success story and one that we feel very proud to be a part of. We loved the whole collection from the outset and have seen demand for the products increase, especially the wellies! Customers seem to be seeking out their favourite colours and asking for the brand by name. A very good sign in a highly competitive market. It’s one of our bestselling brands and it’s clear to see why.

Huge thank you to Our Kid for chatting with us!