This time of year is often a busy yet wonderful whirlwind of preparation for Christmas and tying up loose ends but we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the last 12 months. We’ve launched new styles, added new products including backpacks and pram shoes, helped kit out thousands of children for ‘back to school’ and the icing on the cake, we’ve been awarded some amazing accolades for our endeavours.
There’s nothing better than some of the most credible names in the parenting industry and parents themselves, recognising our products as outstanding. Not just for us, but we know that third party reviews and awards are really important to you as you strive to get the best quality and value for money when kitting out your little ones.
Back in September, the Junior Design Awards gave us gold for ‘Best First Walker Footwear Collection’ for our collaboration with high street favourite JoJo Maman Bébé. The Junior panel selected the JoJo Loves Start-Rite Collection because they:
“Felt that the accessibility of well-made, everyday shoes from a trusted high street store made in conjunction with highly regarded shoe experts would be hugely helpful to parents looking for good quality first walker shoes without having to spend a fortune. The fun and friendly animal motifs, the easy rip-tape fastenings and the over-all great quality of these shoes scored highly.”
Editor of Junior, Bonita Turner, added: “An absolutely brilliant partnership of two much-loved and trusted brands. Start-Rite shoes are a rite of passage - throw in JoJo Maman Bébé - where every new parent shops - and you have a winning combo.”
And the good news didn’t stop there! We secured a silver award from the Junior Design Awards for ‘Best Children’s Footwear Collection’, which called out our special anniversary collection in partnership with the NSPCC. Junior said: “The panel was excited by the beautiful craftsmanship of these shoes and Start-Rite’s ongoing innovation that goes into ensuring that they are comfortable, supportive and flexible for growing feet.”
We had some amazing feedback from the awards panel too:
“Start-Rite shoes are just stunning and the centuries of expertise are clear to see in every stitch.” Bonita Turner, editor of Junior.
“The birthday collection is just beautiful!” Charlotte Kewley, children’s stylist, @thelittlestylist
“Classic and stylish.” Charlotte Love, artist, stylist, photographer, @charlottelovely
Our success continued as we’ve ended the year with two gold awards from Bizziebaby for our Pram Shoes and our Backpacks. What’s fantastic about these awards are the products are tested by real parents, who know exactly what they need and want when it comes to products for their children.
The reviewers had this to say about our pram shoes:
Jenna: “The pram shoes come packaged in a little box which can double as a keepsake box to celebrate baby’s first pair of shoes. I chose the 3-6 month size for my 4 month old and they are absolutely perfect, I would say true to size. There is still some growing room for the next few months.”
And Gemma gave the following feedback: “These are very good quality and would be ideal to pass down to younger siblings. I just loved the design. Really good quality and well made. Great value for money and I would buy more.”
Our Start-Rite backpacks got really positive reviews too:
Victoria: “It’s an amazing backpack, my daughter loves it, great design, well made, useful pockets and reflective, comfortable. So easy to use, very easy to clean, comfortable to wear.”
Louise noted: “You can tell from the quality of the material that the backpack will last longer than previous bags we have had. The quality of the material used is excellent. This is also very good value. I would buy this backpack.”
The awards really are so much more than a ‘well done’ for team Start-Rite, they are feedback from industry experts and parents that we hope proves useful for you. We’re busy working on our exciting plans for 2023 so watch this space for more exciting announcements and fingers crossed, award wins to add to our collection!
