The trend of upgrading fashion consumption in China is gradually extending into the children’s apparel market, where competition among baby and toddler brands remains fierce and constant.
Traditionally, baby and toddler brands have primarily communicated with consumers around the themes of safety and quality. However, as the aesthetics and consumption values of a new generation of parents evolve, brands that actively invest in aesthetics and art are increasingly winning the favor of mid-to-high-end consumers.
Recently, amid a wave of product launches from major baby and toddler brands, LUXE.CO noticed that Nest Designs, a Canadian eco-conscious fashion brand for mothers and babies, released a collaborative collection with Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. The brand also unveiled a campaign video blending the traditional Quanzhou hairpin flower—a piece of intangible cultural heritage—and featured international supermodel Suzi de Givenchy, a member of the Givenchy family.
In a children’s apparel market dominated by traditional cartoon-themed designs, Nest Designs is among the first brands to break free from conventional design constraints. Starting with the niche category of baby sleep bags, it quickly established a foothold in the market with stylish and artistic print designs. Through carefully curated product line expansions, the brand has extended its offerings to encompass diverse lifestyle scenarios for modern families. Moreover, Nest Designs has taken an unconventional approach to content marketing and consumer engagement.
From product design to brand development, Nest Designs’ strategy differs significantly from traditional maternity and baby brands. So what is the driving force behind its unique approach?
Above: Nest Designs Spring/Summer 2025 collection
Why Should Baby Products Be More Fashionable?
Today, when shopping for baby products, new-generation parents are shifting beyond purely seeking “comfort and functionality” toward prioritizing “aesthetic design” and “emotional value.”
Take baby sleep bags as an example. While softness, skin-friendliness, breathability, and warmth remain top considerations, many parents are increasingly looking for alternatives to the overly whimsical and repetitive “kiddie” styles. They are seeking original designs that embody fashion and artistry.
This shift aligns with the philosophy of Nest Designs’ founder Tammy Lo (pictured below). With a background in luxury design, she believes that “a baby doesn’t always have to look baby,” and that parents should not have to compromise their aesthetic sensibilities while raising their children. In her view, baby products can and should be a natural extension of a family’s overall design aesthetic.
This idea began to take shape in 2013. At the time, Tammy was searching for a gift for her newborn niece but struggled to find a product that was both aesthetically pleasing and gentle on a baby’s delicate skin. So she designed a bamboo-cotton muslin blanket featuring a unique hand-drawn pattern and a soft touch. That blanket marked the inception of Nest Designs and eventually inspired its core product category: baby sleep bags.
In the latest Frida Kahlo collaboration collection, the Nest Designs team has taken its artistic integration even further. Drawing from Kahlo’s iconic works, the designers infused the line with vibrant elements of Mexican tropical flora and fauna—such as flowers, cacti, tropical fruits, and hummingbirds.
Above: Nest Designs X Frida Kahlo collaboration series
These natural motifs, native to Kahlo’s homeland of Mexico, were important sources of inspiration for the artist during her lifetime. Nest Designs translated these images into sleep bag patterns, continuing the brand’s affinity for nature while conveying a deeper sense of vitality and cultural resonance through artistic storytelling.
Frida Kahlo, an influential female artist of the early 20th century, endured immense personal suffering. Yet her vividly colored, surreal artworks always conveyed an unmistakable energy and passion for life.
This is not Nest Designs’ first collaboration with a world-renowned art IP. Since 2017, the brand has launched joint collections with legendary children’s book illustrator Eric Carle, global color authority Pantone, and leading contemporary art institution UCCA (Ullens Center for Contemporary Art), infusing baby sleep bags and loungewear with greater fashion appeal and artistic flair.
Above, left to right: Nest Designs X Eric Carle collaboration series, Nest Designs X Pantone collaboration series
By venturing into the art world, Nest Designs has solidified its fashion-forward identity and continuously drawn inspiration to push beyond the aesthetic boundaries of traditional maternity and baby brands. At the same time, the brand meets the growing demand among new-generation parents to foster artistic appreciation in their children—one of the key focal points in modern family education.
In this process, Nest Designs has continued to diversify its product portfolio. It has launched Petite Revery, a fashion-forward outerwear line for children, and Nest Bump, a stylish, eco-friendly maternity collection offering care throughout all stages of pregnancy. Together, these sub-brands enable Nest Designs to support modern families from pre-pregnancy through childbirth and child-rearing across different settings, including sleep, home, and on-the-go scenarios.
Above: Petite Revery Spring/Summer 2025 collection
Can Maternity and Baby Brands Carry Cultural Depth?
In the fashion and luxury sectors, incorporating elements of Chinese culture to build emotional resonance with local consumers has become a widespread strategy—and this approach is proving just as relevant for maternity and baby brands.
Today’s young consumers possess heightened cultural awareness, and a baby brand with deep cultural roots is more likely to strike an emotional chord with the new generation of parents.
To mark the launch of its Frida Kahlo collaboration series, Nest Designs released a campaign video shot by the world-renowned fashion publication VISIONAIRE, starring brand ambassador and member of the Givenchy family, Suzi de Givenchy.
Born in Hong Kong and raised in New York, Suzi de Givenchy is the wife of Hubert Taffin de Givenchy, nephew of the founder of the French luxury house Givenchy. She worked in interior design before embarking on a modeling career at the age of 52.
The film was shot in Quanzhou, Fujian Province, where Nest Designs captured the local traditional headpiece known as the zan hua wei (簪花围), a floral hair ornament unique to the Xunpu village of Quanzhou.
Said to have originated from Arab customs introduced during the Song and Yuan dynasties, this tradition involves women adorning their hair with fresh flowers—one or two garlands for daily wear and up to five to seven colorful rings for festivals—creating the appearance of a small garden from afar. In 2008, zan hua wei was officially included on China’s national list of intangible cultural heritage.
Through this campaign, Nest Designs breaks the aesthetic boundaries of traditional maternity and baby products, delivering richer emotional value to modern parents. By incorporating the cultural symbol of zan hua, the brand also seeks to spark cultural resonance with local consumers.
Moreover, the campaign offers a deeper reflection on the identity of motherhood: zan hua is not only intangible heritage, but also a metaphor for women blooming in their roles as mothers. With this film, Nest Designs introduces the theme “Being a mother, and still being yourself,” highlighting not only the child’s growth but also the mother’s personal journey and self-realization.
Stay-at-home moms and working mothers are the core consumer groups for maternity brands. To form meaningful connections and build trust with these groups, a clear and compelling brand philosophy—especially one that touches on parenting, growth, well-being, and lifestyle—can strike an emotional chord and foster a sense of identification.
Nest Designs believes that parenting is no longer solely about raising children; it is a process of mutual growth between parents and children. The brand has partnered with UCCA and Shanghai’s Art+ Museum to launch the “Little Art Player” initiative, hosting numerous art-themed family classes and interactive events. These activities bring the experience of artistic education into everyday life, turning parenting into a living art form.
Above: Nest Designs “Little Art Player (direct translation)” workshop
As a sustainable maternity and baby brand, Nest Designs not only encourages customers to adopt sustainable consumption practices but also leads by example through the careful selection of environmentally friendly natural materials.
For instance, its Tanboocel™ series is developed using patented Tianzhu® bamboo fiber, blended with Supima® cotton, Merino wool, creora® spandex, mulberry silk, avocado fiber, and other natural materials to create a proprietary textile system.
In its “hypoallergenic” series, the brand ensures full product safety for babies with sensitive skin—from using cotton grown on certified organic land, to fully traceable organic weaving processes, and sterile workshop sewing environments.
In 2023, Petite Revery, Nest Designs’ outerwear fashion line for children, joined the international environmental initiative “1% for the Planet,” pledging to donate 1% of annual sales to support environmental conservation efforts.
When a brand’s parenting philosophy and promoted lifestyle create a strong sense of “this is exactly the kind of life I want for my child,” it upgrades the customer experience from a simple product purchase to a deeper spiritual connection. This emotional resonance not only increases brand appeal but also enhances consumer loyalty.
Above: Nest Designs Spring/Summer 2024 collection
China Market: A Replicable Model for Global Expansion
In 2016, Nest Designs entered the Chinese Mainland market.
At the time, China’s maternity and baby sector was experiencing rapid growth, with consumers increasingly demanding high-quality, innovative products that align with the natural development of children—fertile ground for Nest Designs to take root.
Riding the wave of China’s booming e-commerce ecosystem, Nest Designs quickly established official flagship stores across platforms including Tmall, JD.com, Douyin, Xiaohongshu, and WeChat Mini Programs. It also forged deep collaborations with top-tier celebrities and influencers, and built a robust content marketing strategy across social media to rapidly expand brand awareness.
In September 2024, Nest Designs officially announced international supermodel Ming Xi as its first-ever brand ambassador.
Offline, the brand followed the same strategy it had adopted in other global markets. Nest Designs entered over 400 premium maternity and baby boutiques, including QTOOLS, UCOSY, Binqu Xiaofang, Hanmaxi, iniuniu, Little Marcie, and Tiny Travelers. It also partnered with high-end maternity and healthcare institutions such as United Family Healthcare, AmCare, and St. Bella, gaining professional endorsements from medical staff specializing in maternal and infant care.
Collaborating with global premium retailers and concept stores has always been part of Nest Designs’ commercial model. In 2024, the brand opened its first global brick-and-mortar flagship store in Vancouver.
This model is now set to be replicated in the Chinese market. In the near future, Nest Designs plans to launch self-operated offline stores in China. This will not only allow customers to experience the full product range up close, but also mark the brand’s transition from an online “best-seller maker” to a full-channel premium experience provider.
Since 2017, Nest Designs has been a regular exhibitor at CBME (Children Baby Maternity Expo) in Shanghai.
In September 2023, Nest Designs hosted a pop-up exhibition themed “Dreams in Bamboo (directly translated)” at Taikoo Li Chengdu to celebrate its 10th anniversary.
Over its eight years in China, Nest Designs has witnessed consumers evolving toward products with higher aesthetic and tactile appeal, enhanced functionality, and greater scene-based specificity. It has also gained the attention of China’s urban middle class, refined mothers, and up-and-coming white-collar consumers. Today, the brand stands among the leading players in China’s maternity and baby market.
The diverse consumer demands and ever-changing business environment of the Chinese market have become powerful drivers that in turn elevate the brand’s global competitiveness. Nest Designs told Luxe.CO: “The successful experience in China has provided the brand with a replicable business model and strong credibility for global expansion.”
Looking ahead, Nest Designs will continue to deepen its investment in China, strengthen localized operations, and transform its accumulated experience in the Chinese market into a competitive edge globally—driving sustainable brand growth worldwide.
Above: Nest Designs’ first global flagship store in Vancouver
Conclusion
As young families continue to increase their spending on child-rearing, more and more brands are entering the maternity and baby space, drawn by the market’s vast potential. However, this influx has also led to a growing problem of product homogeneity. For brands seeking to break through the growth ceiling, the key challenge is how to create meaningful differentiation and win the hearts of new-generation parents.
From a single bamboo-cotton muslin to becoming a sleep solution trusted by millions of families around the world, Nest Designs has spent more than a decade proving that the value of a maternity and baby brand lies not only in its products, but also in how it weaves art, culture, and responsibility into every fiber.
While the industry continues to debate the appropriate level of “whimsy” in cartoon prints, Nest Designs offers a different answer—through consistent artistic investment and cultural storytelling, it redefines parenting not as a mother’s one-sided sacrifice, but as a shared journey of beauty and growth.
We look forward to seeing more brands break away from convention and collectively drive the diversification of the maternity and baby industry.
| Image Credit: provided by the brand
| Editor: Zhu Ruoyu
