Gentle beginnings

New year, new start? New year, big changes?

I suppose the answer is both yes and no.

Yes to new ideas, new ranges, new products quietly taking shape behind the scenes.

But no, very intentionally no… to changing our ethos or values.

At BABA, the start of the year feels slower than most. There’s no rush to push out collections or shout about what’s “next”. Instead, January gives us space to reflect on why we do things the way we do and why that hasn’t changed, even when the world feels like it’s moving faster than ever.

Our hand-knit babywear is a perfect example of that.

Each piece is made by hand by one of our very small team. Alex, Mandy, or Granny Phyllis… who, let’s be honest, is the real boss at BABA. So why does hand-knit matter?

When we talk about slow fashion, especially for babies, it’s easy to jump straight to ethics… sustainability, materials, longevity. And while all of that matters to us, it’s not the whole story.

For us, hand-knit matters first because of how it feels.

There’s something deeply comforting about dressing your baby in something that was made slowly, thoughtfully, and with care. Each stitch holds time. Each piece carries a human presence. It’s not perfect… and that’s exactly the point.

Babies themselves aren’t mass-produced or rushed into the world. Their clothes shouldn’t be either.

A hand-knitted piece isn’t just clothing. It’s memory-making. It’s the cardigan pulled on for a first walk. The bonnet worn home from hospital. The jumper tucked away in a keepsake box long after it’s been outgrown.

When something is made by hand, you feel it… even if you can’t quite explain why. It connects us to tradition, to care, to slowness in a season of life that passes far too quickly.

That emotional connection matters to us just as much as any ethical box we could tick.

Starting the year slowly is a choice.

As a small brand, it would be easy to feel pressure to do more, faster. But we’re choosing intention over urgency. We’re choosing to grow thoughtfully, to honour the people who make our pieces, and to continue creating babywear that feels meaningful, not rushed.

So yes, there will be new things this year.

But they’ll arrive in the same way our knits always do, one stitch at a time.

And honestly? We wouldn’t have it any other way.