Nipper Legacy Collection

Nipper Legacy Collection Archival catalogue collection
Digital pattern releases pending
Est. 1980 North Laines

SS 1984 ☀️By Spring/Summer 1984, Nipper was growing up!As our little customers grew, we introduced a new size range alon...
13/06/2026

SS 1984 ☀️

By Spring/Summer 1984, Nipper was growing up!

As our little customers grew, we introduced a new size range alongside many fresh new styles and prints.

Looking through this catalogue now, I can see so many of the ingredients that became classic Nipper — denim, Aertex shirts, bold stripes, playful prints and practical clothes designed for real children to wear, play and explore in.

I also love seeing the machine-cut fabric swatches from the cutting table, carefully cut by Dave, our cutter, and then hand-stuck onto the catalogue pages alongside Julia’s beautiful illustrations.

Dave was a much-loved member of the Nipper team and is sadly no longer with us.

Long before computers, every catalogue page was created by hand, making each one a little work of art in its own right.

Looking back, these were exciting times for our small Brighton company as the Nipper story continued to unfold. 💙💛

1980sFashion Nipper1984

https://heyzine.com/flip-book/02b09d629a.html

After sharing so much of the Stuffed Baby story recently (and there’s still more to come!), I thought it was time to ret...
10/06/2026

After sharing so much of the Stuffed Baby story recently (and there’s still more to come!), I thought it was time to return to the real reason this archive exists…

Nipper.

Looking back to 1979, Julia and I were incredibly brave — perhaps a little naïve too!

Neither of us came from a children’s wear background. We were womenswear designers stepping into a completely new world.

At the time, the independent baby boutiques seemed to be dominated by beautiful French and Italian children’s fashion labels. There was even a lovely shop in Brighton’s North Laine that showcased many of these designer brands.

But we felt there was room for something different.

Something British.

Something fun.

Something practical.

Something children could actually play in.

For me, becoming a new mum changed everything. I saw children’s clothing through fresh eyes and wanted clothes that were comfortable, colourful and full of character.

Julia brought her wonderful illustrations, creativity and eye for storytelling.

Together, we took a leap into the unknown.

These early sketches, featured in one of our very first catalogues, contain some of the first ideas that would become the Nipper fingerprint — the beginning of a style and identity that stayed with us throughout the years.

The beginning of a journey neither of us could have imagined. 💙💛

⸻

Browse the full catalogue here:

https://heyzine.com/flip-book/517d753fee.html

⸻

Where did the first Nipper logo come from? 💙💛I’ve been thinking this week about our very first Nipper logo and how it ca...
06/06/2026

Where did the first Nipper logo come from? 💙💛

I’ve been thinking this week about our very first Nipper logo and how it came about.

I believe it grew from this hand-drawn lettering on the early Nipper garment patterns. The soft, bouncy shapes felt childlike, playful and fun 😊

Somehow that little pattern font evolved into our first logo — and everyone seemed to love it.

Back in 1979, branding didn’t feel quite as important as it does today. We were much more focused on designing and making the clothes! But looking back, I think it worked beautifully.

The logo appeared on our labels, shop window, carrier bags and catalogues, it became part of the Nipper story for many years.

I’m officially calling it “The Nipper Font.” 😊💙💛

brightonbusiness vintagechildrenswear 1980sfashion madeinengland.

Not bad for a few letters sketched onto pattern pieces back in 1979. 😊💙💛

Handmade joy. 💛💙 1980 -1999 from our very first 💙💛 label …..Twenty years of labels & logos.Some stayed. Some disappeared...
06/06/2026

Handmade joy. 💛💙 1980 -1999 from our very first 💙💛 label …..

Twenty years of labels & logos.
Some stayed. Some disappeared.
But every label tells part of the Nipper story.





#1980’s
Do you have a favourite? 💙💛 I do 😊💙💛

Late night at the pattern table ✂️One full week ironing out the flaws… literally and figuratively 😄The 2020 babies meeti...
18/05/2026

Late night at the pattern table ✂️

One full week ironing out the flaws… literally and figuratively 😄

The 2020 babies meeting the 2026 remake. Old ideas, new adjustments, fresh eyes.

After testing three different fabrics, I finally feel the pattern is now ready for proper testing.

One more remake scheduled in two weeks:— 1 calico— 1 fleece

Then onwards to the next stage… 💛

Work in progress.

I’m getting there… ✂️What’s interesting about remaking the Stuffed Babies now is that this isn’t actually the original 1...
16/05/2026

I’m getting there… ✂️

What’s interesting about remaking the Stuffed Babies now is that this isn’t actually the original 1979 pattern.

The version I’m working from was reconstructed in 2018 from memory — trying to recapture the spirit of the originals nearly forty years later.

And thank goodness I decided to test everything properly again…

During construction I discovered I’d added seam allowance where it was never meant to be 🤦🏻‍♀️

Suddenly the knees and ankle shaping weren’t making sense!!

So this project has become a strange mixture of memory, pattern cutting, reconstruction and rediscovery.

Testing continues in linen, fleece and jersey while I refine the pattern and instructions.

Work in progress… 💛

Forty-plus years after the original Stuffed Babies first appeared in the Nipper shop windows… I’m now redrawing the patt...
13/05/2026

Forty-plus years after the original Stuffed Babies first appeared in the Nipper shop windows… I’m now redrawing the pattern for a completely new generation of makers.

Testing scale.
Testing assembly.
Testing fabrics.
Recreating the personalities.

Three babies currently in progress:

— fleece
— linen
— recycled T-shirt jersey

Still very much a work in progress ✂️ but getting there….

slowfashion archiveproject

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