Monmouthshire company Babi Bw making Welsh baby clothes

FROM daffodils and rugby balls to lambs and even red dragons, it’s never too early to be a proud Welsh person.

Now a Monmouthshire-based company is making it even easier for parents to nail their baby’s Cymru credentials to the mast with its range of cute vests, babygros, hats and hooded blankets all sporting motifs inspired by the land of their fathers.

There are even products emblazoned with the word “Cwtch”, the Welsh word for “cuddle”.

Caldicot-based dad Graeme Corfield worked as an adviser for Business Wales for several years before starting Babi Bw after spotting a gap in the market.

He wanted to offer parents, and their friends and relatives, the opportunity to clothe babies in garments that not only displayed their Welsh roots, but were made in the country too.

On top of that, he wanted everything to be made from soft and durable organic cotton patterned fabrics that would be kind to their skin, with double jersey knit used for comfort and stretch. Graeme got the idea for a babywear range after being gifted blankets from relatives living in Canada.

“Though the gift was lovely, the blankets were plain and didn’t at all show off Canada or what it’s proud of,” he says.

“Shortly after while visiting London with our son and his older sister, we came across a very expensive but beautifully printed blanket depicting the city that was super soft but designed and made in Asia, which got me thinking.

“I thought, if we were going to start a new business in babywear, I would want to use this type of super-soft fabric, but only if I could make my products truly Welsh.

"I knew from my days giving business advice that it was very rare to see manufacturing companies based in Wales, and that few companies were utilising home-grown talent.”

Where possible, Graeme has used Welsh logo designers, pattern designers, photographers and machine engineers and purchased everything needed from companies based in Wales.

Little touches made by Graeme’s team to their range include a coloured popper, to make it easy to know where to start re-fastening in the dark, and it’s possible to personalise items with a baby’s name.

The company’s newest venture, and part of its commitment to being more sustainable, is to make personalised memory blankets from upcycling baby’s pre-loved favourite clothing to provide keepsakes for the years to come.

Baby Bw has so far been five years in the making and the journey has been challenging at times.

“Trying to identify, recruit and train the right skill base from Wales is a long process, and at times frustrating as we have hit bumps in the road, but we maintain that we want to have this as our continued aim throughout growing our company,” says Graeme.

“We have been hampered by Covid and more recently the downturn in the economy.

“However, we are very proud of our products and hearing lovely comments from our customers is heart-warming.

"We cannot count the number of times we have heard, ‘I wish I had a baby to buy for’!”