Now six years after its inception Kiwi childrenswear label Mokopuna is finally winging its way to Australia.
Hailing from the same stable as Phil and Teds Most Excellent Buggy Company, the Wellington-based label is launching a full-scale sales assault here amid ambitious plans to get up to 100 Australian stockists and market the Mokopuna product globally.
The brand has already secured warehousing space in Melbourne and a selling trip by the company's international marketing manager, Pip Dumbill, earlier this month saw the label introduced to a number of new stockists across Tasmania, New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT.
Made entirely from merino sourced from the Southern Alps of New Zealand, the brand is targetedprimarily at children aged between one and four with newborns also catered for.
Styles include sleepsuits, bodysuits, swing tops, long shorts, T-shirts, long-sleeved shirts, cardigans, pants, sleeping bags, beanies and booties.
It's name - pronounced mook-o-poo-na - comes from the Maori word for grandchild.
Dumbill said with its list of high profile competitors including Merino Kids, Bobux, Nature Baby, the trans-seasonal label's point of difference lay in its fabric selection.
By using 100 per cent merino in its collections, the clothing range is able to help regulate the temperature of its wearer as well as being suitable for children with allergies.
Mokopuna has also been accredited through the Zque sustainability program, which safeguards all ethical manufacturing and sourcing practices, and was fire retardant, Dumbill said.
"We've talked to many parents in New Zealand and Australia about what's important to them. They told us they want easy-care, safety, softness and breathability. Mokopuna ticks all those boxes."
The range sold across Australia would be similar to the one available across Mokopuna's other international markets with only the colour ways changing between countries, she said.
Price points for the collection range between $15 and $170.
Confirmed stockists include Melon Baby (Torquay), Parenthood (Richmond), Big Dreams (Northcote), Fragile (Paddington), Little Steps (Bowral) and Stork Talk (Devonport).