Polarn O. Pyret

Polarn O. Pyret is a Swedish childrenswear clothing brand, based in Stockholm[1] Polarn O. Pyret designs, produces and distributes baby and childrenswear through its own shops, department stores, franchises and e-commerce in Europe and the US. The name means "Buddy and The Little One" in Swedish, although it is often shortened to "PO.P".

The brand gained media attention when one of their garments was worn by Prince George for his first official Christmas portrait taken by Ed Lane Fox in November 2014.[2][3][4][5][6]

History

Polarn O. Pyret began by selling a totally different product – condoms.[7] In the early 1900s, Nils Adamsson travelled around Västergötland in Sweden selling sewing machines. He was struck by the size of families – and how poor they were. He wanted to help them have fewer children. In 1909, Adamsson bought a tobacco shop in Falköping, where he began selling condoms imported from Germany. Nils and Karin Adamsson sold medical products alongside tobacco, which gave their business a certain legitimacy. In the early 1940s, they began selling baby products under the name of “Pyret”, Swedish for "The Little One".

Their shops had two different departments – one for medical products, the other for baby products. The idea was that mothers would not have to pass through the “men’s department” – and that men would not have to be around women and children when they bought their products. The last restrictions on condom sales in Sweden were lifted in the 1970s. Condoms could now be sold in department stores, petrol stations and newsagents, which pushed down prices and reduced the profits. This led to a decision in 1976[8] that contraceptive sales would be phased out, and the company would change its name to Polarn & Pyret AB.[9]

The driving force behind the creation of Polarn O. Pyret in the mid 1970s were CEO Katarina af Klintberg and designer Gunilla Axen.[10] They wanted to create clothing that was both timeless in design, yet easy to wear and care for.

Products

Polarn O. Pyret makes clothing and outdoor wear for children aged up to 12 years.[11][12] Over 80% of the clothing is eco labelled and is made from either GOTS, BCI or recycled materials. The brand has committed to producing all cotton garments in certified sustainable cotton by 2020 under the Better Cotton Initiative.[13]The company does not merchandise it's clothing by gender and much of the range is gender neutral.[14]

Brand ethos

Polarn O. Pyret is known for making clothing for babies and children with a durable quality, often in unisex styles,[15][16] driven by the philosophy that children's clothing should be worn by more than one child, handed down and passed on.[17]

UK expansion

Master Franchise Partner Odin Retail Ltd[18] won the rights to launch and distribute Polarn O. Pyret in the UK and Ireland in 2006. The original expansion started with the introduction of staffed concession stores in flagship House of Fraser stores. The UK business has grown exponentially and introduced e-commerce sites www.polarnopyret.co.uk[19] and www.polarnopyret.ie[20] in 2011.

Charity campaigns

The brand has previously participated in fundraising for the Children in Need campaign by asking its customers to bring in their outgrown Polarn O. Pyret clothes in exchange for store credit to be resold at a lower price to the general public in order to raise money to be donated to the BBC Children In Need appeal.[21]

References
  1. "Rnb Retail And Brands Ab (RNBS:Stockholm)". Bloomberg Business. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  2. Harley, Nicola. "What is Prince George wearing in Christmas pictures? (£111 worth of toddler tailoring)". The Telegraph. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  3. Murphy, Victoria. "Prince George's tank top already sold out as retailer tries desperately to meet demand". Mirror. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  4. Bayley, Leanne. "Prince George's Christmas pictures are TOO cute". Glamour. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  5. Chalmers, Sarah. "Prince George: More Middleton than Windsor". The Telegraph. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  6. "Prince George: New photos released of the rosy-cheeked Prince of Cambridge". Hello!.
  7. "Criminal condoms". www.polarnopyret40.com. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
  8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-02-26. Retrieved 2016-03-01.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. "Our History". Polarn O. Pyret. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  10. "HISTORIA – 50 år som formgivare – Polarn&Pyret – Gunila Axén Design".
  11. "Oh Baby! British Newborns Receive 11 Million Gifts on Their Arrival into the World". PR Newswire.
  12. Pippard, Mim. "Moses baskets and rattles replaced with clothes for British babies' gifts". The National. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  13. "Report" (PDF). International Cotton Advisory Committee. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 July 2015. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  14. "Why Not Gender Neutral Clothes? - Sociological Images".
  15. Gonsalves, Rebecca (2015-01-26). "Gender blending: A trend more about comfort than identity". The Independent. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  16. "How this classic kidswear brand set the standard on genderless clothing". WGSN. 2016-02-26. Archived from the original on 2016-02-29. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
  17. Peck, Sally. "He, She...It?". Telegraph.co.uk.
  18. "ODIN RETAIL LIMITED - Overview (Free company information from Companies House)".
  19. "Official Polarn O. Pyret - Kids, Clothes, Swedish Children Clothing". www.polarnopyret.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-09-11.
  20. "Official Polarn O. Pyret - Kids, Clothes, Swedish Children Clothing". www.polarnopyret.ie. Retrieved 2015-09-11.
  21. "Parent's Magazine for Family Related News | Families Online".
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