Following the opening of the first Ada Baby store, CWB speaks to founder Begum Bayir to learn more about her children’s clothing and accessories brand and its new retail space.
Laura Turner: What’s the story behind Ada Baby?
Begum Bayir: I studied archaeology at university, and after that began working for Turkish Airlines as a cabin attendant. I met my husband on one of my flights and we married two years later. We had our son in 2019, and while I was pregnant I found it very difficult to find products for him that were to my taste. After my son turned one, my friends encouraged me to create my own brand. Ada Baby was born in 2020 as Ada Muslin in Turkey. After a year, Ada Muslin became very popular in Turkey and we applied for a business visa to bring the brand to the UK, changing the name to Ada Baby.
LT: Can you tell me more about the collection?
BB: Firstly, we love neutrals; we offer an option for mummies who want to find something unique in earthy tones for their babies. Products include clothing, accessories, blankets and swaddles. Sizes start from 0-3 months and go up to 18-24 months across most of our products, with some seasonal items going up to 4 years.
LT: You opened your first shop in July. What led you to open a physical store?
BB: We started our journey with an online shop. After that, we attended Christmas fairs in 2021, where Ada Baby was in very high demand. After the Christmas season, we started trading in the local markets five days a week, which we enjoyed. We decided to open the store to continue meeting customer demand.
LT: How would you describe the shop?
BB: We wanted to create a unique store and took inspiration from Izmir, the Turkish city where I was born and raised. We love the simple boho style and we’ve decorated our store based on this look. We’ve also included a cosy corner for mummies to feed their babies.
LT: How are you developing Ada Baby’s wholesale offer?
BB: We exhibited at Spring Fair at the NEC this year. We also have a wholesale shop on Faire, with most of our orders coming from the US and Canada.
LT: What are your plans for the business?
BB: We’re currently very excited about our a/w 23 collection, which will be on sale from mid to late August. We’re also attending lots of fairs and festivals in 2023, such as Glastonbury and Spirit of Christmas in London. We aim to increase the Ada Baby offer based on our customers’ requirements.
The Ada Baby store is located at 33 Abbeygate Street, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP33 1LW. To visit the brand’s website, please click here.
