Creating the ‘hippest’ baby brand

Watching Kevin’s sister spend an exorbitant amount on a designer nappy bag, which essentially had the purpose of carrying everything from diapers to baby food made no sense to Kevin and Kim. This sparked the couple’s business idea to design a stylish nappy bag that didn’t scream “I’m a Mum!” or break the bank.

A nappy bag was the obvious choice for the first product as Kim and Kevin realised there is a substantial market of mums who need a product that looks good, is durable, functional and affordable. The couple set to work from home and soon shipped their first bags to the US.

“We got very lucky with the first product we sold on Amazon.com which was a complete home run for us. After creating the listing, the bag almost immediately shot to the top of Amazon rankings. That really set the tone for our business success and helped us to scale up,” said Kevin.

“It was the simple idea of delivering a design ‘where fashion meets function at an affordable price’ that proved to be the winning solution for us. We were blown away by the success.”

The couple had been considering starting their own business for a while but it wasn’t until they heard of Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) that they decided to make it a reality.

“Fulfilment by Amazon really changed the game for us. It allowed us to concentrate on the things we’re good at, which is digital marketing, building a brand and developing great products. We can leave the rest to Amazon, from picking to packing and delivery, to customer service,” said Kevin.

“With the access and reach of Amazon Marketplace our Australian business has been able to enter countries including the US and the UK, which we could have never done on our own.”

“Five years ago, we would have needed 30 times the capital to run a business like this and would have never had a presence overseas in such a short period of time.”

The first bag launch laid the foundation for a variety of product possibilities in the baby industry. Determined to become ‘the hippest baby brand in the world’, Hip Cub has since extended its product range with fashionable and affordable change mats, pram liners and other baby accessories, while planning to expand to further countries.

The entrepreneurial duo is also excited about opportunities arising on their doorstep: “We’re so thrilled Amazon.com.au is now fully live in Australia. We get to be part of it from the beginning, which is a unique opportunity for us. It will change how Australians think about shopping.”

As the business continues to grow both in Australia and around the world, the same can now be said of their own family. Kevin and Kim recently had their first baby, and their parenting adventure is already sparking creative product innovations.

“We have just launched our new convertible backpack nappy bag, which I’m super excited about since I recently became a parent and realised just how necessary it is to have both of your hands free and available as much as possible! We aimed to deliver a really cool nappy backpack that enables parents to carry everything they need on the go, without having their hands restricted,” said Kevin.

Whether it’s redefining fashion for new parents or launching into new Amazon Marketplaces, one thing is for sure – there’s plenty more to come from this entrepreneurial couple down under.