HNL Baby Co. Kickstarter: Adorable prints, cute clothes and tots’ toys

Give and get this season.

Photo Courtesy: G. Kia Photography

We know, we know: We should eat our fruits and veggies. Normally, we’d politely decline until someone figures out how to make bacon a vegetable (we hear they’re pretty close?), but now that big sister HONOLULU has gone bananas for fresh fruits, we figure we should follow suit and help ourselves to a few servings. Luckily, we’ve found a sweet way to put our money where our mouth is.

We’re talking about the new fruit-themed releases from HNL Baby Co., a super-cute kidswear and accessories collab between two of our favorite resident makers: Giselle Santana of Naturally Young at Heart and Ashlee Fujimoto from Kaua‘i Dry Goods. The two got in touch after Fujimoto read about Santana’s brand in—you guessed it—Lei Chic, and they whipped up a handful of prints and pieces that we’re going totally fruit-loopy for. Fujimoto’s whimsical prints include exotic dragon fruit, cheery pineapples, luscious guavas and, our favorite, a bright and friendly all-over pattern of halved papayas. They’re plastered on everything from soft baby blankets to wee tots’ shorts to handy bibs to the sweetest little rompers, and everything is 100-percent organic and locally manufactured.

The best part? This is only the beginning: The duo is smack in the midst of a Kickstarter to get their spring collection in gear, which means you have a chance to get in at the ground level and snag some swag. If ’tis the season to give and get, we just found your Christmas miracle—because you can do both! Back the gals’ HNL Baby Co. project and, depending on the amount you pledge, you can get illustrated flashcards, a plush rattle or stylish new duds for your kiddo in the new spring prints. And, oh, the prints: From a squad of seahorses to feisty sharks to shave ice cones to mermaids and more, the ladies have everything prepared to hand off to their manufacturers once they hit their Kickstarter goal. Sassy cropped tops, fluttery rompers, leggings, tees, bibs—the cuteness never ends!

The campaign ends on Dec. 13, so you have just enough time to back this small biz (and get some early Christmas shopping for 2017 done in the deal). For this year’s gifts? You can still pick the fruits of their labor from the current collection on the HNL Baby Co. website. We don’t mind if we do.

In any event, we can only hope it’s a darn fruitful month for these two.