The Making of Hooligans Kids Clothing

Adri owns Hooligans along with her husband Wayne. She is a fascinating woman and I'd love to tell you a little bit about her and how she designs the Hooligans clothing. She is "extremely creative, crazy person who loves to paint" (her words not mine). Her home is filled with the art she paints and she's a gardening fanatic. Local publications have taken pics of her "garden blush". People ask her to landscape their homes but alas I am glad she'd rather be designing Hooligans Kids Clothing instead.

She and Wayne travel to London and Amsterdam to see the latest styling ideas and what is fashionable for kids. She picks up ideas in her travels like "the dye effects are in fashion, embellishments such as beads, etc..." Adri states, "I also see the top end shops carrying designer wear for kids and they are obviously highly detailed. I enjoy Amsterdam's independent stores for their daring and artistic approach to clothing. I also look what children wear on the streets, because our clothing has a worldwide market and it must be wearable in any country."

It seems to me that Adri has a flair for design and takes it to a new level, by adding the true South African spirit to each idea. She personally designs each garment from scratch, hand drawing every detail, sparing no costs on finishing touches and fabric qualities. Let's hear how she does this. Adri states, "First I sit and come up with a colour theme. Then I look at the different styles and may make use of that. I then draw animals from actual wildlife photos, sometimes I visit game farms to study animals. I then take the drawings and make the animals friendly, adding expression to them so they appeal to both parents and kids. A kid must get excited when he or she sees the happy animal face frolicking in the jungle."

Adri adds, "Kids in Africa have sunshine all year round, they are outdoor kids and exploration is encouraged. I am passionate about the wildlife in all parts of the world and the preservation thereof and we want to educate children about animals and how important they are to the world. For example, the Elephant Facts Shirt (closeup at right) make learning a fun experience."

Adri makes it seem so easy as she explains how the process works, "I draw the garment, add the graphics and then we cut out the fabric and make the samples. The images are either printed or embroidered and then we start growing the range. The whole story must work together and we often change things as we go along to fit in with the whole theme. I sit for hours thinking and changing, sometimes ideas come to me in the middle of the might and I quickly jot it down. It's very focused, creative process putting a range together and takes up all of me."

As Adri says it isn't a one-woman show. She has surrounded herself with a dedicated team, including her husband and mother. It seems she gets her artistic side from her mom.

Hooligans is the "safari story", bringing animals to life though our children.