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Pili Carrera started out as a knitwear collection for babies in 1963 and is now one of Spain’s top names in childrenswear producing ranges from newborn to teen fashion.

The company began exporting 20 years ago and now has stores as far a field as Kazakhstan and the US. Its collections find favour in 20 countries in diverse markets such as the Far East, Middle East, the Caribbean rim and Europe. Pili Carrera has an extensive network in its home country where it is fully consolidated. And it has recently built a production facility near Vigo airport in Galicia.

The company namesake and founder, Pilar Carrera, took time out of her busy schedule to tell us more about the business:

“We go for a winning combination of quality and design”

Pili Carrera is a classic in the childrenswear sector, but stays bang up to date with the latest trends. Where do you get the inspiration for your collections?

From the detail of everyday life. Childrenswear is all about kids’ experiences on a day-to-day basis: in the park, the school playground or just walking down the street. A designer has to be open to all kinds of aesthetic trends in every walk of life.

Pili Carrera offers such a vast range of childrenswear and products. Is it possible to find a common denominator?

There are things all our collections have in common. If kids are going to wear them, they’ve got to be comfortable, look good and need to be easy to look after. What we look for is a winning combination of quality and design. These are what make the products different and easy to recognise. We adapt our style to suit the life stage and age of the child. That’s why we have different collections based on different concepts for each development phase: newborn, baby, girl and boy. Whereas the newborn collection tends to be more classical – with more traditional knitwear and pastel shades – the baby line covers a wider range of garments and accessories in soft, natural fabrics. In the children and junior collections, we distinguish between more formal and casual wear. This is when kids start to care what they wear and state their own preferences. We make about 500 different designs every six months, aimed at children from 0 to 18.

What is your current positioning?

Our customers demand quality. They want fashions which are not only in vogue, but above all very individual. Our product is aimed at the mid-high segment and we offer excellent value for money. This is only possible because we plough our profits back into infrastructure and technology. We make sure our design team maintain the Pili Carrera style. We also use our own distribution chain.

How far have you diversified?

Our aim is to offer a full range of products for children, to cater for all their needs. That’s why we believe in diversification. Our lines include layette and newborn, swimwear, accessories, ceremonial, children’s footwear, maternity, cosmetics, buggies, home décor and furnishings for children. We have also added other decorative features like fabric-lined boxes and puffs, and gift articles including hangers, plush toys, photo frames and albums. We’re also going to launch new products for the baby cosmetics range called Agua Dulce.