A Carotte & Cie collection
1/ I get inspired
Nature is one of my core values and it inspires me a lot. A flower, an animal, a texture, colors… Everything can be a starting point for creating a new pattern. I love observing, studying nature and people, parents. YOU are a source of inspiration 🫶
I also listen to your suggestions, remarks and comments that you share with me.
A suggestion? Contact me
Once an idea has germinated, I conduct a research phase, gathering inspiration: photos, drawings, colors are collected to create a mood board. This mood board is a crucial step that allows me to gather ideas, eliminate excess, refine and give direction to the future collection.
2/ Time for collection design
Once the mood board is complete, it's time to draw! The best part for me. This is where I can let my creativity flow.
Drawings and sketches are done by hand, in color or just in pencil.
Once validated, the sketches are transferred to the computer where they will be reworked until the final drawing is obtained in the correct size and colors. I then contact the printer, a true partner, with whom I work directly for added security.
3/ I launch the prototype
Once the fabric is received, it's time to move on to prototypes.
I design all my products based on my experience as a mother, by observing parents' daily lives or through surveys where you share your needs with me, or through your messages and comments.
You are my source of inspiration and allow me to progress and offer you more and more products that are useful in your daily life (love). So thank you for all your ideas.
> Got an idea? Contact me
Once an idea has sufficiently germinated, one, two, three, and sometimes more prototypes are made in my Roubaix workshop and tested until validated.
Carotte & Cie toys also receive special attention and undergo a real "crash test" in the laboratory to obtain the mandatory European CE standard.
All products are also tested and put through their paces daily at my home before being definitively validated by parent testers, because you are the ones best able to give me the best feedback, aren't you?
> Want to become a parent tester? Contact me
Quality is paramount for me. Each product is carefully made and controlled as if it were for myself or my loved ones.
4/ I sew, we sew; production begins
Defining the quantities to produce is no small feat...
How many bibs, rattles, comforters will you like this season? How much fabric do we need to print to make rugs and blankets?
The main challenge is to avoid waste and overstocking, which takes up space and is not very ecological. That's why most of your products are made to order; just like personalizations
Scraps are also used for smaller products such as hair clips or rattles. As for sensory cubes, they are made with the same fabric as for sensory books.
With experience, I am proud to say that every piece of fabric is optimized and very little scrap is thrown away. This is also the advantage of producing directly in my workshop!
Your favorites are produced in larger quantities so you never run out, thanks to a partner workshop.
5/ Photoshoot: Strike a pose
The prototypes are ready, it's time for a photo shoot with your babies.
I go in search of my little models for a day and THE magical place that will transport you into my world and make you feel either like traveling or right at home.
These beautiful babies are yours, so thank you for entrusting me with the apple of your eye. Several photo shoots are planned per year; so follow us on Instagram, Facebook, or subscribe to our newsletter to know the next shooting dates.
Would you like to participate in the next photoshoot? Contact me to find out more!
Here we are! We can finally present the new products!
6/ We post, we share, you like
It's high time to introduce the new collection. Stressful and exciting at the same time because your opinion matters to me.
The new items are then put online on the website and marketplaces that offer Carotte & Cie products. Our partners also receive the new items that you will find in their lovely shops.
7/ We personalize with your sweet words
What is personalization?
You can personalize your musical cushion, illustrated cushion, rattle, comforter, teething ring and other accessories using OEKO-TEX certified heat-transfer vinyl applied to your toy or accessory. Applied with a press or a very hot iron, the flex (or heat-transfer vinyl) embeds itself in the fabric and resists washing. A first name or a sweet word, let your imagination run wild to make your baby's toy unique.
> Learn more about personalization
8/ Packed and weighed!
All your orders are then prepared with the greatest care and shipped from my workshop in the North. The packaging is also designed and conceived in the workshop. I am constantly looking to reduce unnecessary and single-use plastics by offering simple packaging, made of recycled and recyclable paper and/or cardboard, without frills or excess! Part of the packaging is even made of seeded paper to give back to nature...
Finally, the shipping boxes and cushioning materials are recycled from orders received or from partner merchants to limit resource consumption.
