When Lin Buyher came across a picture of her great-grandmother and great-great-aunt, Ollie and Stella, as children, she couldn’t help but wonder how they were able to move, must less play, in the starched clothing they were sporting. Her own children had been wearing DucKsday gear, full-body playsuits from a Belgium company that were funky and functional, providing protection from rain and snow. That photo — and the positive feedback from parents and kids alike about her children’s new outerwear — served as the inspiration for the online-based children’s retail business she started this year, Ollie and Stella Outfitters.
The site officially opened for online business in August, and has proven to be “an interesting learning curve and a full-time job” for Buyher, an architect by training and mother by profession, and her chemist husband. DucKsday gear comes in four affordable pieces: the fleece, the pants, the rain suit and the jacket, two of which, when combined, make the most comfortable, flexible snow suit you can imagine. “Just take the rain layer and the fleece and you’ve got snow gear. Two pieces do the job of three!” Now, not only can families be prepared for whatever weather happens, kids can play the way they were meant to — all year long.
Suits range from $25-$70. OllieandStellaOutfitters.com. —CC
