Baby, that's style
Onesies a hit with tiny crowd
Alumna Leanne Ford was featured in the Spring 2008 edition of Ohio Today. Here, Ford shares more about herself and the skills required to establish her company, Punkster, which sells baby clothing.
By Laura Yates
With so many young, trendy parents interested in fashion, could there be a market for hip baby clothes? It's a question Leanne Ford asked herself a year after graduation, and the answer turned out to be a resounding yes.
Enter Ford's company: Punkster, a baby line with an attitude.
The company’s saucy, organic onesies with phrases such as "I crawl the line" and "iPood" have wiggled their way to popularity, appearing in the pages of Rolling Stone, People and InStyle and adorning famous tots, including Sheryl Crow’s son, Wyatt, and Kate Hudson's son, Ryder.
The brand's appeal is all about its classic wit and style, says Ford, BSS '03.
"Punkster's vibe is trying on your grandparents' clothes and then listening to old rock and country albums in Brooklyn or a barn in Ohio," she says. "Oh, and that would only be if you were 2 years old."
 But just like its customers who are learning to walk, Punkster experienced a few stumbles before its feet were firmly on the ground.
As a student, Ford tailored her major to fit her interests, graduating with a bachelor of specialized studies in integrated retail communication. She designed and promoted her first clothing line, Messandmod, as an independent study and landed internships at fashion companies Heatherette and a job at Quiksilver.
"There are so many things I want to do," Ford says. "I don't want to waste my time on something if it isn't going to turn into anything, and OU gave me the chance to learn exactly what I wanted to learn."
Less than a year after graduation, Ford launched Punkster from her California kitchen. At first, she dyed and printed each shirt individually before selling them at local flea markets. She fretted about the public's reception to her product, but her fears dissipated when at her first tradeshow -- one that was actually geared to adult clothing -- Punkster received around $8,000 in orders.
The surprise demand was more than Ford could handle, so she shipped all the supplies to her hometown, Pittsburgh, and turned to friends and family for help. Stuffing the shirts in Punkster's trademark baby-bottle packaging became a frustrating and time-consuming task.
"There are a lot of times when you just wonder what the heck you're doing," Ford laughs.
Today, the shirts are mass-produced, packaged and mailed professionally, leaving Ford time to focus on the creative aspects of her company. Last year she returned to Athens for a Punkster photo shoot with Associate Professor of Visual Communication Sam Girton, BFA '91 and MFA '93, and his young son, at Blue Eagle Music on Court Street.
"Punkster's success comes from Leanne's personality," Girton says. "It's a strong product, but there are a lot of strong products. You have to have someone who knows how to market, knows how to work with photographers and magazines and how to pitch ideas."
Ford adds that it helps that her products are "gifty" and that celebrity baby showers get a lot of press. However, she cautions aspiring entrepreneurs that to make money, you need to spend it -- and to take things slow.
"You won't be successful overnight," she says. "But if you have the bug, you just have to do it."
After three years, the line is just now seeing a profit. A new line called Punkster Acoustic was released in March and will expand to include other baby merchandise, such as bedding, this winter.
Today, Punkster can be found in more than 300 stores and 13 countries. Shirts also are sold online at www.niceshirtbaby.com.
"It's funny when I see where we are as a company today and think about where I started," Ford says. "I think the naiveté was key. There is something to be said about being able to be young and poor and create something you love."
Laura Yates, BSJ '08, is a student writer for Ohio Today.
Posted 05-16-08
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