Moopiland lets kids be kids

The clothing line uses bright colors and prints, rather than dressing children like tiny adults

For as long as there have been humans, there have been moms. Yet the rites and trials of motherhood continue to be mostly a mystery to new moms.

Moopiland clothing and accesories can be found at Shasa Emporium at Kahala Mall, Cupcake Boutique at Ward Centre, Split Obsession in the Koko Marina Shopping Center, and online at moopiland.com.

Keiko Knudson was no different. When she was pregnant with her eldest daughter, Tabatha, now 7, Knudson remembered her mother and childhood in Osaka, Japan, and what came first to mind was, "My mom used to make all my clothes by hand, so I thought I would like to sew clothes for my children."

Never mind that she had little experience sewing and said, "For Valentine's Day that year, my husband gave me my first sewing machine."

People noticed Knudson's creations immediately because of her love of intense, bright colors and a mishmash of bold prints.

It was all about the joy and playful innocence of childhood, versus the minime adult looks that currently fill kid-oriented retail racks.

"People asked me where did I get it, and when I said I made it myself, people wanted to buy from me."

Knudson's husband, Arne, is a graphic designer who had also been creating original animal graphic images and printing them on T-shirts as party favors whenever they hosted children's parties.

It didn't take long for parents to take notice and request the designs in adult sizes, and Moopiland, based on Tabatha's nickname "Moopi," was officially launched in fall 2003.

Prices run about $25 for tote bags, $60 to $78 for dresses and $27.50 for adult tank tops.

Today there are six characters in the Moopiland family, including a panda named Lulu and a pig named Katsu. Daughters Tabatha and Gabriella, 5, wanted their cats represented, and Dad obliged with a litter of kitties.

Keiko Knudson continues to sew the girls' dresses by hand and hasn't yet figured out what to do should demand grow. The couple hadn't thought that far ahead, and Keiko said she doubts she would have tried to start a clothing company if she hadn't become a mom.

Her daughters offer their input as to fabric and print choices, gravitating to princess and butterfly imagery, bright colors and big graphics.

"They have the same taste as me, I think," Keiko said, noting that the line has worked out for her as well now that she is able to express herself through her own adult-wear designs.

"I have my own taste as to what I want to wear. I like bright and loud. It's a good thing I get to decide what is cute so I can go crazy and go overboard."