How Coradorables began…
The line was started in 2010 when I found out I was pregnant (immediately post cancer) with my daughter Izzabelle Chloe Ka’iulani Chang.It was such an unexpected but wanted blessing! When I found out I was having a girl, I was beside myself! Since we had closed our store due to my cancer and my radiation treatments at Johns Hopkins I work from home. From my experience as a fashion and gift buyer (in NY, London, Tokyo, LA, ATL &Vegas) I scoured my contacts and resources looking for the coolest kids wear. I found some but not EXACTLY what I was looking for. I want Coradorables to be the go to brand for unique, inspiring and ADORABLE! Perfect for photo shoots, ...
How Coradorables began…
The line was started in 2010 when I found out I was pregnant (immediately post cancer) with my daughter Izzabelle Chloe Ka’iulani Chang.It was such an unexpected but wanted blessing! When I found out I was having a girl, I was beside myself! Since we had closed our store due to my cancer and my radiation treatments at Johns Hopkins I work from home. From my experience as a fashion and gift buyer (in NY, London, Tokyo, LA, ATL &Vegas) I scoured my contacts and resources looking for the coolest kids wear. I found some but not EXACTLY what I was looking for. I want Coradorables to be the go to brand for unique, inspiring and ADORABLE! Perfect for photo shoots, first birthdays, weddings any special occasion and for the little diva like mine EVERDAY! Everyday should be a Coradorable day! Like Tommy Bahama is a go to brand for resort ware I want Coradorables to be the same for children’s resort ware! There is a HUGE void in the market for that and there is a demand!
• The line started with hair accessories and tutus and was sold at Cupcake Boutique, Baby Awareness, Kids Corner/Chelsea's boutique, & The New Baby Expo May 2011 where Coradorables was the featured kids fashion show both days.
• The line has since expanded with sizes for girls from newborn to 8, and bows 12 mos-6 years old. We have added more girls clothing and boys shirts, and 2 new collections; Sankofa Collection and the Over The Top Girly Twirly collection inspired by the flapper girls in the 1920’s and Madonna in the 80’s
Coradorables in the Community (Kokua)
We at Coradorables firmly believe in paying it forward and keeping blessings going. Every moment and every child is a blessing so we do what we can to touch the lives of others by being of service in some way. Coradorables isn’t just cute it is also philanthropic.
• For every 20 dresses sold Coradorables donates or does something special for a child in need. Coradorables works with the Ronald McDonald House Hawaii.
• May 2011 as a mahalo for a great debut at the New Baby Expo, 2 weeks later we threw a first birthday luau for a very special little girl (see pictures on facebook) with our friends at aloha clowns, fairycakes, & Cox Radio for the terminally ill child and her entire family here at the Ronald McDonald House Manoa. It was awesome and we made new friends!
About Me (Cora); I studied abroad since the age of 14. I graduated high school in Fukuoka Japan at Meiko Gakuen. I went to college at Antioch College where I double majored in Communications and International business with a focus on Japan. I received my honorarium from Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan in 1999. I Interned at the Field Museum in Chicago, IL. In the education/curation departments, in 1996 I worked for Associated Press on Capitol Hill as a press intern, and was the official Japanese Women’s Basketball team’s translator at the 1996 Olympics. I ran a multimillion dollar international Japanese water filtration company at the age of 26, and helped establish their presence in the US (NY, LA and Chicago) when I was promoted to US vice-president of Enagic USA I chose to step down so that I could focus on my relationship with my now husband Chris, and start our store The Place. I left the corporate world to open our boutique in 2006, & started non-profit Friends in the City in 2008 with the first ever in Hawaii movie premiere party with the first Sex in the City movie to raise funds and awareness for The Life Foundation and The Komen Foundation. By the end of 2008 I unfortunately fell ill and closed the stores in 2009.That same year was diagnosed with head/neck cancer & underwent multiple surgeries and radiation at Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore, MD where I lived at the Hope Lodge and across the street from the Ronald McDonald House (see the connections? In life there are no coincidences! Lol). Upon recovery thankfully and happily became pregnant in 2010 and started Coradorables.
About Coradorables
• Coradorables is a classic and chic kid’s line inspired by the birth of my daughter Izzabelle and my friend’s children.
• The line is high quality with great attention to detail, accentuates ones individuality and has a multi-cultural flair.
• Coradorables is inspired by my travels, my friends our lifestyles(jet setting and trendsetting) and our children, and other designers like Halston, & Disney’s It’s a Small World Collection (and its philanthropy philosophy)
The Inspiration for the Sankofa Collection
• The Fall 2011 Collection is titled Sankofa. Sankofa in Swahili means in order to know where you are going you have to know from whence you came. My travels and work I did (freelance photography) post apartheid in South Africa in 1997(I later did an exhibit /installation in 1999 in Tokyo (Shibuya, at The Sugar Cube) of the work I did in South Africa previously). It is also a title and theme of a movie I love. About a snobby model that is shooting in Ghana and gets trapped in the old slave passage tunnels and goes back in time and becomes a slave where she has an epiphany. It’s an awesome movie! I recommend it!
• The line is inspired by my international travels and all the friends I have met along the way. My friends and family and their travels. I always imagine what their children will wear to dinner in each of their globe trekking adventures.
• My battles with cancer really make me value family, friends and moments, because I have seen firsthand where you can lose it all in an instant. I wanted to design children’s clothing that captures the essence of life and how every moment is special and that can be reflected from the inside out. I want Coradorables to be the go to line for parents when they want a unique outfit for their little one for special occasions, and resort ware. It’s also perfect for everyday wear for the jet setting (or aspiring jet setting)little fashionista or fashionisto in your life.
• The like minds and lifestyles of my friends and I is a jet setting and very social lifestyle. You never get a second chance to make a first impression. We attend and host charity events, and social galas. My friends and I are just now starting families and now take the children with us out to our social events and on our travels. Our children are extensions of our selves.
• Coradorables packs easy, is made with high quality fabrics like 100% cotton, European linen, Italian stretch denim, washable satin and silk.
• Coradorables is whimsical yet practical, interchangeable, washable, flexible (stretchy), comfortable, unique and adorable much like the little ones that wear it.
The Sankofa Collection resort 2011
• The Leah caftan/tunic/dress is inspired by my friends from Dubai’s daughter and one of my models. Leah is rambunctious yet girlie. She spends her springtime in Paris and her falls in Dubai. Leah visits Disney at least twice a year. She is a seasoned frequent flyer. The rest of the year she calls Hawaii home. The caftan tunic is named after her and her fast paced jet setting lifestyle.
• The Ka'iulani Kimono/kimono top is named after my daughter who has many “hanai” aunties and uncles from Japan that visit Hawaii often and bring her kimono. They wanted pieces with Hawaii influence but not the run of the mill Hawaiiana dresses for their daughters and nieces as omiyagi on their visits to Hawaii when going back to Japan.
• The Skylar skirt is named after a little fashionista with a bubbly personality. Her dad is a renowned surgeon and her mom a classic diva. It was only fitting she have a skirt as girly, bubbly and unique as she named for her.
• The Izzy pant is a versatile and unique staple to any little girl’s wardrobe. The pant can be worn wide leg or romper like with the accent bows pulled tight at the ankles. This piece is great when they are sitting pretty or frolicking around. A variation for the little boys is coming soon.
• The Nahe romper is inspired by a little girl who is high energy and high fashion. Inspired by Halston and studio 54 meets Gymboree this little diva rips, and runs but is always care free and camera ready. Whether she is climbing trees, posing in them or planting them this haute hippy chick is armed with her lip-gloss and her chic one piece suit.
• The Belle belle bottoms. Cute statement piece .Effortless style. For moms and dads diaper changing and toddler’s potty training they are easy on and off. Washable, quick to dry and absolutely CorADORABLE.
• The Chloe is the reversible ruffled flutter sleeve romper. Cute on a baby girl or as shown in picture on a toddler (many adult women claim they want one of these for themselves as well). This one piece is never one note and always in high demand. This piece can be worn alone or with the Skylar, the Belle belle bottoms, the Izzy Pant or a Coradorable tutu.
• The Audrey top. Like the little girl it is named after she looks shy but is very detailed and photographs beautifully.
• The Kalanialii boy’s shirt is named after my husband a total Leo. If we were to have a son he wants him to wear stylish shirts like him. My husband an original Kailua boy refuses to wear the traditional “inside out” aloha shirt, and he knows a lot about “aloha”.(His paternal grandfather owned/founded Malolo, the local shaved ice syrup/beverage company.) He likes his clothes quality, detailed, classic cut but not flashy or cheesy. A 20 year music industry vet born into a medical family he is little bit conservative a little bit rock n roll. We have not had a son yet but I named this style after him my #1 supporter and best friend.
• Izzabelle ribbon dresses are how I started the line. Simple, adjustable, interchangeable & adorable (CorAdorable).
The Retro Girly Extra Twirly Collection
My husband and I are pop culture freaks! He has been in radio in Hawaii for over 20 years (and is a walking pop culture encyclopedia!) and that is actually how and where we met (Cox radio 2002). We read a lot, watch a lot of reality TV (you name it we probably watch it) lol, we joke that it is our modern way to study sociology and anthropology! lol. We sing karaoke and dance all over our house. Now our daughter has joined the fun. This collection was inspired by girl power (Beyonce’s Song Run the World...Girls!)& very feminine and dramatic eras like the Roaring 1920’s and the 1980’s both eras, in my mind that were instrumental in women entering and gaining traction in the workforce and dressing like women. (I was also deep into the show Boardwalk Empire and the movie Coco about Coco Chanel).I like the duality of strength within extreme feminity something that was inspired by my grandmother Izzabelle whom I named my daughter after, yet having something be truly simple( a romper or a pettiskirt)and have the one piece speak volumes. Embracing fabrics that flap and twirl all the elements perfect for these inspirational little girls of the new millennium. It is also inspired by duality of being able to be frilly and cutesy but also be able to rip and run and do a cartwheel down the runway like another muse and inspiration of this line Betsey Johnson. Having my family be spread all over the globe I love taking pictures of my #1 inspiration, my daughter Belle and I always think about what would be cute. What would make them say “awww”. I was also watching a lot of the reality TV shows like NJ Housewives and I hate to admit that I love the way Teresa and Melissa (two main characters) dress their daughters (over the top and glam-I wanted to do a version a little girl in Hawaii would wear) Dance Moms and Toddlers and Tiaras a reality show about glitz and glam little girls in the pageant arena until my lamp blew out on my big screen and I took that as a sign that I needed to get to work !lol So I came up with this collection that could be mix and matched with my other collections as well. I always try to find a way to justify all the TV I watch! Lol so this collection is my perfect excuse! Research I was doing research! Lol
People can find Coradorables currently online
http://www.muncom.com/coradorables and our facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/coradorables and by special order (808)782-4267. We are currently in negotiation with a few national department stores and resort boutiques, trying to find the perfect homes for our collections... Stay tuned a lot of great things not only clothing but dolls, books and special events are coming your way from Coradorables in 2012!We are very busy and excited making things happen!
Stay Tuned! We will try not to disappoint!
