Way back when...
In 2013 we (that's Alice on the left and Georgie on the right) founded Dotty Dungarees out of a love for the humble dungaree (overall in the USA)!
We remember growing up in overalls and being free to explore the Great Outdoors with not a care in the world. So we set about trying to re-create that magic and nostalgia by imagining the perfect overalls.
With zero experience in anything remotely related to children’s fashion, we faced a steep learning curve!
How it Started
But while retail was new to us, our partnership was anything but! We had been friends for years and had always worked together – we shared a desk for 8 years across two jobs!
We had always talked about setting up a business together and had spent our lunch breaks over the years plotting what it would be... But it wasn’t until having our own children that the moment and crucially, the idea, was right.
So after Georgie had Otto in 2012, and Alice had Dolly the following year, we starting properly planning. And it immediately just felt right – from the name (which is a combination of our children’s names) to the branding, it all fell into place.
Finding our feet...
We travelled the world to find the very best and most ethically minded manufacturers. Trial and error brought us to our current partners in China and we couldn’t be happier or more proud to work with them.
We take real care to work with only the best suppliers who we visit regularly and we know well; partners who not only deliver excellent quality but are meticulous about their ethical and environmental standards.
Our factory was set up over 40 years ago by a formidable lady who still runs the show to this day. It was no mean feat to be a female founder in China in the 1980s and harder still to maintain a family run business over 40 years later. Today, Maggie (her daughter) is in charge.
[Image: Our factory in full bloom!]
Our Partners
Maggie and her team take a long term view in everything they do. They employ a largely local female work force, with many of their seamstresses spending their whole careers working their way up family firm.
Having scoured the globe for the perfect place to make our dungarees, we feel so lucky to have found Maggie. Today they are not only our partners but our friends and we wouldn’t be where we are without them.
[Image: Baby Eloise with some of our seamstresses]
Redesigning the Dungaree
With a little help from our new friends we re-imagined the humble dungaree...
The design of our dungarees is classic but unique.
All of our dungarees are designed to grow with your child. Adjustable straps and a generous turn up ensure they last at least a year. Plus all dungarees up to 24m have a hidden zip providing easy access for nappy changing. Genius!
Dotty goes Global!
We were blown away by the response we got to our dungarees! We were featured in all sorts of top-notch magazines and we even won awards for our designs.
We also started receiving requests to from shops all over the world! From County Cork to Lake Como, Edinburgh to Alicante, and from Milan to Milwaukee you can find a local Dotty stockist on your doorstep!
And in 2021, we officially launched our US website to offer super quick delivery for all our American customers.
How it's going!
So… a few years, six children, a lot of long nights and a VERY steep learning curve later, here we are stocked the world over!
With new collections each season, we are continually perfecting our designs and adding to the Dotty Dungarees range so that we stay your go to place for beautiful and long lasting dungarees.