QC homegrown kids’ clothing line boasts 500-plus retail partners

A children’s clothing business that began in a Bettendorf couple’s home has burgeoned into an enterprise with more than 500 retail partners across the United States, including a presence in all Von Maur stores and its e-commerce operation. Mike and Kristin Gonzales have catapulted their Gigi and Max line of pajamas, leggings, dresses, shirts, rompers […]

A children’s clothing business that began in a Bettendorf couple’s home has burgeoned into an enterprise with more than 500 retail partners across the United States, including a presence in all Von Maur stores and its e-commerce operation. Mike and Kristin Gonzales have catapulted their Gigi and Max line of pajamas, leggings, dresses, shirts, rompers and accessories – made from buttery soft and richly hued bamboo fabric – into must-haves for parents looking for trendy and practical clothes for their kids. The couple – he’s from Moline and she grew up in Clinton, Iowa -- recently marked their 10th year in business. Describing the company’s growth, Ms. Gonzales said, “We never really took it from a jump. It was a nice gradual bump.” In 2014, at home with newborn daughter, Gianna, she said, “there wasn’t much to do, so that’s when I learned how to sew. My mom taught me how to use my sewing machine and I started to get crafty just to fill up my days.” From the beginning, “topknot” headbands crafted for babies by Ms. Gonzales on her home sewing machine and marketed online through Etsy sold out quickly. She received an overwhelmingly positive reaction from guests at a baby shower to several outfits she designed and sewed as gifts. “I came home from that shower, and I told Mike, ‘OK, we have something here’,” she recalled. She began to sew newborn outfits, what she called “our going home collection,” for parents to dress their babies in when they come home from the hospital, and for their first photos. “That one photo, it has to be perfect, the lighting, the outfit,” she said.

The couple made a purposeful decision to grow slowly.

“What Kristin and I decided early on was that we just want to always do our very best,” Mr. Gonzales said. “We took it kind of slow, made sure that what we did was correct. We wanted the quality of the items to be really good, we wanted to have great customer service. We never left that vision, so we always knew that the core of our business plan was that we always would do our very best.” Online sales took off as customers discovered the product line. “Everything that was posted sold out,” she said. “I did buy my fabric locally and oftentimes, just the last of the bolt. If you didn’t purchase that floral headband, you would never see it again.” A timeline on display at the company’s 6,000-square-foot headquarters and warehouse in the Bettendorf Industrial Park showcases the trajectory of the business. It includes the hiring of a team of seamstresses in Boston in 2016, hitting 15,000 sales in 2017, and expanding the clothing line to hoodie sets and other toddler apparel. The company quickly outgrew that model and began working with overseas manufacturers in 2018. The designs are commissioned by the couple, with the actual printing, cutting and sewing of the apparel done in either China or India. The finished goods are shipped to the Bettendorf warehouse, where order fulfillment and customer service are handled by local employees. Orders are shipped out in distinctive blue Gigi and Max packaging.

“We still control every piece that comes in,” Ms. Gonzales said. “What you see is ours. We designed it. Our customers know that we are here every day.”

In 2020, the company reached 100,000 orders.

Customers eagerly await new designs that are dropped onto the Gigi and Max website (www.gigiandmax.com) each Wednesday at 10 a.m. Central time. New designs coming up are flagged on the company’s Facebook page, which is listed as having 268,000 followers. Mr. Gonzales said the business has more than half a million followers among all social media platforms. “We drop weekly,” Ms. Gonzales said. “If you don’t purchase during that week, chances are you won’t see that print again. So it’s fun, and it keeps it really fresh.” Local children model the clothing, with weekly photo shoots taking place in a studio at the Gigi and Max warehouse. Parents are compensated with gift cards for Gigi and Max merchandise. A major development for the company came in 2021 when Davenport-based Von Maur began offering Gigi and Max clothing in its stores and on vonmaur.com. “When you think of what they provide their customers, they’re the best in the industry,” said Mr. Gonzales, noting Von Maur’s recognition for three straight years by Newsweek as America’s Best Department Store. “They do an amazing job, so when we were growing our business, we looked at them.” Kristen Anderson, Von Maur’s general merchandise manager of Men’s and Children’s, said the company looks at a number of factors in determining whether to include a particular line. Of Gigi and Max, she said, “Most importantly, we liked the product; they have amazing prints and use high-quality fabrics. Another large factor was their exclusivity; the line wasn’t carried in any department stores or big national chains, which gave Von Maur a competitive advantage. They also have a very strong social media following so we knew there was a built-in customer base and would especially be good with our online business.” The line, which has received good customer feedback, is in all Von Maur locations, Ms. Anderson said. That includes the company’s newest store, at South Hills Village in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, set to open Saturday, Nov. 9. “When we enter new markets, we like to have some unique promotions to help build the customer base. Mike (Gonzales) has partnered with us by giving us a free headband for every outfit that is purchased.”

Smaller, boutique retailers are also fans of Gigi and Max.

Macy Krall, owner of 223 Baby Co. in downtown Iowa City, which bills itself as a “modern baby store,” said she had been following Gigi and Max on Instagram for some time before putting in her first order. Their bright colors and creative designs are attention-grabbers. “Everyone is obsessed with Gigi and Max,” she said. And from her standpoint as a retailer, she said the company is “super responsive.” “Their customer service is one of the best,” she said. A new line was introduced this fall called the “Tailgate Collection,” featuring the colors of popular college teams with graphics of their respective states. The gold and black collection with images of the State of Iowa has been grabbed up by Hawkeye fans shopping at 223 Baby Co. “I am less than a mile from Kinnick and Carver,” she said. “I cannot keep them in.” Other collegiate colors represented in the line include those of Iowa State, Ohio State, Louisiana, Michigan, Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma and Texas. Mike, 40, and Kristin, 37, marked the 10th anniversary of Gigi and Max in May, with an open house that attracted a large crowd. “This is our full-time job; we very much work this every day,” Mr. Gonzales said.

Their children, Gianna (Gigi), 11, and Gabe, 9, enjoy being a part of the operation, say their parents. The “Max” in Gigi and Max is their nephew, as Gabe wasn’t yet born when the couple had to create a name for the business.  Ana True of Bettendorf, who has purchased from Gigi and Max for her two children and for gifts, says there’s a lot to like about doing business with the company. “I really love their fast shipping,” she said. The collection’s appeal also is with the natural fibers and softness of the fabric, its “forgiving” stretch and the creative designs. She is especially a fan of the Halloween and Christmas lines, as well as the swimwear, which featured long-sleeved “rash guard” suits in high visibility ultra-bright colors. “We lived in Gigi and Max for the summer,” she said. 

Gigi and Max fashion line made from bamboo

The bamboo fabric used in the production of clothing by Gigi and Max is valued for its softness, breathability and durability. “Easy care, easy wear” is how owners Mike and Kristin Gonzales describe it. Bamboo is increasingly being used in the textile business for towels, bedding, activewear and sleepwear. In addition to infant and children’s clothing, Gigi and Max offers adult pajamas in designs to match, as well as “Daddy” and “Mommy” robes. The apparel business is based in Bettendorf.  Macy Krall, owner of the 223 Baby Co. store in Iowa City, carries Gigi and Max children’s apparel and noted the popularity of bamboo as a fabric. “It doesn’t wear and tear as fast” as other fabrics, she said. “Also, bamboo stretches and you can get two seasons out of it.” – Jan Touney