Kidrobot Bows Boutique and Craze
There’s been Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, Paul Frank’s Julius, now toy company Kidrobot plans to build an empire of design inspired by its cartoon characters. However, Paul Budnitz, the company’s president/founder, states that the 4-year old company will always place its sense of cool ahead of profit.
It should be a challenge as the New York–based company opens a highly anticipated 800-square-foot store Nov. 9 at 7972 Melrose Ave., located near landmark specialty boutiques such as Fred Segal. Many of fashion’s top names want to get involved with the toy label’s burgeoning cachet, and the demand for collaborations may grow since Kidrobot debuted its apparel line at the Agenda Trade Show Sept.8–9 in San Diego, Calif.
Paul Smith Jeans, a division of British fashion icon Paul Smith, will debut a limited-edition T-shirt line, Paul Smith For Kidrobot, for its Autumn/Winter 2006 collection. Keanan Duffy, who designed a fashion line for Target, collaborated with Kidrobot to produce a toy. Even automobile companies such as Volkswagen are working with Budnitz to produce a limited-edition KidRobot car. There should be just 12 cars made.
Kidrobot mania is growing, said Aaron Levant, president of Agenda. He said that a devoted streetwear fan base seeks out all products associated with a character or logo that is perceived as having street cool. Once these streetwear aficionados buy a T-shirt, he believes that they’ll purchase a toy with price points ranging from $6 to $5,000.
Kidrobot collaborated with Nike to make a limited-edition sneaker in 2005. Likewise, the company will often produce limited- edition clothes such as Tshirts, hoodies, jackets and hats that will have production runs of 99 to 200. Retail price points will range from $30 for T-shirts to $150 for hoodies that bear graphics of cartoon characters Kidrobot and Dunny.
For the time being, the apparel line only will be sold at Kidrobot stores and highend department store Barneys New York. The Los Angeles Kidrobot store will sell toys, clothes, furniture and, by Spring 2007, a line of sneakers. The company manufactures its own products in the United States and China. Budnitz said that his company earned more than $6 million in 2005 and forecast making $12 million in 2006.
Budnitz worked as an independent film director and vintage jeans trader before he developed what he described as an obsession with designer toys, which have long been popular in Japan.
He and illustrator Tristan Eaton created a rabbitlike creature called Dunny as well as Kidrobot. “He’s a robot in jeans and sneakers,” Budnitz said. “But he has a Mona Lisa smile. You don’t know if he’s nice, or if he’s going to cause trouble. It defines our aesthetic. It’s cute and scary.”
The Los Angeles Kidrobot boutique will be located across from the upcoming boutique of Japanese streetwear company A Bathing Ape. Budnitz said the location of both stores in the Melrose Heights neighborhood will attract crowds of streetwear fans to the area.
Kidrobot also runs boutiques in New York City and San Francisco. —Andrew Asch
