Baby Mori

MORI (Baby MORI) is a London-based babywear and childrenswear brand founded in the UK in 2015. It designs sleepsuits, pyjamas, bodysuits, sleeping bags, muslins and swaddles, blankets, daywear, outerwear, footwear, swimwear and accessories, alongside nursery items, bathtime and changing products, toys and books. Products are built around a signature fabric blend of organic cotton and bamboo from viscose (for example, a baby hat listed as 70% bamboo from viscose and 30% organic cotton), plus modal derived from beechwood, chosen for breathability, temperature regulation and moisture management for sensitive skin.

At launch the range covered children up to age four, extending to age seven by 2020; the current range spans newborn to eight years, with baby, kids and mama lines. The brand has expanded through additional labels and licences, including Storksak by MORI for changing bags, KIDLY by MORI on the US site, and licensed character ranges such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Peter Rabbit, Peppa Pig and The Gruffalo. A Sleep Club subscription delivers sleepwear monthly at £14.90.

Products are designed in the United Kingdom and manufactured in Turkey and Asia. Sleepwear and daywear are produced in two factories in Izmir, Turkey, where cotton is GMO-free and GOTS-certified; recycled swimwear, cellular blankets and knitwear are made in Asia. Suppliers sign a Code of Conduct covering the absence of child and forced labour, workplace safety, living wages and non-discrimination, with routine audits. Viscose is produced through a closed-loop process.

Founding story

Co-founders Akin Onal and Cam Miller identified the opportunity while shopping for gifts for their nieces and nephews as new uncles. They found baby retail overpriced and gift items that a baby would wear only once or twice, while everyday essentials such as onesies and sleepsuits were rarely given as gifts because they were typically low quality and not attractively packaged. They set out to build a brand focused on softer, higher-quality essentials that would also work as gifts. The MORI name and mascot derive from the Japanese word for forest, referencing nature and the founders' emphasis on eco-friendly, conscious consumption. Akin Onal was born in Turkey and has family heritage in textiles, with close family and friends among the company's manufacturing partners.

Business model

Omni-channel consumer brand: MORI designs and manufactures babywear and childrenswear through third-party certified factories and sells directly to consumers online, through its own retail store, and via wholesale stockists including high-end department stores. It also runs a recurring monthly sleepwear subscription (Sleep Club) and offers paid add-ons such as gift wrap (from £5.95) and personalisation (from £4.95).

Product sales at retail prices (historically ranging from £8.50 for headbands to £69.50 for baby sleeping bags), wholesale sales to stockists, and subscription revenue from the £14.90 monthly Sleep Club sleepwear plan.

Traction

Stocked in over 180 locations in the UK, Europe and the US, with sales to consumers in more than 50 countries. In 2019 the company counted 61 UK stockists, 49 North American stockists and 105 additional stockists worldwide. Its Instagram community exceeds 350,000 followers. Early growth was described by the founders as primarily organic and word-of-mouth.

Latest developments

The current product line-up spans newborn to eight years and has been broadened with Storksak by MORI changing bags, KIDLY by MORI on the US site, licensed character collections, wooden toys, footwear and swimwear, plus the Sleep Club monthly sleepwear subscription.