Female Founders: An Interview With ROOBiE Founder Sammi Price

Sammi Price pictured with her son and inspiration behind ROOBiE

After the birth of her first child, Sammi Price took great pride in dressing her son Reu. She searched the internet looking for clothing that extended her own personal style and found herself being drawn to Australian based designers who offered cool neutrals, oversized basics and capsule collections, something she had been unable to find on the UK High Street. After purchasing from Australia, and then receiving numerous compliments and queries on her son’s clothes, she decided to take the plunge and create her own brand centred around capsule design. Drawing on her experience in graphic design, Sammi created ROOBiE, a fresh, fun and effortless capsule collection of kids’ clothing. We sat down with Sammi to discuss the brand, sustainibility being a female founder and juggling motherhood.

ROOBiE’s Chunky knit sweater (£25)

Tell us a little about yourself

I’m a graphic designer and mum to my 18 month old little boy, Reu. Creativity has always been a big part of my life, whether that’s designing, building brands or just being on my laptop creating things. When I became a mum that naturally shifted into dressing Reu and putting outfits together for him. Like most parents, my days are now a mix of mum life, nap time working and trying to squeeze creative ideas in wherever I can.

What was your inspiration behind the brand?

ROOBiE really came from struggling to find the kind of clothes I wanted for Reu in the UK. I’d see something nice on Instagram, click through, and it would almost always be an Australian boutique. They had these oversized basics, neutral colours and really good quality pieces that all worked together as a little capsule wardrobe. Everything looked effortless. I realised there wasn’t really anything like that here, so the idea for ROOBiE started from wanting to create those same easy everyday pieces but accessible to UK parents.

ROOBiE’s Capsule Styling

Is ROOBiE an extension of your own personal style?

Definitely. I live in loungewear and easy pieces that you can just throw on every day. Since having a baby especially, comfort and practicality have become even more important.I like clothes that look nice but are still effortless, and that’s exactly what I wanted ROOBiE to be. Pieces that mix and match easily so you don’t have to think too much when you’re getting your little one dressed.

Do you see a crossover between capsule styling and sustainability?

Absolutely. Capsule styling naturally means buying fewer pieces but choosing better quality ones that last longer.When everything mixes and matches you don’t need loads of clothes to create lots of outfits. It’s better for your wallet and also more sustainable because you’re not constantly buying new things.Having neutral basics also means they’ll already work with pieces you might already have in your child’s wardrobe. They make a really good base that you can easily build around, whether that’s adding graphics, colours or more statement pieces when you feel like it.

I also think there will always be a time and place for really good basics. They’re timeless pieces that never really go out of style and always end up being the items you reach for the most.

How do you balance being a Founder and a mum?

It’s definitely a juggle but I’m lucky that Reu has always been a really good sleeper. I usually get around three to four hours during the day while he naps to get work done, and then again once he’s in bed. When he’s awake I’ve got my perfect little model for photos and content which helps a lot. I’ve also built such an amazing online community already. Having other mums following the journey, supporting the brand and sharing their own experiences has honestly kept me going through any struggles.

You mention you were inspired by Aussie style. What were those clothing brands offering that you couldn’t find in the UK?

Oversized, quality basics in neutral colours. Everything felt really effortless and relaxed. The collections looked like little capsule wardrobes where everything worked together rather than lots of random pieces. It felt much closer to how adults dress, which I loved.

At the time I just couldn’t find that same aesthetic here.

ROOBiE’s Reversible Bucket Hat (£12)

What did you do before starting ROOBiE?

I’ve worked as a graphic designer for years and still do, so branding and visuals have always been my world. I’ve worked as Creative Lead for hair extension brands such as Beauty Works and SWAY, and have also freelanced for a number of luxury brands across retail, fashion, travel and beauty.That background has helped a lot with ROOBiE because I’ve been able to design everything myself, from the branding and website to the packaging and content. It’s meant I could really bring the vision to life exactly how I imagined it.

Do you see your style or designs changing as your son gets older?

The core style of ROOBiE will always stay the same. Simple pieces that work together as a capsule wardrobe and can be worn again and again. As Reu grows, the brand will naturally grow with him because he really is the heart of it. I’d love to eventually expand the range up to around age 10 and introduce some matching adult pieces too (which is hopefully on the cards for this autumn winter!).

I can already see things evolving slightly though. As he gets older, at nursery, darker colours are definitely going to come in handy. Those messy nursery days are only going to get worse, so I can imagine a shift from mainly neutrals to just really good everyday basics in general, including some deeper tones.

We often get asked about kids wanting bright colours and prints they recognise, and I completely understand that. But at the moment Reu is drawn to things his mummy likes. He’s constantly raiding my hat drawer and trying to put my hoodies on. As he gets older and wants to explore other styles that’s absolutely fine. ROOBiE is designed to be the perfect base that you can mix and match other pieces into.

Neutrals definitely don’t have to be boring either. We’ve got some really exciting prints coming for summer in our colour palette, and there will also be limited edition colours dropping throughout the year.

What is your best tip to a parent looking to dress their child as an extension of their own personal style without spending a small fortune?

Focus on building a small capsule wardrobe with neutral pieces that all work together.

For example, start with something simple like four tops and three bottoms in colours that all go together. That alone can create loads of different outfit combinations without needing a huge wardrobe.

Once you’ve got those basics, you can add a couple of accessories like hats, socks or a sweatshirt to change things up. It means everything mixes and matches easily and you’re not buying lots of pieces that only work as one set outfit.

Especially with babies and toddlers, it just makes life easier. You usually throw a spare outfit into the changing bag, but if they only get their top dirty, a lot of the time the spare top you’ve packed won’t actually go with the bottoms they’ve already got on, so you end up changing the whole outfit when you don’t really need to. With a capsule wardrobe, everything works together, so you can just swap one piece and it still looks right.

It makes getting dressed easier, more practical and stops you feeling like you constantly need to buy new things. Good basics that last will always end up being the most worn pieces.

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