THE 20TH ANNUAL EARNIE AWARDS SWEET POTATOES Girls Infant/Toddler Casual Wear is there something in the Berkeley, CA, water that yields repeat Earnie winners? Like its neighbor Donna Capozzi, Sweet Potatoes has claimed a second Earnie this year-consecutively, in fact, for the girls infant/toddler casual category. "We've been in business for 18 years, and we've been thrilled to be nominated and receive the awards," says Josie Jurczenia, President. "Both the product line and the company have grown a lot since we started, and retailers are responding well."
As well they should be, since first and foremost on Sweet Potatoes' agenda are quality and service. "We've grown according to consumer demand, and we really try to listen to what they say," Jurczenia emphasizes. "We now have a combination of domestic and imported product, with several different divisions." (Of those, she explains, the Sweet Potatoes, New Potatoes and Marimekko collections each incorporate girls infant/toddler casual wear)' With so much going on, she adds, "We're never not busy." While Jurczenia also serves as Sweet Potatoes' head designer, she emphasizes that her partners-Anna Tokunaga, CEO, and Ginny Holmes, VP of sales and operations-"work completely as a team in all aspects, including design." For each season, the trio comes up with an entire series of coordinated groups. This spring, Jurczenia describes the look as "very playful"-as in Sweet Potatoes' "Just Ducky" and "Big Bunny" segments, both made in 100 percent cotton jersey with animal appliques. "People don't come to us for trendy things," she concludes. "Our designs have practicality with a sense of humor." This excerpt is from page 68 - Earnshaw's November 1996 |
