When I was first introduced to Caroline Ritter’s line, ‘Lina Bean, I was so impressed by her aesthetic. Actually, the first thing out of my mouth, and I said it out loud was, “when is she going to create a crib/children’s bedding line!?” I LOVE her fabric choices. They are playful but not your expected baby prints. As she says on her site, “babies don’t have to wear baby prints.” Amen to that!   ‘Lina Bean has boy, girl and unisex collections, each of which encourage you to “accessorize your sprout” with a coordinated burp cloth, blankie, and blanket.  The burp cloth is shaped like a bean and, as Caroline described it, is the piece she is most proud of.  It is the original piece of the line and was born out of necessity.  She needed a burp cloth that would stay put on the shoulder.  She describes this design as one where form follows function!

In addition to the 100% cotton collection, Caroline has introduced a green collection. Green Bean offers a Throw & Go blanket made of fleece created from 100% recycled bottles and bamboo.  Caroline believes it is important to offer her customers a sustainable product, and had always wanted to work with bamboo because of its “silky hand”.

2010 Lina Bean- I can't wait!

Lina Bean Current Line "Joseph"

Caroline Ritter’s fine aesthetic is no accident.  Her design and merchandising background is extensive.  She started her career as an assistant at America’s first Haute Couturier, CHADO.  There she helped produce fashion shows (jealous?).  She then worked in the visual department at Anthropologie (have you seen their current catalog?), and continued professionally at Lilly Pulitzer, creating the look of their retail stores from top to bottom.  Caroline always wanted to go into business for herself, but like many moms who leave their career to be at home, the birth of her son provided her with the perfect excuse, and she realized that she wasn’t happy with the products that were available in the marketplace.

Now that  ‘Lina Bean is gaining brand recognition, I am eager to see where Caroline takes her company, visually.  And, with a little encouragement from me, maybe Caroline will design a chic bedding set, or two!