Our standards are on par with European exports
Mila Baby is an emerging brand in the Indian children’s clothing and baby essentials market. Launched in 2019, the brand focuses on baby essentials and utilities, offering high-quality, safe, and affordable products exclusively on Mothercare and AJIO. Mila Baby is known for its thoughtful designs, tailored for modern families while adhering to the highest safety standards. The brands’ Co-founder Anshul Doshi speaks to Fibre2Fashion about children’s clothing that offers both style and functionality.
The baby essentials market has seen significant growth in recent years. What do you think are the main factors driving this expansion in India?
The growth in India’s baby essentials market is driven by factors like increasing disposable incomes, societal evolution, and greater awareness of early parenting. Parents today are more educated, more aware, and more willing to invest in high-quality products for their children. These factors collectively shape the expanding demand for safe, reliable, and stylish baby products in India.
How has the demand for sustainable and eco-friendly products impacted the baby essentials industry, and how are brands adapting to this shift?
There is a clear shift in consumer preferences towards sustainable and eco-friendly products, especially in the baby care sector, where safety is paramount. This demand holds brands accountable, ensuring they implement sustainable practices. At Mila Baby, we embrace this shift and aim to contribute positively by creating products that are gentle on both babies and the planet, helping ensure a safe and sustainable future for the very children we serve.
Mila Baby was launched in 2019. What inspired you to enter the baby essentials market, and how has the journey evolved since then?
Mila Baby was inspired by our personal journey into parenthood. Like many expecting parents, we wanted the best for our upcoming child—high-quality, durable, aesthetically pleasing, and affordable essentials. The search highlighted a gap in the market; it was challenging to find products that combined all these qualities in one brand. As we delved deeper into this industry, it became clear there was an opportunity to create a brand that balanced comfort, style, and quality with affordability. Since launching in 2019, Mila Baby has steadily expanded, receiving wonderful feedback from countless new parents who appreciate our dedication to comfort and design. Starting with a modest range, we have continued to grow and now offer a wide variety of essentials, adding new items regularly to meet the evolving needs of modern families.
What challenges do baby essentials brands face when it comes to maintaining strict safety and quality standards, especially in a price-sensitive market like India?
Maintaining high safety and quality standards in a price-sensitive market like India can be challenging, as these standards often come at a cost. However, we believe that parents should not have to compromise on the quality or safety of their baby’s essentials. At Mila Baby and Playday, we address this by focusing on essentials without unnecessary embellishments, which allows us to allocate resources to core quality while keeping prices accessible. Local manufacturing also plays a crucial role, enabling us to closely monitor production and ensure compliance with international standards. While it is challenging to strike a balance, we are dedicated to offering affordable, high-quality products that meet the stringent requirements parents expect.
With the growing demand for baby essentials in India, how do you see the market evolving, especially with the rise in e-commerce platforms like AJIO and Mothercare?
E-commerce has transformed the baby essentials market by bridging geographical gaps and making quality products more accessible to parents across the country. Platforms like AJIO and Mothercare are especially valuable for niche categories such as ours, as they allow parents to explore and purchase products from the comfort of their homes. Today’s parents are more engaged and informed about early parenting than previous generations. They seek out well-researched, high-quality items for their children, driving innovation and demand in this space. E-commerce platforms facilitate this shift by connecting customers with brands that understand these needs. The market is evolving rapidly, with an increasing emphasis on products that are safe, functional, and thoughtfully designed. For brands, innovation is essential to keep up with the ever-growing expectations of today’s parents.
Mila Baby uses cotton and baby-friendly dyes in its products. Can you elaborate on how these materials and processes ensure the safety and comfort of babies?
Infants’ skin is extremely sensitive and easily irritated by certain materials and dyes, making it essential to use soft, non-irritating fabrics. At Mila Baby, we prioritise cotton and baby-friendly, azo-free dyes, avoiding harmful chemicals—like lead, mercury, and cadmium—commonly found in traditional dyes. These baby-friendly dyes ensure that our products are gentle on the skin and safe for everyday use. We go beyond simply using high-quality materials; every item is tested and reviewed by parents to ensure it meets our stringent standards of comfort and safety, allowing parents to have complete peace of mind.
How does Mila Baby balance functionality and aesthetics in its designs to cater to the modern parents’ desire for stylish yet practical baby essentials?
Mila Baby aims to create essentials that are both stylish and practical for parents and comfortable for babies. Traditionally, baby products were often overly bright and cluttered with patterns, assuming that the designs were primarily for the babies. However, we believe the aesthetics should appeal to parents, so we incorporate soft colours and trendy yet calming themes that are pleasing to modern tastes. Functionality is paramount to us, so we avoid intricate embellishments that could potentially harm or discomfort babies. Every piece is carefully designed to be safe, functional, and visually appealing, balancing the needs of both the child and the parents.
Given that your production and packaging are managed in India, what advantages do you see in local manufacturing, and how do you maintain European export standards?
Local manufacturing offers us substantial benefits in maintaining transparency and control throughout the production process. It allows us to communicate our technical and aesthetic requirements directly with manufacturers, ensuring each product meets the high-quality standards our customers expect. Additionally, manufacturing locally enables us to design products tailored to Indian climates, which play a significant role in choosing materials suited for babies. Despite being locally produced, 7, giving our customers assurance in the reliability and durability of our products.
What are some key design trends that are emerging in baby clothing and accessories, particularly in terms of comfort, safety, and aesthetics?
In recent years, there has been a strong shift towards prioritising comfort and safety in baby clothing, with brands pulling out all the stops to meet these essential requirements. Parents today expect products that are not only soft and non-irritating but also free from potentially harmful chemicals. While there can be a trade-off between safety features and more elaborate aesthetics, we believe that with proper education, parents understand and appreciate these choices. At Mila Baby and Playday, we strive to balance these needs by using safe, soft fabrics and baby-friendly dyes while incorporating gentle colours and clean designs. Our focus remains on creating items that are not only visually appealing but, more importantly, safe and comfortable for infants and toddlers.
Sustainability is a growing trend. How does Mila Baby incorporate sustainable and ethical practices into its production process?
Sustainability is integral to Mila Baby’s values. Our manufacturing facilities implement water conservation measures, effective waste management, and aim to minimise fossil fuel consumption. This commitment extends to ethical practices as well, ensuring fair treatment of employees, safe working conditions, and adequate wages through regular audits and inspections. We believe in not only providing a safe product for babies but also contributing positively to the environment and the communities we work with. By adhering to these practices, we are committed to creating a more sustainable future for the very children who inspire our products.
How important is the use of certified facilities for your production process, and how do these certifications contribute to maintaining international quality standards?
Certified facilities are fundamental to our process. These certifications serve as a mark of quality and ethical standards, verifying that our facilities are equipped to maintain employee welfare and consistent, high-quality manufacturing processes. Certified facilities also create a culture that prioritises rigorous quality control, adherence to safety regulations, and ethical labour practices, ensuring that Mila Baby products meet international standards and offer unparalleled safety and reliability.
With e-commerce becoming a dominant platform for retail, how are baby essentials brands leveraging online channels to reach and engage modern parents?
E-commerce is a transformative platform, especially for niche markets like baby essentials. For brands like Mila Baby and Playday, online channels provide an efficient way to reach tech-savvy, modern parents who seek convenience and quality. By partnering with platforms such as AJIO and Mothercare, we gain both credibility and access to a vast customer base, ensuring parents can explore our collections and make informed choices from the comfort of their homes. Additionally, we leverage digital tools like targeted ads, social media engagement, and detailed product information to connect with parents, helping them understand the quality, safety, and thoughtfulness behind each product.
What role do platforms like Mothercare and AJIO play in Mila Baby’s retail strategy, and how have they helped in expanding the brand’s reach?
Partnering with reputable platforms like Mothercare and AJIO has greatly enhanced Mila Baby’s visibility and credibility. These platforms bring a sense of trust to customers, as they are known for carrying only the best quality products. This reputation aligns with Mila Baby’s commitment to quality and safety. Additionally, these platforms expand our reach, making our products easily accessible to customers across India, helping us connect with a broader base of parents who are looking for safe, stylish, and affordable baby essentials.
Mila Baby is known for its affordable yet high-quality products. How do you maintain this balance between cost-effectiveness and premium quality?
While quality is our priority, we understand the need for affordability. We achieve this balance by focusing on essential elements without unnecessary embellishments, allowing us to offer high-quality products without inflating prices. We believe that premium quality should be accessible, so our products are thoughtfully designed to meet both comfort and style standards, ensuring that they are affordable without compromising on quality.
Looking ahead, what are your plans for Mila Baby in terms of product innovation and meeting the evolving needs of modern Indian parents?
Mila Baby plans to expand its offerings in core categories like bathing, feeding, and sleeping, introducing products that meet the needs of modern parents. Our commitment to innovation is strong, as we continuously look for ways to enhance the functionality and comfort of our products. With parents today more informed and selective about baby essentials, we aim to provide solutions that are practical, stylish, and aligned with the latest trends in infant care.
