We were delighted to catch up with Isabella from OiOi. Discover the journey of this family-run business that revolutionised the world of nappy bags, making life easier for new mums everywhere.

Hi Isabella, your origin story starts with a fashion-forward mum and a “little black handbag” that wasn’t cutting it. Can you tell us more about the moment when OiOi was conceived?

27 years ago when my mum was pregnant with me she was told to get a nappy bag.

The options in the market at the time were very impractical, covered in very baby-ish prints and made from not the nicest materials. And so, she decided just to use her every-day “little black handbag” as her nappy bag.

After not very long, she discovered that the “little black handbag” made organising her baby gear really difficult and it was also very hard to clean. And so, she decided to design her own!

She used cardboard cut outs to create the perfect shape and thought about what accessories she would need to be more organised – designing a change mat, a bottle holder and a wet purse to include with the bag.

A new generation of baby bags was born!

As the inspiration for OiOi began during your mum’s time as a fashion buyer, how has her fashion background influenced the designs of OiOi bags?

My mum has the best eye for fabrication. All of her years in the rag trade gave her lots of knowledge about different materials, so she is able to select the best ones for both style and function (very important for a baby bag!)

She also has incredible intuition when it comes to a fashion fads versus lasting fashion trends. One thing that has always set OiOi apart is how timeless our designs are - they are truly something that can be loved for many years.

Nappy bags before OiOi were described as ‘daggy’. How has OiOi challenged and changed the existing market for nappy bags?

Prior to OiOi, nappy bags truly looked like a nappy bag. They were covered in baby prints and were not a reflection of the parent’s style.

When we first launched, our tagline was “OiOi: sophisticated baby bags” and this is because it was the first of its kind.

OiOi has evolved over 25 years. How do you balance modern demands with the original vision your mum had for the brand?

From day one, our mission has been to empower parents to get out & about with practical and stylish designs.

Customer feedback is invaluable and we are lucky to have such an engaged, supportive community whose opinions influence every decision we make.

Back in the day, mum would share prototypes with her mum’s group or younger siblings to refine the designs. Today, social media has allowed for this integral part of the design process to blossom even more!

With the rise of digital marketing, what strategies have you found most effective for reaching new parents and expanding OiOi’s customer base?

It is all so new, discovering different brands and products that you never even knew existed when becoming a new parent!

We have a post-purchase survey that shows that the #1 reason people shop with us is due to a “recommendation from a friend”.

For those that haven’t had someone help them with recommendations, they tend to discover us through Google (with our 27 year history we rank really well!), Pinterest (through our helpful guides that are trending there) and of course Instagram (where we get tagged in posts all the time!).

Fun fact – running the OiOi Instagram was my first “job” when I was 16!

Customer feedback is incredibly insightful. Can you describe a time when such feedback led you to a new product idea or significant change?

Our new Insulated Lunch Bag range was born out of a customer request!

We have some wonderful members of our community who are always reaching out asking if we can release new product categories, and this one was coming up again and again.

The new range has been received so well and we are very excited to release our next round of prints very soon – stay tuned!

What has been your most rewarding moment at OiOi so far?

Ooo that is a tough one…

I think it would have to be the success of the Signature Nappy Backpack design. It is the first one I designed with Mum (back in 2019) and it really helped us reach a new generation of parents.

The love for that design has been absolutely incredible. It is just so rewarding knowing that it has made getting out & about easier for so many families.

Tell us about your last 24 hours, what did they look like?

Working in a small business, you need to wear lots of hats and the to-do list is never-ending, so I find it really useful to break-down tasks into projects.

At the moment, my main project has been working on the user experience on our website. So, in the past 24 hours I have been working on some content pieces and adding more videos to the website to help new parents decide on what nappy bag is best for their needs.

Sprinkled in between this project, I have received some new product samples for approval (my favourite!), replied to some gorgeous customer reviews, ensured our socials are up to date and brought my dog Hilma for a lunch-break walk. I am lucky to be able to bring her to work and she loves resting on my lap as I type away!

Finally, if you could give one piece of advice to someone entering the family business, what would it be?

It would be to not discount your parent’s wisdom.

My mum has been doing this for over 25 years and there have been times that I have taken this for granted!

When you are young, it is easy to think that you know everything and to dismiss your parent’s opinions.

But, it is really important to listen, learn and make decisions collaboratively.

Spotlight On: Isabella Roberts from OiOi