Seeing beyond blue with boyswear designer Samantha Taylor

Craving dashing duds for your little gentleman? Look no further than Unruly Blue, a U.K.-based boys’ brand that aims to transform young men into dashing dudes with its three-piece suits, Harris Tweed jackets, outerwear and printed button-downs. Designer and director Samantha Taylor was inspired to launch the line in 2010 after noticing a distinct lack of stylish options for her young nephew. (Taylor is spiffing him up in the photo above.) “My mother was a designer, but I never imagined I would follow in her trade,” she notes. “Once the pieces came together, creating a range of creative, colorful boys’ apparel was the natural thing to do.” Manufactured in the U.K., the brand offers casual and formal threads in sizes 4 to 14—but its suits and tweed jackets are top sellers. “They’re thoughtfully structured but fun with colorful Liberty of London linings,” Taylor describes. “They have no synthetic materials. They’re given the same respect as a suit made on Savile Row, and the same holds true for our outerwear.”

It will also hold true for the brand’s first foray into girls’ threads, including tweed jackets and silk dresses, set to launch in Fall ’14, along with a beefed-up casual line in Spring/Summer ’15. We couldn’t resist chatting with the busy designer to get her take on today’s market.

—Samantha Sciarrotta

Q: How did you make the decision to manufacture in the UK?
A: I made the decision very early that if we could have our clothing made here, we always would. It feels good to support the artisans in the local economy as well as being able to constantly check and guarantee the quality of our clothes.

Q: How did the brand grow in the beginning?
A: The brand grew through trade shows. We felt that showing it to the experts in our field was the greatest test of all. We soon realized after our first show that the mom bloggers were as informative, enthusiastic and helpful in terms of feedback as the store buyers.

Q: What new trends have you noticed in the industry?
A: One major trend I love is the renewed respect and gravitation towards quality clothing for children. It’s been a market saturated with throwaway, one-season wear clothes, but that is no longer the only option out there. Designers are taking the childrenswear market as seriously as adult wear, and consumers appreciate that. I’ve noticed stronger colors, too. The slim trend is now being followed by the fantastic reds, and I’m so glad yellow is still running strong. It’s such a fantastic color in all its shades. It complements everything.

Q: Why “Unruly Blue?”
A: We make boys’ clothes, but we break the rule of only using blue. We hardly ever use blue, hence the “unruly.” We’ll use blue in our girls’ collection, however.

Q: What are kids looking for in clothes?

A: Children want to be comfortable. They want to feel freedom and softness. At the same time, they want to look as dashing as mother and father. We want them to have all of these things in every piece they wear.