Fiona and Su are the sister duo behind Bebepanda, a much-loved children’s sleepwear brand known for its soft bamboo fabrics, playful prints and parent-friendly designs. As mums themselves, they understand the realities of life with little ones, from bedtime delays and wriggly nappy changes to the constant juggle of family and work. After falling in love with Bebepanda‘s mission and products, they took over the brand with a shared vision of making everyday parenting a little easier and a lot more joyful. Here, they share the story behind Bebepanda, the challenges and rewards of running a family-focused business, and their hopes for the future as they continue to bring comfort, sustainability and a touch of fun to families everywhere.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
Every parent has those moments that stick with you and for the founders of Bebepanda, it was their daughter Hannah turning the simple act of getting dressed into a full-blown theatrical production! John and Audrey wanted sleepwear that worked with busy little bodies, not against them, and from that very relatable moment of parenting chaos, Bebepanda was born.
When we (Fiona and Su) came across the brand, we instantly fell in love with that story, because we were living it too. Between us, we have our own troupe of lively little ones who treat nappy changes like an Olympic escape event and regard bedtime as highly optional.
We didn’t just see a business opportunity; we saw a brand that genuinely understood parents. That shared passion for making family life a little softer, a little easier and a whole lot more fun is what inspired us to pick up the baton and carry Bebepanda into this new chapter.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
Lots of love, lots of excitement and honestly, not much sleep, which, when you think about it, sounds exactly like having a newborn!
When we took on Bebepanda, we knew we were stepping into something really special – a brand that parents already trusted and adored. So before we did anything else, we just listened. We spoke to customers, we got to know everything John and Audrey had built and we leaned on our own experience as mums who actually use these pyjamas on our own kids.
We got to know the brand inside and out: the super soft bamboo fabric, the fun prints and of course the genius idea of ditching the zips, snaps and buttons that make dressing little ones such a mission. From there, we just started adding our own ideas and a little bit of our own personality to keep things fresh. We didn’t start from zero; it was more like jumping into a race that is already going well and giving it everything we had to keep the momentum going!
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
Honestly? Realising that the most revolutionary thing we could do was remove things! No zips, no snaps, no buttons and suddenly bedtime became a whole lot less dramatic. Anyone who has fumbled with a tiny press-stud at 2am, half-asleep, while a wriggly baby has other plans, will totally get it.
Our bamboo sleepwear slips on and off effortlessly, which means no scratchy hardware pressing against delicate skin, no pinched fingers and no more bedtime wrestling matches. It sounds so simple, but for parents of newborns and little ones, simple is everything. Oh, and adding the foodie prints was a chef’s kiss moment. Who wouldn’t want their baby dressed as a tiny avocado toast?
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
Balance? Ha! We prefer the word “juggle” and we’re getting pretty good at it (most days).
The beautiful thing about being sisters running this together is that we genuinely get each other’s chaos. When one of us has a toddler meltdown situation or a school pickup clash, the other steps in. We’ve had video calls with kids climbing on our laps, late-night packing sessions with a cup of coffee or tea (or boba beside us).
But honestly, living the parent life every day makes us better at what we do. We are our own customers – we know exactly what tired, time-poor parents need, because we are them.
