What’s in a name…perhaps a bit of magic?

The name “Naartjie” (pronounced nar chee) is an Afrikaans word for “a small, sweet citrus fruit found in Africa”. For the Naartjie Brand it is also synonymous for a “distinctive, affordable, naturally soft, functional, kid-friendly clothing brand”.

In November of 1992 Naartjie opened its first store in the new Victoria Wharf Shopping Center in the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa. A tall standing vase filled with branches of tiny naartjies stood guarding the doorway when the shop opened. These had been cut from a “lemon” tree growing in the founders’ back garden.

This little tree, in spite of regularly being watered and talked to, had struggled to grow. An attempt to graft a shoot from good lemon stock onto it had almost caused it to “give up the ghost”. After rejecting this graft the little tree had to be cut back to save it. It struggled in its little corner of the back garden, overlooked for months and years as everything else grew up around it.

Then in the spring of 1992 it was covered in beautiful, scented, creamy blossoms. Some weeks before the new store was to open its doors the small tree bore its first fruit. But instead of getting bigger and gradually turning yellow, the hard little green balls became wider and fatter and turned orange.

The little “lemon” tree had decided it was time to show its true colors. It was in fact no lemon at all, but a naartjie tree.

And maybe that’s where some of the naartjie magic stems from.

Naartjie…the original name in fun clothing

The Brand

The Naartjie Brand, like its name, has a flavor and style all its own. From its very conception Naartjie was about KIDS…playful, vibrant, active, colorful, natural, always changing. The Naartjie brand can be described as a synthesis of bright, colorful, and fashion forward elements. It exudes a fun, natural, active, fresh, playful and wholesome perspective of the world.

The vision for the Naartjie brand pervades every aspect of the creation of its clothing from design to choice of materials and garment construction, through the manufacturing process and quality control. The design of Naartjie branded clothing embraces comfortable, wholesome, whimsical, and practical as key attributes. The manufacturing process that creates Naartjie branded clothing ensures that the resulting clothes are not overbuilt…always kid-friendly. The clothes are rugged enough to endure long days of play, yet bright and colorful enough to reflect the playful, imaginative spirit of childhood.

Always Fresh, Naartjie designs and introduces 11 new Collections each year. Naartjie stores were designed to reflect and compliment our Brand: colorful, inviting, comfortable, bright, and fun places for mothers and grand mums to shop. Every item we sell in our retail stores and on our web site is uniquely Naartjie. We design, manufacture and retail children’s clothing, accessories and footwear for ages newborn through 10 years old.

About Naartjie

The original name in fashionable, kid-friendly clothing

Naartjie was founded in 1989 in Cape Town, South Africa when designer Anne Eales decided she wanted an alternative to the basics dominated children’s clothing brands that were available to her as she shopped for her three young boys. The Naartjie brand that she created is a successful synthesis of several design elements that make it distinctive, inspirational and very popular.

From its inception, Naartjie has been a product focused company that generated new customers primarily through concentrating on its unique assortment and design elements. It quickly attracted an international following, including members of Great Britain’s Royal Family and today receives business from loyal customers around the world including Africa, Europe, Asia and North America.

Naartjie South Africa and the worldwide rights to the brand were purchased in 2001 by Naartjie USA creating an International company and brand. Our first USA store was opened in Santa Clara, California in the Valley Fair Mall in March of 2001. Today Naartjie’s corporate headquarters are located in Salt Lake City, Utah with merchandising headquartered in Burlingame, California and the Naartjie design studios and South African operations in Cape Town, South Africa. Currently we own and operate stores in both the United States and South Africa.

Distinctive Clothing…Always

The Naartjie award winning Cape Town design team and Burlingame, California merchandising team create and deliver distinctive kid-friendly clothes, using primarily 100% natural fabrics that are pre-shrunk and garment dyed. Naartjie branded clothes are a unique combination of fashion forward, casual, and age appropriate elements. The Company’s concept of age appropriate is to interpret international fashion trends in a kid-friendly and wholesome manner. “Uniquely Naartjie” represents a combination of distinctively naartjie elements:

1. Naartjie designs, colors, prints, and styles represent a truly unique synthesis or fusion of European fashion trends with Cape Town and western casual lifestyles.
2. A dominant focus on natural fabrics that are garment-dyed, pre-washed and pre-shrunk for easy wear, ultimate comfort and low maintenance.
3. The “garment dying” process we use in our production process results in a more vibrant color and softer clothing and accessories.
4. The “ultimate in mix & match”...colors, prints and styles within a monthly grouping mix and match across the entire assortment. In addition, you can mix and match between collections within a season.
5. The freshest and broadest color assortment in the industry.
6. Distinctive detailing, mixing of fabrics, appliqués and embroidery details.
7. Always “Kid-Friendly” Design Concepts:
8. We offer great fashions, basics and accessories for girls, boys, and newborns to 10 years of age.
9. And all at surprisingly affordable prices.