We’re not quite sure how but we are over halfway through the summer holidays. Doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun? With just three weeks to go until school starts again, it’s definitely time to start getting organised. We love nothing more than bringing you a list of essentials that will help make the back to school transition super easy. As a British brand ourselves, we want to shout about all the incredible British brands that make going back to school a walk in the park. Each of these brands has a unique story behind their products, and we want to showcase them! So without further ado…..

TINC STATIONARY

Stationary is always at the top of our back to school list. This month we are loving Tinc. Tinc is a UK, family-founded company that designs, makes and distributes extraordinary stationery, gadgets and gifts for kids of all ages.

In 2011 Jos & Heli Baker, a husband and wife team, found they were struggling to find cool stationery for their 4 children. With no UK retailers offering anything even resembling ‘lifestyle stationery’ at the time, the idea of Tinc was born. The name derives from the three core values of Think, Inspire & Create.

LABELS 4 KIDS

 

As parents, we know the drill. Label E V E R Y T H I N G or risk your child’s super expensive uniform being lost in the stinky lost property box for the rest of the school year.

Labels 4 kids is a multi award-winning family-run business based in Scotland, founded in 2004 by the Chartered Accountant Ann-Maree Morrison

When Ann-Maree became the mother of three active boys, she soon realised that losing personal effects can upset the daily routine and replacing lost belongings can be frustrating and expensive. She came to the conclusion that what every parent needed was a ready supply of labels which would be reliable and easy to apply. Labels4Kids was born.

COUNTRY KIDS SOCKS AND TIGHTS

Socks and tights always seem to be the last forgotten item on the list, but they are actually pretty essential for your kids daily clothing needs at school.

Country kids was established in 1983 by a young British couple living in New York. Their excellent customer service and attention to detail have now made Country Kids into a leading international brand who recently joined forces with the BBC and Swarovski to raise a considerable sum for BBC children in need. For more information, click here.

 

CHILLY’S BOTTLES

Keeps your kids drinks chilly all day, even in the hottest of temperatures. Plastic-free and great for the environment. You can’t go wrong with a chilly’s bottle. But did you know that Chilly’s is a British brand?

Chilly’s was founded in 2010 by James Butterfield and Tim Bouscarle, with the aim of providing people with the ability to always have cold water on-the-go, without having to buy single-use plastic water bottles. The result was the Chilly’s Bottle. A modern and stylish product designed to combine the convenience of a plastic water bottle, with the high-performance technology and eco-friendly benefits of a traditional flask.

Everyone needs one of these bottles. Back to school or not!

REX LONDON

Rex London offers a range of back to school essentials for your stylish kids. Lunchboxes, rucksacks and stationery, they have it all.

In 1981, on a simple market stall in London’s Portobello Market, two men were selling jumpers, jeans, and handmade candles. They teamed up to form Rex International Ltd, and evolved into a wholesaler throughout the 1990s, hunting for wonders in Asia and supplying The Body Shop, Habitat, and other high street shops in the UK.

In 2003, in an effort to stand out from the crowd, the decision was made to start creating original designs and collections. The first product was the Original Jumbo Bag, which has since gone on to become a classic best-seller.

FRUGI

If you are looking for a range of back to school essentials full of colour and happiness, then look no further than Frugi! They have a vast range of outwear, rucksacks and lunchtime essentials to suit every personality.

Frugi started life as a ‘Eureka’ moment when founders Lucy and Kurt struggled to find clothing to fit over their son’s cloth-nappied bum. Their team has grown to 16 members they have recently moved into their lovely, purpose-built HQ in Helston Cornwall.

MY GATOR WATCH

We couldn’t write a whole British back to school blog without including ourselves, could we?

My gator watch is the best-reviewed GPS watch on the market and is run here in the UK by a team of parents who all work flexibly. Our founder Colleen Wong is an advocate for family first, work later, and this has bred a team that works extremely hard to make sure that our customers are never “just another customer.”

My Gator Watch is a wearable mobile phone designed especially for 5-12-year-olds. It uses GPS, two-way calling, works across multiple networks and has an SOS feature for peace of mind. It does not have a messaging feature, and you, the parent; determine all numbers that are pre-set within the phone. It is the perfect back to school companion for your kids!

We hope you love these British back to school brands as much as we do. Have we missed any of your favourites? Let us know in the comments below or via our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages.