Celebrating Black Heritage 365 Days a Year, Li’l Crumbsnatchers Blends Urban Wear with African Flair for Children of Color.

Blending the beauty and uniqueness of African fabric with modern urban designs, Li’l Crumbsnatchers allows children of color to make a unique fashion statement in clothing inspired by a rich and diverse culture. Specializing in Afrocentric fashions for infants and children, Li'l Crumbsnatchers utilizes fabrics imported from Senegal, Benin, Niger, and the Ivory Cost and embellishes it with cowrie shells, beads, rhinestones, and appliqués for a fresh new look in children’s playwear.

Established in 1991, Li’l Crumbsnatchers was born out of the desire for African-American parents to add cultural touches to their child’s wardrobe. Says Matae Reed, founder of Li’l Crumbsnatchers, “It was a desire to fill that niche that prompted me to start designing children’s wear. Most of the time, when people think of African clothing, they tend to focus on traditional dashikis, bubas, and kufis. However, many people in Africa today wear the same type of clothing that we do. The vivid colors and unique fabrics of African culture influence my designs, but I use the Western concept of fashion. I design styles that will help our children to develop a positive self-image and encourage them to take pride in their African-American heritage.”

Ms. Reed started her career in ethnic design as a tailor, creating custom African clothing for adults. She started designing ethnic-inspired outfits for her son with small cuts of leftover kente cloth from various projects. “I didn’t know what else to do with all of that beautiful fabric, so one day I created a jumper, jacket, and cap for my son’s 1st year photograph. I couldn’t believe how many people stopped us to ask where I bought his outfit. Those compliments really encouraged me to pursue children’s fashion. It’s funky, it’s fresh, and it’s fun!”

For the smallest prince and princess, the infant collection by Li’l Crumbsnatchers offers one-of-a-kind bubble rompers, suspender pants, shortalls, and sundresses, all fashioned from cheerful African prints for babies up to 24 months. Coordinating bibs, booties, burp cloths, and cotton blankets are also adorned with colorful touches of African fabric and are beautifully tied with ribbon. To make gift-giving easy, African themed Moses baskets, baby bags, and newborn gift sets are offered for unique and memorable shower presents.

For two to eight year olds, Li’l Crumbsnatchers carries a line of limited edition, hand-painted tee shirts, reconstructed and appliquéd denim jeans and jackets, African print mini skirts, cargo shorts, halter dresses, and dashiki tops. Cowrie shells, beads, rhinestones, and glitter add interest to collars, cuffs, pockets, and hemlines.

No Nubian child’s wardrobe would be complete without the right accessories, so Li'l Crumbsnatchers also features a selection of handbags, headbands, headwraps, brim hats, and individually hand strung beaded crystal bracelets and anklets to pull it all together.

Specializing in urban wear with African flair for infants and children, cultural craftsmanship makes Li’l Crumbsnatchers clothing a refreshing change from the ordinary. The entire Li’l Crumbsnatchers collection is available exclusively through the company website, www.lilcrumbsnatchers.com.