There once was a time when my closet only contained clothes from West49 or Boathouse. I wore those studded or seat belt belts, dawned shirts that had band names like AFI, Nirvana, and Blink 182 on them, always had DC, VANS, or converse high tops on my feet, and liked to think of myself as a “pop-punk skater chick”. These were the days back when I was in grade 9/10 and just bordering on the cusp of discovering who “me” truly was. I look back on this time with [mostly] fond memories. Part of me would still love to rock all those clothes I used to back in the day but sadly my little “sk8er” phase just wouldn’t fly now as a 27 year old wife, mom, and Registered Practical Nurse, however; that doesn’t mean that I can’t dress my little boy in similar clothes!

So given how much I still adore my old school look and the recent online shopping addiction I’ve come to develop, I’d like to introduce you all to the Little Misfits brand by Dionne. Like almost all the online shops I’ve discovered throughout this past year, Little Misfits was brought to my attention through Instagram. Dionne started following my account after I entered a giveaway contest loop and after browsing through her IG page, I realized how completely different her store was from any other clothing shop I was following. The inner grade 9/10 Carly in me literally burst to the surface. I was floored with all her edgy punk-rock inspired designs and within all of 30 seconds I knew this shop was going to be one of my favourite ones to follow.

Before I gush about how rad this shop is, let’s get into a little bit of its background. Dionne is the owner and creator of Little Misfits. She started this company in her basement back in 2009 with only $100 to spend! After looking through her About Me section on her site, I learned that the idea for Little Misfits came to her while shopping for a shower gift for a friend. Dionne explains that a tattooed friend had announced she was expecting and while trying to find the perfect shower present for said friend (like we all try to do!) she was left feeling a bit disappointed. Apparently, after spending a few weeks scouring the internet for a tattoo sleeved onesie Dionne was unable to find exactly what she wanted so she decided to make one of her own. She says she hauled out her sewing machine and began trying to create the idea that she was picturing in her head. Obviously, her hand-made onesie was a huge success because people started asking her to create gift baskets for their pregnant friends and just a short year later Little Misfits was born! What I loved most about reading up on Dionne and her story is the fact that its one that so many of us can relate to. This shop is dedicated to those who don’t quite fit into the “norms” of society. The odd-balls, the outcasts, the weirdos, the Misfits. Dionne is very open in describing how she knows she doesn’t fit in with the social norms. She explains how she was made fun of, judged, and looked down upon by people who just don’t understand that being different is ok. Everyone is unique and special and I think that’s the main point I take away from her. We don’t all have to be the same and there is somewhere out there that you do fit in, you just have to be brave enough to find it.

Now, let’s get to the clothing shall we!? Little Misfits brand is definitely for those who love loud, bold patterns. The clothing items range from onesies, infant and toddler tees, leggings, bibs, as well as a few dresses and skirts. Every item as a punk-rock vibe to it and you can even get various tattoo “sleeve” patterns to accompany the tops with. I nearly died when I saw the adorable heart and cross bone leggings! I swear, I would love to rock all these outfits myself! They’re so fun and 100% completely different from anything else I’ve come across in terms of kids clothing. Yes, I know there’s probably some out there who will say that babies and kids shouldn’t be wearing shirts that have skulls or tattoo sleeves (or whatever else they’re going to complain about) but I am definitely not one of them! I LOVE the uniqueness of Little Misfits and knowing how much they embrace the rebels out there makes me love them even more. I mean, how many stores are you going to find that create tees for kids with bands like the Misfits or the Ramones on them? Not many. It’s items such as those that make the shop perfect for people looking to deck their littles out in the coolest digs in town. Like most of the shops I’ve come across, a lot of their clothing items can be worn by either gender. Little Misfits does have a few items that are designated for a specifically for boys or girls but for the most part, all the items are unisex. If I’m ever fortunate enough to have a little girl of my own, you can bet your ass that I’ll be letting her rock some of these fabulous tattoo sleeve designs because I can’t help but love a little girl in punk-rock clothing! I’d also like to point out that there’s several shirt designs with adorable sayings like “Always & Forever Trust In Who You Are” and “Keep Your Head Up Beautiful” for those who might want something a bit different for their kids but not necessarily tattooed sleeves and punk-rock band names. I’ve spent numerous hours scrolling through her page and drooling over all her adorable designs. My absolute favourite one has to be the black toddler tee with the caption “To The Moon” on it. It’s from one of my favourite childhood books “Guess How Much I Love You?”. My dad spent so many nights reading my sister and I that book as kids and when I saw the t-shirt design I fell head over heels in love with it. Seeing Nate wearing it (pictured further down in post) takes me right back to sitting on the bed with my sister and dad and reading that book before drifting off to dreamland.

*Photo: Property of Little Misfits brand*

*Photo: Property of Little Misfits brand*

*Photo: Property of Little Misfits brand*

On the off chance you can’t find anything that suits your style on Dionne’s website, don’t fret! You can always ask her to create something especially for you! Yes, you heard me! Little Misfits will make something personal for you and all you have to do is ask. Which is exactly what I did for a friend’s shower a few months ago. Hmmm…looking for the “perfect” shower present for a friend…I swear I’ve heard that somewhere else…? 😉 Anyways! As I was saying, I happened upon a t-shirt design featuring the NWA crew’s names on it and sent the pic to our friend whose wife was pregnant at the time. I asked him if he liked the shirt and told him he should check out this clothing brand since they had some other pretty sick designs. Well, flash forward a few weeks later to when I found out they were expecting a boy and immediately went back to that website to try and order that awesome shirt. Well, sadly it was designed by an Australian clothing store that didn’t ship to Canada (lame!) but instead of giving up and assuming I wouldn’t be able to purchase the shirt, I took to my Instagram account in search of a clothing store that would perhaps carry something similar. I looked and looked but nothing seemed to fit. That is until I finally scrolled past Little Misfits. It felt like a light bulb clicked on in my head. I remember thinking “if anyone is going to make an NWA shirt or at least something close, it’s going to be Dionne” so after searching through her onesie section, I decided to direct message her on IG asking if she took custom orders. She responded back to me within minutes and informed me that she’d love to make me a custom piece. I sent her a pic of what I was looking for and asked if it was something she’d be able to recreate in her own way. I was beyond excited when she told me she definitely could make it and just needed to know when I needed it by. We exchanged a few messages back and forth and I discovered that she was much closer to me than I’d originally thought (only 20 minutes away to be exact) so because we were quite close, she offered me free pick up which was perfect as I was in a bit of a time crunch and you can never depend on the mail to arrive on time. Dionne was polite and friendly throughout our whole conversation; she even took the time to notify me that Shopify was telling her I was a high risk fraudulent case. Haha!! What can I say? I was using my credit card A LOT through the summer on online purchases!! And I’m so pleased to say that the hand-made custom onesie was a HUGE hit at the shower. I remember our friends saying to me “Oh you ordered it! That’s so awesome!” and then me getting to explain that I actually had someone make them this one-of-a-kind onesie since I couldn’t actually purchase the similar design tee. And to be honest, I think the one Dionne made turned out much better!

Ok, so are you guys ready to hear the BEST thing about this shop!? There’s this part about Little Misfits that’s called Misfits For A Cause. They’ve chosen two charities (Skate4Cancer and the Dear Jack Foundation) that they’re fundraising money for. When you purchase a piece of clothing from the Misfits For A Cause line, 100% (yes! 100%) of the proceeds go directly towards these two amazing foundations. I was blown away when I read that part. I’ve seen other stores do things like this before but never have a seen a store that donates all of its proceeds to the charity. Typically, you’ll see maybe 10-20% proceeds donated (at least what I’ve come across) but to give 100% away is almost unheard of to me. Cancer has affected a few people in my family and so I’m always so glad to see every day people working towards finding a cure. If you’re not familiar with either of these organizations, I suggest checking them out. In the last 10 years, Rob Dyer, founder of Skate4Cancer and his team have raised over one million dollars for various cancer charities including the Candian Cancer Society, Movember, and Wellspring Cancer Support Foundation. The Dear Jack Foundation was started in 2006 by Andrew McMahon. If you’re like me you probably listened to Something Corporate or Jack’s Mannequin in high school. And if you’re also like me then you probably didn’t fully realize that just prior to the release of Jack’s first album in 2005, Andrew became extremely ill. He was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia and it was only after a stem-cell transplant from his sister that he became better. Maybe it’s because I was only 14 or 15 at the time and didn’t fully understand the magnitude of his diagnosis or how cancer affects so many of us that I didn’t truly appreciate what his fans did for him. They began walking with the  Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk and a year later his foundation was started. By purchasing from Misfits For A Cause, you’re not only purchasing a kick-ass shirt, you’re also helping to save a life. I wish more shops took the initiative that Little Misfits has taken. It doesn’t have to be for helping to end cancer, any charity would be wonderful. I definitely applaud Dionne and her team for doing what they do with their “For A Cause” line. It reminds me that I should also try and do better to support my community.

*Photo: Property of Little Misfits brand*

*Photo: Property of Little Misfits brand*

Please, please please check out the Little Misfits brand! I promise you WILL NOT be disappointed!!

**Please note I was compensated a toddler tee which Nate is wearing in these pictures for my review and post on this clothing brand**