Monica + Andy expands beyond kids’ clothing and into baby care

Monica + Andy launched in 2014 as a DTC kids’ clothing brand focused on using certified organic cotton in its products. It has since added a maternity collection and Mommy + Me sets to its assortment. 

Founder and CEO Monica Royer said she always envisioned taking Monica + Andy beyond clothing. It just took longer than she initially thought to get there, she said. Launching in Walmart in 2023, for example, kept her busy. But with the launch of baby care, Monica + Andy is more publicly expanding its mission: It’s a brand not just focused on kids’ clothing, but also on developing better-for-you versions of products parents put on their newborn or toddler.

“The idea of what touches children’s skin first was always something I felt incredibly passionate about,” Royer said. 

When Royer started in clothing, she knew she wanted organic cotton to be the brand’s differentiator. 

“We were able to source the cotton back to the fields where it was grown — my mom was actually born in a refugee camp in India, and so I thought a lot about the factories themselves and the type of partners we would be working with. It was important to find what we felt were globally the world’s very best partners, delivering the best quality product from the best quality factories.” 

Monica + Andy then had to find parallels in baby care. Royer wanted to find what she felt were the “cleanest” ingredients from the best partners, but it took a while to get there. She wanted to use organic-first ingredients whenever possible. Cost was paramount to the equation — Monica + Andy had to come up with an end price that would be suitable for the mass Walmart customer. The products range from $10-$20. 

Royer also felt that using plant-based ingredients was one of Monica + Andy’s key differentiators — but expanding into a new category put that to the test. 

The company tested a variety of both plant- and non-plant-based ingredients as it experimented with formulas for its soap, balm and more. All of the testing reaffirmed to Royer that, yes, she wanted Monica + Andy to remain a plant-based brand.

The 2-in-1 shampoo and body wash, for example, contains aloe, oat and organic calendula. The bedtime cream contains avocado and mango extracts.

“I wanted to make sure I learned everything about different types of ingredients and had an open mind for what I thought were going to be the best ingredients for these products, in particular,” Royer said. 

The packaging includes prominent callouts of these plant-based ingredients and how they are designed to soothe or protect a baby’s skin. As Royer put it, she believes shoppers are now taking less of a category-based approach to shopping and, instead, taking more of an outcome-based approach. Referring to how adults shop, “we want better sleep, anti-aging, whatever the things are that we’re looking for.” Monica + Andy thus wanted to take a similar approach to baby care.

Monica + Andy manages its influencer relationships in-house, and it will be turning to its network of micro-influencers to promote the baby-care launch. “[They] have been going into Walmart and have been testing and trying and sharing their videos and experience with the product,” Royer said. “We’re really excited to get as many moms to try and test the product as possible.”