About Us
About Hello Stranger
We're a New Zealand kids clothing brand making premium everyday kidswear — designed for children who spend their days outdoors, and built to survive it.
Where we started
Hello Stranger was founded by Amy in Mount Maunganui.
The idea was straightforward: kids' clothing in New Zealand could be better. Not fussier or more expensive — just better made, more comfortable, and a lot more fun to wear.
Life at the Mount shaped how that looked. Kids there are outside constantly — beach, bikes, barefoot until someone insists otherwise. So the clothing became relaxed and coastal, with a street-inspired edge that stopped it from ever feeling too precious.
That's still exactly what we make.
What we believe
Kids should choose their own clothes. There's a real difference between what looks good on a hanger and what a child will actually put on. We design for the second one. If it doesn't get picked out of the drawer, it hasn't worked.
Quality beats quantity. We'd rather make fewer, better pieces that stay in rotation for seasons and get handed down — than cheaper things you replace three times a year.
Everything should work together. Our colour palettes carry across collections, so pieces mix and match instead of only working as a set.
It has to survive real life. Playgrounds, holidays, daycare, sixty wash cycles. That's the standard.
Who's behind it now
I'm Hayley, and I took over Hello Stranger from Amy.
I'd always wanted to build a business of my own — and when this one came along, it clicked straight away. It already had a strong identity and a genuinely loyal community, which are the two hardest things to create from nothing.
As a mum to Nicholas, I also saw it as a parent. Watching him live in pieces that were comfortable, practical and full of personality gave me a much better understanding of why families here are so loyal to this brand.
My job now is to continue what Amy built, bring my own energy to it, and keep improving the quality, fit and design every season.
Have a look around
Shop or , or start with our and — the pieces our customers come back for.
You'll also find us at , and you can read about our approach to .
Questions? — we're small, and we read everything.
Want the full story?
There's a lot more to it — how Amy started the brand, why I bought it, and where we're taking it next.
