It all started with missing jewelry.
Maria Dueñas Jacobs had no shortage of beautiful baubles at home when she worked as an accessories editor for fashion magazines Glamour and ELLE. During her tenure she was surrounded by finery, a fact of which Dueñas Jacobs’ young daughter was not ignorant. “The spark for Super Smalls came from my daughter Luna who was 5 back then, and was all too interested in wearing (and sometimes misplacing) my real jewelry and accessories,” she tells the Toy Book. “I offered to buy her kid’s play jewelry of her own, but she insisted that these were subpar.”
And what made these adornments obviously subpar, even to a five-year-old? Thinking of the accessories of the last few decades conjures up images of the peeling silver paint on cheap plastic tiaras, rings that look like they’re out of a cartoon rather than anything a real woman would wear, and, even more dubiously, technicolor kids’ makeup of murky chemical composition.
This is what was on the market when Dueñas Jacobs made her daughter the offer.
“As editors we are trained to always find the extraordinary thing, not to stop or cut corners, and so I took on the challenge of trying to make her something myself– something with that same ‘wow’ factor but appropriate for her. Something thoughtful, fun, ultra sparkly that could withstand hours of play,” she says. “I guess you can say that was the gap in the market — the ‘wow’ for kids.”
Since then, Super Smalls has blown the roof off of the children’s accessories category.
Super Smalls divides its product offerings into categories like Jewelry, Play, Gifts, Beauty, and more, with dozens of beautifully designed necklaces, clip-on earrings, and bracelets largely coming in at under $50. It also peddles cosmetics in atypical and kid-friendly ways, like its face gems, nail stickers, and days of the week lip balm necklace. And thanks to Dueñas Jacobs’ editorial background, all of its products, from goggles to a DIY tiara kit, have a decidedly luxury undercurrent.
The brand’s products all seem to strike the balance between unquestionably chic and completely joyous: They’re what kids want to wear, crafted with enough polish to emulate mom’s jewelry (and incite her envy). Dueñas Jacobs designs all the accessories with her team. Together, they look to trends and actively investigate what isn’t yet available on the kids’ accessories market when looking for inspiration.
It can be a tricky spot to design mom-inspired jewelry and beauty products for little girls without playing into the tendency to age them up, which the industry sometimes encourages. Super Smalls combats this by putting the on on individuality and expression: “We are so focused on this distinction,” she says. “We encourage pretend play and ensure that our products and messaging celebrates the joy of being a kid.” She adds: “As a mom of three growing girls, I understand the challenge of balancing kids’ desires for makeup and accessories with my own desire to protect their childhood and keep their experiences age-appropriate… These let kids have fun experimenting with beauty and fashion, without the physical transformation.”
Bead kits are one of Super Smalls’ product lines that encapsulates this philosophy. The company now sells 12 different kits, and just this summer released a Super Entrepreneur Bead Kit, featuring not only a fortune of beads and beading equipment, but also materials to introduce kids to marketing and business concepts.
Disney x Super Smalls products available include headbands, necklaces, and bows. | Source: Super Smalls
The brand incorporates the subtle fandom trend into children’s accessories. | Source: Super Smalls
Inspiring messages accompany many of Super Smalls’ products. | Source: Super Smalls
Super Smalls’ Disney collaborations are another notable sector of its jewelry portfolio.
“It started with Disney100, featuring jewelry sets inspired by beloved characters, each with interactive elements like glow-in-the-dark stones and spinning pendants.” This next-level design process continued for the ensuing Disney collaboration. “The reception was incredible, and it inspired our Inner Strength Collection with Cameo Locket Necklaces that open to reveal affirmations like ‘I Am Brave’ for Moana and ‘I Am Unique’ for Elsa, and on the other side of the affirmation there is a mirror so kids can see themselves and build confidence,” she says.
Five years in and Super Smalls has been highlighted by publications such as Women’s Wear Daily, Forbes, Vogue, and New York Magazine, while its goods are sold at retailers like Saks Fifth Avenue and on Amazon. This success, thanks in no small part to its product marketing, photography, and of course, its signature yellow packaging, is all helping Super Smalls become the must-have kids’ accessories. “I wanted kids to see yellow boxes and understand that that section in a store is for them. I wanted it to be their Cartier red, their Tiffany blue,” she says.
Yet, those tastes are often passed down from Mom or a caregiver, and Dueñas Jacobs creates accordingly. “Our commitment to design and packaging is integral because, like everything we create, it is designed [for] two audiences; aiming to delight and wow both kids and adults.”
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