About Me - My Biography

Alexandra Riggs is a Sydney-based graphic and fashion designer who has been creating gorgeous clothing for children since 2003 under the label Oobi.

Oobi sprung from the passion for colour, childhood and all things retro that Alex loves. Raiding her mother’s and grandmother’s wardrobes for inspiration, she’s managed to create a niche (and set lasting trends) in the growing childrenswear market – always with the mindset to “allow children to be children”.

Alex started Oobi on a shoestring budget but with a strong passion for handmade prints and bold patterns. With her skills in screenprinting and design behind her she convinced a fabric company to allow her to do some short runs of some prints – and Oobi was born.

“My idea was that I’d print some fabrics and make some quirky garments and just see what happened. I would never have forgiven myself if I hadn’t followed my dream to start a children’s fashion business. And now I get to do what I love and what I’m passionate about every single day”.

Voted “Australia’s Favourite Childrenswear Label” by the readers of KidStyleFlie for an unprecedented four years running, Alex and her brand Oobi have beaten out some of the big players in the industry like Bonds, Country Road and Pumpkin Patch – a truly great achievement for a small independent label.

Part of Oobi’s success is Alex’s intuitive flair for understanding the needs of mums in Australia and Internationally. Each season has a ‘mix-and-match’ approach and each season is designed with past seasons in mind so if you have a wonderful hand-me-down or some pieces from other seasons they should fit nicely into your child’s wardrobe. This is fashion with a conscience in a true sense – the notion that fashion can be reworked, recycled and reused is a big part of Oobi’s ethos.

This thoughtful approach to design affords Oobi’s army of fans the opportunity to find their favourite older designs on www.oobi.com.au and relive the pleasure of their first Oobi experience again and again.

You only have to check out the Big Oobi’s profile page to get a sense of the charming culture that permeates the whole business.

The mutual respect Oobi and its fans have for each other is clear to see when you spend any time on the Facebook page, it is a genuine community borne of friendship, passion and a love of beautiful design.

2011, saw Oobi take out the top honour in the City of Sydney Business Awards – Business of the Year. It is a testament to the passion, integrity and creativity of Oobi, once again beating out big players by proving that a small, interesting and ethical business can be taken seriously.