A married couple, who have run a nursery in Bolton for over 30 years, have joined forces with a leading children’s designer to create the unthinkable; kid-proof clothing!

Phillip and Tina Knight, who own and manage Wells House Kindergarten in Radcliffe, spotted a gap in the market for practical play clothes, which would allow children the freedom to play without the worry of spoiling or staining their everyday clothes. Working in partnership with renowned baby product designer Lisa Joyce, they have combined practical ideas with fashionable styling to create Kidunk - a unique range of play clothes for preschoolers.

The new Kidunk playsuits are lightweight, water resistant, comfy and easy clean - claiming to be perfect for all types of indoor and outdoor play. There are summer versions with SPF protection and winter variants with fleecy lining and space to layer up. The innovative design includes tops and bottoms that can be worn separately or zipped together to make a complete suit. And here’s the really good bit…the garments are teflon coated, making them stain resistant and able to endure all manner of messy activities!

Tina Knight (52), originally from Salford, was the youngest person to open a private nursery at the tender age of 21. She has over 30 years experience in childcare and as well as running Wells House, which has 120 children on the books, she also finds time to work as a nursery consultant, helping other organisations establish and thrive.

Tina comments: “Like many nurseries we are embracing outdoor play and believe that children should be free to explore the world around them, allowing children continuous access to the outdoors throughout the day. This is great in theory, but it does present its own difficulties, such as outerwear that is difficult to put on and take off, and clothes that are not warm enough or too warm, or that when they get wet make the child cold and/or become heavy and uncomfortable.

“Also, children’s clothes have not moved on, they are just miniature versions of adult clothes, and so have inappropriate zips, difficult buttons, and belts that adults have to put on and take off! So, I have always dreamed of an outfit that children could just put on to enjoy unhindered play - not just in the nursery but during adventures with their family too.”

The Knight’s business partner and designer Lisa Joyce (41), originally from Chorley but now residing in the Lake District, has strong credentials when it comes to working with baby and children’s brands. Her CV includes household names such as Mothercare, Cosatto and The Gro Company.

Lisa comments: “As a mother of two preschool children I could relate to Tina and Phil’s vision, but I know from my commercial experience that parents want their children to look good too, they want to invest in a brand that delivers quality and personality. There are boring waterproof suits already on the market but we believe that Kidunk suits are different. Not only is the product more advanced technically, they look really cool too. Our designs are colourful and fun with bold geometric prints that we hope both parents and kids will love.”

Phillip Knight [52], from Bolton, has over 20 years experience in the Insurance business, in fact this is how he met Tina, when she needed advice for one of her nurseries! He said: “To begin with we did a lot of consumer research and focus groups. The feedback confirmed that there was a need for this product - parents love that their children are learning through play and getting messy - but they don’t want it to ruin their clothes! Quality has also been a key part of the journey, we have invested an awful lot of time in fabric development to ensure that our product is the best it possibly can be.

“The three of us have all brought different expertise to the table and collectively we are so proud and excited that the dream has become a reality.”

Available to buy online at www.kidunk.com Kidunk playsuits are priced £45 per suit or can be purchased separately: £25 for tops and £20 for bottoms. They are available in sizes 2-3 years and 3-4 years, with designs for girls and boys.