Adaptability is key when it comes to navigating the kids’ fashion and lifestyle industry. Brands need to be able to adapt as tastes and needs shift for consumers, while still maintaining their core values and aesthetics. A brand that is currently navigating a shift while staying true to themselves is Wolf & Rita. Well-known for their high fashion, conceptual designs, they’re starting to incorporate more trendy pieces to broaden their collection for a wider audience.

To learn more about this shift and the history of this brand that is always doing something unique and exciting, we spoke with the Co-Founders and sisters Sónia and Cláudia. Join us as we step into the creative universe of Wolf & Rita!

Above all, Wolf & Rita is a family business. When the family textile company was facing a crisis, they knew they needed to rethink their future and find new markets. Wolf & Rita was born from this challenge, acting as the perfect way for this Portuguese manufacturer to showcase their quality, craftsmanship, and the endless possibilities of their in-house production. Childrenswear felt like the natural space for them to launch a brand. It allowed them to explore color, imagination, and storytelling with more freedom.

Co-Founded by sisters Sónia and Cláudia soon after they had joined the family business, Wolf & Rita has been creating modern, conceptual kid’s fashion collections inspired by artistic movements, cultural references, and the people they admire since the beginning. Using traditional techniques and expertise that comes from decades of experience, Wolf & Rita has resonated with international buyers from the very first season they presented it, with many of those early clients still being loyal to the brand today.

The Wolf & Rita team has since grown to include two other people. Each member is involved in every step and decision the brand takes. While being small poses challenges at times, the dedication and support by all four members of the team comes together to create magnificent collections. With diverse backgrounds, there has been a lot of learning from experience for each of them. For example, their press and marketing manager, Andreia, has a Master’s in Curatorial Practice and came from the art world. Rita, their head of sales, studied fashion design. Each person brings a different background, giving the brand a diverse perspective.

At Wolf & Rita, everything is very collaborative. Their creative process usually starts with a team brainstorming session where they gather ideas, references, and themes. They often draw inspiration from an artist, a work of art, or an artistic movement for a starting point. Once the concept is set, Cláudia then begins shaping the visual identity of the collection. She starts with colors and fabric qualities to establish the palette and textures that will define the season. Then she begins designing the prints, getting feedback from everyone. The prints evolve from this shared dialogue until they are perfect for everyone.

Once the prints are chosen, Cláudia begins to design the garments themselves. All of Wolf & Rita’s prototypes are made in-house, allowing them to refine each detail.

Since the beginning, social and environmental sustainability have been at the heart of Wolf & Rita’s production process. Almost everything is produced locally, because the brand was born from a desire to showcase the exceptional quality of Made in Portugal products and support their local community. For everyone on their team, textiles are part of their family history. They all have a grandmother, an aunt, or another relative that has worked in the textile industry, with many of them having been seamstresses. By producing locally, Wolf & Rita supports the preservation of these skills, sustains their community, and delivers quality products. Everyone throughout their supply chain is treated with respect and dignity.

Over the years, they’ve continued to add more eco-friendly fabrics to their collections as well. By prioritising high quality materials, they’ve also been able to increase the durability and comfort of their products. Additionally, they’ve been working to minimize waste. One way they’re doing this is through a pre-loved initiative, where customers can resell products that no longer fit. They also sell samples, prototypes, and garments with small imperfections in their local outlet store. Both of these initiatives give life to products that would otherwise be seen as waste.

Though renowned for their avant-garde styles, this wasn’t a deliberate strategy for Wolf & Rita. It came naturally from Sónia and Cláudia’s personal tastes, as well as Cláudia’s way of designing. Their distinctive, unique identity has been one of the brand’s biggest strengths. In the beginning, this naturally appealed to buyers, especially in Asia, as well as magazines looking for something bold to highlight.

As the market has evolved and customer tastes shifted, Wolf & Rita has had to rethink their collections and adapt them to remain relevant. They’re currently working to find the right balance between the artistic, conceptual spirit that defines Wolf & Rita and styles that are more aligned with what customers are looking for. To adapt their designs, Sónia and Cláudia started by looking at them from a different perspective. They put themselves in the shoes of a store that wants to present Wolf & Rita coherently with pieces that sell well together. This led them to create more mix-and-match possibilities.

To combat the perception that Wolf & Rita clothes are overly fashion forward, they’ve also begun to broaden their collections to include garments that are softer and more trend-driven. While holding firmly to what makes Wolf & Rita unique, Sónia and Cláudia are expanding the ways the brand’s identity can be expressed. Their timeless DNA centered around artistic references, original prints, high quality materials, and expert craftsmanship will be combined with a more modern, commercial vision. They’re introducing more modern silhouettes with trendier details, while reinforcing the brand’s identity with more visible logo placements.

They’ve found a way to maintain Wolf & Rita’s strong aesthetics while achieving a more contemporary feel. This way, they can support customers who prefer clearer outfit options and easier coordination between pieces.

Wolf & Rita’s new Autumn-Winter 2026-27 collection will debut their expanded vision at Playtime Paris this January. Playtime has been a part of Wolf & Rita’s journey since the beginning. They’ve explored other trade shows and opportunities over the years, but each time found that Playtime is the place to be. Sónia and Cláudia have observed that the most important buyers and key international groups visit Playtime. It’s been the event where they first met their distributors and many of their other long-term partners.

For Sónia and Cláudia, Playtime is invaluable because it brings together both new opportunities and existing relationships. It’s the perfect place for them to discover potential partners, connect with international buyers, and strengthen the ties they have with long-standing customers.

Wolf & Rita’s booth at Playtime Paris, W25

Throughout the challenges and opportunities, Wolf & Rita has always been about more than clothes. It’s about the connections and stories that have grown around the brand. Some of Sónia and Cláudia’s favorite stories comes from Japan. A group of children wrote Cláudia a heartfelt letter sharing how much they love Wolf & Rita’s prints and designs. They have a Japanese customer that celebrates each new collection by painting her nails with Wolf & Rita prints. When visiting Portugal, one of their retailers in Japan, Peekhabooyah, made sure to come by their offices for a visit.

All these special moments remind Sónia and Cláudia that their work goes far beyond clothing. Wolf & Rita is about building this global family around their collections and stories.

Handwritten letter from children in Japan

We hope you enjoyed learning more about the incredible, continuous journey that Wolf & Rita has been on. Thank you to Sónia and Cláudia for sharing this story with us and giving us a glimpse behind the curtain to learn how it all started, how their team creates their incredible collections, and where the brand is heading next.

We’re sure you’re just as excited as we are to see the new expanded Wolf & Rita collection which will only be unveiled at Playtime Paris! Get your pass here to discover it in Paris January 24-26.

All images from Wolf & Rita