SURE, baby shoes are cute. But the truth is, babies aren’t supposed to wear shoes until they’ve learned how to walk.

Rianna Roces-Trinidad and Sheryll Ang-Tiong, the mom-entrepreneurs behind Proud Mama, discovered this fact online. “We’re very proactive moms. We spend a lot of time on the Internet, reading articles. One of the things we learned online is that you shouldn’t be putting shoes on very young children because it restricts the growth of their feet. It’s easier for them to learn to walk when they can feel the ground. When you have very small children, you have the Cinderella syndrome. You put their shoes on yet they fall off anyway. Their feet aren’t built for shoes,” says Rianna.

So what’s your little fashionista supposed to do? Go barefoot?

One solution was to buy imported soft leather shoes for their babies, but Rianna says they don’t really work for Philippine weather. “They’re too hot. When you take off the shoes, your baby’s feet are sweaty.”

Socks that look like shoes

Rianna and Sheryll, both moms of baby girls, needed something better. After all they had three daughters (Rianna has Solana, who is almost three years old, and Saffron, who is a year-and-a-half old; and Sheryll has Angela, who is almost two) who they love to dress up. “We’re moms of little girls. We’re into baby fashion. Sometimes you have this really cute outfit with the hat but then naka-paa or naka-plain white socks lang s’ya. Parang bitin,” Rianna said.

They came up with the perfect product—Funky Feet, baby socks that look like shoes. They designed the socks together, taking inspiration from actual shoes that they like, shoes they bought for their kids and shoes they wish they can buy for their kids. Soon they had five designs: Little Miss Mary Janes, Fashionista Flats, Super Sneakers, Li’l Loafers, Retro Ruffles and Bows On My Toe. Each design comes in five colors, to match your baby’s different outfits. “The colors that we chose are the colors that our kids wear most often. They really complete the whole outfit,” Sheryll said.

Rianna and Sheryll are selling online, through their Multiply site. Rianna said, “We were surprised at the activity on Multiply. It’s a very alive community. It’s so active.”

Countless moms all over cyberspace have embraced their product since it became available almost a year ago. “We’re overwhelmed. The feedback has been super fantastic. Sometimes moms buy one box but they get so many compliments that they come back and buy more. Some moms are so happy about it that they send us pictures. We started a page on our site where we put all the pictures sent to us. It’s so cool that they appreciate the product. It’s a happy thing.”

Sheryll said, “We have a mom who loved it so much that she bought a lot to resell in Davao.”

And moms aren’t the only fans of Funky Feet. Dads love them too. “Some moms don’t get to go out because they’re taking care of the little ones so the dads come to pick up the socks,” Sheryll said. “One dad told me, ‘I don’t know what to get, I want all of them. But my wife told me to just get one.’” There are ninongs and ninangs who hoard the product for their godchildren too.

In stores, designs are sold in boxes, with each box featuring one design’s different colors. Online, you can order mix and match sets. “That’s a labor of love. It’s so much more work. It’s heavy on the coordination. But we spice up the site with little things like that—we offered free shipping this month, we gave away gift tags for Christmas,” said Rianna.

Proud Mama receives orders from as far as Hong Kong, Brunei, Malaysia and even Germany. They also have resellers in Jakarta and Central Java in Indonesia and Singapore.

“One photo studio said so many babies go there to have photos taken while wearing our socks. Even my pediatrician tells me that so many babies come to the clinic wearing our socks,” Rianna said.

Just like every successful product, Funky Feet already has copycats out in the market. But Rianna and Sheryll aren’t worried. “Open a pack and you can really tell the difference. We have people coming to tell us they’re manipis or they’re hot or they’re itchy. When you’re talking about baby skin, you really need good, soft material.”

Babylegs and nursing bibs

Rianna and Sheryll also designed the Proud Mama Nursing Bib. “It’s 100-percent cotton. We wanted it very very soft. We want it big enough so you wont be worried that it will fly. It’s reversible too,” Sheryll said.

“And the material is airy,” Rianna said. “There’s a plastic boning that allows you to maintain eye contact with your baby because breastfeeding is a bonding moment. This is something we really feel strongly about. We both breastfed—it was a big thing in our lives. It’s tough at the start but it’s really rewarding in the long run. It’s good for the children. My kids have never been sick. They’re bright and ‘listo.’ I’ve been a working breastfeeding mom. Pumping in the office, it’s hard. We feel like giving whatever support we can to a mom who’s working that hard to do it. We just want to try to make it easier for them because we’ve been there and we think they should carry on.”

Another product carried by Proud Mama is Babylegs Leg and Arm Warmers which were developed by a mom in the United States. Rianna said, “As a mom, you try to be as prepared as you can but if you live in the Philippines, how often will you carry a jacket in your bag? But if I’m in the mall and biglang ang lamig, I can just put that on my kids’ legs or arms and it takes up only a small space in the diaper bag.”

Argyle, stripes and animal prints

Rianna and Sheryll have only been selling Babylegs for a little over a month now but the response has also been overwhelming. “It opened up our market. Funky Feet can only be worn by babies from zero to 12 months but Babylegs can be worn by kids in kindergarten, in grade school, even adults wear them. They’re fun. You can wear them on your legs, push them down, wear them on your arms.” Babylegs comes in a number of designs—from argyle and stripes to skulls and animal prints.

Rianna and Sheryll, who met while working in the same office in 2000 and who quit their corporate jobs to become full-time moms, run their business from their homes. “Sometimes I run into people I used to work with and they would say, “Uy, lady of leisure.” But it’s not true, not when you have two toddlers and your own little business. We have never taken a day off since day one,” Rianna said. “It’s different when you own something and you’re pouring your heart and soul into it. It’s 24/7.”

Both moms believe they also have their husbands to thank for the success of their business.

Even their little girls help sometimes. “I think it’s good for the girls. They grow up seeing their moms do something. Sometimes they even help. I’ll say, ‘Get me blue.’ Or they help count. It makes work much less efficient because you can do it faster on your own but that’s why you’re home, you’re there to spend time with them. We’re hoping they’ll grow up with an entrepreneurial spirit,” said Rianna.

Funky Feet is available in Rustans, Hobbes in Rockwell, Greenbelt 5, Bonifacio High Street, Greenhills Promenade, Procreation in Shangri-La, Crossings Department Store and Babyland branches. Visit http://proudmamastore.multiply.com.