Little Omo is launching at Selfridges London and on Selfridges.com, introducing a collection of inclusive educational toys to this iconic department store.
Selfridges will be stocking Little Omo’s face puzzles that celebrate four beautifully illustrated characters, educational flashcards available in three sets – Alphabet, Parts of the body and Numbers, as well as fruit and vegetables wholefood puzzles.
Little Omo, created by Desriee Asomuyide is the latest thoughtful addition through the successful partnership between Selfridges and Untapped Creatives. Untapped Creatives, founded by Funmi Scott, is a platform for British, Black-owned sustainable lifestyle brands that has already seen a dozen brands from fashion to homeware and beauty launch in-store and online at Selfridges, bringing the dynamic work of African and Black-British artisans to the Selfridges customer.
Little Omo’s face puzzles will be available in four different characters with the boys named Omobamidele and Omowale while the girl puzzles are named Omodara and Omonike. Each puzzle features skin tones in different shades from light to deep dark and brown helping children from a diverse background feel represented and included.
The face puzzles offer a fun way for children to develop skills and identify parts of their face. Each puzzle is hand-made in the UK using FSC wood making them more sustainable. When purchased, contains an organic cotton drawstring pouch to protect the puzzles and to store away safely.
Little Omo believes that certain toys should be compulsory in early years, learning through play is needed as they believe children should be able to learn about different skin complexions. Little Omo is pushing for inclusivity and diversity, enabling children to say ‘this looks like my friend. The brand believes that inclusive toys should be compulsory within all educational spaces and to be included in every child’s playroom.
She discovered the UK market for learning materials and toys for children was non-existent. It was important for her two-year old son Isaiah and other children to be able to see themselves represented, but for other children to see their peers who may be from a different ethnic group. Desriee has shared her frustration about the lack of representation and diversity and is thrilled for Little Omo to be on the high street.
An independent consumer study conducted by Little Omo with over 50 participants found that 90% of users believed Little Omo helped their child in understanding diversity and inclusion, while 100% believed the brand proved to be educational. 85% of users believed the brand helped their child be aware of cultural foods while 100% wanted Little Omo to be available in schools and classrooms. In addition, 95% of users also believed that the brand made their child feel represented with various skin tones.
Founder Desriee Asomuyide comments: “I’m so happy that Little Omo is going to be stocked at Selfridges London and on Selfridges.com. It’s been a long time coming and a secret I’ve had to keep quiet for a while. I’m excited that Little Omo will be available to a wider audience. I am proud introduce my inclusive range of products for children of colour to see themselves represented when shopping. It is an amazing feeling as a mother and a business owner, to see the positive feedback I have received from people about my brand at pop-ups, but it will be so exciting to hear it from people shopping on the high-street. Little Omo’s current motto is ‘We are representing children of colour- today, tomorrow and forever’ and I continue to make every effort to do this.”
