Lovingly handmade from my home based studio in Cairns, Australia since 2014

Meet the Maker


Hi and welcome to my online store.
I create fabric shoes for babies and toddlers. 

My name is Danielle, proud mama to Violet and Ezekiel and partner to my supportive other half Martin.

I've always dabbled in sewing since I was a young girl and many other arts/crafts but it wasn't until my son Zeek was born at the end of 2013 that I found the time to start creating on a more permanent basis.
With a retail background as a store manager I had become accustomed to a very hectic work life. Being a stay at home mum wasn't enough for me (clearly I'm mad). I just didn't know what to do with my spare time and felt so darn lonely all the time that I needed something to fill that loneliness.

For a bit of fun I made my son's first pair of shoes when he was a few months old. The response from friends and family was amazing even complete strangers. It was then (back in February 2013) that I decided to steal my mums sewing machine and dedicate all of my spare time to making baby shoes and creating my business Bandits and Bambinas. 

It hasn't been an easy ride and with the birth of my daughter Violet mid 2015 it definitely got harder. I've wanted to throw the towel in so many times but here I am ready to put everything I've got into making this a profitable business so that I can continue to be a work at home mum (or WAHM as some of us say) while helping to support my family.

Shout out to my amazing big brother for basically coming up with the brand name, my parents/family for passing down the creative genes and being super supportive of me. Oh and I cant forget my other half who put up with fabric everywhere and me taking over the dining table for the first 2 years of business.

I wont turn this into a big speech (too late) but I wouldn't be where I am today without all the likes and support from my Facebook, Instagram, fellow businesses and local market community. You wonderful people are what keep me going when it all gets a bit much or I'm terribly sleep deprived because I’ve stayed up half the night sewing.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by and support my small business. 

Danielle x