Costumes aren’t just for Halloween anymore. Dress-up is as much about self-expression and style as it is about playtime. For children, a costume is a first step into the world of fashion, fantasy, and identity. Over the years we've witnessed many children's magical moment of seeing their costumes for the first time, whether it be for a school play, a birthday party or simply a gift they can use everyday. The joy of that moment and the anticipation and excitement that proceeds it, alone, is a sight to see.
From Venetian masquerades to the theatrical stages of Paris, costumes have always been more than fabric; they are cultural symbols, a way to step into another world. Haute couture itself borrows from this tradition, blurring the line between clothing and character. The drama of a gown, the boldness of a silhouette, the transformation it allows; all are echoes of costume.
For children, costumes are their first introduction to this universal language of self-expression. Just as adults use fashion to signal who they are; a tailored suit for authority, a statement coat for personality... children instinctively reach for costumes to explore who they could be. A princess gown teaches grace, a pirate outfit ignites courage, a fairy set unlocks magic. Dressing up becomes a playful experiment in identity, a rehearsal for the many roles they will embody as they grow.
Baleint's story goes back decades... A brand founded by a child who once wore too many costumes, a brand founded by a child whose parents mastered the art of costume-making and built a business out of it, a brand that can the differentiate the business side of it from the emotional values. Now, as we're into our third year of this journey, our vision has grown. Our values stay the same, we always have prioritised comfort and quality, we always will.
As we first started, naively, we didn’t care about social media and simply thought our product would speak for itself. We only had one focus, to create tutus that felt like clouds and garments that never compromised on comfort. But then we quickly realised the power of social media, as the magical algorithm began showing us something extraordinary: children spending entire days in costume, children gardening in their costumes, children rushing to their wardrobes first thing in the morning to put on a costume.
That was when our mission grew into what it is today. Baleint has always stood for more than fabric and stitches. Our vision is for every piece to be worn, cherished, and passed down, becoming part of a child’s memory rather than just a costume for a single occasion. These garments are designed to live beyond a birthday party or a holiday; they are made to be played in, dreamed in, and treasured. When we create, we imagine children stepping into new worlds of possibility, where dress-up is not fleeting, but a way to build lasting stories. It's like that quote from James Matthew Barrie's Peter Pan: “Every time a child says, ‘I don’t believe in fairies,’ there’s a fairy somewhere that falls down dead.”
Everytime a costume is worn for one birthday party and forgotten, a fragment of Baleint's spirit fades.
Costumes are more than playthings. They are childhood’s couture, they shape memory and identity with every wear. A costume should not vanish after a single celebration but live on. Folded into a child’s everyday world of imagination, passed down as an heirloom of joy.
After all, every child deserves garments that carry comfort and magic and imagination, garments that unlock doors to other worlds. It truly is extraordinary what we've witnessed costumes can do for a child.