The unmissable kid's fashion blog has just launched a magazine.

Junior Style London occupies a unique place in the children’s fashion media landscape. Founded by Romaine Coonghe, the blog fast became known for its London-based pop-up events and flash sales which gave independent brands a great platform to showcase their collections and gain visibility.

15 years later, Romaine enchants us with an exciting news: a brand-new magazine called Tangereene. Aimed at youth from 8 - 13 years old,, the magazine appeals to the younger child and incorporates sophisticated topics in kid-friendly, easily digestible ways that take into account short attention spans, competing priorities, and the packed schedules of modern kids.

We asked some questions to Romaine Coonghe about herself, her kids, the magazine and her goals.

Tell us a bit about yourself Romaine, what lead you to the kid’s fashion world?

Whilst at Uni I worked in adult fashion part time and then as a second job once graduated. Fashion is something I loved from a teenager.

When I had my first son Eugene I wanted to find a job that would work around caring for him, combine my business knowledge and love of fashion. Having a son, I found the clothing on the market was not that exciting for boys, so I started to research the kids fashion industry and at that time (over 16 years ago) there was only really the high street and designer brands. I found a few emerging designers and wanted to create a platform to help them showcase their collections to a wider audience.

Starting my own business seemed natural, especially coming from a family of entrepreneur’s so I decided to take a leap of faith and jump into the world of kids fashion and started holding fashion events where I could showcase the wonderful independent brands I had started to discover, to the general public and from there Junior Style has evolved, many times over!!

Your blog Junior Style has become unmissable in the kid’s fashion industry. Why did you choose to create a print magazine? What did you have to say?

Thank you, that is very kind to say. The magazine is not in print as yet but we hope to be by mid next year.

Tangereene being in print will reflect our ideal of parents and kids reading and discussing the topics raised in the magazine together, and them being away from their personal devices.

There will still be the digital version as being specialists in digital content marketing it is also important for us to ensure deep links are available where applicable so readers can click through and purchase clothing featured or view our episodes of ‘Guardian of the Earth’ videos which are embedded in the digital magazine, and the like. We hope the two versions will work hand in hand and will implement ways for this to achieve this.

Can you describe TANGEREENE in three words?

Inspiring, Inclusive and Refreshing!

We love the Poetry Corner section of the magazine where young poets encourage and inspire us to put pen to paper. What is your feeling about writing?

I used to love creative writing as a teenager. It is a great way of expressing thoughts, feelings and can be empowering, bringing with it emotional benefit.

My eldest son Eugene has found writing really beneficial for dealing with being bullied and as an outcome of this he loves writing songs, raps and poetry. I can see how writing has helped my son deal with his anxieties, so I would therefore like to encourage youngsters to get writing and using this as a way to not only to express their creativity but also as a tool for dealing with their emotions.

The only writing I do now is my to do list every morning! And at the end of the day I note the great things that have happened during the course of the day so I can see all the positives of the day.

What are your goals with this new magazine?

Due to the overwhelming response to the first issue both from children and parents, the plan is to produce Tangereene Magazine bi-monthly and to be in print by mid 2019.
However, the ultimate goal is to inspire kids to be the best version of themselves in their families and communities.

Value or lesson you most want to instill in your kids?

You can't change the world, but you can be the change.

Your style as a kid?

I was born in ’72 so I remember roll neck tops and flares. Growing up with two sisters and a mother that liked dressmaking meant all three siblings would often be dressed similar, ie the same fabric just three slightly different styles of dresses. I actually didn’t mind this as I loved that my mother wanted to create unique clothing for her daughters and I valued the time she put into the making of them and later encouraging us to make our own clothes. As the 80’s hit it was all about the shell suit and puffball skirts!

What advice would you give to your younger self?

To be comfortable in my own skin and be the best you can be.

Do you have a mantra?

I practise Nichiren Buddhism. Part of the practice is a prayer which is called Gongyo and then we carry out Diamoku where we chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. So this is my mantra so to speak.
It was important to me that Tangereene had part of this philosophy running through its veins as to me this Buddhism is the philosophy of life! The first issue has reflected elements of this in all of the features.

For the début issue, the theme is Free Spirit, an exploration of how kids follow their heart, heed their intuition, set their goals, and achieve them, even in the face of adversity or doubt.

If you would like to know about opportunities within the magazine or Junior Style, you can contact tangereene@juniorstyle.net

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