On the occasion of Metal Kids' 14th birthday, we sat down with founder Tobias Weidhase to venture a look not only into the past but also into the company's exciting future.
14 years of Metal Kids - more than just a reason to celebrate
Metal Kids: Congratulations on 14 years of Metal Kids! Are you now out of your infancy and slowly entering puberty?
Tobias Weidhase: Yes, the company has grown constantly and naturally over the last few years. Over time, you get smarter and also learn from your initial mistakes. But unlike many children who still have to find their way during puberty, we already know ours pretty well and have a clear plan for the future. Our growth is not yet complete and the course is set so that we can grow even bigger in the future.
Metal Kids: Why did you decide to merge metal music with children's music?
Tobias Weidhase: My wife had bought our son a Motörhead shirt back then. But when he outgrew it, I couldn't find a new one. But I didn't want to give up the feeling of pride and joy I always felt when my little one arrived at the in-laws' or at the toddlers' group with a metal shirt and caused mixed reactions there, so I looked for an alternative. But I couldn't find any supplies anywhere and since then I had the idea of Metal Kids in the back of my mind.
Metal Kids - How it all began
Metal Kids: And how did it all begin? Give us a brief outline of the early days.
Tobias Weidhase: The beginning was difficult, as it often is. The foundation was completely new territory for me. There was also no way to compare ourselves to other companies, because Metal Kids is still the only company in this field. So we couldn't compare ourselves with anyone else and had no idea whether the idea would work and be successful. That's why the beginning involved a lot of improvisation. The first warehouse was my second son's nursery at the time, when he was still too small to use it.
The first Wacken Festival as a trader was also a special experience. I was alone on site and late in setting up my stand, so the first buyers came already while I hadn't unpacked everything yet. Since I was alone, I couldn't take a break or experience much of the festival. But there I realised for the first time that there was a big demand for metal shirts for children and that it was worth sticking to my idea despite the great effort and risk.
In the meantime, we have become much more professional at the festivals. The early days were exhausting and difficult, but it's not something I would miss now. In retrospect, it's often easier to look back on the time and you appreciate that you've learned from mistakes.
Metal Kids: How important was the metal community in the early days?
Tobias Weidhase: The metal community is very important for us. Especially in the beginning, we had a lot of conversations with friends and customers to find out what was in demand. For example, in the beginning we didn't dare to print black baby shirts, but when there were more requests for black baby clothes, we dared to do it and now almost 80% of our products are black. It's important not to lose touch with the target group. We are all "metal heads" and know the scene well. You notice that when you talk to customers at festivals. The lowest common denominator is always the love of metal music and that connects us.
Besides the feedback for product development and product range design, word-of-mouth propaganda within the scene was also very important for us. Especially in the early days, to build our reputation within the scene, we benefited a lot from it. The metal community is big, but still quite easy to sketch, and it helped us a lot that many satisfied customers recommended us to their friends.
Strengthened by the pandemic
Metal Kids: The festival season is cancelled again this year. Has it meant that you have to set up yourselves differently now?
Tobias Weidhase: It's very bitter that it's cancelled. At least with the second cancellation in 2021, almost no one had expected it. Besides the financial losses, it's especially annoying for us as fans, because the festival season was always a highlight. Of course, we also miss the colleagues and friends we met at the festivals in the past years.
But we have used the time now very well to further elaborate our products and processes, so that we are well prepared for the rest of the year. We have broadened our range to include cool children's and baby merchandise outside the Metal cosmos. So, in addition to many rock and punk bands, you can now also find cool biker and entertainment motifs in the shop. For the latter, we now have a wide range of products in our Kids Fan Shop offshoot, from Batman articles and Harry Potter to the Simpsons and zombie motifs.
Metal Kids: And what will happen now?
Tobias Weidhase: We continue to work diligently on world domination for cool clothing and accessories for kids, so that we can also cover other thematic areas such as bikers, sports and entertainment in the future. We are looking forward to seeing our Metal Kids and Kids-Fanshop baby grow in the future and hope to see you at many festivals next year to celebrate our birthday.
