left: Owner Katerina Azarova with her children, Milana and Maksim; right: Katerina Azarova
Photographs: Andrey Nik
They’re only young once” and “don’t blink, they grow up so fast,” are words almost every parent will hear. Katerina Azarova, founder of Petite Maison Kids, believes in cherishing kids’ moments big and small, dressing them in outfits as special as they are.
“The art of children’s fashion isn’t celebrated enough,” says Katerina, surrounded by the most adorable yet elegant dresses in her Greenwich Avenue store, all pieces she designed and had made to her exact specifications. Each dress, garment and accessory in the shop is crafted using beautiful fabrics (velvets, satins, organza, cashmere and more) and finished with unique details such as handstitched embroidery, gold buttons, ostrich feathers, layers of ruffles. These are dresses fit for a princess and, in fact, royals and celebrities are among her clients; thanks to Instagram, she has a large following and ships pieces around the globe.
Katerina first started Petite Maison when she was pregnant with her daughter, who’s now five. She realized she couldn’t find the styles she was seeking, the kind of high-quality children’s clothing that can be passed down to the next generation—the opposite of fast fashion.
Having moved to New York from Ukraine at age nine, Katerina was still drawn to European style and initially bought her baby clothing abroad. Then she decided to embark on a creative endeavor and design her own children’s line. During Covid, her company’s business boomed online. Not only was she shipping orders around the world, but she also started selling to Bloomingdale’s and Neiman Marcus.
Last year she opened her flagship store in Greenwich where customers can enjoy a very personal shopping experience along with children’s book signings and other special events. Katerina and her team work with parents and their kids to find the perfect special-occasion wear for weddings, holidays, birthday, baptisms as well as great pieces for every day, matching siblings outfits, cozy knitwear and shoes. There are plenty of styles for boys, too, as well as Mommy-and-me items.
Describing her collections, Katerina says, “Everything has to be a work of art.”
71 Greenwich Avenue; petitemaisonkids.com
