A pushchair is the first thing a child owns that strangers notice. It waits outside cafés, it turns up in the background of every photograph from the first year, and in many families it is passed on to a cousin with a story attached. Bugaboo has now invited Stella McCartney to reinterpret some of its best known silhouettes, and the result is a limited edition that treats the pushchair less as equipment and more as an heirloom in waiting.
Three pushchairs, one colour
The capsule covers three models: the all-terrain Bugaboo Fox 5 Renew, the compact city pushchair Bugaboo Dragonfly Plus and the ultra-compact travel pushchair Bugaboo Butterfly 2. All three come in a single colourway, Tobacco Brown, finished with Saddle Brown accents in vegan leather alternatives. A tote bag, a footmuff and mittens in the same shade complete the set, so the whole outfit matches from the handlebar to the hands that push it.
The Falabella, translated
The design starts from Stella McCartney’s best known bag, the Falabella, which is named after her childhood pony and, in Bugaboo’s description, has become a symbol of cruelty-free luxury. Its signature diamond-cut chain, inspired by a horse bit, is woven into the sun canopy. Vintage gold medallions and monogram fabrics are paired with Stella McCartney branding on the wheels, the harness and the frame. It is a quiet way of carrying a fashion reference: nothing flashes, but anyone who knows the bag will recognise the chain at twenty paces.
What the materials are made of
For families who weigh what a thing is made of as carefully as how it looks, this is the more interesting part. The fabrics are recycled polyester made from plastic bottles, coloured with a water-free dyeing technology that, according to Bugaboo, gives lasting colour with fewer chemicals, no water waste and less energy. The hardware blends bio-based materials with recycled aluminium. Bugaboo puts a number on the special edition for each model: a further 5 per cent less CO2 for the Fox 5 Renew, 11 per cent for the Dragonfly Plus and 15 per cent for the Butterfly 2, each measured against its core range.
Still a pushchair first
The engineering underneath is the familiar one. The Fox 5 Renew folds with one hand into a self-standing package with the seat or the bassinet attached, takes children up to 22 kilograms in the seat and has been tested on 7,000 kilometres of rough terrain; its modular design allows repairs and refurbishment. The Dragonfly Plus folds in one piece without removing the seat or the carrycot and carries 10 kilograms in its basket. The Butterfly 2 folds in a second, fits in the overhead compartment of an aircraft and reclines fully flat, so it can be used from birth.
Is a designer pushchair spoiling the child?
The baby will not notice the medallions. The parents will, and so will whoever inherits the pushchair later. The useful question is not whether a pram should carry a famous name but whether it will last long enough to be passed on. A limited edition built from durable, repairable parts, in a colour that does not date, has a better chance than most. Bugaboo itself notes that its limited editions are usually gone for good once they have sold out, which keeps the decision short.
For grandparents and godparents looking for a newborn present with substance, the tote bag or the footmuff is the more modest way into the collection. The Gift Finder has further ideas by occasion and budget.
