Our Story

It all began with baby steps

Michael and Uli Belenky founded Zutano when their first daughter Sophia was born in 1989. Michael, a professional photographer, and Uli, a designer and art director, recognized a gaping hole in the children’s fashion market and handcrafted a small batch of unique, colorful baby clothes from their New York City brownstone. The clothes were an immediate favorite in the city’s boutiques and before long Zutano blossomed into one of the top baby brands in the US. When their second daughter Ella was born, the Belenky’s packed up Zutano and headed north to a hilltop farmhouse in Cabot, Vermont.

They used their new home in the countryside as inspiration for the evolution of the Zutano brand, while holding onto their root values of practicality, whimsical fun, and unique personality. The Zutano line was expanded to include accessories and they introduced their now-famous baby booties, which provided a perfect solution for parents looking for colorful, cute footwear that stayed on their baby’s feet.

Today, our headquarters are located in historic New Bedford, Massachusetts, a town that was once an epicenter of the US textile market. We still have our design office in Cabot, VT, where our design team - headed by Uli – continues to create award winning baby booties, accessories, and clothing. And we still operate in accordance with the same values we were founded on over 25 years ago.