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The Brand Behind Prince George's Bathrobe Had a Pretty Solid Business Strategy

Photo: The White House/Getty Images

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The baby bathrobe seen (and purchased) round the world didn't just end up on the heir to the British crown by accident. In fact, that was kind of the end goal all along.

In an interview with CNBC's Make It, the founders of personalized baby clothing brand My 1st Years Daniel Price and Jonny Sitton reveal how they went from a "shoestring budget" to receiving so many orders that the robe sold out within seven minutes, finally crashing the site. (For those wondering: yes, you can still purchase one here, but you'll have to wait two-to-three weeks.)

After launching the business just out of school, the partners didn't have a hefty marketing budget. Instead, their strategy was to gift personalized baby gifts to famous British parents and hope to harness the power of word-of-mouth (or more likely, social media). Included among their gifts: shoes for Victoria and David Beckham's daughter Harper, a hamper personalized with "Zachary how wonderful life is when you're in the world" for Elton John, and a blanket for British prime minister David Cameron's son. No word on whether Prince George's was indeed a gift.

Word comes just days after a report surfaced that suggested Kate Middleton dressed her children so as not to cause the same shopping frenzy that surrounds nearly everything she wears, known as "the Kate Middleton effect." A baby bathrobe that cute, however, can't be stopped from selling out.

Completely irrelevant sidebar: These are the faces of My 1st Years founders Daniel Price and Jonny Sitton:

I meeeeean?!?!?!