Who owns Kyte Baby? Headquarters and brand name explored as apology video backfires amid backlash over NICU baby drama

Kyte Baby has garnered immense backlash online after firing an employee who had adopted a 22-week-old premature baby. The founder of the popular baby brand, Ying Liu, took to TikTok to apologize to Marissa Hughes for refusing to let her work remotely and subsequently firing her. Despite that, the brand continues to face the internet’s wrath.

For those uninitiated, reports of Marissa Hughes, an employee of Kyte Baby being terminated after asking her employer to work from home as she had just adopted a premature baby who was in a NICU nine hours away, recently went viral.

In the wake of the controversy, Kyte Baby founder Ying Liu took to TikTok to apologize for the same. She said in her first apology video that she had the “utmost respect for the adoption community” and that her “good intentions were not communicated.” Many believed that the video appeared “scripted” as it looked as if Liu was addressing the scandal by reading a document.

She subsequently released a second video where she admitted that she was reading from a piece of paper. She went on to confess that she had personally vetoed Hughes’ work-from-home request and had also never spoken to Hughes about the matter until the day she posted the TikTok apology video.

She also told Hughes that Kyte Baby is offering her original position back along with the benefits.

---

Kyte Baby was founded by Ying Liu

Ying Liu hails from Guangzhou, China, and resides in Southlake. In an interview with DFW Child, it was revealed that Liu founded the company after her daughter suffered from chronic eczema.

To help her daughter have a good night’s rest, Liu discovered bamboo fabric which would eventually lead to the creation of Kyte Baby, which specialized in bamboo-based clothing for babies, toddlers, and adults.

Speaking about why she chose to name her brand Kyte Baby, she said in the interview:

“The name is very purposeful. It symbolizes the whimsical activity of flying a kite, which is meant to evoke a feeling of innocence, freedom and a return to nature.”

Prior to founding her own company, she earned a Ph.D. in Economics in Canada. She went on to become an interpreter and tour guide for American adoption groups in China, where she would guide couples to orphanages to adopt children.

She made use of her retail experience to create her own brand, Kyte Baby. She initially started a baby retail store in Ottawa alongside her husband, Chin Lau and the couple proceeded to become popular in the baby industry with gracing publications like Forbes and Poosh amongst others.

Ying Liu is also a mother to five children.

Even after she issued an apology for terminating Hughes’ employment, she received severe backlash across social media. A few comments under her recent TikTok videos read:

Netizens react to Ying Liu’s apology video (Image via TikTok)

Netizens react to Ying Liu’s apology video (Image via TikTok)

Netizens react to Ying Liu’s apology video (Image via TikTok)

Liu has since announced that she will be reviewing her company’s HR policy and procedures. She also offered Marissa Hughes her job back with full benefits and to work remotely. It remains unclear as to whether Hughes will return to Kyte Baby.

According to The Post, Hughes had updated her followers about her baby’s condition earlier this week by saying that her baby Judah, was transferred to a Level 4 NICU after he had suffered from a blockage in his intestines which subsequently led to holes in his lungs and heart.