Where to shop greener for your children
It’s no secret that fashion isn’t a naturally sustainable business – particularly when shopping for children, who are constantly growing. According to WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme), a whopping 350,000 tonnes of clothing ends up in UK landfill each year – and a large proportion of that is kids’ clothing and shoes. Thank goodness, then, for the innovative sustainable kidswear brands changing the game. Here we highlight some of the best, from a pre-loved marketplace founded by a former Net-a-Porter buyer to a social enterprise raising money for orphaned children around the world.
Sustainable Fashion Brands / An Eco-Friendly Swimwear Guide
Best Sustainable Kidswear Brands
Kin & Cloth
Working with the mission to create products that go beyond trends and seasons, Kin & Cloth is one of the UK kidswear brands making an effort to be more ethical. Founder Jasmine King has emphasised the importance of making sure everything is ethically made, with all of its designs handcrafted here in the UK, fabrics carefully sourced and batches of products produced in small quantities. As Kin & Cloth highlight: ‘We want children to care about the clothing they wear and understand how important every person is, who made their items.’ kinandcloth.com
Heidi Rose London
The brainchild of husband-and-wife duo Lauren and Quinten de Graaf, Heidi Rose London was born out of a desire to capture children’s milestones. At the core of the brand is a collection of reusable milestone patches: embroidered numbers, time periods, occasions and artworks that can be laid atop or magnetically fastened to other items – from capes and crowns to playmats. Available in two themes, the pink and floral ‘Bonnie’ and the pinstripe blue ‘Augustus’, the pieces were handcrafted in India using the highest quality organic cotton. heidi-rose.com
Toastie Kids
British outerwear brand Toastie was created by two best friends who spent their careers in fashion, working for brands like Burberry and Superdry. The aim was to create something which encouraged children to go outside and explore nature – so it made sense that the products respected the environment too. Its clothes are created using eco-friendly materials, such as fabrics made with recycled ocean plastics – and the company is taking measures to go carbon-neutral. All these initiatives have led Toastie Kids to be awarded the Butterfly Mark by Positive Luxury, a symbol of trust earned by brands that have adopted sustainability practices into their business strategy. toastiekids.com
FRUGI
FRUGI was ahead of the curve in the sustainable kidswear world, launching as ‘Cut4cloth’ back in 2004. Four years later, founders Lucy and Kurt changed the name to FRUGI, which means ‘fruits of the earth’ in Latin. This term sums up the eco-friendly nature of the company, which makes clothing from organic cotton. Not only is the material better for the planet, it feels super-soft and is much kinder to babies’ and young children’s skin. Outerwear, meanwhile, is made from recycled plastic bottles. Planning a seaside staycation with the kids this summer? Frugi recently added swimwear to its range, with all pieces made from recycled post-consumer plastic. There’s everything from sun safe suits to tankinis to hats, as well as swimsuits with built-in nappies, all featuring lots of vibrant prints and colours. welovefrugi.com
Kids O’clock
In a bid to revolutionise the way we see kids fashion, London-based mother and former Net-a-Porter and Harvey Nichols buyer Laura Roso Vidrequin launched Kids O’Clock, an online marketplace for pre-loved children’s clothing. She aims to dispel pre-conceptions about second-hand clothing, stocking high-end brands like Baby Dior, Ralph Lauren and Stella McCartney, offering a range of sizes from 0-10 years of age. Trust lies at the heart of this brand: parents are able to upload items to the site themselves – though Laura vets some herself – creating a community of like-minded parents and families. kidsoclock.co.uk
Newbie
Trendy Swedish sustainable kidswear brand Newbie was born in Gothenberg, but after gaining swift popularity it opened further stores in Stockholm, the UK, Sweden, Finland and Poland. The company hopes to show that you can be eco-friendly and design-conscious at the same time, selling stylish clothes for newborns and children up to eight years old. Products are made using a mix of sustainable fabrics, including organic cotton, recycled polyester and recycled polyamide – and everything is designed with longevity in mind, meaning products can be passed down through generations. Newbie’s designers are guided by a Sustainable Product Scorecard too, which includes factors like choice of material, circular fashion, processes and consumption of materials. newbiestore.com
From Babies with Love
Mother Cecilia Crossley was out shopping for clothes for her firstborn when she realised: ‘if I could buy beautiful baby products and know the profit helps babies in need, why would I buy anywhere else?’ The result is From Babies with Love, a not-for-profit where every penny goes to orphaned and abandoned children around the world. ‘We think of the children as our shareholders,’ the social enterprise says, ‘instead of our profit going as a divided to a traditional shareholder, it goes to the children, via our parent charity, the From Babies with Love Foundation.’ All products are beautiful and made with the environment in mind, arriving in packaging that can be upcycled to create a mobile for a baby’s nursery. frombabieswithlove.org
The Bright Company
Whether we’re two or 40 years old, we’re all living in cosy clothes these days – so it’s lucky there are plenty of brands offering sustainable loungewear. One of these is The Bright Company, which sells organic, ethically-made sleepwear for both adults and children. All products are made using GOTS certified organic cotton jersey fabric – which also meets the strict OEKO-TEX Standard 100, ensuring no harmful substances or dyes are used at any stage of production. thebrightcompany.uk
Kit & Kin
Former Spice Girl Emma Bunton’s brand started off as a sustainable skincare business, offering everything from hypoallergenic moisturisers to nappies made from chlorine-free fluff pulp. But recently, the company channeled its planet-friendly ethos into a baby clothing line. Everything in the range is created using 100 per cent organic cotton, which is designed to be kind to sensitive, delicate skin. Better still, Kit & Kin is involved in a number of environmental projects. The company has teamed up with World Land Trust (WLT) to raise awareness of rainforest conservation, and is also helping to fund sustainable community development projects in Guatemala. kitandkin.com
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