I’m going to keep going with the button theme.  Lately, I have been seeing blue buttons pop up everywhere I look.  Turns out that they represent clothing and shoes made using a people- and environment-friendly manufacturing process.

The blue buttons originated in 2006, when Dutch-founded sustainable fashion organization MADE-BY decided to create a symbol that consumers could use to easily tell if a fashion brand is making efforts to use organic cotton and work with sewing factories that have a social code of conduct.

MADE-BY isn’t a clothing company itself, but they work with clothing companies to improve production and then let the public know about it.

Kids Clothing Brands that partner with MADE-BY

Earlier, when I said I’ve started seeing the button everywhere, I meant on kids’

Photo courtesy of MADE-BY.nl

clothing websites.  Though MADE-BY works with brands that cross the age spectrum, kids clothes are what I’ve been paying attention to.  Right now, most of MADE-BY’s partners are based in Europe, but of the clothing, shoe, and accessory brands that offer children’s products, there is also one brand from Australia.

• Edun
• Imps&Elfs
• Inti Knitware
• Kidscase
• Kik-Kid
• LE BIG
• Little Feet
• Mim-Pi
• Moodstreet
• Purebaby
• Snoozebaby
• Suite 69

How does it work?

MADE-BY’s goal is to encourage clothing companies to produce things in a sustainable way.  To do this, they advise fashion brands on how to clean up their production process so that they use working conditions and practices that are good for the people that actually make the products, as well as for the environment.

Because making something involves many steps, each of which has its own people, materials and practices, MADE-BY also tries to create production chains – networks of suppliers, producers, etc. – that work together to make things from start to finish.  They also support these groups with social or organic certification.

As a consumer, it’s often hard to tell if something is truly made in a sustainable way.   This is where MADE-BY’s button and website come in.  You can then see which brands are working towards sustainable production standards – clothes with a button on them – and how well they are doing.

For this latter part, MADE-BY publishes scorecards to let you know what exactly a brand is doing to be/become sustainable and how it rates in terms of social certification, organic cotton usage, and other raw materials.  To see the scorecards, you can visit MADE-BY’s brand page, select a company and follow the link to their report.

More about MADE-BY’s sustainable production standards

MADE-BY’s website covers a lot of ground.  I found the best information on their downloads page, where they have their annual reports, scorecards by brand, and sustainability policies and standards.  Learn more at made-by.nl.

Shoes, unlike clothing, can cause long-term problems for children if they do not fit properly.  Shoes that are too short, too narrow or too big for a child’s feet can lead to discomfort, injury, and even serious foot and ankle problems.

Understanding how shoes are constructed can help you make decisions about the styles that are most appropriate for your child.

Photo courtesy of Morgan & Milo

Heel: The heel is the bottom part of the rear of the shoe.  Shoes should be fitted carefully to your child’s heel so that the heel does not slip out of the back of the shoe.  Keep in mind that trendy girls high heels can put unnecessary pressure on the front of your little girl’s feet.

Toe box: The toe box should provide enough space for growth, and should be wide enough to allow toes to wiggle.  But, there should not be so much room that your child’s foot slides around.

Curve: The curve – or instep – of a shoe is designed like the typical shape of a foot and helps distinguish the right from the left.  Look for shoes that fit as closely as possible to the shape of your child’s feet.  Some children’s shoes, particularly shoes for very young children, do not have a curve since children’s foot arches do not form until a child is 2 to 3 years old and may not completely develop until they are about 6 years old.

Insole: The insole is the bottom inside of a shoe where the cushion is.  Additional insole padding can be added if one of your child’s feet is smaller than the other, so that both shoes fit properly.

Outsole: The outsole is the bottom outside of a shoe that absorbs shock.  The outsole may be made of very light material for pre-walk shoes, but could also be made of leather, rubber, or other materials.

Vamp: The vamp is the top part of the shoe where laces, buckles, or Velcro are used to help tighten a shoe to a foot.  Which type of enclosure you choose may depend on your child’s age.

According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the material from which a shoe is made can also affect fit and comfort.  Softer materials are recommended to help decrease the amount of pressure placed on your child’s feet. Stiff materials can cause blisters.

Given that, soft, pliable shoes with plenty of room, such as sneakers, are ideal shoe for children.

Reference:  http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00143

If you haven’t noticed yet, I’ve had to make a change to the site.  Due to server problems, the SizeTracker Blog has moved from it’s old home – a complicated subdirectory of SizeTracker.com – to its new home at an address all it’s own.  The blog is now at www.sizetrackerblog.com.

With a little magic we were able to move the entire blog, create redirects so that if you click on old links littered about the web you will still make it to the new site, and updated our RSS feed so existing subscriptions are not disrupted.

Please update your bookmarks and tell your friends!

There is a beautiful jacket hanging in the closet of my work room.  I meticulously matched the fabric pattern at each of the seams – the only time I have successfully done so.  I also lined it and finished it by hand.  It represents many hours of work.  And yet, I’ve never worn it.  For almost 4 years now, it has remained in the closet missing only a button.

There is a pin in the place where I intend to place said button, but, I am stuck.  Few things cause me to leave projects unfinished; they are typically small tasks that have the potential to cause disasters, rework, and frustration.  Making button-holes tops the list.

I’ve learned that many other people – including through recent Twitter exchange with @Soph4Soph – do not like making button-holes either, and may even resort to outsourcing the task to an expert.  To be honest, it’s a pain.  And for me, particularly now that my sewing machine has also given up on button-holes, it is easy to leave the task undone.

But, don’t get me wrong here.  I have to distinguish my feelings toward making button-holes from those towards the buttons themselves.  I love buttons.  Like fabric, they represent possibility.  They can be functional or decorative.  They can turn an ordinary item into one with flair.  They can add interest to an almost-hidden or often-ignored aspect of an item.  They can be understated or flamboyant.  In short, they can be anything you want them to be.

Storm's Button Box

A year ago, I went to San Francisco and visited Britex Fabrics near Union Square.  While my mom waited patiently for me, I spent the better part of an hour just scouring the button trays.  I couldn’t help but walk away with a pile of buttons for which I had no plan.  They just appealed to me, so I bought them.  It’s the same motivation that’s led to my accumulating 7 bins of fabric that I will make something out of “one day.”

ABC-Button.com

Anyway, I digress.  This morning, I ran across ABC Button company from Germany by way of Steve Hoefer’s blog “Made“, which prompted me to write this post (though it took me a long time to come back to the inspiration).  The ABC Button is a 9-holed button that allows you to sew it on to things in letter form.  It’s great for kids’ clothes, embellishment, or even for stuffed toys I would think.  Whatever the choice, it’s a button that allows freedom.

While I can’t find a place to buy the ABC Buttons, Steve sells his version on Etsy under the name Grathio.  I also stumbled across a DIY post from Design Sponge on how to make 9-hole buttons yourself.  You can always go back to ABC Button to download the button stitch patterns.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, almost 17% of children aged 6 to 11 years old are now overweight.  Yet, apparel industry researchers have found that children who need extended clothing sizes often have limited options and styles available to them.  Parents are often forced to buy junior or adult-sized clothing that may not be age appropriate, that fits but isn’t fashionable or flattering, or that doesn’t fit well because it is just a larger cut of a regular size (rather than cut to match larger children’s unique proportions).

According to a 2006 National Textile Center Annual Report article on Apparel Product Development for Plus-sized Tween and Teen Boys:

“Lack of conformity singles them out and is damaging to self-concept. Health care professionals welcome having a greater selection of apparel for larger children.”

So what’s a parent to do in order to find truly appropriate fit and fashion for their child?

Meeting the Need

Since 2006, several companies have tried to address the lack of plus-sized clothing options.  Recently, I profiled the Happy Panda and RealKidz brands that were started specifically to address the need for plus-sized children’s clothes.

Like these brands, other small clothing manufacturers focus on kid’s extended clothing sizes by tailoring styles and sizes to these children’s body shapes, the latest fashions, and to parents’ budget constraints.  Many of these companies, like the Daniel Jacob Collection which designs boys’ husky size clothes and JeenyBeans which offers girls and teens plus size clothing, choose to sell their products online, directly to parents, in order to also provide their customers with sensitivity and expertise.

Where to Shop

In addition to small, emerging companies like the ones mentioned above, many parents shop at major retailers that have long offered husky and plus sized kids clothing, like Sears, JC Penney, and Walmart.com.

But, there are other options, as well. SizeTracker is introducing a Quick Fit Finder tool that was designed to help you find clothing brands that offer sizes suited to your little girl’s or boy’s unique body shape.  You can also calculate the correct size for your child and shop for some of these products directly from the SizeTracker web site.  See more children’s plus and husky clothing companies here.

I’d love to hear from parents out there:

If you have a plus-sized child what are the biggest challenges you face when shopping for your child? Can you recommend any stores or brands that cater to plus sized children?

Resources

• Childhood Overweight and Obesity, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Plus-size children apparel’s forgotten customer
• Apparel Product Development for Plus-sized Tween and Teen Boys, NTC Project: SO6-AC03, National Textile Center Annual Report: November 2006