Posts Tagged ‘kids brands’

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.

I just received the latest Earnshaw’s: Infants, Girls’ & Boys’  Wear Review magazine this week and saw that it includes the  2009 Earnie Award winners.  Congratulations to all of the winners!

According to Earnshaws.com, the Earnie Awards have been presented for more than 30 years to honor manufacturers who demonstrate excellence in children’s wear design.  The nominees are selected by children’s wear industry experts, but winners are voted upon by the retailers who see which brands and products their customers choose time and again.

Designs from this year’s winners, while respectful of shopper’s current demand for value, offer enough excitement to keep their products flying off of store shelves.

The award covers the categories shown below; the links go to the manufacturers websites so you can see what all the excitement is about:

Denim: True Religion

Licensed Property: Hello Kitty

Outerwear: Widgeon

Hosiery: Jefferies Socks

Footwear: Pediped

Hair Accessories & Jewelry: Wee Ones

Sleepwear: Skivvydoodles

Licensed Apparel: Haddad Brands

Boys’ 8 to 20 Sportswear: Wes & Willy

Boys’ Dresswear: E-Land Kids

Girls’ 7 to 16 Sportswear: Haven Girl

Swimwear: Kate Mack

Gift Item: Mud Pie

Girls’ 2T to 6X: Luna Luna Copenhagen

Boys’ 2T to 7 Sportswear: Knuckleheads

Girls’ Dresswear: Biscotti

Diaper Bag: Petunia Pickle Bottom

Girls’ Newborn/Infant: Kissy Kissy

Canadian Brand: Petit Lem

Boys’ Newborn/Infant: Zutano

To read more about this year’s winners and see sketches of some of their designs, see the Nov/Dec 2009 issue of Earnshaw’s magazine online.

This fall, just in time for back to school season, American Apparel is expanding their baby and kids’ clothing line beyond the baby rib brief, karate pant and baby one-pieces they currently offer. After employees and models requested pint-sized versions of their own attire for their kids, designers at the brand known for its ethical, US-based production practices and controversial marketing relented.

The result? 30 new pieces specifically designed for babies and kids, but which reflect the style and sensibility of the adult-sized basics that the company offers. New styles include gingham button-down shirts, suspenders, high-waist skirts and several styles of print leggings, including The Shiny Legging.

American Apparel clothing for adults is designed to fit a little snugly; their kids clothes may be cut in a similar way. Parents who prefer a more generous fit might want to purchase clothing one size larger than the size chart recommends for their child’s measurements just to be sure it will fit.

Many pieces are made from 100% cotton knit and shirting, while more-fitted pieces use cotton blends which include polyester, spandex, nylon and/or rayon. As with all American Apparel garments, the kids and babies lines are knit, cut, designed, sewn and marketed in downtown Los Angeles, CA.

Check out some of the new American Apparel pieces today!

77kids by american eagle announced the debut of its first back-to-school collection this week. What is most interesting about this debut to me, are the size and fit features that came with it. In addition to great new styles and an all-new kids’ denim line, 77kids has revamped its website to make finding the right size and fit of clothing for your child incredibly easy to do.

77kids goes above and beyond the basic size chart by offering a Size Wizard tool, a visual fit guide for kids’ denim, and international fit guidelines to help customers who use the metric system.

Of these features, the 77kids Size Wizard is my favorite. Simply type in your child’s gender, age, and 2 key measurements, and the wizard will automatically locate the size of clothing that is most likely to fit the child. Easy. The Size Wizard does have its drawbacks, though…here’s a quick assessment:

• Pros: All you need to know are your child’s height and weight. The tool recommends the larger size when your child’s measurements fall into two consecutive size ranges. The wizard allows you to enter either British or metric measurements.
• Cons: The wizard does not include other body measurements – like hip or chest – that are found on the official 77kids size chart. If your child’s height and weight measurements differ by more than one size, the wizard will not recommend a size.
• Overall: If your child’s measurements are relatively on track, this is a great tool for finding sizes quickly. If your child’s measurements are not typical, or if you want to know hip, chest, or sleeve length size guidelines, you’ll have to look at the full size chart and locate the best size yourself.

The 77kids Jeans Fit Guide is an interactive guide showing children wearing the different styles of jeans available on the site. The guide allow shoppers to zoom in on products and rotate the child to see the jeans from different perspectives. A video aspect of the guide shows the kids jumping up and down and turning in circles to show off the jeans and how they fit. If you prefer still images, the product pages now include photographic detailing typically found on higher-end, adult fashion sites. The photos give you different perspectives of the product and up close shots of stitching and styling details. If you can’t see the product in person, these tools help you visualize what your child might look like in them.

International fit guidelines are typically an afterthought for most brands. And, unfortunately, standard conversion charts aren’t very useful, because sizes vary by brand. 77kids took steps to better support international customers, though, by offering their specific size charts in cm and Kg, as well as by allowing shoppers to enter metric units into the Size Wizard.

I don’t typically rave about retail sites, but this is one that appeals to me because it helps take the guess-work out of finding children’s clothes that fit. What’s your take on these new tools?

Sources:

• http://www.ae.com/77kids/
• http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20090728005242&newsLang=en

The Pros and Cons of Subscribing

I’ve always been fascinated by subscription rental services – whether its DVDs, purses, or whatever. Like libraries, they fit with my idea of effective re-use and access to a variety of products that I plan to use for a limited amount of time. But, there are a number of reasons I haven’t actually tried one of these services – mainly because it’s sometimes easier to get them from stores in my community when I actually need them.

But, despite my bias, a lot of other people do find these services to be valuable. And a lot of these people also have children that grow out of things quickly. So, a handful of companies have recently cropped up to create subscription-based children’s clothing and toy rental services.

I first heard about the idea of clothing rental a couple of years ago, when I learned of the German company Lutte Leihen. They charge $40 or so per month to join, and parents receive as-needed shipments of 100% organic cotton clothing. Parents return clothes when their child outgrows them and then receives a shipment in the size they’ve requested.

In the U.S., there are similar organizations. New to the scene is the Wow Clothing Club, which specializes in little girls clothing from designer brands. Their subscriptions (or memberships) start at $47.99 a month – which includes return shipping – and range to $75.99 per month depending on the number of outfits you’d like to borrow each month.

Baby Plays has a similar program, but their focus is on toys for children aged 0-5 years. Different programs have different prices by quantity. Their toy selection appears to include a number of educational toys, wooden toys, and other high-quality items that are categorized by age. All toys are sanitized before being shipped to customers.

In general, the decision of whether to use one of these services boils down to how much you benefit from the “pros” and if the “cons” are acceptable.

Has anyone tried this? What has been your experience?