MAY 4. 2022 | BY TONI LOUISE CAMPBELL
LET’S TALK SUSTAINABLE CLOTHING BRANDS FOR CHILDREN!
Sustainable clothes: The world right now needs us to be much more mindful and conscious of our consumer decisions. For me, sustainability refers to an environmental and ethical standard and a few Danish clothing brands have been on top of creating sustainable fashion. Essentially, sustainability means acknowledging that the world’s resources are finite. However sustainability means more than ‘saving the planet’, it also suggests human life can flourish too but only if we strike a balance, also in Danish clothing.
SO WHAT DO SUSTAINABLE DANISH CHILDREN CLOTHES LOOK LIKE?
Sustainable Scandinavian baby clothes are clothes that are made without harming the environment and AlbaofDenmark is one of the few sustainable clothing brands that made sustainable clothes from the very beginning. Furthermore, the resources used, such as cotton, linen, hemp, silk and wool are all sustainable clothes organic resources as opposed to synthetic products like nylon and polyester which rely on finite resources such as petroleum for their production.
As a sustainable Danish Children clothing brand, Alba of Denmark (also known as Albababy) is committed to making the world a better place for children in every aspect they can. Making children clothes from high quality materials (and production facilities with proper conditions for their employees) as well as producing from organic fabrics, most being Oeko-Tex certified. Fair trade, ethical, eco-friendly and even up-cycled- Alba of Denmark tick all the boxes in sustainable baby and children clothes.
SO HOW CAN YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN SUSTAINABLE CLOTHING?
Here’s a few simple, easy and helpful ways to shop with a more mindful and sustainable approach;
- Size up 1-2 sizes
SUSTAINABLE SCANDINAVIAN BABY CLOTHES
One of the easiest things that you can do to help your child’s clothes have a longer and happier life is to have them worn as much as possible!
One easy way to do this is by sizing up 1-2 sizes, depending on your child. I personally size up 2 sizes for the girls and it has worked beautifully. This year we’ve only had to purchase 2 pairs of pants and 2 extra sweatshirts for the chilly weather. By sizing up, I saved a significant amount of money too.
While my girls currently fit in a size 4T, I only shop for 6T. I do the simple roll-up method, and it works like a charm. From day one Majken has designed her collections to last a long time by making sustainable clothes, incorporating long ribs in the end of the legs and sleeves that fold up, so the child can grow into the clothes over time; the extra buttons also allow for further adjustments too. That is the Danish children clothes spirit! That is the true Sustainable Scandinavian Baby Clothes spirit.
- Pass it on and shop pre-loved aka sustainable clothing
One of the most sustainable clothing mantras and eco-friendly things that you can do as a consumer of children’s fashion is to shop second-hand to help the clothes reach the end of their life cycles, specially when speaking about organic clothes. A goal in our household is to use and wear these materials as many times as possible before recycling or upcycling. We are talking about sustainability here and let’s be really honest, nothing is more sustainable than what has already been made.
SUSTAINABLE ORGANIC CLOTHES
Within a noticeably short time, Alba of Denmark (or Albababy as it was known before) saw an increase in Social Media groups inviting them into a world of reusability, inside and outside the Scandinavian baby clothes sphere. Here we still see some of Majken’s first homemade creations being sold again and again. and contributing to sustainable clothing. This is actually one of the things that really makes Majken the most happy -seeing clothes being used for, and passed on to 4 and 5 children.
- Sustainable clothing brands tip nr. 3: Learn to mend, repair, up-cycle and re-design Scandinavian baby clothes.
One of the best ways to help to reduce waste in your very own home is to learn just a few simple tricks of the trade and to make your baby or children clothes more sustainable, as well as boying sustainable clothing brands. This can be as simple as learning how to sew, hem, patch, and upcycle old clothes.
ALBAOFDENMARK: SUSTAINABLE ORGANIC BASICS
Majken still loves to spend hours behind her sewing machine in her spare time and design her beautiful Danish children clothes: it can be a flower power shirt or a strawberry pair of pants. When they see that they have some “slow movers” from old seasons, Majken brings them back to life again, by redesigning them for the next collection. Again: sustainable kids clothing in the core. Long leg pants become shorts for the summer, long sleeve T-shirts become short sleeves, dresses might turn into skirts etc. With a creative mind, the inspirations for new ideas are never ending. Are you ready to become a Danish children clothes sustainable fashion guru?
Upcycling is one of Alba’s new focuses. The newest thing they would LOVE to implement in their upcoming collections is up-cycling cotton. With this in mind, they aim to collect old clothes and turn them into our lovely scandi kids’ collections.
DANISH CHILDREN CLOTHES
Each year, Alba launches two collections, which are thoughtfully designed and planned out to the last detail by creator Majken, a Danish fashion designer. The fabric used for the collections is specifically made for and solely used by Albaofdenmark or Albababy, making their fabrics unique and special. Therefore, it is of importance for them to use every last of the thread, as some fabric is always left over after the collection production has been completed. Majken makes sure to never waste any fabrics let alone burn or throw them away. This is how the special lady collections came alive – turning left over material into dresses, skirts and T-shirts in limited amounts.
- Scandinavian baby clothes guide: hop for the essentials
Essentials include t-shirts, long sleeves, sweaters, zip-ups, leggings, dungarees as well as any imperative weather gear for where you are living. Shopping for essentials with Alba, means mot having to compromise on beautiful, colourful patterns and unique designs with a hint of retro (often flower power) paired with the elegance of modern fashion, always inspired by Scandinavian fashion.
- Wash and wear sustainable clothing brands with care
Looking after your clothes is the best way to ensure that they will last as long as possible and to become a expert in sustainable children clothing. You can also make a point of washing your clothes inside out with eco-laundry powders and detergents according to the instructions provided by the manufacturer, paying particular attention to water temperature and drying instructions. Air-dry your clothes as often as possible, as tumble-drying has been proven to shorten the lifespan of most fabrics. Long live to the flower power pants!
- Shop slow fashion and sustainable children clothes
The key to selecting a garment that will last is learning to distinguish good garment construction from bad, a key for our Danish children fashion brand. A badly constructed garment is indicative of the kind of low-wage high-speed construction that has become synonymous with fast fashion. When choosing a garment, look for tell-tale signs like mismatching patterns at the seams, loose threads and unevenly stitched hems - these will tell you which garments to avoid if you want your clothes to last for more than a few wears.
Alba believes in slow fashion and that clothes should not run out of style. Kids should be kids, they are born curious and to play, run and climb outside in nature, which is highly promoted through their designs. Alba are passionate about making clothes that are comfortable, flexible, colourful, childish and made to play, all with the retro clothing style, the flower power pants, strawberry tights or the mason pants.
Majken often talks about how her vintage and retro designs are inspired by her childhood and how important the choice of the colours is for her Danish designer children brand. With the different seasons and everchanging fashion the colours adapt, but always remain happy and warm and in favour of the children.
Alba believes in slow fashion and that clothes should not run out of style. Kids should be kids, they are born curious and to play, run and climb outside in nature, which is highly promoted through their designs.
One brand alone may not be able to change the tide of fast fashion and to make every brand become sustainable children clothing brand, but by spreading awareness and implementing innovative solutions, we can normalise the idea that clothes are made to be worn over the course of multiple seasons and then passed on to multiple wearers, not simply thrown out after each season- in other words, we need to prioritise longevity. Alba of Denmark (also knows as Albababy) is committed to tackling sustainability in fashion, which is at the heart of their ethos. Alba has a variety to offer, so it never gets boring! Handmade - high quality products for those who desire even more uniqueness. One Of A Kind - handpicked sets that stand for sustainability, style and are a No Waste concept, focusing on producing clothes, that will be loved by more than one child in its lifetime, promoting the Reuse, Repurpose and Upcycle movement. For more information about their mission or to browse their collection of beautifully made children’s clothing, please visit https://albaofdenmark.dk/pages/alba-commitment
Unicorns are real and dreams do come true
Dancing on rainbows of red, yellow, pink, green, purple, orange and blue
Majestic, valiant, graceful with hearts of pure gold
Powerful, glorious, enchanting a mystery to behold
In sacred forests, flower fields and in the heavens afar
Sprinkling magic, love, light, hope, happiness and abundant laughter
Playful, innocent, wild and free
Untamed and spirited reminding us of what we can be
On playgrounds where anything can happen and pirate ships sail in sand
Where rockets reach for the moon, there’s nothing at all too grand
Unicorns are real if only you have eyes to see
Anything is possible for you and for me
Written by Toni Louise Campbell
Hello I am Toni. Mama to 10 year old Stormy and 4 year old twins Lettie and Flossie. I love kids! So much so that I choose to hang out with them every day at school- I am a primary school teacher by profession in case you didn’t guess. I also run my own ballet school. Ballet is in my bones and dancing and passing on my love for it to my students makes me feel truly alive. Children are our future and I feel honoured and privileged to play a small role in shaping their futures.
I find joy in the little things in life such as sitting alone in the bathroom with the door locked eating Nutella, spontaneously bursting into a choreographed song and dance number, a hot cup of coffee, laughing until I cry, silence- that’s a real rarity these days, watching the sun paint the sky of a late afternoon, wandering among the wildflowers, following rainbows and chasing thunderstorms.
I want to live in a world where kindness, peace, grace, generosity and love falls from the sky like rain, a world where laundry washes, hangs and folds itself and parents get to wear the superhero costumes they’ve already earned!
Big love
Toni xx
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