Recycled Kid's Clothes — New Styles from Old Threads

Did you know there is an estimated 5-6 billion pounds of pre-consumer cotton remnants being thrown into our landfills every year? Fortunately, as a nation, we are becoming more and more environmentally aware. Today we recycle our bottles and cans, plastic containers and cardboard — but isn’t there more we can do? Is it possible to recycle or re-use fashion? Yes there is, and yes you can! Here are some children’s wear companies that are making this change for the better, through passion and innovation.

“So”, you may ask, “how do things like making a t-shirt have anything to do with waste and how can we manufacture differently?” Eliminating the waste from manufacturers’ cutting tables is one way methods can change to help the environment. By simply keeping the remnants from cuts, new fabrications can be created. This eliminates the waste from the cut and reduces the fuel from shipping in new fabrics, usually from overseas. Many companies are being more responsible by manufacturing domestically, utilizing natural coloring methods and purchasing organic materials.

Stephen Joseph’s Kid Tees — Recycled and Re-Invented

The gift company Stephen Joseph is helping to reduce its carbon footprint through the production of its Kid Tees. They use a unique method of producing their own fabrics, one that combines cotton scraps with polyester, a 65/35% blend, to create “new” fabrics, keeping all of those scraps out of our landfills.

No dyes are used in the production of this fabric either – the colors come from the scraps being carefully selected and separated to get the desired color. They offer screen-printing, but they are adamant that their screen prints use lead free and phthalate free inks.

For more information, visit www.kidtee.com

Lola & James — Fashion Never Fades Away!

If you take sustainable fabrics a step further, you get Lola & James, an innovative, eco-conscious children’s clothing line created by Paula Scolaro-Sikking, a graduate of New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology.

The line features bold and creative looks such as vintage concert t-shirts, colorful designs made from recycled fabrics and materials, and customized recycled cashmere blankets. The collection caters to boys and girls, sizes 0/6 months to 10 years old.

For a complete look at the re-imagined clothing or wholesale information, check out, visit www.lolaandjames.com

Twirls & Twigs — Necessity is Key to Creativity

Shawna Dalton has also utilized her experience in the fashion industry and her love of nature to create a line of whimsical, ecologically-friendly garments. The name of her line is Twirls & Twigs and it includes clothing for infants, toddlers and children. She found necessity to be her inspiration, desiring to only dress her own children in mindful fashion. Unable to find it elsewhere, she created it herself and thus Twirls & Twigs was born. Shawna turns sustainable fibers, designer left-overs and recycled cotton into adorable, whimsical creations.

For the entire collection, visit www.twirlsandtwigs.com

Baby Bean Vintage Daywear — Everything Comes Around Again!

Baby Bean Vintage Daywear offers a collection of unique clothing for little girls ranging in sizes from 6 months to 6 years. Each collection is crafted from and inspired by vintage fabrics. Each garment is handmade and truly one-of-a-kind. Baby Bean Vintage Daywear was created in 2004 by Christine Visneau and is based in Dallas, Texas. Christine also studied Fashion Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

See what’s new again at www.babybeanwear.com

Do you have other ways to become more environmentally responsible with your collections? Let us know. Comments always are welcomed at The Giggle Guide^®.