Happy Earth Day: Reasons to shop organic
Earth Day is a chance for all of us to reflect on how we can do our bit to help protect our wonderful planet. As an organic cotton baby and kids clothes retailer, we understand the impact the textile industry has on the environment. With fast fashion dominating the industry for years, we were thrilled when the slow fashion movement began making waves and – at last – becoming very on-trend, so to speak. We’ve been advocating it since we started. Take our much loved (and copied) multi-stripe print (see above). We’ve been doing our super bright stripes for over 21 years – and we reckon it’s even more popular now!
So, while we’ve all heard the terms, what exactly is slow fashion versus fast fashion? Put simply, fast fashion relates to low-cost clothing that imitates trend-setting designer’s collections. On the other hand, slow fashion companies practise ethical manufacturing – often using organic fabrics – while making sure the environment is safe for workers and the wage fair, encouraging long-term usage and shunning the idea of wear it for one season and then throw it away.
Feel the love for longer
Of course, that’s what Toby Tiger is all about, and we’re proud that our clothes are made to last. For over 21 years, we’ve been passionate and committed to slow fashion, designing vibrant timeless ranges that don’t date. Our organic clothes last much longer and wash really well – even at 30 degrees – so they can be worn again and again. Then, when your little one goes up a size, you can simply pass on to friends or down for generations. This is the sort of message we should be sending to kids. Not only that, but we also love it when we see pre-loved Toby Tiger clothes up for sale – it only goes to prove how good our clothes still look second- or even third-hand.
When buying new, our clothes are well-priced, excellent quality and we thoughtfully plan stock, so there’s next to no waste. For example, last summer’s designs sit happily with new additions, and we’ve made it that way on purpose. We think carefully when we design our clothing, adding clever details like expanding waistbands, adjustable straps and working drawstrings. This makes our fun clothes comfortable, fit better and last longer. We want kids to be kids and really don’t see the point of making things we don’t think they’ll enjoy wearing. We want them to climb trees, run on the beach, swing on swings and enjoy this magnificent planet!
At Toby Tiger, we only bring out two additional ranges a year, and you’ll see them on sale until we’ve sold out. You’ll only ever see two main sales a year. We don’t feel the need to shift stock at knockdown prices all the time to make way for the next season – that’s a fast fashion model, which is unnecessary and impacts the planet more than we realise. Shocking stats from a government report revealed that, in the UK alone, the fashion business creates 1 million tonnes of waste each year, and a bigger source of carbon emissions than aviation and shipping combined.
It’s obvious we need to change, and by supporting ethical clothing companies using slow fashion principles are one way to play a part in this.
GOTS stamp of approval
Don’t forget, Toby Tiger clothes are also GOTS-certified – the gold standard when it comes to organic clothing production. It means we can all be super sure that our lovely organic cotton suppliers and clothes makers follow the best methods for organic, social and ethical standards. Factories are checked to make sure workers have a safe and clean environment and paid a fair, living wage. The factories also need to show how much water and energy they use to make their cotton, while GOTS puts targets and practices into place to help lessen the load.