Kidswear and sustainability: A perfect Match!
NICKIS deeply cares for children, which naturally includes their future. This is what parents can do for them when shopping for kidswear and how we as retailers can help.
Why do we have to talk about sustainability?
Not because it's so trendy right now, but rather because the term causes confusion for many parents. What does it actually mean to produce and shop sustainably? We wish there were simple answers, but in no industry is sustainability a more complex issue than in fashion. No label is able to avoid the topic anymore, which is largely thanks to the customers that are demanding information. Unfortunately, the more the market for eco-fashion grows, the more confusing the often contradicting mix of sustainability messages becomes. Plastic? We don't really want that. But we also don't want live-plucked down in a children's jacket. Are fair working conditions enough to call a product sustainable - or should that not be the norm by now? Is organic cotton already enough to be labelled as conscious consumption - or are there alternative materials that use less water (yes, there are)? And then, of course, there are the complexities: families who eat vegan often want to dress vegan as well. Animal Cruelty Free Fashion is however not necessarily environmentally friendly. Vegan leather is nothing more than plastic after all.
How does sustainable shopping work?
One thing is clear: no one - neither a consumer nor a retailer - can do everything right, but a lot can be done right. For parents, shopping sustainably means finding out what is most important to them when it comes to the planet and the future of their children. For NICKIS, focusing on the aspects that matter to most parents. That's why our team of stylists increasingly focuses on labels that ensure greater sustainability in the textile industry.
Why is quality more important than ever?
We have sustainability in our DNA. Simply, because we love quality. The most sustainable pieces of fashion are those that are worn for the longest time, which to us means going against the fast-fashion attitude that children's fashion doesn't have to last long because kids grow out of it so quickly anyway. We love everything we sell at NICKIS, not only for style reasons, but also because it's high quality and durable. We are happy that due to parents all over the world wanting to leave a healthy planet for their children, the vintage trend is catching on not only in adult fashion, but also in kidswear. Those who have three kids have their own little secondary market anyway - the others create it for themselves by passing on that down jacket to their friend's children, relatives and neighbors. Everything we sell at NICKIS is meant to last not just one, but as many happy childhoods as possible.
And what else does NICKIS do in terms of sustainability?
Of course, durability alone is not enough to save the planet. Sustainability in children's fashion must go much further than that. It’s not just about the well-being of our children (pesticides in cotton are obviously a no-go), but also about their future (keyword: resource conservation). NICKIS therefore focuses on our brand’s efforts in four areas that have the greatest environmental and social impact: sustainable materials, resource conservation, recycling and fair workplaces. Here is a brief overview:
Sustainable Materials
There are several characteristics that make materials sustainable. They are either made from organic raw materials (e.g. GOTS-certified organic cotton) or are produced without chemicals e.g. leather treated with chromium-free tanning). We also mark those materials whose production uses little water as sustainable - for example, lyocell, a thread made from cellulose (wood fiber). Unlike the related viscose, fewer chemicals are used during production. Viscose is not problematic however if the chemicals needed for production remain in a closed cycle, which is what various producers in Europe specialize in. The origin of the wood fiber is also crucial - Stella McCartney, for example, only uses viscose with fibers from sustainably managed forests.
Resource Conservation
Resource conservation means keeping the ecological footprint of a manufacturing process as small as possible. We like to see as few emissions as possible, as little water pollution from chemicals as possible, and as little water consumption as possible in the cultivation of the plants needed as well as in manufacturing. Good examples of this are the viscose manufacturers Lenzing and Ecovero, with whom many of our labels work.
Recycling
Recycling raw materials that have already been used helps conserve resources. Recycled polyester, for example, reduces it’s environmental footprint by 75 percent and uses 90 percent less water than First-Life polyester. However, it's important to know that most plastics are not infinitely recyclable: most water bottles, for example, cannot be turned back into a bottle, but into granules that can be used to make thread. As a consumer, paying attention to whether a new garment is recyclable (made of a material that can be "disassembled" back into its individual components) is still better than buying a garment made of various fiber components that can no longer be disassembled (e.g. cotton stretch). A garment made from material that has already been recycled is better than one made from material that has been specially produced for this purpose.
Fair Workplaces
air working conditions are a given for us: humane working hours and conditions and fair payment that allows people to make a living. Since this is unfortunately still not a given in the textile industry, major labels are now voluntarily committing to so-called audits. A good example of this is the B Corp certificate. For this certificate 300 questions about the working conditions under which their products are made - including those of subcontractors - are answered and checked.
Do you have any further questions about sustainability? The NICKIS Customer Service Team is looking forward to your call or email:
Tel.: +49 8022 26969
E-Mail: info@nickis.com