Creating A Responsible Childrenswear Brand

From the outside, UpChoose looks like a simple baby clothing rental platform, but delve a little deeper and you'll soon see that its Founder set out to do more than offer a convenient and cost-effective way of accessing premium sustainable brands.

We spoke to UpChoose Founder and CEO, Ali El Idrissi, about his vision of an end-to-end-service which stretches far beyond organic babygrows and booties and challenges traditional consumer habits, improving well-being and making more space for key life moments.

A side hustle or creative business usually comes from a place of experience; noticing that there is a gap in the market, or something you use doesn't quite function as well as it could, or there are more suitable material options available. For this reason we have brought you essential baby and maternity items you can make yourself. It may just be the inspiration required to take your idea to the next level.

In this video, Charlie Bradley Ross takes you through the items she made for herself and soon-to-come baby. Struggling to find certain items in the shop due to the Covid-19 pandemic, or finding the queues made it unrealistic (even online), Charlie raided her fabric offcut box. The beauty of these items is that they can be made from leftovers, and yet also due to their simplicity can pave the way to exploring ethical and sustainable fabrics without much pattern cutting or sewing experience.

Children's clothing designers have a duty of care, to ensure that garments are safe for children to wear as they play, sleep and explore their environment. The EU General Product Safety Directive ensures high standards in children's clothing are being met - but what exactly do designers and manufacturers need to be aware of when creating their collections? 

With more than 25 years experience, in this Lesson Angela Donati, Softlines Technical Lead at UL, a global safety science company, shares her in-depth knowledge of safety standards for the children's clothing industry.

Long-lasting childrenswear was swiftly becoming something of an oxymoron, but thanks to brands like Little Green Radicals, it's now possible to find quality, practical and fun clothing for kids and babies. In this video, with Little Green Radicals' designer of ten years, Josie Bragg, we find out how exactly they create 'forever' clothes for fast-growing and active kids.

Product technologist Sarah Blackham follows up her part one Introduction to Regulations and Directives with this more in-depth look at regulations and directives you should be aware of when producing toys, childrenswear or UV accessories and swimwear, along with your manufacturing obligations.

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