“Green Kids Clothes: You Have to Spend (Cash) to Save ... - ParentDish” plus 3 more |
- Green Kids Clothes: You Have to Spend (Cash) to Save ... - ParentDish
- Too Much, too Young? Retailers Still Selling Over ... - Common Dreams
- Too much, too young? Retailers still selling over ... - The Guardian
- Helpful Tips for a Successful Sale - Columbia Daily Tribune
| Green Kids Clothes: You Have to Spend (Cash) to Save ... - ParentDish Posted: 22 Apr 2010 09:29 AM PDT We try really, really hard to remember to bring our reusable totes to the grocery store (honest, we do!). We've changed out most of our light bulbs to those of the energy-efficient variety. We recycle a mountain of Diet Coke cans and piles of newspapers each month. And while we're not ready to give up our car, we are totally willing to share the road with bicyclists -- even when they stray from the bike lane. But one eco-friendly area we've yet to venture into full force is the new world of sustainable and organic kids clothes out there. And, seeing as it's Earth Day, and all, we did a little digging and have found that while eco-friendly kids clothes may have been difficult to find in the not so distant past, styles are cuter and trendier than ever before."Parents these days are more conscious about the environment," Efi Latief, owner of Tomat, a line that carries a collection of organic clothes for infants and toddlers, tells ParentDish. "When parents have choices, and especially if cost is not a problem -- even though some organic clothing prices are about the same as a non-organic -- then they will definitely go organic." So what, exactly, makes an item of clothing organic?
 Oh, Snap! Tomat's Polaroid onesie, $27, is made from 100 percent organic cotton. Credit: Tomatkids.com The site points to organic cotton, organic wool, hemp, Tencel, silk and bamboo as fabrics to consider in making eco-conscious clothing choices. OK, now that we've got that settled, here are five things to consider the next time you go shopping for your little green gals and guys. 1. It's getting easier and easier to buy organic kids clothes. Annie Kaskade, owner of GreenEdgeKids.com, a site that carries more than 40 eco-friendly brands, tells ParentDish that with the number of eco-freindly parents in the United States continuing to rise, even mainstream stores now adding organic kids clothing to their shelves. "You can buy organic clothing at Target now," she says. "Nordstrom's doing a big push for organic clothing. Everyone wants it and the only real barrier we have right now is the economy, because it does cost a little bit more." 2. Expect to spend more, but buy less. Typically, you will have to shell out more for organic clothing -- the companies that make it are smaller, organic fabric costs more and many organic lines manufacture their products in the United States -- all contributors to cost, Kaskade says. So, how do you justify spending more -- especially in this economy? Kaskade says if you're going to buy a new shirt or dress or pants for your kid, try to make it organic (and look for sales, of course), but then buy other clothing items on your list used. "Look to recycled, look to used clothing, thrift stores, garage sales, because that's extremely eco-friendly," she says. "Make it a combination. ... Kids don't actually wear all that many clothes, and most parents acknowledge that. Most parents buy way too many things and their kids never wear half of it." 3. You'll be in good company. According to her company's research, Kaskade says more than 60 million women in the United States have kids, more than 20 million have kids ages 16 years or younger, and half of those moms are socially or environmentally conscious. "That's a pretty big number," she says, but she adds that the majority of consumers still doesn't make decisions based on eco-friendliness. "They care about price. But you'd be amazed how many people -- a lot of our customers -- care tremendously." 4. Eco-fashions go way beyond the T-shirt or occasional dress. "We are selling everything now, from outerwear fleece to underwear to socks," Kaskade says. "There's nothing you can't buy that's organic now for kids. Swimwear is brand new. Every single aspect of clothing can be organic or eco-friendly. ... The organic designers are no different than the conventional designers." "Nowadays, lots of people think of all organic products as something necessary to be kind to this planet," she says. "So it also applies to fashion -- organic clothing has evolved from being hippie to trendy and hip. There are lots of cool designs out there from green companies for everybody, not just for the hippies." Related: Color Us Happy! Spring Fashion Trends for Kids are Bright On Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Too Much, too Young? Retailers Still Selling Over ... - Common Dreams Posted: 17 Apr 2010 11:58 AM PDT Retailers came under increased pressure today to take sexualised clothing for young girls off their shelves, after it emerged that shoes for eight-year-olds with three-inch heels were being sold on the high street.
New Look sells a range of high heels starting at size one - about the shoe size of an average eight-year-old - including a pair of £16 dark blue platforms with a 3.5 inch heel, pointed toe and four straps. Justine Roberts, of the parenting website Mumsnet, called for the shoes to be withdrawn from sale, describing them as horrific. "They're totally inappropriate for an eight-year-old," she said. "Aside from the issues of young girls dressing to look like sexually available women, heels as high as this are all wrong for growing feet." Mumsnet recently launched its Let Girls Be Girls campaign, calling on retailers to sign up to a pledge not to sell products that sexualise children. Roberts also objected to a pair of glittery silver shoes with a 1.5-inch heel sold by Next in a size 12, apparently aimed at six or seven-year-olds. "They look pretty adult or sexual," she said. "Why a 1.5-inch heel for a six-year-old? It just seems unnecessary." Mumsnet members have criticised the "Future WAG" T-shirt available in Primark. "Personally, I know I want my daughter to aspire to something more than being a WAG - basically, someone who usually relies on her looks to get a rich man and then spends years of her life trying to keep that man happy," one wrote online. Others described the top as "tragic". Anna van Heeswijk, of Object, which campaigns against the sexual objectification of women, said: "What does it say about how our society values women and girls, if we are grooming three- to four-year-olds to aspire to be a footballer's wife?" The latest outcry comes after a week in which Primark announced it was to stop selling padded bikini tops for children as young as seven, after criticism. The company, which came under fire from children's charities and politicians over the £4 bikini sets, apologised to customers and said it would donate any profits it had made to child welfare organisations. David Cameron branded the sale of the bikinis "disgraceful", and Gordon Brown backed the campaign to have them removed. Yesterday Roberts described a T-shirt for a two- to three-year-old sold by the chain showing a bikini as "creepy", but did not call for it to be withdrawn. "It does seem a bit odd," she said. "I'm wearing a picture of my underwear - what's that all about?" One mother of a four-year-old girl shopping in the chain's Oxford Street branch, who did not want to be named, said it was "too old for a little girl. A bikini is for teenagers or adults. You'd expect a more childish image for a two-year-old." Van Heeswijk said: "These clothes are a worrying example of how girls are being groomed at younger and younger ages to fit into a sex-object culture, in which women are viewed as a sum of body parts, always sexually available, and whose value lies in how sexy they look to boys and men." Early sexualisation is damaging to the aspirations of women and girls and affects how boys and men view and treat them, she added, with implications for incidents of sexual harassment and violence. "The early sexualisation of girls is not harmless, and, if we are serious about achieving genuine equality between women and men, it is time to put an end to women and girls being viewed, treated, portrayed and groomed into sexual objects through clothing ranges like these," she said. Penny Nicholls, of the Children's Society, said: "There is a big distinction between children dressing up for fun and retailers producing items of clothing that target children and encourage premature sexualisation. "We have to ask what effects some of these products have on children and young people's ideas of body image and what is appropriate for their age. Retailers and adults have a responsibility to ensure children and young people grow up valuing the right things in themselves and other people. "Unless we question our own behaviour as a society, we risk creating a generation who are left unfulfilled through chasing unattainable and inappropriate lifestyles and values." Primark said: "The company has stated that it will review all its product lines in the light of recent events." New Look declined to comment. Next said it had received no direct complaints about the shoes or suggestions they should be removed from sale. "But we'll definitely act swiftly if customers tell us they consider it inappropriate," a spokeswoman said. "Everyone at Next is sensitive to issues of age appropriateness within childrenswear." Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Too much, too young? Retailers still selling over ... - The Guardian Posted: 16 Apr 2010 01:40 PM PDT  Two of the heeled shoes being sold to fit eight-year-olds. Photograph: Sarah Lee Retailers came under increased pressure today to take sexualised clothing for young girls off their shelves, after it emerged that shoes for eight-year-olds with three-inch heels were being sold on the high street. A survey by the Guardian found an array of items available in major chains, from a T-shirt for a three-year-old bearing the slogan "Future WAG" to a top for a toddler with a pink bikini appliqued on the front. New Look sells a range of high heels starting at size one – about the shoe size of an average eight-year-old – including a pair of £16 dark blue platforms with a 3.5 inch heel, pointed toe and four straps. Justine Roberts, of the parenting website Mumsnet, called for the shoes to be withdrawn from sale, describing them as horrific. "They're totally inappropriate for an eight-year-old," she said. "Aside from the issues of young girls dressing to look like sexually available women, heels as high as this are all wrong for growing feet." Mumsnet recently launched its Let Girls Be Girls campaign, calling on retailers to sign up to a pledge not to sell products that sexualise children. Roberts also objected to a pair of glittery silver shoes with a 1.5-inch heel sold by Next in a size 12, apparently aimed at six or seven-year-olds. "They look pretty adult or sexual," she said. "Why a 1.5-inch heel for a six-year-old? It just seems unnecessary." Mumsnet members have criticised the "Future WAG" T-shirt available in Primark. "Personally, I know I want my daughter to aspire to something more than being a WAG – basically, someone who usually relies on her looks to get a rich man and then spends years of her life trying to keep that man happy," one wrote online. Others described the top as "tragic". Anna van Heeswijk, of Object, which campaigns against the sexual objectification of women, said: "What does it say about how our society values women and girls, if we are grooming three- to four-year-olds to aspire to be a footballer's wife?" The latest outcry comes after a week in which Primark announced it was to stop selling padded bikini tops for children as young as seven, after criticism. The company, which came under fire from children's charities and politicians over the £4 bikini sets, apologised to customers and said it would donate any profits it had made to child welfare organisations. David Cameron branded the sale of the bikinis "disgraceful", and Gordon Brown backed the campaign to have them removed. Yesterday Roberts described a T-shirt for a two- to three-year-old sold by the chain showing a bikini as "creepy", but did not call for it to be withdrawn. "It does seem a bit odd," she said. "I'm wearing a picture of my underwear – what's that all about?" One mother of a four-year-old girl shopping in the chain's Oxford Street branch, who did not want to be named, said it was "too old for a little girl. A bikini is for teenagers or adults. You'd expect a more childish image for a two-year-old." Van Heeswijk said: "These clothes are a worrying example of how girls are being groomed at younger and younger ages to fit into a sex-object culture, in which women are viewed as a sum of body parts, always sexually available, and whose value lies in how sexy they look to boys and men." Early sexualisation is damaging to the aspirations of women and girls and affects how boys and men view and treat them, she added, with implications for incidents of sexual harassment and violence. "The early sexualisation of girls is not harmless, and, if we are serious about achieving genuine equality between women and men, it is time to put an end to women and girls being viewed, treated, portrayed and groomed into sexual objects through clothing ranges like these," she said. Penny Nicholls, of the Children's Society, said: "There is a big distinction between children dressing up for fun and retailers producing items of clothing that target children and encourage premature sexualisation. "We have to ask what effects some of these products have on children and young people's ideas of body image and what is appropriate for their age. Retailers and adults have a responsibility to ensure children and young people grow up valuing the right things in themselves and other people. "Unless we question our own behaviour as a society, we risk creating a generation who are left unfulfilled through chasing unattainable and inappropriate lifestyles and values." Primark said: "The company has stated that it will review all its product lines in the light of recent events." New Look declined to comment. Next said it had received no direct complaints about the shoes or suggestions they should be removed from sale. "But we'll definitely act swiftly if customers tell us they consider it inappropriate," a spokeswoman said. "Everyone at Next is sensitive to issues of age appropriateness within childrenswear." Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Helpful Tips for a Successful Sale - Columbia Daily Tribune Posted: 22 Apr 2010 07:56 AM PDT Helpful Tips for a Successful SalePosted April 22, 2010 at 9:57 a.m. One of the most commonly asked questions when a garage sale ad is placed with the Tribune is "What shouldn't I sell and what sells best?" Here is some advice on that matter: What sells best? •Household Items (curtains, rugs, bedspreads, etc.) •Antiques & Collectibles •Fishing Tackle (rods, reels, lures, tackle boxes) •Tools (put them next to the fishing tackle) •Baby Items, Kids Clothing, Jeans. Items not to sell (for reasons of safety) •Old baby cribs and playpens; accordion-style safety gates; children's clothing with drawstrings •Personal hygiene items or unused prescription medicines •Halogen floor lamps •Items missing safety parts •Hair dryers without ground fault detectors. Click here for listings of sales that started in the Wednesday, April 21 edition of the Columbia Tribune. This will update to include ads published in today's paper sometime after 2pm today. Happy Saling! Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
![[Two of the heeled shoes being sold to fit eight-year-olds. Photograph: Sarah Lee]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vAxjVOF-7V-b1Ztj453SnIR4eWiNk_BsXVGLHJ9EUyqq74Ofz5V34r5VMCfeClIWNd0BKiwOdIW1rIEsncwCiM4djYc2zZrIQlrq3TazhgDWV3cid3B07rGnPDroJVoQ=s0-d "shoes-2.jpg")
A survey by the Guardian found an array of items available in major chains, from a T-shirt for a three-year-old bearing the slogan "Future WAG" to a top for a toddler with a pink bikini appliqued on the front.| You are subscribed to email updates from kids clothing - Bing News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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