4 Tips on Shopping for Sustainable Kids’ Clothing
Kids grow up too fast and outgrow their clothes so quickly! One minute you’re dressing up a two-year-old toddler, and the next thing you know, you’re shopping for your pre-teen. It’s typical to keep buying clothes for your growing kids, but if you’re interested in minimising your contribution towards textile waste and pollution, this is for you.
You can start by making good choices when you shop and committing to never throw away old and outgrown clothes. It’s best to find a way to hand clothes down to a younger sibling, friend or relative, or to resell them — that is, if they’re of quality and in good condition. This is where sustainable and high quality kids’ clothing can be of huge help. Here’s how to shop for sustainable kids’ clothing, while reducing your negative impact on the environment at the same time.
1. Choose quality and durability made with plants (over quantity and disposability, often made with plastic)
Kids are rough on their clothes and a single fall on a rocky surface can cause a knee hole in your kid’s favourite bottoms that’s often impossible or hard to repair. If your kid is a master of knee holes, always look for patched bottoms (learn more about our signature Knee Patch here) that are resistant to knee holes and can be repaired more easily.
Also, holes are more likely to appear quickly and easily if your kid’s clothes are made of thin, low-quality fabrics. So if you don’t want to buy new clothes often, make sure to invest in plastic-free, high-quality pieces made of organic and durable cotton.
Such clothing items can last for years, if you hand them down to a younger sibling, friend or relative. You can also choose to resell your outgrown kids clothes and buy used instead of new clothing.
2. Build a capsule wardrobe for your kid
Like adults, many children have way more clothing than they actually use or need. You can build a capsule wardrobe for your kid to avoid those endless heaps of clothing that always take ages to sort out. The concept of a capsule wardrobe is simple — it’s all about getting versatile pieces your kid loves to wear that can mix and match.
The QT is perfect for a capsule wardrobe. Not only is our kids’ clothing Earth-friendly, versatile, durable and hand-me-downable, but all our garments are designed to easily mix and match with one another and with clothes that are already in your child’s wardrobe.
If your child adores animals, they are going to love our cute animal tops and sweatshirts, designed to match perfectly with all of our track pants, leggings or shorts. If you get several sustainable clothing pieces like these for your kid’s capsule wardrobe, you will notice you won’t have to buy anything new for months.
3. Invest in the right pieces
While flashy and seasonal kids’ clothing may seem attractive, they’re often unsustainable and it’s important to think about the “cost per wear” as well as the “environmental cost” before buying.
Focus on getting timeless and seasonless basic pieces or staple items that your child can wear for any occasion. Neutral colours can be easily paired with anything and look quite stylish. One great example are our organic jersey joggers with seamless knee patches in black. They have a neutral colour, top-quality, organic fabric, and knee patches that offer extra durability. They also look very stylish, if you dress them up with a blazer or a smart coat. They can also be your kids' favourite pyjama bottoms (when the rest are in the wash!) as they feel wonderful against the skin. They can last for years, even if owned by an energetic child who often slips and falls.
Focus on getting garments that will wash without polluting and are made with all-natural fabrics and finishes. Always check the composition labels and avoid buying garments that contain hidden plastic in the form of polyester, elastane and/or other synthetics, as well as decorations, such as embroideries and sequins, to name a few. Not only are these garments unrecyclable but their hidden plastic will eventually end up polluting the environment. Remember that you can always count on The QT for plastic-free kids’ clothes that wash without polluting.
4. Shop or rent sustainable kids’ clothing brands
Children’s clothing is dominated by fast fashion, driven by profit. Sustainable brands like us are driven by purpose. The QT is created and designed by a parent, who was frustrated by the kids’ clothing stereotype that “cute” is for girls and babies, making it close to impossible to find clothing with adorable prints for boys after toddlerhood. Our basically cute and stereotype-free clothing is also designed for circularity and can easily be repaired, repurposed, resold or recycled. In the UK, The QT can now even be rented with the biggest shared wardrobe for kids with the largest range of ethical and sustainable kids brands - thelittleloop.
