As much as I love treating my children to new clothes, I am always conscious of the term ‘disposable clothing’ – the concept of buying cheap clothes, knowing it will likely be binned within a relatively short period of time. The whole idea of this seems very wasteful to me, not only in terms of cash, but also the limited resources the planet has to offer.
For myself, I do try to buy ethically sound clothing – clothes from brands who minimise waste, make their clothing from recycled materials or support local communities or good causes. But there seems to be fewer options around for the kids when it comes to ethical clothing full stop, never mind whether will appeal to them. Kanula, however, is a brand that ticks both of these boxes for the kids; they make lovely organic t-shirts and hoodies with cool, eco-themed designs and give 8% of every single purchase to the Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC).
Of course, the idea of ethical clothing is great, but it’s not enough on its own; the quality of the clothing has got to be there too. I have to say we were spoilt for choice when we logged onto the Kanula website. They have options for men, women and children in a massive range of colours and designs, but it has to be said that the lay out of the website makes choosing your garment super easy. We were looking for a t-shirt for my youngest daughter, and the first step was for her to choose a pattern that she liked. All of the designs are inspired by nature and the sea, but given the company’s charity of choice, we wanted to go for the sea turtle design.
Once she had chosen her design, we then clicked through to select the colour of the t-shirt. The t-shirts are available in 22 different colours, so there is something for all tastes, and they are available from age 3 to age 12. We also were really impressed that clothing is produced to order, on a request only basis, minimising wastage and maintain the eco credentials of the company. In spite of all this, the 100% organic, cotton t-shirts are only £15, which we think is great value.
Our order of a light pink sea turtle t-shirt arrived within a couple of days of ordering, packed in 100% plastic-free packaging arrived within a couple of days of ordering. I have to say that we all thought it was absolutely gorgeous, in a lovely soft baby pink which looks fantastic against the greens of the turtle; absolutely perfect for my daughter’s tastes. My daughter is nearly 9 and we ordered a 9-11 which we thought was a great fit and it looks stunning on.
The 100% cotton fabric is so soft and my daughter said it felt really comfortable to wear. It can be washed on a 40 degree wash, and is also tumble dryer safe which makes life in a busy household so much easier; no special washing instructions which is always welcome! It has been washed and dried a couple of times now and I have to say that it has washed beautifully – the design has stayed intact, the colours have stayed fresh and the t-shirt has retained its shape perfectly.
We are delighted with our Kanula t-shirt and it feels great buying from such an ethical and eco-conscious brand. It would make a perfect Christmas present (or indeed any present) for a child of any age and we are over the moon with it.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £15
For more information or to buy, visit kanula.org.
