We've all seen it before while walking though the children's/baby section of a clothing store. Pretty pink dresses adorned with bows sporting sayings like, "Spoiled Princess" and "#1 Diva." Blue onesies with the ball from every sport imaginable depicted on the front displaying a message along the lines of, "Tough Guy" or "Chick Magnet." It seems that even children can't escape the heteronormative, hypersexualized pigeonholing of society!

For parents and consumers who perceive these messages and designs as pernicious and unnecessary, don't worry, we promise you there are other options out there. 

Q: How did the concept for Ethical Infant come about?
A: Ethical Infant was born out of a desire to change the messaging in baby clothing. I'm sure that you've seen it - you walk into a store, and instantly you are assaulted by the cliché, unfortunate, and often times offensive messages plastered all over the baby clothes. Of course the boys clothes are all blue, and the girls are all pink (ugh) and they say respectively "Little tough guy", "Bad to the bone" , or "Future All-star" for the boy selections. Conversely, the girls clothing reads "Too cute to follow the rules", "Diva in training", or "Born to Shop" - really? Eek.

Q: Why do you believe it is so important to revolutionize the messaging that is put on baby/children’s clothing?
A: It is truly interesting how much a child's clothing (especially when they are of a non-verbal age), influences the interactions that they have with those around them. As a mom, I am determined to change the conversations that people are having with my kids. Clothing so often, and so unfortunately perpetuates heteronormative and hyper-sexualized messages, along with promoting ableism, and materialism. What about kindness? What if my kids don't fit into societal expectations? What if, oh no, they have a disability, that makes being a "future All-star" impossible (please insert sarcasm here). No more "Oh, you're so pretty. Are you a little diva?" or "hey little tough guy, you're such a bruiser". Not for this mama.

Q: What sort of messages, and images, does Ethical Infant utilize?
A: I enlisted the help of my brother, an amazing artist, to create beautiful hand drawn art, that would be partnered with lovely words from inspiring people, to put onto baby clothing. Our first line includes quotes from Gandhi, John Muir, and Maya Angelou.

Q: When it comes to manufacturing clothing, how it is manufactured is also very important - especially to those who desire an eco-friendly product. Can you tell us a little bit about how Ethical Infant pieces are made?
A: We knew that it was important to create a beautiful product from beginning to end, and as we began to look into garment purchasing we were struck by the rampant exploitation (of both the environment and workers) that takes place at every level of production. So, after much searching, we were fortunate enough to partner up with the HAE NOW company. They are amazing. They offer 100% organic cotton clothing blanks that are Fair Trade certified. All of their farmers and workers are paid a living wage, have health care, access to educational opportunities for themselves and their children, receive meal vouchers, have transportation share options, and have returned to safe and sustainable production practices (I could go on about this company all day - they rock).

In addition the items that we create, we understand that we must play a larger role in the sustainable fashion community. Let's face it, a landfill full or organic cotton, is still a full landfill. We will be hosting small bay area clothing swap events, so that folks can get more life out of their garments. Additionally, when our website launches (hoping it will be complete soon…), we will have links to organic garment care, and videos on how to upcycle children's clothes - adding in a onesie extender, repairing tears, and converting winter items into summer items.

Q: Not sure if you've given any thought to this yet but, what are some other quotes by influential people that you'd like to have printed on your next Ethical Infant designs?
A: Yes! We have 2 runs waiting to print - in the first run (that will post in about two weeks), we will have a Maya Angelou quote - "A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song" , along with a few botanical drawings with no quotes. The second run (that will post in about 4 weeks) will include quotes by Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Our goal is to include champions of freedom, kindness, and conservationists.

To find out more about Ethical Infant head to the store and find them on Facebook & Twitter!