Ethical clothing for kids is hard to find and tough to afford.
Enter Wildly Co, a new children’s clothing line by Mike and Hayley Morgan (you might know Hayley as The Tiny Twig). Wildly Co has just launched their Kickstarter campaign to fund their first capsule collection, and I love the basic pants and shirts the company has designed as their first offerings. Hayley took a few minutes to answer some of our questions about their new venture.
Q: Shopping ethically is gaining momentum as many of us seek clothing that is not a product of sweatshop conditions. What inspired you to take things a step further and create your own line?
A: I mostly was tired of cobbling together a wardrobe for my kids from just a few stores. It was time-consuming and frustrating, and a lot of what I wanted to purchase just wasn’t available. And, I’ve never been one to shy away from a challenge, so I set out to figure this whole thing out.
Q: I don’t want you to give away your trade secrets, but I’m curious about the ethical credentials of Wildly Co. Is the clothing sweatshop-free or made in the USA? How do you plan to ensure your clothes are fairly made?
A: Our biggest thing is that we want to have a personal relationship within each step of production. We want to put our own eyes on the floor and see what is going on. As of now, we are working with a couple of suppliers of domestic made fabrics and also a small worker-owned sew shop in North Carolina. I was able to spend several days at the sew shop and was on site as our samples were sewn up. I ate lunch in their lunchroom and I used the same bathroom. My worst nightmare is profiting from someone else’s hardship, and we want every person helping in Wildly Co. to have the same opportunity to reach their goals as we do.
Q: Do you envision your collection being sold in retail stores or only on the Wildly Co website?
A: I think we’ll probably stick to just online sales until we feel we’ve outgrown it. By cutting out the outside retail piece, we can pass the savings along to our customers. Producing garments ethically is not cheap, and I’d rather cut corners on our market-size than our ethics.
Q: Why did you decide to approach the Wildly Co collection as a capsule wardrobe? Will the pieces be available individually? What are your goals in terms of pricing?
A: Pieces will definitely be available individually, but we also wanted to give busy parents a fun, new, and easy way to shop. I’ve always loved the idea of less-is-more when it comes to your wardrobe. And if it’s easier for me to get dressed when I have fewer options, I KNOW it’s easier for kids. Plus, less laundry, so that’s always helpful!
Each season, you’ll be able to put any garments together and have it all look great. We’ll even give you ideas of how to wear the clothes!
While we don’t have final prices settled currently, our goal for pricing is that it would be reasonable enough to make it an easy choice. Anything more expensive than what you’d buy at Gap feels prohibitive for kids clothes, to me. We know that kids run through clothes like crazy, and really we just want to make it easy to make a good choice.
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Thanks to Hayley for giving us an inside look at the Wildly Co process! I’m excited to support such a promising business. Ethically-made jeans for my little guys? Yes, please! I hope you’ll head over to Wildly Co’s Kickstarter campaign and consider backing them as well.
Edited to Add: A reader had a terrific question — what sizes will be available? For now Wildly Co is planning to start with children’s sizes 2 through 8. And have you seen the sketches they just realized for their girls’ collection? It’s their Kickstarter stretch goal!
Which piece from the upcoming Wildly Co collection is your favorite?
Yay for worlds colliding! xo
Right? So fun. Miss you!