People – now this is def. where I get a lot of inspiration – the way people lead their lives, the way they care for one another, and often times, what they wear.  I look at people constantly and look at what they are wearing. Now you might be surprised, but on a daily basis, I dress very simply. I actually show most of my love for colors on my nails! People are a great way to get inspired, to hear their life stories, and thoughts, and ideas. I have a friend named Jacqueline Gartland-  Jacks to All Trades – who is full of culture, art, and love.  Whenever I hang out with her, I literally feel ten times better.  Surround yourself by people like this, and you can’t go wrong.

Mireya, Jacqui, and Joanne King

Anyways, these are just a few of the things that inspire me. I am always inspired by other people’s fashion ideas, moms views on children’s clothing, and much more. I just thought I’d share with you some of the basics of what can jumpstart, and inspire you to follow your passion in life, as I did with mine.

Thoughts – I am constantly thinking. Not always about my list of things, or work, but about how I feel, what would be cute on a child, what doesn’t work on kids. I am inspired from within. My Spring 2010 collection was based on my thoughts, of what I thought was cute, what I thought would be a new addition to the market, and what I thought would be perfect in terms of design for us to go up to toddler. Thoughts and confidence go hand in hand – if you are confident about what you think  – you will go far.  Write it down.

Here is a thought that was e-mailed to me by one of our most valued moms – Elisa – she sent me an image of her little one in Italy this past summer in Sama Baby!

Little One in Tuscany, Italy wearing Sama Baby!

She is writing her thoughts down to inspire the world!

Looks like she inspired someone!

Toooo cute!

That one thought – brightened my day! Sama Baby is officially internationally around the world!

Share your thoughts with people!

-Neha

Food inspires me. It inspires how I design. How I feel, think, act, and much more!

Food – as a home-made chef who loves to cook for anyone around them – I absolutely love food. I’d call myself a foodie, and in Houston I am known as  Houchie – Houston Chowhound.  Everytime I cook something – I am inspired by the fragrance, the colors, and the tastes. All my senses are heightened. I was recently at dinner with a friend of mine who only eats meat and bread. He watched in wonder while I combined my lettuce, with a little bit of rice, a nice little touch of salsa, and a slice of avocado.  Watching me eat, was almost artistic for him, and all he could say was “what an extensive taste pallete!” Experiment more with food – if you don’t like it, give it to someone else.

Cooking at an Early Age!

I Love Veggies!

Designing: Inspiration – What Inspires You?

What inspires you? What makes you think in the morning when you get up? What are you thinking about when you are getting ready for work?

These are all thoughts. Do you have a thought journal? Do you have a place where you right down all your ideas?

So, if you want to know how I am inspired – food, colors, thoughts, people, air, plants, ideas, philosophical concepts, spirituality, teachings, and life inspire me.

Sounds like a lot.  But these are all the little things that go into a Sama Baby collection.

Leave a comment. I’d love to know what inspires you to wake up every morning too!

-Neha

Wrap Up about Houston’s First Green Scene Community Festival!

Sama Baby had a great fashion show and event coverage – by Yolanda Grene’s WB Channel 39 – Going Green show! It was on this past weekend!

What: Community Green Festival

Where: Last Organic Outpost, 711 North Emile Street, Houston, Texas

Why: This event will focus on Green Living and include educational activities for children of all ages, food, vendor booths, workshops, demonstrations, and entertainment.

Who: All things green in Houston: businesses, organizations and individuals will showcase their products, services and talents!

Baby Fashion Show featuring organic baby clothing presented by Sama Baby

How to build a Composting Bin demonstration by Brittani Flowers of NotTrash.Houston

How to make your own Natural, non-toxic cleaning products demonstration by Mona Metzger of Urban Green Clean

Electric Car Showcase by Houston Electric Cars

Silent Auction and Raffle featuring local, green products and services sponsored by Houston Green Scene

Environmental Art Workshop by Artist Charles Washington

Balloon animals for kids with bio-degradable balloons by The Bug Man

Featuring Garden Art by Recycle Artist Phil Waldrop

Recycled Structures proudly constructed by Green Construction Company, Bright Side Construction

Special performance by poet, performance artist and author of Haiku2u:101 select poems on love, trial, triumph and trust Jerome Vielman

Special Appearance by Recycled Home Builder Dan Phillips

Interactive garden games provided by United Wellness Center and Last Organic Outpost

Casserole Cook-off Contest made with local ingredients from the garden by local celebrity chefs and area restaurants

Remember to pick-up your Holiday Green Guide featuring farm fresh recipes from the Last Organic Outpost compliments of Houston Green Scene

Family activities and Kids Corner provided by Last Organic Outpost

Top Models in Sama Baby

We support local schools!
West U Elementary Bazaar:

I want to tell you about the beauty of talking to your neighbors, and how things can work out organically! One of my neighbors had mentioned that their son goes to West U Elementary.  I thought that was pretty interesting, and one day they needed a ride to go pick him up.  I offered, as I thought it would be nice to see the school – and helped him get his son! In the process, we ran into a set of parents that were also picking up their kids – and my neighbor was mentioning that I owned an organic baby line called Sama Baby.  The parents immediately responded and said, “I read about you on the front page of our community newspaper a few months ago – congratulations – that is so cool!”  I had no idea how much people actually remembered reading that article – as it was posted in December of 2008!  After that, my neighbor proceeded to put Sama Baby postcards at West U – at a little table in the front area.  After three days,  he went back just to see if people had picked any up, and there were only three left. How crazy is that?  If you know that your school has any little area for postcards, please let us know by commenting – and we would love to have you put postcards with a discount at your school.  Moms apparently love our postcards, and think they are so interesting – as it talks about who we are, why we do what we do, and what clothing we have to offer!

BIRTH Fair took place at United Way from 11am-4pm in Houston, Texas. The event was focused on BIRTH, and all the opportunities and ways you can get involved in Houston – with midwives, doulas, and birth centers. It was amazing to meet so many other female business owners in Houston – who were focused on children, natural approaches to birth, and organic.  We had a wonderful little fashion show featuring 15 models in Sama Baby. It was daunting, but being the MC was quite a bit of fun – I spoke about each outfit, as well as each child’s favorite activity! One kid’s favorite food was tofu and broccoli. Sounds like my kind of kid!

BIRTH FAIR

Many moms purchased Sama Baby outfits, and were so excited to see such young entrepreneurs focused on all natural, and organic products for children. It was also wonderful to build a partnership with Bay Area Birth Center – the same area I grew up in when I was a young child in Houston.  They will be putting postcards in each of their birth bags, and leave our postcards at the front with discount codes for moms in the area! We love parterning, and if you are a midwife, doula, birth center, boutique, wellness center, we would love to cross-promote and partner together!  We even built some relationships with West U Wellness and are going to talk about doing a fun little Bollywood Green Chai Chat for their center – since I have grown up in West U for such a long time!

BIRTH Fair was a wonderful way to connect with other moms, and other hospitals, mom groups, and much more!

Organic Cotton? How do you make a garment out of this?

Cotton Fields in India

To this product?

After my travels to India over the past three years and researching at trade shows regarding organic cotton – I have found so many different versions of organic, that I thought I might just let the bloody truth out of the bag.

So, what does it mean to go organic when it comes to fabrics? You deserve to hear it from an expert.  Sama Baby has been part of the Organic Exchange and many other certified organic organizations focusing on defining and bringing awareness to organic textiles.

1. Did you know that when you take your child to the doctor, for issues regarding eczema, skin rashes, skin diseases, or skin irritations, one of the FIRST things they recommend is switching to organic cotton?  I do not understand, why do they not preach early on as preventative care for babies to wear organic cotton? Why is it always a remedy AFTER the fact?

So how do we produce an organic cotton garment at Sama Baby? Well, first of all, Shivani and I go straight to the mouth of where it is being created. India. We go OURSELVES.

When we go there, we hand-pick our factories that we work with.  I would say that probably 1 out of 5 of our competitors are as hands-on as we are.  We work so closely with our factories, that we even have a family-owned factory that we produce some of our garments in.  That is the level of quality we expect in every aspect of our lives, and therefore, deliver that level of excellent quality to you.

We make sure that our organic cotton is grown in a specific area – away from conventional cotton.  The cotton is then grown with absolutely no pesticides, no chemicals, no fertilizers, nothing. Everything that touches that cotton is organic, water, earth, sun, and happiness!

Another aspect to organic cotton – that most people forget, is the dyeing process. People forget that to create a garment, it is not just about the actual fabric, it is about the PROCESS.

Then, that cotton is taken to the factory, and spun into threads and weaved into fabric.

With our fabrics, we use the highest level of eco-friendly dyes in the market.  These are the most gentle dyes available, so that your baby’s skin is well protected.

The fabric is later taken to the factory to create each garment. Our factory has employees of age, pay fair wages, and work in a clean environment.  In addition, some of our workers actually have the opportunity to stay for classes in the evening, and have a safe home near the factory to live, if needed.

Yarns and Weaving

Our factory is also partially powered by wind and solar energy – another little factor that makes Sama Baby organic and green start to finish!

So, that is how we make an organic cotton garment at Sama Baby.

Remember, it is the journey and process that matters when it comes to creating a product. How much of an impact are we making when creating a Sama Baby product? Who’s lives are we effecting in the process, and the customer?  These are all HUGE questions when you are buying from a small business – and are all integral in the way we work at Sama Baby!

Journey and Process

You may think that the way I design may be similar to this:

Paris Hilton and Little Child!

But.. I don’t. I dont create miniature versions of adult clothing… which is the misconception – Sama Baby is a playful, childish line with a beautiful inspiration from India!

So, as a designer of a children’s clothing line – I have been looking at the trends of which moms buy products. Sometimes I even ask moms in airports, boutiques, grocery stores – why did you put that on your child? (of course, in an inquisitive manner, not insulting!) What is it about that garment that makes your child comfortable, and what is your favorite silhouette?  Now, I know that may be weird to you – but who knows – you might be sitting next to me on a plane with your cute little one, and I might ask you these same questions.

I have figured out a few things that moms focus on. If you have any other suggestions, please comment because I will incorporate it into my next collection.  Every mom’s voice counts when it comes to Sama Baby!

1. Accessibility – how easily can I slip this on and off my child?
2. Comfort – how comfortable is my child in this? Does this make them itch? Are they allergic?
3. Size – does this fit my child well? Too well? Too loose?
4. Warmth – will this garment keep my child at the right temperature – keep them warm when needed or, keep them cool when needed?
5. Price – is this a good price for the quality I am getting?
6. Design – is this designed with good materials? Is it beautiful? How will my child look in this garment?

So, these are the top six pointers I use when designing a collection. Every single garment I create, I use these points to figure out how to create something that is beautiful, well-priced, comfortable, and easy access.

Hi Everyone!

Sama Baby is looking for models for TOMORROW October 24th from 12:30-1:30 at the Last Organic Outpost’s event 0-24 mths boys, and 0-6 year old girls: http://www.houstongreenscene.org/node/333

We are doing a  fashion show – so please email us if you are interested at neha@samababy.com ASAP.

Regards,

Neha Gupta