Do you care about the impact a product makes? October 29, 2009

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

 

 

Whole Foods Chelsea features Sama Baby! August 26, 2009

We were very excited to stop by Whole Foods Chelsea to see our items hanging beautifully and displayed nicely!

Whole Foods Chelsea is on 27th St and 7th Avenue in the Heart of Chelsea! It is also right next to where both CEO and VP of Sama Baby took classes – the Fashion Institute of Technology!

Whole Foods is such a great store – as the Whole Body of this store is separate than the Whole Foods itself in this area – this store has so many beautiful items, and great choices for every mom that wants to go organic!

Did someone say Cookie? August 20, 2009

We absolutely love Cookie Magazine – the photography is designed beautifully, and people love the fact that it is so fashion forward, and has great celebrities on it.

We were invited to visit the Cookie Magazine headquarters in NYC and meet with their fashion team – as they loved Sama Baby and our affordable new denim line. Cookie loved how beautiful our items are – and were happy to meet the two sisters that made this company out of their own home!

We loved their offices – beautifully designed lobby and happy employees! Cookie magazine is a great resource as well!

-Neha

Reading Up on the Industry August 19, 2009

As most people do – we read up on what is going on in our industry – what are moms thinking about, talking about, reading about!?

Well Kiwi Magazine is a great place to get a lot of great resources – people love reading about ways to green their home, how to gear up for another back to school August, and what is fashionable!

Here we are at a yummy little French Bakery – eating our fine herbes omelettes and wonderful hot chocolate – reading up on Kiwi Magazine. The childrens industry is such a happy place – and its great that we are in an industry where people are out to help nurture healthy happy babies – as we like to do at Sama Baby. Sama Baby is an organic cotton line that focuses on this as its sole mission – and providing great service and design!

Chica Chica Mama! August 17, 2009

One of our favorite things is to feature our press that we have received!

Blogging is an interesting form of writing. We believe that the editors at Mamaista truly have developed a TRUE VOICE online. The one for hip moms, that are all about finding new products, those unique items that the baby next door does not have!

We love the editors at Mamaista- as they are also female entrepreneurs with a similiar vision – providing sound information to moms around the world regarding products.

Luckily, in NYC we met with these great moms, and after visiting our booth at the ENK Trade show in NYC – they featured us within 24 hours! TALK ABOUT A SUCCESS!

They love our line – our story, our fashion concept, and our story.  Check out the article here titled GLOBAL APPEAL:

http://bit.ly/13HYBl

Have to say – the writing is witty and hilarious. Talk about a great way to talk about Sama Baby – I def. chuckled..

-Neha Gupta

Sama Baby Celebrates Earth Day 15% off and FREE SHIPPING!- code EARTH! April 22, 2009

Join us in celebrating Earth Day and recognizing our next steps into a greener future!  Shop now to receive 15% off everything on our online store and Free Shipping!

We will be donating part of our proceeds from our online sales to CRY – Child Relief and You!

Offer valid only from April 21-April 25th and not to be used with any other offer on our website! Please use code EARTH when checking out at http://www.samababy.com

Also Sama Baby will be at the following events:

Sama Baby will be at Deloitte’s internal Earth Day celebration at Deloitte’s Houston headquarters – April 22nd – 3-5pm!

Sama Baby is sponsoring, giving away free raffles, and attending Barney’s Green Fling – Houston, Texas – Galleria Mall April 22nd – 6:00-8:00 pm!

Sama Baby will be at the Jacksonville Green Expo – April 25 & 26, 10-5 at Prime Osborn Center.  www.jacksonvillegreenexpo.org

And – to join the Sama Mama group to make some of your own green cash by throwing fun green parties (we supply invitations, food, drinks, and product), join our referral program, and get involved – we use our Sama Mama group’s kids for our photo shoots!! Also don’t forget about our eco-fashion show launch party with New Living on May 27th – please e-mail neha@samababy.com for more information and invitation!

The Dark Side of Conventional Cotton April 16, 2009

When we think about global warming, increasing cancer rates,  and sensitivites to chemicals, our clothes closets are probably not the first villain that comes to mind, but our clothes can be a significant, quiet co-conspirator.

Cotton evokes images of white, fluffy purity and many people think of cotton as being a natural, pure fabric.  Cotton is a wonderfully versatile and globally important fiber that is used for a vast variety of fiber and food products, making it one of the most widely traded commodities on earth.  Versatility, softness, breath-ability, absorbency, year-round comfort, performance, and durability are just a few of the qualities that have earned cotton its popular status.  Due to its unique fiber structure which can absorb up to 27 times its own weight in water, cotton breathes and helps remove body moisture by absorbing it and wicking it away from the skin.  Not only is cotton the most popular and best selling fabric in the world, due to its huge commercial value, cotton also represents an essential component of foreign exchange earnings for more than fifty countries.  The value and reach of cotton extends far past the fashion runway.

But, the global cotton industry has a worldwide Dark Side of which most of us are not aware as we fill our shopping bags with inexpensive cotton shirts from major clothing stores.  The simple act of conventionally growing and harvesting the one pound of cotton fiber needed to make a T-shirt takes an enormous and devastating toll on the earth’s air, water, and soil that impacts global health.  Also, policies and practices within the cotton industry from crop subsidies to garment sweatshops create poverty and misery that stretch around the world.

That is why Sama Baby is different. The CEO and VP go to India EVERY SINGLE YEAR to inspect the cotton. To go to the fields. To speak the language, to meet with the farmers. We go to make sure everything is completely organic following the HIGHEST level of organic cotton. We make sure that everyone is treated fairly, that we are supporting local villages, that we make sure it is FAIR TRADE!

Visit us at http://www.samababy.com

People buy our product because they believe in our story, they believe that companies should be hands on when making a product, and they are inspired by what our team does to ensure that we handle everything ourselves!