BIRTH FAIR Houston – Wrap Up! October 30, 2009

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!

 

 

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

 

 

The Day in the Life of a Children’s Fashion Designer – and no, not like Paris Hilton Style! October 28, 2009

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.

FASHION SHOW MODEL CALL! NEED MODELS! October 23, 2009

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

October 1, 2009

Hello Everyone!

I thought I might give you a sneak peak into a cute denim line that we are launching in the next few months!

So after our wonderful trip to Vegas this year at ABC Kids show – we met with the team of Droolicious – who was very excited to see our latest edition – our organic cotton denim line!

Check out what they had to say:

This year, the women from Sama Baby showed me a great pair of organic jeans for kids, at a price that might be the best around.

The organic denim from Sama Baby is made of completely organic cotton, with eco-friendly dyes and all the other care you’d hope would go into an organic product. Sama Baby is unique in that they have direct control of their textile manufacturing, so they can personally guarantee the quality. But like I said, the best part is the price – $40. It certainly isn’t the cheapest pair of toddler jeans you can buy, but if organic clothes is something that matters to you, you should definitely check it out.

http://blogs.babble.com/droolicious/2009/09/18/abc-kids-expo-2009-organic-jeans-for-kids-from-sama-baby/

Xoxo,

Your favorite head designer at Sama Baby