10 ethical brands for kids
Are you justice-seeking adult hoping to shop for kiddos in an ethical manner? You’ve come to the right place! Ethical living is not limited to adults, and there are many brands that provide goods for all ages and are transparent about their production process.
Below are 10 ethical fashion brands for kids!
Price ranges are included, with a single $ representing $10-15 per item, and $$$$ representing a range of $60 and above.
Pitupi
Age range: 0 - 6 years old
Price range: $$
Specializing in organic fabrics free of aggressive dyes, bleaches or additives, Pitupi’s main goal is to provide clothing that is sensitive and safe for children. They have their own production site in Northern Albania, ensuring safe working conditions and fair wages for employees. Their website includes a “Faces Behind Pitupi” tab that introduces you to the workers producing the garments.
Age range: 0 - 12 years old
Price range: $$ - $$$$
Mini Rodini provides minimalist, Scandinavian styles for babies and children. They seek to achieve the highest standards of ethics and sustainability, and provide a great deal of information about the production and impact of their garments. The Mini Rodini Living Wage Program was created out of the recognition that a minimum wage is not the same as a living wage. Mini Rodini researches the living wage estimates in the factories where their products are sourced, and provides compensation to fill in the gap between minimum wage and living wage for the workers making their clothes.
Age range: 2 - 8 years old
Price range: $$ - $$$
Los Angeles based, Beru, is dedicated to providing style without compromising treatment of workers or the environment. They aim to keep the supply chain of their products solely in L.A., and provide a livable wage for their employees to support the local economy. Keeping the environment in mind, Beru often ‘rescues’ dead-stock fabrics that are headed to landfills and uses them for their designs. Additionally, Reworked by Beru is a collection of vintage children’s clothing that have been revamped and placed back on the market.
Age range: 0 - 8 years old
Price range: $$$
Brooklyn-based Winter Water Factory garments are produced from 100% organic cotton and made entirely in the USA. Their factory is located only a few blocks away from their headquarters where workers are given a livable wage and proper working conditions. For an added cuteness overload, Winter Water Factory produces patterns that come in baby, kids, and women’s sizes so mothers and kiddos can match.
Age range: 0 - 14 years old
Price range: $$$
Owned by The Visible Clothing Company, Eternal Creation is a 17-year-old fair trade brand based in The Visible Tailoring Centre in Dharamshala, India. Their three core values for the garments are: fair, sustainable, and fun. They strive to provide clothing that has been made in an authentic and empowering work space. Their clothing ranges from casual comfy to school uniforms, offering a wide variety for the child in your life.
Age range: 0 - 8 years old
Price range: $ - $$
Oli & Carol’s natural rubber toys are the brainchild of two sisters in Barcelona, Spain. The toys are non-toxic and work perfect as teethers, bath toys and decoration. Oli & Carol supports children in the Baba Jodh Sachiyar School in northern India, ensuring that the rubber toy purchases are fulfilling a socially responsible cause.
Age range: 0 - 12 years old
Price Range: $$ - $$$$
Bella Luna is a member of Green America, a non-profit recognizing businesses who have documented eco-friendly and fair labor practices for their products. They offer a wide variety of toys, from arts & crafts to wooden toys.
Age range: 0 - 10 years old
Price range: $$
Through maintaining a tight, local supply chain within the United States, providing stringent quality control in their factories, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from production, Green Toys is proud of their safely and sustainably-made products. Their toys are created to “inspire open play, imagination, creativity and encourage child development.”
Age range: 3 - 14 years old
Price range: $ - $$$
Every product sold by Ten Thousand Villages is inspired and created using local materials in 30 different developing countries. Their producers are Fair Trade Certified, ensuring fair conditions and wages for workers so that their craft can be properly celebrated. Ten Thousand Villages does not specialize only in toys, but provides a range of games, puzzles, puppets, and musical instruments.
Age range: 0 - 18 months
Price range: $$
Fair Indigo also does not specialize in toys specifically, but carry an adorable line called “Joobles.” They are organic stuffed animals that come with matching outfits so that children can match their favorite Jooble. As a part of Fair Indigo’s commitment to fighting fast fashion by ensuring that production does not compromise the treatment of workers, Joobles are made in small Peruvian Fair Trade cooperatives.
I hope this list has been an encouraging example of how people of all ages can support ethical production. Feel free to comment below with other ethical brands for children you may know of! Another great brand we’re recently loving is Mikoleon Kids.
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About the Author
Anna Stephens is a native Texan pursuing her Master's of Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science at Lund University in Sweden. She has participated in Dressember for three years, and plans to continue using fashion as a platform for awareness and eradication of human trafficking. In her spare time, you can find her drinking iced coffee, looking for dogs to pet, or exploring Swedish nature with her friends.