It therefore seemed important to devote several pages of our special birthday issue to our suppliers and their designers, which we certainly don’t choose by chance. All these people are key players; they share our vision of the world and believe that fashion and design must be combined with ethics. We are proud of our choices. We know that we are not perfect, but we are aware of these companies’ commitments and keen to showcase their actions. Raw materials 1997. I wanted to implement environmentally friendly and socially responsible production. that respect people In 2004, together with my partner JacquelineStreng, we discovered the Made-By initiative, and the planet a not-for-profit organisation that was trying to change the fashion industry’s bad habits. We were the first brand to join. They taught us One of our selection criteria is product a lot about sustainable production. Afterwards quality.We pay particular attention to we turned to the GOTS label to certify our materials used for young children, but we organic cotton garments.” 32 apply the same strict standards when it comes to our choice of furniture, women’s For Merel Verbrugge, co-founder and children’s fashions and home décor for of Kidscase, it started with the whole family. a desire for ethical production. Responsible factories and organic cotton “At first I wanted to focus on responsible manufacturing and decent working conditions, Cotton is a vital part of the clothing industry. a living wage and above all no child labour. When it is organic and produced sustainably, We began by addressing ethical questions and this fluffy little ball is even more interesting then we moved onto environmental aspects. because you could say that it kills three birds Back in 2000, consumers were more open with one stone: it is environmentally friendly, to the idea of organic cotton than they were consumer friendly and farmer-friendly! to the question of poor social or working We talked to two people who took on board conditions. Parents were simply aware that these values a long time ago and asked the chemicals were harmful for their babies. reasons why they started using organic Fortunately mentalities are changing. Today cotton at the end of the 90s. consumers want transparency.” It wasn’t long before Kidscase moved to using GOTS- Imps & Elfs founder Fons Cohen certified organic cotton, “which guarantees at least 70% organic cotton in the fi nished explains how the penny dropped. product”.Today the brand has products with 100% organic cotton and has added a “In a previous life, I used to make cheap socially responsible action to its approach. children’s clothes for department stores, made “We give all our old stock to a Dutch charity in poor working conditions. I was tired of that helps AIDS orphans in South Africa. It’s the system and so I created my own brand in a small gesture, but one that does some good.” doog gniod ,doog gnikooL