About

Why Bamboo? Bamboo is the most sustainable all-natural plant fibre on earth with amazing silky softness!

Founded in London in 2006 by sisters Chloe and Sophie, Bamboo Baby is a unique and contemporary brand that aims to have minimum negative impact on the environment. Our fashion led baby and children’s clothing collections are beautifully designed and beautifully natural. Bamboo fabric is organic, sustainable and super eco-friendly whilst being gorgeously soft.

We also have a range of trendy and comfortable maternity items - our Big Tummy Mummy brand.

The bamboo yarn we buy is Oeko-Tex 100 certified and our organic cotton is certified by SKAL/GOTS.

Our clothing comes in 0-3, 3-6, 6-12, 12-18 and 18-24 months and 2-3 & 4-5 years.

 

Boys clothes                   Girls clothes               Maternity                       All baby items

Sisters are doing it for themselves: about Bamboo Baby

Naomi MacKay speaks to Chloe Tostevin, one of the founders of organic baby and children’s clothes company Bamboo Baby, and finds out what it’s like to work with your sister!

When was Bamboo Baby founded?
In the summer of 2006

How did Bamboo Baby come about?
Sophie and I are sisters and it has always been our dream to start a company together. Sophie studied fashion design at Kingston University and specialised in children’s clothing in her final year. When she graduated – we started Bamboo Baby.

Where’s Bamboo Baby based?
Camberwell, South East London

What’s it like working with your sister? (Mine would be far too bossy!)
It’s great – we are both very different and have complementary skills and we have always been the best of friends. Sophie’s the creative one – she does all the designing. I’m the bossy one I’m afraid!

Why did you decide to use bamboo fabric in your babies and children’s clothes?
We chose bamboo as we knew from the beginning we wanted to have an eco clothing company and bamboo was something a bit different from organic cotton. Nobody else seemed to be using this fabric yet and it has so many great eco-credentials. It’s organically grown (certified by OCIA) and being a grass, after it’s cut it regenerates without the need for replanting/reharvesting.

Bamboo can be grown almost anywhere – even on hillsides where nothing else can grow, it needs very little water, and produces a yield 10 times that you get from cotton. It also takes in more carbon dioxide and gives out more oxygen than other plants and to top it off it makes a super soft fabric! We just fell in love with it.

There really isn’t that much difference between bamboo and cotton in terms of versatility – you can make jersey, denim, knitwear, fleece and it makes the softest of blankets plus super-absorbent towels and robes. It can also be washed in the same way that cotton can (but bamboo does shrink a little more than cotton).

Does the bamboo fabric have special qualities?
Yes – it’s thermo-regulating, hypoallergenic (so great for kids with eczema), breathable, absorbent but best of all is that it’s beautifully soft.

What influences the designs?
Lots of things inspire us – the ‘Hot Chocolate’ collection was inspired by cold winter evenings sat in front of the fire with a lovely mug of hot chocolate! It was the first time we had knitwear in our collection and we wanted a comfy and snuggly feel for winter, while still keeping the colours very unisex. The autumn/winter 2009 collection ‘Do Not Pass Go’ was inspired by children’s board games, and our spring/summer 2010 range is inspired by summer sports. At the end of the day we just want to make really nice clothes for kids.

When/why did you decide to add a maternity line?
We have had a maternity line since the start but our maternity collection is just a capsule collection of the basic pieces you need to see you through your pregnancy.
What do you particularly like about Bamboo Baby clothes?
How soft they are! And we’re also proud that they are manufactured under fair-trade conditions.

Do you each have a favourite piece, and why?
Chloe: Our new classic jeans for baby girls have got to be my favourite piece because they are just so cute, especially in the tiny sizes!
Sophie: My favourite piece would have to be the Classic Dress as it has a traditional look to it that stops it from going out of fashion. And because we make it from bamboo denim it gives it a trendy fresh look. A timeless piece which we can bring back time and time again in different colours and fabrics.

Do you have children/nephews/nieces etc who wear your clothes?
Yes, we have 3 nieces and 3 nephews and they all wear Bamboo Baby! They also model for us at all of our photo shoots which is lovely.

What’s next for Bamboo Baby?
To keep making cool kids clothes! We would like to continue to grow by stocking more independent boutiques around the world, and expand the range to include clothing for children up to 10, outerwear, swim wear, sleep wear, more colours and more styles. We’d love to do 4 collections a year if we can manage it.
 

Editor’s note: For more information about Bamboo Baby’s beautiful ranges of organic bamboo clothing for babies and children go to www.bamboobaby.co.uk.
For images and enquiries email bamboo-baby@hotmail.co.uk or call 07881 82774