This article is brought to you in partnership with León & Bird.
With sustainability the word on everybody’s lips, it seems like every brand is trying to cash in on our collective climate anxiety.
So for a parent hoping to be a conscious consumer and preserve the planet for their little one, how can they be sure they’re actually buying a brand that’s green and not a brand that’s greenwashing?
Luckily, there’s one brand that we know is doing it right: León & Bird.
The Australian-based baby and toddler clothing brand is 100% ethical, vegan, and eco-friendly. Oh, and it’s also absolutely adorable!
León & Bird was started by Sandra Lascala, a mom of three, in the hopes of creating fun and imaginative clothing for kiddos without harming the environment.
In fact, Sandra said that making León & Bird an ethical brand was a “non-negotiable” from the start. She explained,
“When I started León & Bird, I knew there was no way it was going to work if I wasn’t 100% passionate. And there was no way I could love my brand or products if they were made in a factory that exploits its workers, or if the aftermath of creating the fabrics left pollution in our waterways.”
She continued,
“It’s the important stuff that’s hidden behind a brand that’s really easy for brands and their customers to turn a blind eye to. But it’s really not that hard for businesses to incorporate eco-friendly practices into their business, and it makes the world of difference in ensuring we still have a planet for future generations.”
Sandra examines every part of the business — from the materials used to the factory conditions to the waste produced during the manufacturing process — to make sure she’s making the most environmentally-friendly choices possible.
“I always look for better ways we can be even more gentle on our planet. At the moment, I’m focused on our supply chain process and ensuring our footprint is as low as possible.”
Every piece in León & Bird’s collection is composed of 95% organic cotton and is manufactured in a certified-ethical factory in Turkey (learn what it takes to become certified ethical here).
The brand’s current line — the Sprinkle Galaxy Collection — features six romperoos (a genius adaptation of the romper!), most of which are gender-neutral.
The collection was inspired by Sandra’s own childhood, which was filled with imagination and creativity. She dreamed up a story of a Gouldian finch and quokka who went on magical adventures together through a galaxy filled with shooting butterballs, sugar stars, and fluffy clouds of fairy bread (which is apparently a real thing?!).
Sandra explained,
“With Sprinkle Galaxy, I wanted to incorporate a part of Australia (where I live) and I did this through the two beautiful animals, the Gouldian Finch and the Quokka, two much loved Aussie natives. I also wanted to feature an Aussie childhood favorite, fairy bread (who doesn’t love fairy bread?!).”
She added,
“I dreamed of creating a ‘story’ behind this collection (you can read it here) to give the collection some meaning and joy. Much like a story straight out of a child’s imagination — I dreamed up a story of Goldie the Gouldian Finch and Quentin the Quokka traveling to a magical, sugar-laden galaxy called Sprinkle Galaxy!”
She ended up connecting with an artist out of Moldova to bring her vision to life.
The resulting collection includes three short-sleeve romperoos, two sleeveless romperoos, and one long-sleeve romperoo.
What’s a romperoo, you ask? Only the most genius thing ever!
A romperoo is a specially-designed romper with no snaps, zips, buttons, or other closures. Instead, it has a “magic stretchy neck” that allows you to slip the romper on your baby easy-peasy.
The result is a seemingly gravity-defying garment that is somehow stretchy enough to pull up over your kid’s body without losing its shape.
Sandra explained,
“The trick is actually in the specialized machine we use, plus the sewing technique around the neck — plus very stretchy elastane! It’s quite marvelous, isn’t it!?”
Sandra credits a fellow Aussie mom with creating the original idea but it’s clearly Sandra who took it to the next level.
The romperoos are specifically designed for wriggly babies — something Sandra had to contend with herself with her third baby Leo. She recalled,
“[Leo] started getting really wriggly at around 6 months, and I have really struggled to dress him and I’m so blessed to have the romperoo! I can first-hand see how amazingly it works under pressure!”
The romperoos are made to be particularly durable, unlike many of those cheap alternatives.
“You would be surprised with the number of products I have used from popular brands that have literally ripped on the second wear!”
To make sure every piece in the collection is ready to go to market, Sandra and the León & Bird team go through months of research and testing to make sure the quality is up to their standards.
Sandra said,
“Every product we launch is thoughtfully created to ensure the best fit and durability. Are we using the right cotton? Does the cotton wash well? Does it need reinforcing? Does it need more stretch? Would this work well if the baby is crawling? Is it easy to use at change time? These are some of the things I think about when creating new products.”
She added,
“I want to make sure that every product we put out there is ‘purposefully practical’ — i.e, it’s not going to fall apart the second time you use it, it’s fit for purpose (e.g. crawling baby), and can ideally be passed on to others once outgrown.”
That’s also one of the things that motivated Sandra to make the majority of the collection gender-neutral. She explained,
“I did some research with parents prior to creating León & Bird and most parents said they were keen on gender-neutral clothing so they can get passed down after they’re outgrown.”
Sandra is already hard at work on León & Bird’s next collection, which she plans to release later in 2022. She said,
“We’ll be expanding our products beyond the romperoo into bodysuits, and long and short sleeve zip suits, to give parents more choice when it comes to their baby’s wardrobe.”
She also hopes to expand into kids’ clothing at some point in the future (León & Bird’s current sizing goes from 6 months to 36 months).
In the meantime, you can check out León & Bird’s Sprinkle Galaxy Collection on their website here. Happy shopping!
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