Diwali (festival of lights) is India's biggest holiday of the year. It's name comes from the row (avali) of clay lamps (deepa) that Indian's use to light outside their homes - symbolic of the inner light that protects them from spiritual darkness. Diwali to Hindu's is similar to Christmas for Christians.
In September, I had the privilege of meeting Sonia Gupta, owner of My Little Pakora. We both sell our products at
Twinklestar Boutique in Porter Sq (Cambridge, MA) and Twinklestar was hosting a "
Baby Bollywood Party" to celebrate My Little Pakora. My daughter is a HUGE fan of
Bollywood music, so it seemed to be the perfect way to entertain her on a Saturday afternoon! So I thought I'd bring Sophie for some fun.
As an environmental science major, I
love talking to business owners who have really done their research and know every detail about how their products are made and exactly what is in them! So many people are focused on buying "locally made" products which I think is awesome - but I was amazed when talking to Sonia about how
responsible you can be when choosing a "non-local" producer of your goods.
I know I've personally been in shops and seen clothing tags and figure "made in India" or "made in Pakistan" or "made in Bangladesh" could mean that some underpaid 9-year-old working in a sweatshop is how I now have my t-shirt. But seeing as
India is the worlds second largest producer of cotton (China is first, Pakistan being 4th), of course a lot of cotton products are being produced in Asia, and
not all factories are the same.
Sonia shared with me about how she contacted multiple factories to question them about their process and materials used before finding one who shared her values in Southern India. She visited the factory earlier this year, and
photographed their process. Workers are provided with food - including fruit and veggies from an organic farm, they recieve free medical care, and the farmhouse at the factory uses solar power! How cool?
My Little Pakora products are produced start to finish under the
GOTS: Global Organic Textile Standard -
"The Global Organic
Textile Standard (GOTS) is recognised as the leading processing standard
for textiles made from organic fibres worldwide. It defines high level
environmental criteria along the entire supply chain of organic textiles
and requires compliance with social criteria as well.
Only textile products that contain a
minimum of 70% organic fibres can become certified according to GOTS.
All chemical inputs s.a. dyestuffs and auxiliaries used must meet
certain environmental and toxicological criteria and also the choice of
accessories is limited under ecological aspects. A functional waste
water treatment plant is mandatory for any wet-processing unit involved
and all processors must comply with social minimum criteria. The key
criteria of GOTS, its quality assurance system and the principles of the
review and revision procedure are summarized in this section." - www.global-standard.org
So, when you are buying My Little Pakora, you can be assured that:
- Their clothing is made from certified organic cotton
- Eco-friendly pigments and screening processes are used in production are free of harsh chemicals like phthalates and PVC
- You are buying clothing manufactured in a socially responsible facility that practices fair labor
- Sustainability is ensured from the way the cotton is grown to the end product
Sonia also put a lot of thought into the design of the clothing - ever try to put a cloth-diapered baby into a onesie, only have trouble snapping it because of the extra "bulk?"
Well, she factored in the diaper bulk too when doing her sizing! if you look closely at the kimono bodysuit, you'll see that it slightly widens towards the hips - to allow the baby to be comfortable playing/moving despite a bulky diaper!
The organic cotton is excellent quality as well! Sophie has the
pink elephant kimono bodysuit and it's
by far the best quality shirt we've gotten! :)
Currently, there is a
My Little Pakora SALE at The Mini Social! (ending Friday 10/28) with prices ranging from $14-26 (regularly $24-45) so be sure to take advantage of that deal while it lasts! and of course we have a giveaway too!
GIVEAWAY:
So, in the spirit of Diwali, I'm hosting
a giveaway for a $60 gift certificate to mylittlepakora.com
You can enter for your chance to win by entering this giveaway via
Rafflecopter. You must open the post for the giveaway widget to appear
(click on the post title). Rafflecopter makes entering giveaways super
quick and easy!
