With the sudden drop in temperature over the weekend, hope that most of winter might be behind us has been abandoned, and the fight to keep warm is back on.

Here at Boys&Girls, we thought we’d put together a brief guide to help you keep your kids warm this winter, the ethical way.

1- Layer up

Dressing your children with several layers instead of just a thick one is the key to keep them warm. Layers help trap warm air between each item, which acts as further insulation from the outside cold. Wearing layers will also help them regulate their body temperature better, by opening or taking off one layer when overheating, and putting it back when they’ve stopped running around. Tuck vests into trousers rather than pulling over the outside, and make sure that the layers are not too tight and don’t restrict movement so blood flow is not impeded.

2- Prefer natural fibres

Layering is even more effective if the layers are made of natural fibres, like cotton, silk or wool. Because natural fibres let the skin breathe better, if your kids work up a sweat, they won’t be cold later on.

It is even better if you go for organic clothes: with no harsh chemicals used in the production process, their skin won’t get irritated, which is especially important in the winter when they will be wearing more layers for several months.

3- Don’t forget their extremities

Remember that up to 40% of body heat is lost through the head, and that feet and toes usually get cold quicker than the rest of the body. Gloves, a hat and thicker socks are therefore indispensable in colder weather, and also allow you to add splashes of colours to outfits that tend to get a bit dark in winter.

At Boys&Girls, we createcool clothes for kidsthat are bright and cheerful, but also made of 100% organic and fairly traded cotton. With our range of colourful long-sleeved t-shirts, hoodies, leggings and sweatpants available on sale, you will be able to keep your kids warm with an on-trend, funky look that doesn’t cost the earth. And for extra coziness, all our Autumn/Winter hoodies and sweat pants are made in our SuperSoft fabric, a brushed sweat providing ultimate comfort.

Boys&Girls is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

The Perfect Girls Red Christmas Dress

If you are looking for the perfect dress for your little girl to wear this Christmas or even just throughout the Autumn/Winter season, Green Nippers organic red girls dress is a perfect choice! The dress is made from soft and comfortable organic cotton in a gorgeous warm rustic red colour with little cream pockets.

The girls red dress is very versatile and can be dressed up or down! For example, it can be worn with cream tights and little party shoes for a party or special occasion, alternatively if your little girl wants to go for a more casual look – how about wearing it with a pair of leggings or tights and ankle boots?

The long sleeve cotton dress forms part of Green Nippers Junior Collection, which consists of dresses, tops and leggings for the girls. For the boys there is a wonderful range of trousers, dungarees and t-shirts. We have extended our age range of organic clothing collections, so therefore this dress and the rest of the Junior Collection can be purchased in a range of sizes from 0 to 5 years.

If you have purchased one of the Green Nippers garments or baby grows before, you will appreciate the luxuriously soft organic cotton fabric. Not only that, they are made to an exceptionally high quality and are very durable so can be worn over and over again and can even be passed down to younger sisters or friends!

Green Nippers have recently exhibited at a few retail shows: The Organic Food Festival in Bristol (where the Junior Collection was launched), The Baby Show at Earls Court in London and The Living North Christmas Fair in Newcastle. Green Nippers Junior Collection, in particular the girls red dress, was a very popular choice by parents, grandparents and other relatives. We find it very beneficial to exhibit at retail shows as it is lovely to meet our customers and hear their wonderful feedback.

Our full range of organic baby and children’s clothes including the little girls red dress is available on our website: www.greennippers.co.uk.

Girls long sleeve red dress – 0-2 years is just £17.99, and 2-5 years is only £19.99

We also have free UK delivery and can ship anywhere in the world for only £4.95!

Green Nippers is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

We launched our brand new Junior Collection in August 2011. Green Nippers Junior Collection consists of colourful organic clothes for boys and girls aged 0 to 5 years. The range includes smart and practical dresses, smock tops, t-shirts and leggings for girls. For the boys there are a wonderful range of t-shirts, stylish trousers and dungarees.

Green Nippers have proven that been organic does not mean that you have to limit the colours to cream and brown. We have carried on our ethos of been bright and colourful for our Junior collection, using a great range of warm and rich colours such as rustic red, chocolate brown, navy, marmalade and forest green.

Since launching our Junior range, it has proven to be very popular. Especially our boys dungarees! Our customers have been drawn the fabric initially as they are not made from the usual denim. One of the unique selling points of Green Nippers dungarees is that they are actually made from a high quality organic cotton sweater fabric (similar to jogging bottoms) which is much softer and more comfortable than denim. However they do have the smart ‘denim look’ with the colour and contrasting top stitching. Our dungaree/pinafore dress and boys trousers are also made from the same fabric.

Green Nippers boys dungarees have been that popular that our cotton dungarees have been bought for girls too – so they are in fact unisex J They are so practical and durable, allowing little children to play comfortable all day long.
Here are some of the key features:
- The legs turn up and the straps have 2 fastening options allowing your little one room to grow
- They are made from soft 100% organic cotton sweater fabric and organic cotton jersey (pockets)
- They contain no nasty chemicals or pesticides, so are therefore eczema friendly
- The buttons are made from coconut shell
- There are nickel free popper fastenings around the inside leg (for easy nappy changing)
- Ethically made in Turkey
- High quality and hard wearing
- Easy to wear, smart, practical and comfortable
- Ideal for babies suffering from reflux as they are not tight fitting around the stomach

Green Nippers blue dungarees are available to purchase from our website (www.greennippers.co.uk). They are very reasonably priced at £19.99, and are available from ages 0 to 3 years.

Green Nippers is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

A recent report by Ipsos MORI for UNICEF UK has highlighted that children in the UK are being drawn into a materialistic culture because they don’t spend enough time with their families.

According to a recent research, although parents in the UK are committed to their children, they don’t have enough time to spend with them due to long working hours. To make up for this, they end up treating them to new clothes and toys, which the charity claims affects their relationship with material items.

For online retailer Boys&Girls, treating your children to new clothes could be turned into a more meaningful experience. Instead of buying into labels, try buying fair trade clothing. This will give you the opportunity to teach your kids about where their clothes come from and how they are produced, giving them a greater understanding of the world they live in. This will help them be kinder to their peers, and could also positively affect their buying choices in the future.

Buying organic children clothes will also give you the chance to make your children aware of serious issues whilst treating them. You could explain the impact of chemicals on the environment but also on the workers who make their clothes, or teach them about ecosystems and global warming too.

And to make more free time for your little ones, why not try online shopping rather than dragging them round the shops? You can fit it in after they’ve gone to bed, and to make it even easier, most retailers can deliver to the address of your choice, like an office, so you don’t have to be at home to receive them.

If you would like to treat your children to organic and fairly traded cool children clothes, visit Boys&Girls online today.

Boys&Girls is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

We all know that buying ethical clothing is the responsible thing to do; it’s better for the environment and protects producers in the developing world.  But are they cool and comfortable enough so your children will want to wear them every day?

At Boys&Girls, our range of children’s clothes is quirky as well as fairly traded, organic and ethical.

When we set the company up, we wanted everything to be “created with care”, so the production process had to be safe and fair for everyone involved – including your kids.

We’ve stuck to that mantra and only use 100% organic GOTS and fairly traded FLO certified cotton for the whole range, which allows your child’s skin to breathe in summer and winter and is perfect when  running around at the rate of knots.

No nasty chemicals, pesticides or genetically modified organisms are used in the process, which means your little one’s sensitive skin is unlikely to react to the dyes we use.

But organic clothing doesn’t have to mean boring clothing either! We believe that our strapline “more parks & playgrounds than paddocks & ponies” really reflects our range of easy to live in, vibrant and funky kids clothes. All of our clothes come in bright colours and bold patterns your kids will love – so they can feel confident all the time. Even our organic baby clothing comes in brilliant colours!

Thankfully, our clothes are good for you too. All of Boys&Girls clothes are hard wearing and can be machine washed, so you won’t end up with mountains of hand washing.

Visit Boys&Girls to check our full range of ethical kids clothes.

Boys&Girls is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

This Bank Holiday Bourgeois Boheme is offering free exclusive belts to the first 20 customers who order from our website using the code “bankholiday“.

Bourgeois Boheme is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Spring is almost upon us … the sun has started shine and the nights are staying lighter for longer! Now couldn’t be a better time to treat your little one to some gorgeous and soft colourful organic baby clothes! Let your baby be cool and comfortable this season in our soft, breathable and chemical free baby clothes.

Green Nippers specialise in organic, ethical and eczema friendly baby boys clothes and baby girls clothes. Our baby clothes are kind to babies suffering with eczema as there are no chemicals or pesticides to irritate the delicate babies skin. We wanted to make life easier for busy parents so therefore we designed a range of fashionable all-in-one baby grows that have been designed as little outfits for your baby.

When designing the collection of baby grows we aimed to create a product that looked smarter than an ordinary baby grow but most importantly practical and comfortable. Our baby grows have been designed specifically for babies to sleep, eat and play in, whether out and about or just lounging at home. Such an occasion could be an evening meal, if parents were to take their baby out with them their baby could wear a fashionable Green Nippers baby grow and parents would not have the worry that their baby is underdressed. Subsequently if baby fell asleep they could happily put them to bed in the baby grow without having to disturb them changing them into sleepwear.

Our most popular girls baby grow this season has been ‘Polly Pintuck’, and our best selling boys baby grow has been ‘Ollie’!

Treat your little one today and save 15% off too. Enter the code: ETHICAL15 in the discount code box at the checkout: www.greennippers.co.uk

*Save 15% from now until 30^th April 2011*

Green Nippers is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

With clothing design both fashion and function come together. In recent years there has also been a focus on sustainability in the fashion industry which goes way beyond just using organic cotton fabric instead of conventional cotton or manmade fabrics. Sustainable design is the term that is used to describe the philosophy of designing objects to comply with the principles of ecological, social and economic sustainability.

Whilst in some ways fashion contradicts sustainability because the very nature of following constantly changing trends and fashions can be wasteful and also create much waste, there are some ways that fashion and sustainability can go together. Designers are implementing exciting new initiatives to help reduce the impact of clothing on the environment whilst still making it beautiful to look at and functional to wear.

The most innovative designs turn the sustainable features of a piece of clothing into the very thing that makes it desirable, fashionable or stylish. An example of this is the beautiful fabrics that are recycled into new pieces of clothing. It is the vintage nature of the fabrics that make the clothing so beautiful. Recently Christopher Raeburn has used surplus military parachute silk to make very on trend pieces of clothing. There are also various designers pioneering methods to reduce waste in the fashion industry including innovative new pattern cutting techniques which give the garment a characteristic look.

The use of sustainable fabrics is also a key part of sustainable fashion design. There are a number of different sustainable fabrics to choose from each having its own unique look, feel and properties. Bamboo is super soft, warm and comfortable and has been likened to cashmere that drapes like silk; it is perfect for leisure wear and also for draping. Designers are also constantly coming up with new materials that look great and are also good for the environment. Innovative dying techniques and use of natural coloured fabrics have also been used to create beautiful designs.

Sustainability is not just about what the clothing is made of though. It is about the overall and lifecycle of the product. How long will it last and when it reaches the end of its life can it be easily disposed of?

Biodegradable materials are key to reducing waste in the fashion industry but there are also more interesting projects happening for example where shoes can be deconstructed at the end of their useful life and some parts recycled. Any clothing, shoes or accessories can be made more sustainable by designing them to last and for maximum usage. This can include classic and versatile styles that won’t go out of fashion quickly and multitasking pieces of clothing that can be worn in a number of different ways.

Sustainable design is not just about one factor or aspect of clothing that reduces the impact of a piece of clothing on the environment. It is about designing a piece of clothing that takes into account all aspects of the garment from design to sourcing of materials to sale of the product and beyond. In order to be truly sustainable designers also need to take into account social and economic factors.   By embracing this philosophy whilst still ensuring beauty and functionality of the clothing, designers are helping to make the fashion industry more sustainable.

This article was written by Ceri Heathcote. Ceri is a fashion writer with a particular interest in ethical and eco fashion. She enjoys writing about a variety of topics from vegan shoes and natural footwear to sustainable accessories.

Po-Zu Ecological Shoes is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Have you ever wondered how many countries your pants have crossed before they end up in your shopping basket?  Or how many hands have touched them before they reach the shop? 

Becky John, social entrepreneur and founder of whomadeyourpants? asked herself those same questions and believing that everyone should be able to answer them, she set up her own business to do things differently.  We interviewed Becky to find out more.  You can read the interview in full on the Ooffoo website.  Here are some juicy snippets…

When Becky John answered the telephone ‘Hello, who made your pants?’, I knew that I was going to enjoy quizzing her about her knickers. Becky, the founder of a Southampton based workers cooperative, had agreed to a telephone interview. She promised me I would be inspired and she didn’t disappoint! Becky is a buoyant and passionate woman, and I felt every breath of her story as she told it.

Becky makes and sells ethical pants using upcycled materials, with a team of volunteers and refugee women whom she is helping through the scheme.  She dreams of a day when all knicker-wearers will be asking how many hands have touched their knickers before they reach the shop and how many countries they’ve crossed on the way to the shopping basket.

   “I’d started to realise that I didn’t have to do what I didn’t want to do. I knew I was ready to make a big change; that I didn’t have to stay within the constraints of a safe job and a safe income. Putting these feelings together with my ambition to do something socially responsible and my love of knickers was a perfect match.”

   “I love beautiful underwear – it makes you feel sexy and confident, but I didn’t want to compromise my ethics to have it… [ so I ] …decided to make and sell the kind of pants I wanted to wear.” 

   “I had begun to realise that women are just subjected across the world to crap messaging and societal norms that even in our culture don’t support women to feel as strong as they could. Having found my own strength I wanted to help other women to help themselves…Our motto is that we work with women who have never had opportunity, or have had it taken it away.”

   “I had a job earning lots of money to do nothing. Now I am poor and busy, doing something I love. I’m so happy.”

Read the full interview.

whomadeyourpants? are members of Ethical Junction.  View their profile here.

Ethletic white high cut sneakers, made with oragnic and Fairtrade cotton and with built in arch supports are currently half price here

The Fair Deal Trading Partnership Llp is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more