When Mia Seipel started Boob, she had a specific vision: she wanted to make clothing for mothers that was comfortable, stylish, flattering during and after pregnancy, and breastfeeding friendly. But what really set her mission apart was the fact that, from the moment she started to work on her building her brand in 1999, she strove to work with sustainable materials -- a bigger challenge than she expected.
Raised on a farm and inspired by her mother, whom she dubs the first original hipster, Mia knew she had a responsibility to this Earth. It was simple from the start, really: Boob needed to grow while minimizing its social and environmental impact. And to accomplish that, she found her inspiration in her customers. “When making clothes for the ones that literally carry our future, I think it calls to action to make clothing they shall wear with care for the next generation,” Mia said.
Today, Boob has grown from stylish nursing tops to a wide collection of maternity wear for all occasions: from activewear and swimwear, to underwear and dresses...all made with double function for maternity and nursing. The brand also introduce it's first design collaboration, a limited edition capsule collection called Emma Elwin x Boob.
The best part is, after all these years, the brand kept its commitment to sustainability. So much so that since 2008, Mia has increased sustainable materials from 20 to 93 percent and plans raise that number to 100 percent within two years. She also expects to expand Boob's use of recycled fibers.
Want to learn more about the Earth-goddess behind one of the best brands that will dress your bump? Mia Seipel took the time to answer a few questions on her commitment to sustainability and to you, mamas and mamas-to-be.
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A look from Boob's spring collection
Why is it so important to wear eco-friendly materials when you’re pregnant or nursing?
It’s important to remember that sustainable materials are not a guarantee for clothes that are free of harmful chemicals, even though for example organic cotton farming involves less chemicals than traditional cotton farming. If you like to be certain from a health perspective, you should look for third party certifications like STANDARD 100 by OEKO TEX® and GOTS.
But choosing sustainable materials is great from other perspectives like sparing the planet’s natural resources, leaving less waste to landfill or exploiting farmers and textile workers for less chemicals.
What are some of the challenges you’ve encountered in committing to sustainability?
Yes, we have made it hard for ourselves. But we haven’t cut out our bestsellers – instead, we’ve made them as sustainable as possible. Off course this means that we cannot offer the cheapest products in the market, but I think time is on our side. And we see that there is an increasing demand for sustainable choices among our customers.
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A look from Boob's spring collection
How has today’s culture and business environment influenced your sustainable business structure?
I think we’ve had a big advantage in the fact that we have no external stakeholders. We have been able to take on to sustainable goals and balance them out with requirements of speedy growth. But we always want our business decisions to be sustainably wise from an environmental, social and economical perspective. I like Boob to be an inspiration for others, and we like to show that you can make good and sustainable business.
Give us some tips on small, everyday changes you can make as a mom to make your life greener.
First of all, I think it is important to feel good about every step you take towards sustainable living. It is hard to be a good consumer, and though no one can be a perfect consumer, the small everyday changes can make a big difference. If you want to help protect the environment and be an eco-conscious consumer, you can do things like sort our garbage for recycling, shop for local and organic foods, purchase clothes from sustainable companies, buy second-hand products, eat seasonably, and buy less.
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A look from Boob Design's spring collection
