Where our Bamboo fabric comes- plus amusing tales of manufacturing.

People often ask me how we ended up using bamboo fabric for our sleep and lounge wear.  When we started Snug-a-licious our concept was for a range that was “soft, snuggly and comfy”, so naturally Bamboo quickly became our top fabric choice. As a fabric it is gaining traction in the clothing industry and consumers are beginning to understand its qualities and benefits. Specifically for childrenswear its soft hand feel and temperature regulating properties make it ideal for sleepwear and as an under layer.  In hot and humid countries where people frequently go from humidity to air-conditioning, a fabric that absorbs moisture away from the skin has true value. For the exact same reasons, it makes a good base layer in the cold. Once we had decided on Bamboo, our adventure began.

My other half  “Handsome Ransom” (sadly no longer with us) and I started our Snug-a-licious journey with a trip to China to source the best possible fabric and find a manufacturer and long-term business partner that could make our Snug-a-licious dream a reality. I packed a capsule wardrobe and brought snacks, and a highly organised, efficient and ever so slightly OCD Handsome Ransom planned every detail. I laughed at his endless print outs from Google maps and he laughed at my snacks. But to this day, I still maintain we needed both.

Conducting business in China is a steep learning curve, even though I have lived and worked in Hong Kong for most of my life I was slightly unprepared for many things in China. This truly was an adventure, but as we were totally focussed on the end result, we found so many wonderful people to help us on our way. Our tight 5 cities in 3 days schedule was challenged as each two-hour factory visit and meeting was followed by a three-hour lunch.  Ok, so maybe I didn’t need the snacks, but we did learn a lot in the process. And as the trip progressed our search for the softest, best quality fabric became more focussed.

We chose our partner, manufacturer and now close friend based on a number of factors. The quality of the factory, good manufacturing principles, good working conditions and ethically sound business practices. Plus he was the only one who did not try and force me to eat chicken’s feet!  Our manufacturer and business partner has worked with us to produce the quality products we need to make the Snug-a-licious range really stand out. And we were also thrilled to be using a sustainably sourced product that grows so quickly and without the requirement for pesticides or fertilizers. Attention has been paid to the smallest detail, thanks to Simon and his fastidiousness I have been able to build our brand vision knowing that the manufacturing end has been founded on our original core values.

Next time you cuddle up to your little one in one of soft T-Shirts or onesies, you can do so knowing that a lot of love, hard work and great experiences have gone into making clothes that keep your children comfy and snuggly.

Lovely stuff.