Sustainable cotton/bamboo fiber baby and toddler apparel in gender-neutral faith inspired graphic prints ethically made in California.
The purpose of this new direction for the Leela Threads kids clothing line is to provide edgy kids clothing with graphic prints inspired by my christian faith. I want to be able to share the Message in a subtle way so as to “plant the seed” and be intriguing to believers and non-believers alike.
All prints are custom designed and sketched by Liliya Gavryush providing a graphic, yet organic feel to the design. They are then used to create a recurring pattern which is to be screen printed onto custom blended fabric.
The fabric blend consists of bamboo viscose and organic cotton to provide ultimate comfort for sensitive baby skin. Using natural fibers can eliminate the risk of inflammation for kids who struggle with eczema and other like skin conditions. The added benefit of bamboo grass fiber is naturally wetness wicking which will allow your baby to stay warm without sweat accumulating in those sweet baby rolls. A touch of spandex adds stretch to the fabric for flexibility.
Having two kids of my own, I know the struggle of finding fashionable and comfortable clothing for boys and girls alike. I am catering to the demand I have seen in the graphic printed apparel I have created thus far while improving the quality by using custom blended fabric which is also catering to a high demand of parents who have children struggling with eczema such as my daughter, niece, and countless others.
August of 2015 I started Leela Threads as a mostly gender neutral clothing line. Shortly thereafter I had inventory requested for a local pop-up shop and I was only able to supply a small batch of items. Though I had several requests to replenish stock, I was unable to do so due to the fabric being sourced from overseas and turnaround time was just too long to fulfill the demand during the running season. I was also approached by a local children’s boutique with a request to supply inventory, and once again I was only able to source a small batch to a retailer due to limited fabric supply. I had been faced with the difficulty of sourcing desirable fabric produced within the United States and the supplier from overseas was only able to source a limited amount of fabric. This dilemma has stunted the growth of Leela Threads due to an inability to keep up with demand. By creating a custom fabric blend and prints exclusive to Leela Threads I am creating the opportunity for restocking as demand increases and eliminating the need to source fabric from overseas by having every part of the process done here in the USA!
The funds raised by this Kickstarter campaign will be used to fund the materials and process of creating the organic cotton bamboo fabric, screen printing the custom print patterns onto the fabric yardage, producing the garments at a production house in Los Angeles, CA. Without your financial support we will not be able to produce this collection.
The 6 styles that make up the collection include:
1) Raglan Sweater
2) Flutter shoulder Dress
3) Long-sleeve onesie
4) Slim Harem pant
5) Leggings
6) Slouchy Beanie
Sizes start from Newborn and go up to 6T.
Challenges we may face include being a little late in the year for production of a winter line and acquiring contracts with shops who would like to carry Leela Threads apparel. Although the turnaround time for the production house is fairly quick and it is local to my home state of California which allows for faster results.