 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||||
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||
 |
 |
|
|||||||||||
Nowadays it’s not just about buying something because it’s cute. Our buying habits have evolved
—for the better. Thanks in great part to the surfeit of information propagated by the Internet and
the strained economic times, the wanton consumerism of yesteryear has been traded in for a new
and improved model, driven by our desire for oversight, disclosure, accountability and fact-finding
on all fronts, from vetting owner ethos to scrutinizing product quality.
Here, THE FAMILY GROOVE shines the spotlight on rising entrepreneurs and their businesses to bring you the goods on the who, what, where, when, how and why behind the best and the brightest brands on the market today. It is our hope that these interviews will not only give you some insight into the passion, spirit and values that fuel these companies, but just might inspire you to follow your dreams,too.
| This month’s Top Shop: |  |
Babysoy hits the trifecta of the modern-day musts that parents nowadays seek out when they’re swapping their hard-earned greenbacks for baby gear with a company and a product line that is sustainable, socially conscious and stylish. With its postmodern-trendy take on the classics, made from eco-friendly soybean fiber, Babysoy delivers on high-design, low-carbon-footprint baby and tot wears.
Here, Babysoy co-founder David Lin talks about the company that was inspired by a personal desire on the part of his partner, Amy, and himself to make a proactive commitment to creating sustainable products, fostering a safe and healthy lifestyle for current generations, and helping to save the planet for generations to come. Who knew such a tall order could come in such tiny clothes?
THE FAMILY GROOVE: Babysoy is rooted in and guided by a mission of safety, sustainability and style. What inspired your commitment to such a big—and important—cause?
DAVID LIN: [My co-owner] Amy and I first got involved with eco-friendly and sustainable products about 10 years ago when a friend introduced us to PLA that is made from cornstarch to replace common plastic products made with PE or PP. That led us into the world of sustainability and waste/resource reduction. It was fascinating to learn how the development of modern science led to all these pollutants, and now it’s leading us to reduce pollution. But the interest remained at a personal level.
A few years ago, both Amy and I had close family members who got sick, and the cause of the disease was pointed toward pollution. That was when we started seriously looking to make more of a commitment. Then as we read, heard, watched and experienced different damages that humans have done in the past years, it strengthened our belief that we were doing the right thing. We hope that our small effort and little steps will draw some attention and bring more people together to give their efforts to save our planet.
TFG: How else do you give back?
DL: A portion of our profits go to Half the Sky Foundation and other local charities.
TFG: What is a soy protein fiber? Why is it eco-friendly?
DL: Soybean protein fiber is a sustainable and botanical textile fiber made from renewable and biodegradable natural resources—the leftover soybean pulp from tofu and soy milk production. Its 16 amino acids are healthy and nutritional for our skin. It is a green textile fiber that possesses the superiorities of many natural and synthesized fibers.
TFG: You and Amy were good friends before you started the company. How is it being in business with your lifelong friend?
DL: It’s a lot of fun when you work with people who have the same goal as you do, especially when that person is one of your best friends. A lot of things we don’t even need to discuss because we know what the other person is thinking.
TFG: Any advice for two friends thinking about going into business together?
DL: Set a clear goal, discuss each person’s job and responsibilities, be honest and have fun!
TFG: What’s been your proudest Babysoy moment so far?
DL: When a customer called and told us that her son loves our clothes because only when he was wearing our products was he able to sleep well and wasn’t as fussy. We were so excited to be able to help the parent out.
TFG: You launched with your signature super-hip layettes and essentials for boys and girls, and now you do playwear for kids 2T to 4T. Where does the line go from here?
DL: Babysoy will continue our basic layettes lines, as they are the basic designs that every baby needs. With the superior quality of soy fiber/cotton blend, we are confident that this basic yet modern layettes line will go a long way.
Looking down the road, we plan to introduce other eco-friendly products to our customers. One example will be the addition of soy fiber/organic cotton this fall. We want to bring the best-quality fabric there is to our customers, whether it’s soy fiber, organic cotton or other eco-friendly fibers. Aside from introducing new fabrics, we also want to introduce new graphic lines. The new line’s printed graphics will be similar and equally fun and modern to the tot’s playwear line.
TFG: What about Babysoy as a company? What’s in store?
DL: We started off with soy fiber baby clothes, with modern essential baby lines. We envision ourselves to be one of the leaders in providing top-quality and affordable eco-friendly baby/kids’ clothing a few years down the road.
DAVID’S FIVE FOR FALL
We are excited to launch a new line that’s made of organic cotton and soy fiber in fall 2009. Other than making the new line even more eco-friendly with the usage of organic cotton, we’ve also expanded our popular graphic designs and will introduce three new designs as well. However, I’d have to say that my must-have items for fall would still be our top five best sellers, always loved by parents and kids alike.
 |
Signature Soft Blanket |
 |
Duo-Styles Signature Hats |
 |
Signature Soft Socks |
 |
Kimono One-Piece |
 |
Layered Sleeves One-Piece |
For more from Babysoy, go to www.babysoyusa.com.
What the heck does "Special Section" mean? Well, it means that these businesses paid a small (like, pretty darn small) fee to be included. THE FAMILY GROOVE strives to support mom and pop businesses by giving them a venue for their super cool sites, ideas and products—and, quite honestly, we strive to pay our bills, too. So we've taken seven articles a month (out of 25+) and made them fun and exciting ways to promote the next best thing, much like in the way a publicist would. We believe in the companies we feature. We research, vet, scrutinize, analyze and obsess over every single solitary company that is included in this section to bring you the grooviest of the groovy. We're all in this brave new world together, right? And so we've got to support each other in any and every way we can. We hope you dig our finds as much as we do.
HOME | ABOUT TFG | CONTACT TFG | FREE TFG | ADVERTISE TFG | SHOP TFG | PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS & CONDITIONS
