In Business For Baby

Sustainable Style
In Business For Baby
Two California mothers use organic cotton to design a line of baby clothes now sold in ecostores and on their web site.
Amy Satkofsky

THE OWNERS of an organic cotton clothing company in Sonoma County, California — Vicki Lasin and Mattie Bosch — first met in 1969 when they were young teenagers. Their respective life paths have become more and more entwined since that day, as they grew into adults, sharing obstacles and joys of their personal and professional lives along the way.

“Mattie and I have had a long history of working on projects together ever since we celebrated the very first Earth Day back in 1970,” Lasin says with a laugh as Bosch chimes in to agree. Lasin, a former English teacher and Bosch, a garden designer, launched their business — Xanomi for our children — in 1995, but the seed for the idea behind it was planted a few years earlier, when they had children of their own within a year of each other. “We both waited a long time to have children and because of that, when we had children, they became our top priority,” Lasin explains as she talks of how motherhood changed her life. “We were so in love with being new mothers that our lives took on a different focus,” Bosch says.

CREATING BABY CLOTHING

\ The women had fun sewing for the children and sharing the clothing between them and with their friends. The idea for a baby clothing company grew out of that time together. “We started talking about it (starting a business) and decided if we were going to do it, we would need to do something better than what already existed. It was easy to find lots of great cotton baby clothes on the market, but it would be so much better if the cotton were organic,” Lasin recalls.

As the two women revisit the conversation that took place close to seven years ago, Bosch begins to talk about what she calls the moment of epiphany, the moment the idea for Xanomi began to grow. “We wanted to do something big for our children, not just make adorable clothes for them. Organic clothing was the obvious answer because it’s about so much more than what we actually put on our children,” she says. “Cotton grown organically shows our appreciation of the environment and our concern about preserving it for our children,” Lasin adds.

In 1995, the women filed for a business license and “Xanomi for our children” was born. The company name came from their children, of course — Lasin’s little boy, Xander, and Bosch’s little girl, Naomi. Xanomi’s first line came out in autumn, 1996. During that year, however, Bosch and Lasin discovered that producing all organic cotton clothing was going to be more challenging than they ever conceived it would be.

“We had a huge commitment to go organic and we never looked back,” Bosch says. “But we did find a lot of constraints,” Lasin explains. “There isn’t a lot of selection in organic cotton fabric to start with, but to find some that is appealing to the children’s market — with prints and fun colors — was close to impossible.” Bosch spent hours sourcing environmentally friendly materials — from fabric and trim to buttons and labels.

The fabric mills are accustomed to getting mass orders. “Here we were asking for very small runs for very tiny baby clothes,” Bosch says. “And on top of it, we’re asking them to clean all of their equipment before they run our fabric through.” In order to be certified organic, all the processing equipment must be cleaned down before the organic yarn is processed into fabric. Xanomi began using only color-grown cotton and soon added in more color and patterns using prints, which the women designed themselves, made with water-based inks. “Even labels can look natural and undyed but really be full of bleach, pesticides or chemicals. That’s why we went for ‘green cotton’ Xanomi labels,” Bosch comments. From farming to finishing, there are certification checks on organic cotton.

When it came time to sell the first line of Xanomi baby clothes, Bosch and Lasin followed all of the advice they got from professionals in the garment industry. “We hooked up with sales reps, and they started to wholesale the clothes to stores across the country. The line sold because the clothes were cute, not because they were organic,” Lasin says. “People like our clothes and recognized their quality and liked the natural ‘look.’ ”

KEEPING UP WITH THE MARKET… AND THEMSELVES

People really liked their line because it was “fresh” — a concept that sells in the clothing industry. “We found ourselves trying to keep up with the market. In the first couple of months Xanomi sold over $20,000. We were designing two new lines a year — a minimum requirement in the industry. The imperative is to always have something new to offer,” Bosch explains. “At that point, we used to laugh as we worked late into the night and say, ‘We’re doing this for our children, right?’” Lasin laughs with sarcasm thick in her voice. The once-carefree “ecoheads,” as they liked to call themselves, found that the wholesale situation didn’t fit their personalities or their ethics.

At this point, sensing the onset of burnout, Bosch and Lasin began to reevaluate their business and reconsider the advice of Roberta Ryan, their business consultant. “Sustainability is not just about your business practices. But people have to have processes that work for them and their relationships too,” Bosch says as she translates the motto Ryan has instilled in them — it’s been two years since they restructured. The women put new emphasis on working in a way they could contact their true market. The marketing was brought back in-house and the women focused on selling wholesale to ecostores and began to sell retail through Xanomi’s web site. Today, the women recognize that business decisions cannot be based solely on money — they reshaped their business to ensure Xanomi itself was fully sustainable, liking the work they do, and believing in it too.

The Organic Trade Association, especially the Organic Fiber Council branch, have been big supporters of Xanomi and the organic clothing industry, Bosch says as she explains that today she takes the time to educate anyone who is unaware of the organic certification process. “If I take the time to promote awareness, maybe it will be passed on from there.” Yet, both women say more and more of the companies they work with have a real desire to learn about what it means to be organic. “Most people would love to do the right thing for the environment, but they don’t know how to make a difference,” Bosch theorizes.

Many of the original garments were sewn in San Francisco, about an hour from Xanomi. With the restructuring, Bosch found small, family owned sewing shops right in Sonoma County to do the sewing for Xanomi, cutting down on commuting time. The women have peace of mind knowing the sewers make fair wages and are treated well. “We don’t nickel and dime them, and in return we get very high quality products,” Bosch says. The combination makes the products even more sustainable. “Organic cotton is a little more expensive than regular cotton. But we’re making something that can be handed down and held on to for a few years.”

Since Xanomi has been restructured, the lifelong friends say they truly enjoy dealing with their end customers. “I love taking care of our customers. They are great! They really like our clothes and appreciate our commitment to organic cotton,” Lasin laughs — and this time she means it. In the time since Xanomi has started, the women have seen a shift in the market. More people are choosing organic products whenever they can. “It’s very encouraging,” Bosch says. Xanomi is holding its own amid increased competition. “We feel empowered to be making choices we believe in. Now it really does seem like we are doing something good ‘for our children,’” Lasin reveals.

Bosch and Lasin hope that, at some point in time, they will extend their size range to include older children. Right now the majority of the pieces are for babies and infants — with a few matching pieces thrown in for moms. Nevertheless, Bosch and Lasin are in it for the long haul. “We want to send children a message that we respect them and value them enough to preserve their world. Hopefully, in some small way, we can make a difference.”

For more information, log on to www.xanomi.com or e-mail babysoftwear@xanomi.com.