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Here at Miann and Co it is no secret that we adore cotton. All of our handcrafted little pieces are made from the finest 100% cotton yarn (no synthetic nasties of course!). Natural cotton is super comfy and scrumptiously snuggly for your little one and is wonderful for the tender developing skin of a child- it is softer and more breathable than regular cotton. Our gorgeous new gender neutral Mysa collection incorporates some of our most divine pieces yet - all unique and special. The range includes items with various textures, colour’s and patterns; all a statement on their own but also beautiful together - layered to perfection! Don’t be afraid to combine and create countless ensembles with these delightful gender-neutral pieces. The Mysa collection is a fantastic trans-seasonal release. One of our most practical pieces for your little ones wardrobe this season is our knit wrap body suit. They can be worn on their own during the milder days and layered up for the cooler days by adding knit leggings underneath alongside a cardigan and beanie. With all of these beautiful cotton textures your little one will no doubt be looking as comfy & cute as ever! Shop the Msya Collection here. xx KNIT DETAIL CARDIGAN | EGGNOG KNIT BLOOMERS ASSORTED MIANN AND CO COTTON PIECES OPEN KNIT JUMPER | PORTEBELLO KNIT BLOOMERS | FOG GREEN WRAP KNIT SUIT FOG GREEN WRAP KNIT SUIT | EGGNOG WRAP KNIT SUIT | SLEEPY KOALA HAND RATTLE
Looking after your gorgeous little Miann and Co garments is very important as with the right care these keepsake pieces will last the test of time. Please remember that all of our garments are unique and it is best to read the care label on each to ensure you look after your special piece correctly. As we have just released a beautiful new knitwear range we thought it was the perfect opportunity to let you know how to best care for these precious natural cotton pieces. All of our knitwear clothing is pure cotton and will grow with wear, but not excessively. This is due to the fact that our knitwear pieces are 100% natural cotton and aren’t weaved with any elastane. We have wear tested our garments and believe that with correct washing, our garments will last you a very long time. Hand-washing your garments in a natural detergent is the best way to ensure no damage is done, although if machine washing is required always wash your garments on the delicate cycle. It is also essential to avoid over wringing your garments - this will ensure they do not distort. Naturally drying your cotton garments is best and to avoid any stretching lay your knitwear over a drying rack. Also note to be careful when drying outside, as leaving your garments in the sun may result in bleaching. To return your knitwear to its glorious silky best the trick is to iron it as it smooths down all of the ruffled-up cotton fibers. This is done best using the wool setting on your iron as well as placing a protective towel between the iron and your garment. Once ironed, to extend the longevity and shape of your garments it is best to store them folded. Taking care of your precious pieces will ensure you get the most cuddles and love out of them as possible – and that is what we hope for. All the love, Miann and Co. OPEN KNIT JUMPER | EGGNOG KNIT BLOOMERS EGGNOG WRAP KNIT BODYSUIT | SAND RIB BEANIE EGGNOG KNIT BLOOMERS | OPEN KNIT JUMPER KNIT DETAIL CARDIGAN
Here at Miann and Co cotton is at our very core. All of our clothing is made from the finest 100% cotton yarn (no synthetic nasties). We are in love with our new range of natural cotton, gender-neutral baby clothing. These stunning earth toned pieces will be your go to all year round. Designed to be wrapped, layered and loved we hope that you treasure your natural cotton keepsake items from this range. This is why you should dress your little bub in natural cotton: It’s super comfy and scrumptiously snuggly for your little one. Natural cotton is wonderful for the tender developing skin of a child- it is softer and more breathable than regular cotton. It can be very helpful in relieving eczema symptoms. Natural cotton clothing is chemical and pesticide free, which will reduce the likelihood of an allergic reaction. Natural cotton products are created without using any chemicals during the farming/ production and dying process- resulting in no pesticide residue. This residue that is present in non-natural cotton products can irritate your bubs skin. It will last! Natural cotton is not exposed to the weakening, harsh chemicals. Therefore with the proper care your natural cotton products will last many years. It is environmentally and ethically friendly. The method used to create a natural cotton product uses lower carbon due to lesser fuel and energy consumption. As the process is chemical free it also prevents water contamination- saving the environment from irreparable damage. Remaining ethical is close to our heart, we hope our beautiful keepsake items will be treasured not only by you are your little ones, but passed on for years to come. Miann and Co xx Shop out gorgeous knew cotton range today. PORTEBELLO KNIT BODY SUIT | EGG NOG BODY KNIT SUIT | LARGE SOFT TOY KARI KOALA FOG GREEN WRAP BODYSUIT | CROSS BACK OVERALLS CROSS BACK OVERALLS | FOG GREEN WRAP BODYSUIT KNIT DETAIL CARDIGAN | LARGE SOFT TOY KARI KOALA SHORT SLEEVE POLO | PORTEBELLO KNIT PANT | CREAM FRINGE MOCCASIN PRE-WALKER PORTEBELLO KNIT BODY SUIT
We have been lucky enough to travel to many places in this beautiful world with our kids. Venturing around with children is equally as amazing and rewarding as it is challenging and arduous. Throughout our journeys we have collated a few of our favourite tips to travelling with kids. Take it slowly / When you are travelling with little ones, it’s important to remember – you’re not in charge anymore. Your bundles of joy will control your every move so just take it slow and go with the flow; let others rush around you. Research / Research your destination, what will you do when you get there? What activities will your children enjoy? How will you get there? Where will you stay? Will there be baby equipment? We also think it is great to get your kids involved in the research process, so they can pick activities that they are excited for! Plan / Whilst planning your trip try to book your flights around bedtime – this will hopefully encourage your child to sleep for majority of the journey. Planning and remaining prepared allows you to go ahead with your trip confident and calm with the knowledge that everything has been organised. Although, as important as it is to plan - remaining flexible is key! Explain / Keeping your children involved and explaining things encourages them to be remain interested in the holiday. It also allows them to be excited about the trip! Surprise / An element of surprise is large part of the joy of a family vacation! Keeping components of the holiday a secret (that you are sure everyone will love) to pull out when necessary will leave everyone delighted and beaming. Organise / Bored, tired and hungry children are at the core of all unhappy little munchkins! Thinking about how you can tackle each one of these problems if they arise will make for a smooth adventure. Always have back up games and activities on hand to play and always pack snacks for the plane and trip. Dress / Make sure you are prepared for the climate. Dressing your child appropriately for the weather will make them much happier in the new setting. Go for it / Just go for it! Enjoy this special time with your loved ones. Miann and Co xxx For gorgeous travel outfit inspo check out our New Release.
Mysa / Being content and cosy. We are so thrilled to share with you all our new ‘Mysa’ range. This gorgeous gender-neutral range has been designed with comfort and cuddles in mind! This range of beautiful wraps, knits, cardigans and jumpers is perfect for all. Crafted using the finest natural cotton fibres, these garments are wonderfully soft and breathable for your little ones. Designed with a carefully selected colour palette, we were inspired by the earth. Encapsulating calming earthy tones into keepsake pieces. Creating a gender-neutral range also holds true to our ethical beliefs. Gender neutral pieces are able to be worn and shared by all. And with your little possums growing ever so quickly, we hope that these pieces are loved by them and then loved some more by many. We hope you adore this range as much as we do! Miann and Co xx VIEW NEW RELEASE LOOK BOOK OPEN KNIT JUMPER | FOG GREEN KNIT BLOOMER | GREY LACE UP PRE-WALKER | PLATYPUS HAND RATTLE OPEN KNIT JUMPER | PORTEBELLO KNIT BLOOMER FOG GREEN WRAP KNIT JUMPSUIT KNIT DETAIL CARDIGAN PORTEBELLO KNIT WRAP BODYSUIT EGG NOG KNIT BODYSUIT | SAND RIB BEANIE GREY STRIPE CROSS BACK OVERALLS | KNIT DETAIL CARDIGAN | PORTEBELLO KNIT BLOOMER
Elle is a beautiful mama to three gorgeous daughters. I recently had the opportunity to ask Elle a few questions about motherhood and what she loves most about raising three daughters in country Australia. Thanks for chatting Elle x What’s the best thing about being a mum? Their hugs... Their smiles... The constant chatter... That I will forever and always be their home. What has surprised you most about being a mum? How you can love someone you’ve never met with all your heart and how that love continues to grow and flourish as they do. How do your girls inspire you daily? Their smiles, the way they look at life, their never ending questions.... It all makes me stop and look at how I can be a better mother and person. I truly believe children teach us more than we will ever be able to teach them. They inspire me to search deeper, love harder, not sweat the small stuff and to look for the joy in the mundane.... What are your biggest challenges of motherhood? Learning to let go.... Of perfection, of ideals, of materialism, of going to the toilet on my own 🙈 It took me a long time to accept there are more important things in life and embrace the chaos that is raising children but I’m forever grateful that I did... What do you love most about raising three daughter in county Australia? Raising children in country Australia has taught me just how important community is. My children and family are loved and cherished by so many, they smile with us, cry with us, pick us up when we fall and allow us to do the same in return. I hope living here has taught my girls to find and grow their own community wherever life takes them. What about being a mum did you learn from your mum? That there is beauty in chaos and perfection in imperfection. My dishes and laundry will always be there but time with my girls while they are young is fleeting. What’s your favourite meal to cook your little ones? Definitely dinner, we eat dinner as a family every night and it’s our time to debrief, to laugh about our day, to help young minds navigate the emotions of school life and to enjoy one another as a family. I love hearing their tales as I watch them filling their bellies with a nutritious meal I’ve prepared for them. How will you be spending this mothers day? With my mum! It’s her birthday two days later so hopefully we can spoil her because she deserves it!
As part of our Miann Mothers Series, I had the absolute pleasure in interviewing the gorgeous Gemma Peanut. Gemma is mama of her beautiful daughter, Raffa. Gemma gives us an insight into her life as a mother, including how she goes travelling with her little one, and how Raffa has changed her world. Thanks Gem x What’s the best thing about being a mum? Seeing the world through a completely different lens. The lens of a 3 month old, a 6 month, a 9 month old and so on. It’s ever changing and having the opportunity to discover the simple things in life all over again has been a dream. I also adore feeling like I have a purpose that is outside of myself. I’ve spent so much of my life focusing inwardly on myself that I’m relishing being completely selfless and just giving less f**ks about everything, because as a mum, you’ve got much more important things to focus your energy on; raising a human, a good human, in this world. What has surprised you most about being a mum? I’d say there are both positive and negative surprises. As a positive, I had no idea that I was capable of such patience! Haha. I was worried I wouldn’t have the patience required for my new gig as a mum but it turns out you do! As for the curly surprises, I’d say that there’s a definite shift in the dynamic of my marriage. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just that it’s different in that we now have to tag team EVERYTHING. I sometimes miss the simple days where we could enjoy doing things together as a couple. Simple things like going for a swim together. One of us always has to stay beach-side with Raffa. So now we realise the importance of carving out time for us and our marriage to keep us feeling connected. And even though our relationship has strengthened since having a baby, I still have pangs of missing my Hubs, so that certainly caught me off guard. How does Raffa inspire you daily? Her get up and go and zest for life. I feed off her energy (even though I feel like a corpse a lot of the time). Raffa also inspires me to be more present. She demands it from me. She lives whole heartedly in the moment. Not for the past, not for the future. She doesn’t give a crap about what she did last week or what’s ahead next week, she lives totally in the now. It’s a beautiful reminder to keep me anchored to what’s happening in the present. What are you biggest challenges of motherhood? Finding my rhythm and flow. The mum juggle/struggle is a real thing! But I’m realising that attempting to achieve balance as a working mum is impossible. Babies are ever evolving and ever changing and you will never keep up so I’m learning to adopt a more “just roll with it” attitude! How do you go travelling with a little one? I love it! I do think you have to go into travelling with a baby with the mindset that everything is going to take longer and that your luggage load will quadruple in size! But ultimately, it’s all worth the effort. There’s something so special about seeing the world through your little one’s eyes. Once you overcome the jet lag and logistics hurdle, it’s pure joy! What’s at the top of your packing list when travelling with your little one? Travel pram! Can’t live without my Baby Zen Yoyo stroller. Ours has come with us to Bangkok, London and Tokyo and is still going strong! What about being a mum did you learn from your mum? Oh gosh, oh so much! If I’m half the mother my mum is, I’d be stoked. My mum has been the most incredible influence in my life. She approached motherhood with such ease and grace. The biggest thing I’ve learnt from her is that she never sweats the small stuff. What’s your favourite meal to cook your little one? Admittedly, I’m not the cook in my family but I make a mean smashed avocado, fetta and banana mix for Raffa. It’s her absolute fave! How will you be spending this Mother’s Day? As typical to a busy mother, I haven’t really given it much thought. All I know is that I want to spend it with my mum, as well as Raffa. Three generations of women hanging out together. Perhaps we’ll head out for a nice brunch and a walk along the beach. I might even feel inclined to give Raffa her first babychino. Might be her lucky day!
Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing Mrs Miann & Co herself, Rebecca. Bec is mother to three beautiful children who enjoy travelling and exploring together as a family. Get an insight into her life as a Mother, including her must haves when travelling with little ones, and how her children inspire her daily. What’s the best thing about being a mum? Honestly everything is the best about being a mum. I love being a mum. It's a privilege and something I honestly treasure every day. What has surprised you most about being a mum? How little I appreciate sleep before having kids and how important sleep is to function. How do your children inspire you daily? Their beautiful imaginations inspire me daily and make me smile. Seeing things for a second time but through the innocence of your children is so so special. What are you biggest challenges of motherhood? The juggle of time and wanting to constantly slow everything down to slow-motion to savour every minute as a family and our children in hitting their milestones. How do you go travelling with kids, and especially a one year old? We love travelling with our kids and have made it a priority every year. There is so much to learn from travel... gratefulness, patience, the list goes on. We want our kids above all else to be good and kind human beings and travelling helps with the learnings in facilitating this. What’s at the top of your packing list when travelling with little ones? A good set of transseasonal clothes that can be layered easy. Also a travel stroller that can fold down to cabin luggage has been a game changer travelling with a baby. What about being a mum did you learn from your mum? My mum taught me how to sew and cook. I wasn’t quite the perfectionist that my mum was, but one of those hobbies turned into a career. Nurturing, cooking with good ingredients, making and doing things yourself was a value installed in our home. What’s your favourite meal to cook your kids? I love cooking pancakes. This is something we do quite often on one of the weekend mornings. It's my favourite time to chat and talk to the kids as they pop their favourite toppings on. How will you be spending this Mother’s Day? With my babies snuggled up in bed x
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing gorgeous mama of two beautiful girls and one belly babe, Madison from @tigerandblue. We talk all things motherhood, including the best bits, the challenges and what she's learnt along the way. Thanks Madison and Happy Mother's Day to you x What’s the best thing about being a mum?Probably knowing that I am their safe space, their calm amongst the chaos.Being a mum also gives me a purpose, I've always wanted kids and I'm so grateful for my girls. What has surprised you most about being a mum?The guilt! No one really can prepare you for the self doubt or feeling like you're not doing enough. The judgmental side of being a mum is really surprising as well, none of us really know what we're doing so we should all just be kind. How do your girls inspire you daily?Their confidence and their quirks. I'm raising strong and independent little girls..which can be hard living with in the mean time but I'm hoping will make them strong and independent women one day. What are your biggest challenges of motherhood?Again, self doubt! Making the big decisions for their future like what school to send them to, morals and just giving them enough positive influences in life. What excites you most about soon becoming a mother of three?I'm really excited to see how the dynamic is going to change. It's a nice gap this time round, I think! Tigerlily will be a couple months from 5 and Bluebelle will be nearly 3. When Blue came along, Tiger wasn't even 2 yet so it's going to be a different experience for everyone! Also finding out the gender is exciting! Being our last baby we have kept it a surprise! What about being a mum did you learn from your mum?She alwaaays used to give me a lecture on 'self love' - while I used to roll my eyes at her every time she would bring it up ( a lot ) I now realise how important it is and will try and implement those values onto my kids. Also food, she is an amazing cook and has taught me a lot, I still ring her pretty much every day for help and it makes me so happy seeing that my girls love to cook and eat my food. What’s your favourite meal to cook your little ones?If you ask Tigerlily what her favourite food is, she'll always say curry and rice! She helps make all the condiments and lovesss my mums lamb curry recipe as much as us. I love making little treats for the girls like pancakes or a nice big breakfast on the weekends when dad gets to eat with us too. How will you be spending this mothers day?If previous years are anything to go by, I'll wake up to decorations in the house by Tigerlily, coffee and breakfast in bed and a roast chook cooked by Shaun for dinner. My idea of perfect.
We're so lucky to live in Geelong and be surrounded by such beautiful locations, we really are spoilt for choice. We wanted to shoot our latest Mother's Day campaign in a beautiful location and what better one that the Geelong Botanical Gardens. I personally love plants and my own home is filled with them, so I loved being on set of this shoot. For our shoots we often use friends and family and even our own staff, so we gathered who we knew, got the outfits sorted and headed down to the gardens. There were so many beautiful locations within the gardens. From natural stone areas, to cactus gardens, to gardens filled with roses! It really was the perfect location for a Mother's Day shoot and the gardens really complimented our products. We hope you love our Mother's Day campaign x GREY FRILL SLEEVELESS KNIT SUIT | PRALINE FLOWY LONG SLEEVE TOP | MARGOT RIB JUMPER - SAGE | ALEX PANT - MIDNIGHT BLUE STRIPE | MIA KNIT BEANIE - GREY NAVY SPOT JUMPER | CHARCOAL KNIT PANTS GREY FRILL SLEEVELESS KNIT SUIT | PRALINE FLOWY LONG SLEEVE TOP | MARGOT RIB JUMPER - SAGE | ALEX PANT - MIDNIGHT BLUE STRIPE | MIA KNIT BEANIE - GREY MARGOT RIB JUMPER - SAGE | ALEX PANT - MIDNIGHT BLUE STRIPE | MIA KNIT BEANIE - GREY SAGE STRIPE SHORT SLEEVE KNIT SUIT | NAVY WAFFLE KNIT HOODIE | RUST CHUNKY RIB BEANIE | DUSTY ROSE FRILL KNIT DRESS SAGE STRIPE SHORT SLEEVE KNIT SUIT | NAVY WAFFLE KNIT HOODIE | DUSTY ROSE FRILL KNIT DRESS | SAGE DOT SLEEVE JUMPER | GREY TEXTURE RIB LEGGING | NICOLA DRESS - NAVY NICOLA DRESS - NAVY NICOLA DRESS - NAVY | DUSTY ROSE FRILL KNIT DRESS | SAGE DOT SLEEVE JUMPER | GREY TEXTURE RIB LEGGING
“You are never too small to make a difference" Sometimes, small is an excuse to not know your own suppliers that you partner with to create a business. Especially now with the Internet at our disposal, it has been made even easier to not only source, but also communicate and stay in touch. As business owners we have a personal responsibility and obligation to know the parties we partner with in every area of our business. At Miann & Co, we currently have three suppliers that we work with of which two are based in China and one in India. We have been visiting our suppliers since we were a team of only one, as it was important from the beginning that these are the relationships that matter the most when it comes to the quality and the product that you put out into the world under a brand. We would love to add more transparency to all areas of our business and one of the biggest misconceptions when it comes to our business is the size of our team. So to add transparency and to give you a bit more background, we would love to share our start to finish process of manufacturing in our small business and also an understanding of where that passion was ignited... Miann & Co, formerly known as La De Dah Kids, was born like many other businesses... on our kitchen table with me sewing, cutting and sampling our products. It was also born out of a need to find toys from natural fibres. My eldest son turns 11 and when I started my search there were literally nearly no toys made from natural fibres during this time. Fast forward 11 years and the industry and the offer for kids has come so far. I can only imagine how many great things we can do in the next 11 years. My background is a fashion degree and I have been sewing since a very young age, thanks to mum for passing on these skills. I grew up in a small country town where the nearest shops were a good 2-hour drive. Times were simpler and clothing was cheaper to make than actually purchasing them from a store. My first ever visit to a factory was to Syria in the Middle East. A young very naïve 21-year-old, in a middle eastern country where most workers were all men or boys. I was sent by my employer at the time and by myself to approve strike offs and speak to the suppliers about improving their production methods. I was thrown in the deep end with this visit and I have never been more in over my head, ever. It was also confronting for a naïve 21-year-old that had very strong values. This was the first and only time I have seen young children working in factories. Young boys were not working on any machinery, but they were heat-sealing tags and trimming garments. I remember asking one of the boys how old he was and he said 18 but to be honest I think he would have been 9 or 10 years old at the most and he wasn’t the only child there, there where about a handful. I have since visited probably over 40 other factories in countries like China, Vietnam and India, and never seen young children working in factories. My first factory visit has stayed with me and is often a driving force for always wanting to do better. It is also a driving force to why we visit and spend time with the suppliers we work with, as that particular factory was accredited and I quickly learned the murkiness around this. I'd like to also add this was 17 years ago and the world has come along way. I’m not going to lie this experience was a driving force in the building of our business. So here is a start to finish look at our business and who the people are behind our brand and the making of our clothes. OUR GEELONG TEAM IN AUSTRALIA Our Geelong team consists of: Myself, Rebecca - I handle all the designs, manufacturing and marketing of the product, photoshoots, fits and liaising with our gorgeous suppliers etc.. Demi - who handles all our graphics including all those beautiful instagram stories, website management, blog content, assisting on photoshoots, artwork for t-shirts and yardages as well as system management. Demi was our first ever full time employee 4 years ago and she jumps into all areas of the business. We are super lucky to have her on board. Theunis - he is our systems man. He handles the entire bookkeeping side of the business including payroll and all the IT side of the business. He also does our Facebook and Instagram advertising along with Google Ads. He also helps with all the heavy lifting in the warehouse. Shelley and Brianna - job share our customer experience role. They answer all your queries and emails, and they process all your returns and also help with the bookwork and systems. Kel - is our newest member of our team and she has been hired to manage our warehouse and inventory. We are so excited to have Kel on board as she has taken on the role of Marie Kondo in our warehouse after our big move. We have three amazing casuals who help in our warehouse and they are all university students who help with picking and packing your orders and help with all the duties of warehousing. So this is our team. Small in size but big in impact. We also work with some incredible freelancers, including photographers, videographers, accountant, web developer, who all play an important role in our business. NOW TO THE PROCESSES Range creating is intense. There is a lot of work that goes into the researching at the top end of our development. Establishing a colour palette is normally our first step. This sometimes comes from an image we love a bedroom or a lifestyle image that catches our eye and we often start a colour palette from a reference picture rather then trends. Demi and I work closely together on this. We then match it to a Pantone or sometimes we have a piece of fabric or believe it or not a sock that we loved the colour of and will use as part of our colour palette. Next step is technical sketches. This part takes a long time. We draw up shapes and start playing around with trims and every stitch line is added to these technical drawings. I like to range on screen onto boards so I can see how the range all comes together. As we like to make all our own fabrics with suppliers and our own unique designs, we have to use a fabric design across a couple of designs to get the minimum order qty. or MOQ in industry terms. This ranging is something I lose sleep over and it is something that normally consumes my every thought for a good two-week period and making sure we have considered every element both in design and with kids wear, so it has a very practical element. Production packs This is now the fun part … Production packs are like a bible that goes out to our suppliers with every one of our designs and can contain up to 10 pages for one design. This process can take a week to two weeks now with womenswear added and this happens every season. These packs include: Details on stitching, what threads to use, fabrication, trims, button size and shape, design, labelling, how is the labelling attached, what labelling to use, how this labelling is constructed, does the product need safety testing, what safety tests are required, labelling artwork, fabric prints sized and sent, what size print goes on what age group, scaled prints, packing, what size boxes they come in. This then gets packaged up and sent out to our suppliers normally before we go out to visit the suppliers. This gives them time to look over and discuss with fabric mills on foreseen issues with the designs we have created. These processes happen before the making happens and there is a lot of time and effort and resources that goes into the garment before hitting our makers and it is often an expensive process that needs to be factored into the process. I would also like to add that we save money because I have this skill and I don’t even pay myself the salary I left 9 years ago. Working with our makers We normally allow a week before we visit our suppliers in China. We have been working with two main suppliers that I have known for nearly 10 years. Our knit and crochet supplier I sourced after meeting her at a tradeshow in China and my second supplier was someone that I had worked with previously. We get a lot of negativity, particularly at events and boutique markets, about producing out of China. We get throw away comments like it 'must be mass-produced' or 'it must be cheap' and very quickly we are being stereotyped because we choose to work with an offshore manufacturer in China. In a way it has been shaming and it took us a long time to be super proud of this partnership. So to address this we started working out of China producing 10 of our designs. We started with Liu who I count as a friend in the Nantong province in China. Liu works with cotton yarns and produces very small quantities of our handmade toys. Being a kids product, safety was super important, as was the quality of our products. Our toys were made in a co-operation that allowed both men and women to work from home around their childcare and also farming needs. This group used to have around 200 women and men and is shrinking. As they are mostly older men and woman and the skills of crochet are not being passed down due to the one child policy. It has increased the expectation of what they would like their kids to be employed in . Producing in these co-ops have long lead times as production is on their time and it normally means close to 9 months of the year in the making from initial concept to in our warehouse. With our knitted garments again we run colours over a few designs which allow us to produce our own colours. Each item with a cut and sew element is done by hand. But, I would like to add something. There is a lot of talk as ‘producing by hand.’ Every garment in the world is made by someones hands. From the $3 t-shirt to the $39 jumper. Again, some products may have a more handmade element, such as hand cut elements or has been hand printed. But we need to remember that every garment is sewn by a human being. Something to think about. Our second supplier in China is Jo, who is our woven and jersey supplier, he makes all our other products that aren’t knits. We have trialled different methods with this production type and we have even had some of our woven items in our second season made in homes on domestic machinery (which is like your home machine). However, unfortunately we needed to change this for quality concerns and have since started producing products on industrial machinery which has seen our woven and jersey products being made in a factories. The Nantong area in China is well known for its yarn dyed fabrics and this has allowed us to design our own stripes and fabrics and to personally know the factories and also test the quality. Quality and safety To be honest I feel like quality and fabrication is also a big part of the ethical journey. We try to manufacture and design clothes that surpass trends and last from child to child because of the fabrication, good design and good manufacturing processes. We safety test toys and rattles for little people and we also in-house test a lot of our clothing. This includes wash testing for colourfastness to try and minimise any issues and also wastage when the product arrives back in Australia. Our amazing China suppliers also ensure regular checks and they quality check during packaging stages, where the items then pass through a metal detector. This is a common practice and has to be conducted as when you are sewing with a machine with little needles they can easily break and stay behind in the fabric. Our products are then handed over to our shipping agents who combine cargo from suppliers to minimise our shipments. This is now a little easier as we have two suppliers in the same region. WAREHOUSING The warehousing is the final step and this happens here in Geelong. All warehousing is done in-house and by our team. Each garment is packaged by size by the supplier before they arrive so that they are already packaged and grouped by size to make the processing easier at our warehouse. They are also in cardboard boxes that we recycle (we pack larger orders and wholesale orders in these boxes) Not always the prettiest boxes but every box in our warehouse that can be used gets a second use. We also check all orders we receive again and once the order is placed our amazing team pick and pack and have your order in the postal system within the 24 hour process. These are our China based factories and the journey we have encountered with them. We are in the beginning stages of working with a new supplier in India who can produce a cotton silk fibre, one that we are super excited to add to our natural fibre journey. We promise to add more information as this journey come to light. I hope that this offers some transparency to our processes and manufacturing and #whomademyclothes. Small doesn’t mean you cannot have impact. In fact, sometimes it can have more impact. We will continue to implement and monitor and have suppliers we visit and aim to formalise accreditation in the near future. Thanks so much for hanging in till the end. The garment journey is a global community effort one we continue to improve and learn from.
Treat mum to some beautiful quality products that she can love and cherish for years to come. We've put together some of our favourite things that make perfect gifts for mums this Mother's Day. I've also sourced some of my favourite products that compliment our Miann & Co collection that I know mum will love. Happy shopping x 1. NATALIE KNIT JUMPER - DUSTY ROSE, LEAH SKIRT - MUSTARD FLORAL | 2. NATALIE JUMPER - WHITE | 3. KELLY KNIT JUMPER - MUSTARD, LEAH SKIRT - MUSTARD FLORAL | 4. COURTNEY TOP - MUSTARD FLORAL | 5. MARGOT RIB JUMPER - SAGE, LEAH SKIRT - MUSTARD FLORAL | 6. REBECCA CHUNKY KNIT CARDIGAN - DUSTY PINK | 7. NATALIE KNIT JUMPER - WHITE, LEAH SKIRT - MUSTARD FLORAL | 8. MARGOT RIB JUMPER - DUSTY PINK 9. PHOEBE SHIRT - MIDNIGHT BLUE STRIPE, LEAH SKIRT - RUST FLORAL | 10. KELLY KNIT JUMPER - GREY, CHLOE KNIT PANTS - RUST | 11. MARGOT RIB KNIT JUMPER - SAGE | 12. MEL KNIT TOP - RUST, LEAH SKIRT - RUST FLORAL | 13. MARGOT RIB JUMPER - SAGE, ALEX PANT - MIDNIGHT BLUE STRIPE, MIA KNIT BEANIE - GREY | 14. NICOLA DRESS - NAVY | 15. CHANTELLE DRESS - RUST FLORAL | 16. COURTNEY TOP - RUST FLORAL 17. THE ORACLE BAG DUSTY PINK - STATUS ANXIETY | 18. CANDLEGLOW SHEER PERFECTING POWDER - LAURA MERCIER | 19. FORCE OF BEING BAG GREEN - STATUS ANXIETY | 20. AMBIENT LIGHTING BRONZER - HOURGLASS | 21. CAMEL LEO FELT PANAMA HAT - SPORTSGIRL | 22. WASTELAND TAN BAG - STATUS ANXIETY | 23. CHUCK TAYLOR ALL STAR CLASSIC LOW TOP - CONVERSE | 24. PARADISE HOOPS GOLD - KITTE | 25. CRUSHED LIP COLOUR - BOBBY BROWN | 26. FAKE IT BLACK CROC EMBOSS WALLET - STATUS ANXIETY