Disclaimer- The post contains affiliate links which help support this blog and the author.
Many of us wish to give our children the world. We wish to provide them with safest and the best things that we can get our hands to. Guiding and nurturing them can be a joy for a lot of us.
Whether it is your own children or a child you have adopted in your heart. Whether it is a sibling or nibling. Your love for them is usually boundless.
Yet, the reality is that we are bound by materialistic forces.
From clothes to toys, our children often need things that many a time, we are forced to get from fast fashion companies. Not only are many of these clothes made with the labour of people who haven’t been given fair wages, they often are made using child labour. If we wish to impart the values of kindness, and compassion to our children, we need to help them live that life as far as possible.
But kindness and a fairer economy aren’t the only reason for us to ditch fast fashion for our onesies and toys. Chemical dyes that get absorbed into our skins, clothes are made to tear, and the impact of fast-fashion on the climate are all important. After all, we wish for our children to inherit a clean livable world, not a post-apocalyptic wasteland where breast milk is full of micro-plastics and not nutrition. Which means, that, when possible, we need to make eco-friendly choices.
And when it comes to children’s clothing Wear Miho is a brand that is trying to make that possible.
But how sustainable are they? Are their products and claims any good? Greenwashing or truly green- which one is Wear Miho?
Well, here’s what I have found from the clothes and toys they sent for me to review.
Wear Miho Clothing: Green or Greenwashing?
My first step when I try and see if skincare is eco-friendly and ethical is Zoobop, as you well know. For clothes, I go to Good on You. Now, Wear Miho is a small and relatively new brand so I wasn’t expecting to see them on Good on You but for the sake of surety, I had to check.
And sure enough, nothing.
So, I did what I do best- headed to Wear Miho’s website. Full discourse, I am acquainted with brand’s founder and the above is an affiliate link. But I am not close enough to the founder that it should affect the review.
Now onto what we can learn from their website.
First, their marketing is great. They have a ChatBot to help answer your queries and the website has a sleek look. While I do not know if it is hosted on sustainable or green servers or not, I think that’s not the focus of this review.
While they do have coupon codes, which could be a red flag, I am willing to look past that as it could very well be a small business marketing choice they are making to maximize sales. Now, while promoting consumerism isn’t sustainable, let’s face it most ethical and eco-friendly stores have to do that to survive in capitalism and Wear Miho is fulfilling a genuine need. They have an Artisan Centre which carries traditional pieces for children, made by artisans.
We love to see brands supporting artisans, here at Anjali’s Musings.
Moreover, Wear Miho shares lot of details showing us what BTS with their artisan wear looks like on their page. Their aim, it seems, is to promote Indian cultural heritage and keep alive traditional cloth making techniques while supporting artists. Loving it more and more baby!
While I am not a fan of limited editions products, Miho manages to make that ethical. They want to support small artisans- how cool is that- and that means showcasing their work, even if it is in small quantities. Best part? It allows us to help our children develop a sense of style and a love for traditional clothing.
And as a Rajasthani, I love the special place hand block printing has in their selection.
Plus, Miho doesn’t stop there. Nope.
They also share how according to them Indian crafting techniques are inherently sustainable because reenable and biodegradable fabrics as well as techniques which recycle, reuse, and upcycle are used. While I agree linen fits all these markers, conventional and organic cotton both have huge environmental footprints. Silk, which they also promote, which good for the environment, isn’t vegan.
And all of these, unless sourced from a transparent supply chain, can be rife with labour rights violations.
Wear Miho though, claims that their fabrics are sourced from local vendors and they ensure sustainable supply chains. Even for cotton.
So herein lies my first question to Miho- why promote cotton which has been shown to lead to water issue, soil depletion due to pesticide use, and more?
To answer this, I reached out to Parushi Garg, the founder of Wear Miho. Her response? The cotton they use is recycled cotton. Now that’s eco-friendly for sure, since it reduces waste and keeps existing materials in circulation. Yes, recycling takes energy but Ms. Garg feels that’s better than items rotting in landfills.
The only question that remains then is isn’t recycled cotton brittle? How are they making it durable and soft?
But we know Wear Miho is not greenwashing, no.
As we have shown they are ethical and support artisans. While their use of cotton would have been dubious, we must acknowledge that in the Indian subcontinent, it is a readily available fabric which last long. And it’s irrelevant since they are using recycled cotton or so they claim. Certifications would go a long way. And so would having this mentioned on their website.
Miho also spreads awareness about sustainable fabric and are a sustainable fabric wholesaler. With an entire page dedicated to what we should look for when going for ethical and eco-friendly fabrics, they are trying to walk the talk. Especially with their natural dyes and Ayurvedic techniques.
Now, thing is children have sensitive skin. Our skin is also the largest organ of the body. Not everyone reacts well to all fabrics, natural or synthetic…and Miho is built around the idea that chemicals from our clothing seep into the skin and have a harmful affect. I reached to medical student Srijani Chatterjee, to see how this holds up. According to Ms. Chatterjee, this can be true but it depends on the quality of the clothing and good clothing such as that made of sturdy cotton might not have that harmful an effect. But if it were feasible for me financially, would I take that risk for my niece is the question.
And my answer is no.
Even if I know the chances are close to nil, I would try my best to get naturally dyed clothing for the children I love after knowing this.
And Miho claims their clothing is 100% toxin free which to me is the icing on the cake. They promise to be transparent and have a large collection of items, which I feel is a step in the right direction. Whether it is to scale their sustainable business or to make green and ethical living the lifestyle of the majority, we need sustainable options to be convenient. And the same store selling sustainable toys made from fabric waste, eco-friendly and natural clothing, bibs, and reusable nappies is definitely something to applaud.
I would say when it comes to clothing Wear Miho isn’t vegan. But they are definitely trying to be green.
Quality of the Clothes
But let’s face it. If the quality of the product isn’t good, everything falls to the wayside. Now, I received a hat and a onesie from Wear Miho.
The hat looked like it was knitted but they say on the website it was crochet which is super cute.
Miho says their summer clothing is made of bamboo knit fabric and that it is anti-microbial, and herb dyed to promote better skin health. Loving it, even though I would appreciate more reputed sources on exactly how herb dyed clothing is better.
Their winter items seem to be made of locally sourced luxury or merino wool, which while not vegan, seems to be a good choice for keeping children warm. Though I am not a wool expert so please check with your pediatrician. I wish there was some certification regarding the sustainability of the wool, as well as, fair treatment for the animals though.
The clothes seemed to be dyed with herbs to promote antimicrobial, temperature regulation, anti-inflammatory, and blood pressure regulating properties. The goal was to ensure a soothing experience for the child’s skin, which is the goal for most children’s clothing.
The feel of the fabric was soft and good, though you could definitely tell it was knitted, probably by hand. The materials felt soft yet study and not easily prone to tears. I can definitely see it keeping a child warm. But all these are just observations I made feeling the items, as I am not a child and cannot say how it feels to wear the items.
Should someone I know dress their child in these gifts, I will definitely return to update the experience.
But the vibrant colours were definitely cool and desi to look at. The whole attire reminded me of my grandma’s home in the village and the clothing she made for me when I was a child.
Financially Viable
Wear Miho’s founder herself agrees that the clothes can be on the pricier end. That often is the cost of being sustainable. But it’s worth it if it promotes better health…and yet I reached out to my friends who have children to make sure.
The verdict?
“Clothes are a little expensive but the toys are so cute and affordable, would definitely get one!”
Well, that was the clothes…but remember I got toys in the PR too. And plushies are love.
Wear Miho Toys: Green or Greenwashing?
I was sent two toys from Wear Miho, a wooden rattle and a stitched plushie lion as shown in the picture below.
My mom loved the look of both of them for my niece. The kid absolutely adores the toys, especially the pleasing noise the rattle makes, according to her mother.
The plushie was handmade and had the finest quality. Not one stitch was out of place. While I couldn’t feel it, before sending it to my niece, it did look soft to touch and play with.
Now that we know the toys work, let us look at if they are ethical and eco-friendly. Since they are made from scarp fabrics, they are already sustainable. The plushie I got was intended to stimulate sensory, visual. and imaginative play. The stitching as I mentioned was immaculate and the material used was felt. While wool felt, especially since this was upcycled, can be eco-friendly since it is renewable, it is not vegan. Plus, animal agriculture has a huge impact and is one of the top five industries contributing to carbon emissions. Unless, this was sourced from ethical and regenerative farms, this wool probably isn’t as susty as it could be.
But since it’s upcycled, all that realistically falls to the way side for this product.
But Anjali, wasn’t there a rattle too?
Why yes bestie! There absolutely was. In fact, my niece is probably chewing on it and enjoying the wood’s antimicrobial properties as we speak. So obviously I look that it’s multifunctional, aesthetic, and germ-free. That’s what we need for our kids. The idea that it can be a keepsake passed down generations, after hygienic cleaning, also appeals to me. My only question is, where was the wood sourced? While in India agroforestry is the norm, we should still strive to look at certification to ensure we aren’t aiding deforestation.
A Parting Note: Is Wear Miho Ethical and Green?
Wear Miho seems to be a brand that has good intentions. The only problem I see with them is that they are taking product images that have children’s faces in them and their lack of certifications. Yet, when I reached out to the founder, she said, they try to ensure the child’s safety when doing this by not tagging any socials or using names. Since it is a necessity that they have product images, I feel they are trying their best, though I would suggest trying mock-ups to see if those work. Other than that, I would say Wear Miho is sustainable and green, though perhaps organic or upcycled cotton could be prioritized over conventional one as that is not sustainable or eco-friendly.
But their products are super cute. Especially their traditional wear for children. I mean, looking at their janmastami collection, I want my siblings to start having kids because a little child dressed in that Kanha costume? I would die of the cuteness.
Need some ethically made children’s toys and summer clothing?
Wear Miho is but one click away! Affiliate Click.
Key Takeaways-
- Wear Miho’s toys are upcycled wool and thus sustainable but not vegan.
- Wear Miho’s summer collection is bamboo and herb dyed clothing, which can be eco-friendly and ethical since Miho supports local artisans and transparent supply chains.
- Wear Miho’s winter collection is wool and thus not vegan or low-impact.
- Wear Miho’s use of recycled cotton is an eco-friendly choice but durability is in question. And there are no certifications or content to support or share this claim.
- Wear Miho is trying to keep traditional crafts alive and support artisans which is ethical and sustainable.
- Wear Miho claims to support sustainable supply chains and local vendors for all their fabric needs but have no certifications for the same. But as a small business that can be difficult to get.
- Wear Miho has the cutest plushies which are sustainable and affordable.
At the end of the day, Wear Miho seems to be imperfectly, realistically, and healthily sustainable. Which is what we here at Anjali’s Musings are all about. So, if baby items will add value to your life, you know where to go.
Cough. The affiliate link here. Cough.
And if you know more brands for such items, the comments section is yours. Stay susty and remember to only buy what adds value to your life!
Author’s Note: Hope the review helped! If you wish to learn how to run a sustainable business from women who manage low-impact, ethical, or eco-friendly brands, look below.
Wish to support my work? A like, share, review, or subscription or a payment of your choice goes a long way. Wait, you are a susty business owner? You are just in time to hire me to write your brand’s impact page!
