At Playtime New York trade show on August 4th, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jessica Ralli, Founder and Design Director of Soft Clothing.
Watch the video to get a feel for the brand and read a summary of the video interview.
“We started in 2010 when we launched our first basics collection. I used to be a teacher and that’s where the inspiration came from. I worked with kids that had sensory issues so the idea, in the beginning, was to create a line that was non-irritating to kids who were really bothered by seams, tags, textures, things like buttons and zippers. But I also didn’t want to create yoga wear. I wanted it to look like something they could wear to an event with family or a holiday.
We experimented a lot with construction in the beginning and we ended up coming up with our brand standards.
– We use organic cotton which we bio-wash for extra softness
– Streamline Styles, eliminating frilly elements that would bother kids
– Flat seaming throughout
– Non-toxic vegetable dyes
– Print fashion details, accessories are printed on clothes
– All labels are printed and water-based ink is used
This is one of our tops from our current Fall collection. I’ll show you some of the things that make it unique. It looks like a normal top but the inside seam is basically as flat as it is on the outside. We use a really soft poly thread that’s softer than most threads, it’s a little bit stretchy. The other really important thing is that we print our labels, and this, I wish you could feel it, is not plastic so it won’t peel off. It just gets softer and softer with every wash.
Usually, there is a label on the inside of your shirt which can be a really irritating thing. We also print those. We do all of that with outerwear too. So the inside of here there’s absolutely no seam that would rub against you. We cover all the seams that connect different details. We use snaps just because they’re easier for kids to get in and out of. Our prints are really soft, nonplastic, won’t peel off and kids won’t be distracted by them. Our necklines are a little bit wider without being too wide, than the average neckline, so kids aren’t pulling on their neckline.
The main thing which you won’t be able to tell on camera but as our name suggests, our cotton is extremely soft. We achieve this a few different ways. We choose only the top organic cotton and then we go through a series of enzyme washings. If you look at cotton under a microscope it would look like a porcupine. After enzyme washing it looks completely flat so we get rid of all of the top fibers and that’s what gives it a really soft hand feel. It just gets softer as you wash it.
Soft Kids Clothing – Spring Summer 2014 Collection
Inspired by two coasts—the Riviera in France, and the West Coast of the USA, Soft’s Spring 2014 Collection features vibrant colors and hand-drawn prints. The collection takes cues from PanAm travel posters, Catalina Tile, 60’s graphic design and more.
Soft’s print and the color palette is vibrantly hand-drawn and painted, and the graphics explore unique typography styles, nautical themes, and playful French sayings. Both classic and ’60s inspired, the style silhouettes range from cap-sleeve shift dresses, classic chino shorts, and printed trench coats, to playful styles such as bubble mini-skirts, cool graphic tees, and floral print shorts and pants.
Comprehensive comfort is always our top priority, so this collection has all the benefits our customers expect: flat seaming, soft bio-washed organic cotton, water-based paints, and no tags, zippers or itchy embellishments. We wanted to work with a bright and poppy color palette that mixes and matches perfectly, and hand-painted prints that are sophisticated but ultimately playful and all about the world of children. There is such a rich color and print story in this collection and we can’t wait to launch it next Spring! – Jessica Ralli, Founder/Design Director.
