Electropura is run by fashion designer Lynn van Gastel who creates fashions for kids in sizes o-5 from existing materials. In today’s world where nearly everything seems to be disposable, these fashions rescue fabrics that still have tons of wear in them from just another piece of refuse clogging up landfills.
Electropura sent me a size 18 month dress from their Spring collection for review. Each piece is totally one of a kind ensuring that your little one won’t commit a fashion faux pas by arriving to a play date in the same outfit as her BFF.
Our package came wrapped in a wonderfully coloured bag instead of over-packaged in the plastic bags, bubble wrap and ridiculous amounts of cardboard that often accompany clothes purchases bought online.
I chose a Metallica themed dress for review. I’m not sure who else is familiar with this fantastic band but it’s definitely near and dear to me.
The torso of the dress is a tour shirt that features album covers. I thought it was hysterical that the “Kill” part of the album Kill ‘Em All was covered with an adorable red heart applique. Probably a good thing as my older daughter is starting to read:)
The dress is extremely well made. I have washed it at least 10 times to see if the dress would shrink or have any issues with repeated washes. Because it is made of two completely different materials (t-shirt top and a stretchy cotton gingham on the bottom with lace trim), I thought that it may lose it’s shape or that the fabrics may shrink at different rates. That absolutely has not happened. It looks as good as the day it was received!
The fabrics are something that I would never think to put together at all but are absolutely fantastic together. Lynn van Gastel, the fashion designer/mom behind Electropura, definitely has a eye for colour, design, fit and pattern. These clothes are all made in Canada by van Gastel herself. This ensures that each piece will have the same quality design and construction that began this company.
These are the sorts of clothes that parents should be buying. Supporting local businesses, supporting women, supporting moms, reducing waste, using what’s available and purchasing quality items that are made to last. People need to stop buying whatever is cheapest because that is exactly what they are getting. When people shop with a conscience, they are stopping the exploitation of cheap labour overseas that may even use children. The big box stores offering children’s clothing that fall apart after 2 washes must be stopped. When we shop at stores such as that, we are only encouraging it and helping huge corporate entities to profit even more.
Thanks so much to Electropura and Lynn van Gastel for this review opportunity. Her clothes are available at select retailers in Toronto, Montreal, St. Catharines, Ottawa, Halifax and Port Colborne. You can also purchase some of her fantastic clothes that must be seen to be appreciated at her site online.
