brand feature: gray label
for the next few weeks we will be featuring different brands on our blog to give you more insight into the companies, the designers, and the missions behind each one. our goal with brand interviews is to create a more personal engagement and familiarity between our customers (you) and the amazing labels that we carry.
mother, creative director, founder, protector of the environment, and supporter for bridging the gender gap in children's wear, are only a few titles that can be used to begin describing emily gray. global organic textile standard certified, and incredibly fashionable, hardly go hand-in-hand, but with gray label they're basically synonymous. soft, stylish, and sustainable? yes please! with pieces ranging from their classic leggings to sweatshirts and overalls, gray label has something for everyone (it was made to be that way!). we caught up with the amazing emily gray to chat about her inspirations and reasons for starting the brand.
q: we admire and love your advocacy for using only 100% organic fabrics in your collections. what made you choose to be a conscious designer?
a: we started off using only 100% organic cotton for our designs, but since our second season, we can proudly say we are totally gots certified. for us, this was a big step, as it is not the easy way. prices are higher, and there are less possibilities in terms of suppliers and factories. but for us it's very important to try our very best to produce, and work in an as natural and eco-friendly way as possible.
q: what did you do before gray label? what inspired you to venture into this industry, and start a children’s clothing line?
a: i imported a women's brand from argentina. when i became pregnant, i discovered the children's clothing world. i was overwhelmed by the bright colours and busy prints. why does a child need this ‘noise’, to be comfortable, and to identify and respect themselves? realizing and observing this made me want to create my own brand, gray label, to bring calmness to the world of children’s fashion by designing minimalistic collections in which the purity of a child emerges best. i enjoy creating wardrobe essentials in which children can be their true selves.
q: some, or most, of your collection can be considered unisex. is it important to you to create clothing that can be worn by both boys and girls?
a: we don’t focus on boys or girls. we wanted to make it unisex so that it was wearable for as many children around the world as possible. tailored to fit children's needs, with minimalistic and unisex designs, this way everyone has more options.
q: what is your favorite piece from the most recent collection?
a: the long skirt is my daughter's favourite, she feels like a dancing princess in it!
q: trends vs. personal style, what do you follow when creating your clothing?
a: i don’t believe in trends, we make what we think is nice... i think it is more of an intuition thing.