Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Children of Sweden
Cool clothes for cool kids – and a clean conscience Organic in terms of both its growth and its fabrics, Filemon Kid is a playful children’s clothes brand that blends fun and brightness with a concern for the environment. Forget throw-away fashion trends and gender-specific fits: this is all about clothes with lasting quality, made for playing.
But it is not only the garments for sale that are organic. From day one, the Cambladhs opted for social media over traditional means of marketing, which was better suited to family life and contributed to organic growth. “Thanks to Instagram, we’ve been able to reach customers all over the world,” says the founder of the brand now available in 20 countries globally.
By Linnea Dunne | Photos: Filemon Kid
Years have passed since Sara Cambladh lived in Greece, where her and her friends lovingly referred to each other as ‘filemon’, most closely translated as ‘buddy’. But when, upon having her second child, she decided to turn her back on commutes and long days in work as a shoe designer in favour of starting up a children’s clothes label, the word resurfaced. “I’d started making prints and sewing clothes for our own kids, and that eventually led to what was to become our very first collection,” Cambladh explains. “Our clothes are colourful and playful with a simple, bold expression, and the aim is for the clothes to last – in regards to both quality and design. But the fun and playfulness are key. Children’s 70 | Issue 87 | April 2016
clothes should never be restrictive.” Lovingly describing the wearer of the brand’s clothes as filemon seemed obvious, and the brand was named Filemon Kid – making cool clothes for cool kids.
Organic all the way Of course, there is nothing cool about design for design’s sake, something the Scandinavian children’s fashion scene is proclaiming loud and clear. And Filemon Kid is at the top of the sustainability game, using nothing but organic GOTS-certified cotton and watersoluble ink-based prints. While production currently takes place in Turkey, the plan is to move it closer to home as soon as possible. Another goal is to start producing the clothes, partly or fully, out of recycled materials.
“Your children are the dearest, most important things in life, so more and more parents want to buy non-toxic clothes for their kids,” says Cambladh. “We do our utmost to tiptoe with as small eco footprints as possible. We care for the children, we care about our planet and we care about originality and a desire for expression.”
The Filemon Kid owners.
For more information, please visit: www.filemonkid.com and follow @FilemonKid on Instagram.