This week, iconic New Zealand children’s sleepwear brand Merino Kids celebrated joining forces with Auckland-based ecostore in Freemans Bay to launch their new ‘store within a store’ concept. Given I attribute much of my 11-month-old daughter’s great sleeping habits to the Merino Kids Go Go bag and Essentials Pyjamas, and the fact that at any given time the contents of our kitchen, bathroom and laundry cupboards look like we have some sort of a sponsorship deal from ecostore, I felt like it would be a good launch to attend!
A perfect partnership
Merino Kids founder Amie Nilsson started the brand back in 2003, and has grown from a small company based in Herne Bay to an internationally recognised brand sold in 35 countries across the globe. Merino Kids Australasia managing director Paula Petrie recognises that the values of their brand align closely with those of ecostore – both priding themselves on the use of natural, healthy and sustainable products. This makes ecostore’s Scotland Street flagship store a perfect place to showcase their products. Ecostore retail manager Yulia Podrul says, ‘Our products complement each other well and provide only the best solutions for baby’s skin, without potentially harming chemicals’.
Wool: The perfect fabric?
Amie mentioned some interesting points about the fabrics we use. Once while presenting a talk overseas, she dropped in to a neighbouring textiles expo to find that only around 2% of the fabrics were made from wool. Most of the rest had man-made synthetic additions which can cause skin irritation and allergic reactions among a raft of other health problems.
Not only that, but there can be a lot of chemicals that go into the making of clothing and fabric products including toxic dyes, detergents, and even formaldehyde which is used to prevent mould and reduce wrinkling (in 2012, New Zealand testing found formaldehyde levels in some Chinese clothing exports to be up to 900 times higher than the prescribed safety limit! This alarmed a number of clothing companies and some of the big ones incuding Adidas and H&M intend to remove hazardous chemicals from their products by 2020).
Merino wool is an optimum, natural product for clothing with features that can’t be replicated by any synthetic fabrics. It wicks away sweat to keep you cool and dry in warm conditions, while also providing superior warmth in cold conditions. Perfect for babies who have difficulty regulating their own body temperature.
Where to find Merino Kids
Their new ‘store within a store’ is located inside ecostore’s flagship store at 1 Scotland Street, Freemans Bay, Auckland. For more information, visit www.merinokids.co.nz or www.ecostore.co.nz.
– ecostore retail manager Yulia Podrul –
– Merino Kids Australasia managing director Paula Petrie –
– Merino Kids founder Amie Nilsson –
– Goodie bags –
Images / NZ Real Health