Meet a Clothing Maker from South Africa!!

Meet Stella - a worker at Bug Zoo

Above is a picture of one of the areas (Townships) where the women live.

As many of you know, the clothing that I sell on my website, Hippos Toes, is all made in South Africa. Not only are the clothes made there, but the cotton is also grown there. So the clothing is all 100% from South Africa. In addition to being unique and adorable, the best thing about the clothing is the ladies that make it. As I've mentioned many times before :), the ladies that make the clothes all come from very disadvantaged areas in South Africa, called Townships. We would call them slums here in the US. There are very limited income opportunities for these sweet ladies, they are often relegated to being domestics (housekeepers) or nannies. They are oftentimes the sole means of support in their families as well. So it is important that they have reliable and steady income. Not to mention good paying work and good working conditions. That is where the clothing manufacturer comes in. Bug Zoo works with an organization in South Africa that locates these women in these areas and offers them employment at Bug Zoo. Many of them have many years of experience as sewers and seamstresses and they can put this talent to work at Bug Zoo making the children's clothing. A majority of the women cannot read or write, but they can sew. And they can sew beautifully. Bug Zoo either brings them in to their facility to work or helps them purchase sewing machines and they work from a communal area in their Township. It is a beautiful story and the reason that I fell in love with Bug Zoo and why I am honored and priveleged to bring you these adorable fair trade children's clothes. The US market allows them much more opportunities to sell their work, which allows more of them to be employed and that makes my heart happy. I hope you feel the same.

So, without further ado, I would like to introduce you to our second featured worker at Bug Zoo: Stella.

Stella is widowed with one daughter and her daughter is matriculating this year and is a talented artist. Stella lives with her sister in Cape Town during the week, but travels to her daughter and home in Wittewater on the weekends- small rural community 2 hours from Cape Town. Stella is our cutter and she is responsible for cutting all the garments from the patterns and then passed on to the machinists to be made. Stella started her career as a cutter 25 years ago- she used to be a machinist, but prefers the cutting.(she made her daughters matric farewell dress). Stella has been at Bug Zoo for 3 years. Stella loves the view from the building as it looks over the Cape Town harbour. Stella enjoys spending time with her daughter at home and loves working on her home inside and out.

A note from Bug Zoo: Stella is very energetic and never stops, she zips around Bug Zoo from the time she arrives to the time she leaves. She is also a very hard worker.

All Bug Zoo staff are dedicated staff who put in more that we ask for and we are very lucky to have them. We are a small team, but they are an incredible team that we are proud to have and proud to be able to give them employment as this is a very tough industry to be in as we compete with other countries like China, Bangladesh etc. We believe in the value of human rights and the right to earn an income that will enable them to support their families. It is important to remember that SA does not have a social security system and live is very hard for those who do not have a job. I hope to feature different workers on my blog so you can get to know a little about them and why I feel so strongly in Bug Zoo and these unique children's clothes.

Featured Clothing on Hippos Toes!!!

Boy's Quest Golfer Shirt

Girl's Wrap Top

I will be featuring different items on my website each week. This week I'm featuring the Girl's Wrap Top and the Boys Quest Golfer Shirt. Featured items will be on sale, so check out my site to see the great sale going on. Also use code HT15 for a 15% discount on your entire order.

Girl's Wrap Top:

A more feminine T-shirt look
Ruffles at sleeve openings.

Available in Pink or White print
Adorable flower print

For a cute matching outfit try the printed leggings

Boys Quest Golfer Shirt:

Collared long sleeve golfer shirt. Stone
Double layered look
Buttons in front. Bugs on their “quest” march across the bottom and onto the back.

100% Cotton

Looks really cute with the denim jeans or the Quest corduroy pants!!

Meet a Clothing Maker from South Africa....

Meet Miriam - a worker at Bug Zoo

Above is a picture of one of the areas (Townships) where the women live.
As many of you know the clothing that I sell on my website, Hippos Toes, is all made in South Africa. Not only are the clothes made there, but the cotton is also grown there. So the clothing is all 100% from South Africa. In addition to being unique and adorable, the best thing about the clothing is the ladies that make it.

As I've mentioned many times before :), the ladies that make the clothes all come from very disadvantaged areas in South Africa, called Townships. We would call them slums here in the US. There are very limited income opportunities for these sweet ladies, they are often relegated to being domestics (housekeepers) or nannies. They are oftentimes the sole means of support in their families as well. So it is important that they have reliable and steady income. Not to mention good paying work and good working conditions. That is where the clothing manufacturer comes in. Bug Zoo works with an organization in South Africa that locates these women in these areas and offers them employment at Bug Zoo. Many of them have many years of experience as sewers and seamstresses and they can put this talent to work at Bug Zoo making the children's clothing.

A majority of the women cannot read or write, but they can sew. And they can sew beautifully. Bug Zoo either brings them in to their facility to work or helps them purchase sewing machines and they work from a communal area in their Township. It is a beautiful story and the reason that I fell in love with Bug Zoo and why I am honored and priveleged to bring you these adorable fair trade children's clothes.

The US market allows them much more opportunities to sell their work, which allows more of them to be employed and that makes my heart happy. I hope you feel the same.

So, without further ado, I would like to introduce you to our first featured worker at Bug Zoo: Miriam.

Miriam is divorced with 4 kids and lives in Mitchells Plein(a small community in Cape Town)- 3 son and 2 daughters. All her sons are out of the house and her daughter has started her first year of communication studies- she is very proud of her children. Miriam is the sole breadwinner.

Miriam started her career as a machinist in 1975 at a factory in Cape Town. She has been with Bug Zoo for 3 years.

She loves the working environment at Bug Zoo- although it can be pressurized, it is far better than being in a factory

Miriam enjoys sewing and even sews in her spare time- she also enjoys shopping and spending time with her family(she has 9 brothers and sisters)

A note from Bug Zoo: Miriam is one of the most dedicated employees we have and is an incredibly strong woman who has been through tough times- always positive and she has values that we all aspire to. All Bug Zoo staff are dedicated staff who put in more that we ask for and we are very lucky to have them. We are a small team, but they are an incredible team that we are proud to have and proud to be able to give them employment as this is a very tough industry to be in as we compete with other countries like China, Bangladesh etc. We believe in the value of human rights and the right to earn an income that will enable them to support their families. It is important to remember that SA does not have a social security system and live is very hard for those who do not have a job.

I hope to feature different workers on my blog so you can get to know a little about them and why I feel so strongly in Bug Zoo and these unique children's clothes.

Launch Day is Fast Approaching!!!

My official launch date is almost here. I will be launching my new website, Hippos Toes, on Thursday, October 9th. If you don't know about the clothing let me tell you a little something.

Hippos Toes features fair trade children’s clothing made in South Africa by Bug Zoo. I am passionate about the clothing the difference Hippos Toes/Bug Zoo is making in women’s lives. The women that make these unique and adorable children’s clothing are mom’s that have very limited income opportunities in South Africa. Typically the type of employment they find is as Domestics (housekeepers), or nannies. Making clothing for Bug Zoo allows them a new opportunity to use skills that they have and that they should be proud to offer. They very much enjoy the opportunity to use their skills to make these adorable, whimsical and fun children's clothes. They are paid fair wages and work under good working conditions, which are not easy to find in their country. I am hoping to feature some of these darling women on my blog so that you can get to know a little about them. They are very shy, many of them cannot read or write, so the fact that they are willing to allow me to ask them a few questions means a lot to me, and I'm honored if they will let me do this for them, and for you!

The clothing designs are typically nature inspired to bring awareness and love of our natural environment to your child. The designs change every season (spring and fall). I have already had the opportunity to preview the spring '09 line and it is just as adorable as the fall '08 line. I'm sure you won't be let down.

The quality of the garments is also top notch. Because they are made by hand, and with love, this is apparent in the clothing. Another reason why I am proud to bring this clothing line to you.

Also be sure to read my About Us page on my site so that you can learn a bit more about Hippos Toes, and why I feel so passionate about offering these adorable clothes to you!

Please have a look around Hippos Toes. I am sure you will be just as excited as I am. In honor of my kickoff, I will be offering a 15% discount on my blog. So please come back here on Thursday to get your code - and start shopping :)