Sustainability Q+A with 1+ in the Family

INTERVIEW WITH GEMMA MASES
FOUNDER, 1+ IN THE FAMILY

WHAT IS THE ONE MORE IN THE FAMILY ETHOS?

1 + IN THE FAMILY is a brand clearly focused on babies, where there is a passion for searching the most beautiful, soft and comfortable fabrics for babies. But not forgetting the desire, the commitment and the concern to be a respectful brand for the people that work with us and the planet sustainability. We try to do it better and better every season.

WHERE ARE YOU LOCATED, IS YOUR WHOLE TEAM THERE?

Our headquarters is in Sant Cugat, small city at the surroundings of Barcelona.

WHERE ARE THE COLLECTIONS PRODUCED?

100% of our collections are produced in the Barcelona area, made in local workshops.

WHAT WAS YOU PROCESS IN SELECTING YOUR FACTORIES AND HOW DO YOU ENSURE YOUR MANUFACTURERS ARE MEETING BEST ETHICAL PRACTICES?

Because our producers are near our HQ, we can visit them every day if it’s necessary. We know all the people who are working and of course we can control they use ethical practises and people are working in good conditions and following the strict European labour rules. Working hand in hand with local suppliers affirms our commitment to local production and guarantees better control over fair labour for all those people contributing to the manufacturing of our products.

WHAT KIND OF FABRICS DO YOU MOST USE? ARE YOUR FABRICS GOTS ORGANIC OR OEKO-TEX CERTIFIED?

Mostly knitted/jersey fabrics because they are softer and more comfortable. Organic cotton fabrics as the main base in collections for newborns and whose organic yarn is GOTS certified. We have also natural fabrics too, for example, we introduced TENCEL garments, a 100% celulosic fabric. We introduce recycled yarn extra soft fleece. Recycled materials give fabrics or yarns a new lease of life by allowing them to be made into new products. All the fabrics we use must be GOTS or Oeko-Tex Certified.

Careful selection of accessories always made with materials of natural origin and which are OEKO-TEX certified and analyzed by AITEX. Coconut buttons are used in all the Newborn collection.

CAN YOU PLEASE TELL US ABOUT HOW YOUR FABRICS ARE DYED?

We have two different fabrics in our collections:

1 - The most important part of our collection is manufactured with dyed yarn fabrics. All are Oeko-Tex Certified.

2 - Small part of the collection is garment dyed. It means we manufacture the pieces in white fabric prepared to be dyed. In that case, we use Oeko-tex chemical certified products when dyeing.

HOW DO YOU SELECT THE FABRICS YOU USE AND WHERE DO THEY COME FROM?

We select our fabrics visiting fabric fairs in Paris, Milan or Barcelona. The most important criteria for our selection are: the origin, the quality, the softness and of course the beauty. Most of our fabrics are made in Italy, Spain or France. All are European fabrics.

WHAT DO YOU DO WITH YOUR OVERSTOCK OF MATERIALS AND FABRIC SCRAPS?

Because we do not have our own stores, we only manufacture according to retailer orders. Therefore, we almost have no overstock. At the end of the season, if we have any item in stock, we sell it at a local outlet sales or give it to charity.

About fabric scraps left over after cutting, we try to use as much as we can. Our baby garments and tiny accessories are an advantage in that sense. We can cut small socks, beanies…that’s make it easy, but of course there are still some fabric scrabs. I’m curious to listen your creative suggestions in order to learn, if it’s possible.

DO YOU THINK YOU WILL BEGIN TO SELL YOURSELF DIRECTLY OR ONLY THROUGH RETAILERS?

We are not going to sell ourself directly, this is not our philosophy. We are focused on design and manufacture, this is our real business and we feel our retailers are part of our team. We must protect them because they are doing a great and difficult job!

We have around 600 hundred beautiful retailers around the world. We suggest to email to info@onemoreinthefamily.com , where we will immediately keep informed about nearest points.

CAN YOU PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOUR PACKAGING FOR SHIPMENTS TO CUSTOMERS?

New corporate packaging, necessary to preserve the hygiene and to ensure the correct folding of the product, has also been replaced by recycled and recyclable plastic bags.

DO YOU WANT TO SHARE ANYTHING ELSE WITH OUR READERS ON YOUR EFFORTS IN SUSTAINABILITY AND ETHICAL PRACTICES?

We also pay attention to the origin of the labels, buttons, snaps, zippers, etc…All the buttons we use are made with natural materials as: coconut, corozo, wooden, etc… we avoid plastic at all, and of course all of them are Oeko-tex certified. Snap buttons and zippers are nickel free and have Oeko-tex certified too.