There's a new label in town for the tiny tots in your life who've been influenced by stars like Greta Thunberg and Xiye Bastida. Meet Borobabi, a first-of-its-kind circular retailer for eco-conscious, ethical, and affordable childrenswear.
The mom-founded startup just opened its first SoCal pop-up in Venice Beach and is unique in that it takes responsibility for the lifecycle of its apparel. The shop offers sustainable and ethically produced clothing for infants, toddlers, and children.
"Borobabi was born to keep clothing out of landfills. We are revolutionizing how families shop and take care of their kids' clothing," said Borobabi CEO and founder Carolyn Butler.
The pop-up marks the grand finale of Borobabi's 'Circular Frontier Tour,' a cross-country road trip that founders Carolyn and Rich Butler and their toddler daughter Avellina embarked on to host pop-ups and connect with parents, companies, and city leaders to discuss sustainable and economic solutions to issues related to clothing.
The "public benefit corporation," was founded in 2020 after Carolyn, then a chemical engineer, recognized a hole in the childrenswear space. Its customers can subscribe for stylist-curated bundles and shop new or resale items from dozens of eco and ethical brands. Another cool element of the brand is that it offers a borrow or buy model, which means parents can return or resell items back after their little ones grow out of them. Outworn items are then recycled or composted. Plus, accessibility is prioritized through Borobabi's creation of a pricing structure that caters to all income levels and backgrounds.
"At Borobabi, we believe every family should have access to ethically and sustainably crafted clothing. Sustainability should not be a luxury. Our natural and organic clothing gets used to its fullest potential by our network of families, and we work hard to take responsibility for the full lifecycle of our childrenswear. We recycle and compost to avoid the harms of landfilling because it's our mission to ensure the health of our planet for generations to come," said Carolyn.
Borobabi's mission is to save customers money, reduce waste in landfills, and increase the efficiency of the children's clothing supply chain. To date, its efforts have saved about 82 tons of carbon dioxide, diverted a quarter ton of clothing from entering landfills, and saved 4.8 million gallons of fresh water.
Borobabi, 798 Main St., Venice Beach, CA 90291; open daily until September 23 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
