Sep 30
After spending a number of years working in the garment industry; I have learned a few sure signs of quality clothing.
I use these “signs” every time a make a selection for The Boy’s Store. This goes for both new and current lines/brands. You can never assume that a previous good quality record will still be exactly the same from one season to the next.
Mostly everyone does try to stick to some strict quality standards. A change in manufacturing or new regulations will bring industry wide changes. Some regulations, such as the last one which was meant to reduce health risks by monitoring lead levels in dyes, can greatly change quality and bring in additional unexpected costs.
In our competitive market additional cost and increases in pricing can mean a number of things. A company might choose to discontinue producing a particular line, or simply quit. It could also mean a change in tooling for the clothing plant and so on. Each new cost can bring in a new search for a facility that is compliant with the new regulation, flexible to comply with brand specifications, open taking on new customers as well as priced reasonably (within current parameters). At times this can mean that the bottom line for the consumer, quality, is relegated to the end of the list. Continue reading »
Tagged with: boys clothing • fashion news • shopping tips
Sep 25
Martin Pedersen Strompefabrik was founded in 1937 by Martin Pedersen and for more than 70 years, three generations have developed socks and tights.. The result is a high quality product with fashionable patterns for both children and adults. MP is a very environmental conscious textile company which strives to produce with the least possible environmental influence.
In recent years, the company has added new products to its collection including hats and scarves. MP socks and Tights has been a leading European leg wear brand. I recall receiving MP tights around the Holidays to wear while out skiing or sledding. As a child, I love these as they had fun and colorful designs what a nice alternative to the every plain colored ones.
MP uses only high quality cotton or wool yarn and all products are pre-shrunk. The socks have a “form-fitted” foot with an interlocking toe. Seams are smooth and cannot be felt. MP designers pay careful attention to current clothing collection trends since they strive to get their socks and tights to complement popular brand lines in color and design.
We love these socks as they wear well, wash even better and hold up to the abuse that all little boys seem to inflict on their favorites whether it be a shirt, pair of pants, socks or stuffed animal.
Tagged with: boys accessories • boys clothing • boys socks • MP Socks
Sep 20
For a few weeks now I have been tweeting, yes tweeting, tips on how to entertain a boy or a child. Each tweet is posted every morning at 8:30 PST. You can find us on Twitter under @theboysstore
Providing a daily tip seemed to be a fairly easy task when the idea first came up. I pulled out my laptop and started writing a long list of tips. Coming up with a number of projects, activities and ideas for a daily tip was the easy part.
The next challenge was reducing each one to a 140 characters. What seemed like a unusually large number of tips just required too many characters to fit and ended up by the wayside. Now I could have stopped there and just given up the whole idea. Instead I took a deep breath and dove into the challenge which has now become a game to try and keep these coming for as long as possible.
I met my first goal and made it through the first week. Twitter does come with one big draw back; the flurry of activity makes it almost impossible to find a tweet that was posted just a few days back. Here is a compilation of my first fifteen tweeter tips (140 characters or less):
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Build a totem pole out of paper roll or empty spools. Decorate with feathers, paper beaks, brass paper fasteners as claws, googly eyes
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Use stacked potato slices to make a chart to show altitude changes such as lines on topographical maps. Simple geography lesson
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Bend a wire hanger into a circle. Use cheesecloth, mosquito netting to make a net. Catch butterflies, moths. Examine them. Release
Continue reading »
Tagged with: Activities • crafts • fun & games • vacation
