Since 2014, Infantium Victoria, founded by Dinie van den Heuvel and Julia Gaydina, has been creating high-end clothing for babies, children and pre-teens. The small team brings a distinctive design perspective to childrenswear, combining expressive silhouettes with a focus on the materials and processes behind its garments.
For Dinie and Julia, thinking about how clothes are made has become an important part of developing their collections. Their approach has included exploring different material choices, including Weganool™, a plant-based wool alternative, as well as reviewing practical decisions such as transport and logistics.
The company also considers how its garments move beyond their first owner. Its Pre-Loved marketplace provides a way for qualifying garments to be passed on for further use rather than ending their story with the first family that owned them.
Another part of Infantium Victoria’s approach is GOTS certification, which the company obtained in 2019. For Infantium Victoria, working with certification has also involved looking closely at its internal processes and the information required from relevant suppliers.
The company reports that GOTS-labelled garments have also performed differently in its online store, with conversion rates for GOTS-tagged garments increasing by 12%.
“Placing the GOTS logo on our hang-tag gives parents an immediate indication that the garment has been certified to GOTS requirements,” explains Julia Gaydina, Co-Founder and CEO.
For Infantium Victoria, certification has also become part of how the team communicates about the processes behind its clothes.
The founders have taken that interest into education as well. As Infantium Victoria continues to develop its collections, certification remains one part of a broader story about materials, design and how children’s clothing is made.
For a brand creating clothes for the next generation, that also means helping families look beyond the finished garment and learn more about the fibres, people and processing stages involved in bringing it to life. And the best part? Infantium Vitcoria truly aims to educate even the youngest and have therefore released a book all about “The Journey of a GOTS T-Shirt”!
