In 2004, Bern Tierney and Laura Sage created one the first baby lines in North America to use 100 per cent GOTS-certified organic cotton.
Playful and adorable, Parade's signature nickname kimonos, onesies and baby yoga sets have been a hit at birthdays and baby showers ever since. But how did they know they were on to something great?
"Enough people liked our product that we could give up our day jobs!" jokes Tierney.
They established themselves in Gastown as wholesalers, eventually adding a colourful, family-friendly studio shop so they could be closer to their customers. Customers who then voted them Best Kids Store in Gastown for 2014.
"People can feel the love," Tierney says of the acknowledgment. "The fact that we are a little hole in the wall appeals to them. Unlike most stores, we are selling product designed by us; we are not just a conduit. So they can feel the passion for our product and its meaning directly."
Parade has made its name with modern, effortless mix-and-match organic layette essentials such as rompers, gowns, dresses and booties. Whether your shopping for a Sweetpea, Peanut or Monkey, Parade's best-selling nickname series offers the perfect print for your little bundle, while the moose, deer and owl-obsessed can go head-to-toe in the My Animal Friends collection. Tierney and Sage also bring in items that are creative and fun that compliment the Parade aesthetic, like wooden toys, blocks, puppets and other gift ideas.
The duo are involved in every design detail, and each piece is produced in a fair trade setting in India, where organic cotton farming has a long history.
In a market struggling with greenwashing, the label 'organic' can (pardon our francais) sometimes just be blowing baby powder up consumers' bums. Parade's textile certification GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) is the world's leading processing standard for organic textiles. It includes a social criteria which assures fair treatment of workers and is very difficult to obtain.
"Processed cotton is a horrible polluter, and we thankfully have no part in this," says Tierney. "As far as the baby is concerned, [organic cotton] is much softer on delicate newborn skin and is particularly preferential for babies with skin conditions. Baby's skin should be covered in purity, not industrial chemicals."
So what's coming for kids in 2014?
"We were ahead of the owl trend and the fox trend so I believe we are qualified to comment," says Tierney, boldly. "Our new spring collection has a Dutch feel... Tulips and bicycles."
It may be based out of the heart of Vancouver, but there's nothing raining on this Parade.
Click here for a full list of winners: http://www.wevancouver.com/news/247278851.html
