Our Story
At Essential + Kind we offer beautiful, classic, high-quality, and earth friendly baby and children’s clothing essentials that can be worn again by future children. Our 100% hemp, natural fiber, clothing is easy to care for and kind to mother earth.
Meet the Founder:
Hey there! I’m LeeAnn, a longtime material girl on the path to minimalism and sustainability.
It was during the nesting phase while pregnant with my second daughter that I became overwhelmed with how many pieces of clothing my girls had. Between my eldest daughter’s hand-me-downs and new onesies upon new onesies gifted to me by friends and family, I not only struggled with where to store them but struggled to come to terms with just how many pieces of clothing these girls had. There was no possible way they could wear them all a single time, let alone multiple times. During this period my husband and I had been talking about things we could do as a family to become more eco-conscious and own less stuff.
It got me thinking: if I could go back in time when pregnant with my first daughter, what would I want her wardrobe to look like? I decided I would want a few select pieces; a minimalist capsule wardrobe with beautiful, timeless, high quality, eco-conscious pieces that I could re-use with my future children, pass on to friends and family, or keep as heirlooms. As a result, I founded Essential + Kind to offer just that.
Why Baby and Children's Clothing?
Per the EPA, the United States alone generates upwards of 12 million tons of clothing and footwear waste every year. This means approximately 80 pounds of clothing for every one American is discarded in our landfills each year. It’s hard to say exactly how much of that is baby and children’s clothing, but considering the following, it may be safe to assume its quite a bit:
- Baby and children’s fashion is becoming increasingly mainstream and fast fashion brands are able to offer fashionable clothing at increasingly more affordable prices
- The wearable life of baby and children’s clothing is much less than that of adult wear as kids outgrow their clothes about every six months and babies perhaps even faster
It is Essential + Kind’s goal to help facilitate less clothing waste by putting more of a focus on maintaining a minimalist, capsule wardrobe with timeless pieces that transition from season to season and across generations. We suggest sizing up to maximize longevity.
There is evidence to suggest children form many of their habits by the age of nine. There is no better time than during your child’s formative years to start building a foundation of sustainability and a lasting kindness towards Mother Earth.
Why Hemp?
There are not enough options to recycle used textiles. Nor is most of what we wear today biodegradable. It is estimated that 65% of all fibers used in the fashion industry are made from synthetic material AKA from plastic AKA from crude oil and unfortunately it is also estimated the percentage of synthetic fiber use will increase significantly. Essential + Kind wants to help combat this.
Hemp is one of the most environmentally friendly natural fibers on earth. It is a very fast growing crop and produces a high fiber yield per acre; 2 to 3 times more than cotton and up to 6 times more than flax (linen). Hemp crops use virtually no pesticides and because the plant is relatively drought resistant, crops require very little water.
Hemp fibers are extremely durable, naturally hypo-allergenic, non-irritating, anti-bacterial, and UV resistant. Hemp’s unique fiber structures have the combined effect of incredible breathability in summer while offering excellent insulation in winter.
Hemp fiber in woven form has the look and feel of a classic flax linen and gets softer after each wash.
Caring for Your Clothing
Essential + Kind’s clothing is easy to care for and kind to mother earth.
100% Hemp Weave Care:
Wash on cold with eco friendly detergent. Do not use any bleach. Lay flat to dry or tumble dry on low/delicate cycle. Heat could cause fabric shrinkage and damage to buttons. Cool iron if needed, refrain from placing iron directly on buttons.
Please Note: Our 100% hemp fabric has been pre-shrunk, however drying at a high temperature may cause additional shrinkage.
Finished With Your Clothing?
Essential + Kind’s clothing is made of 100% biodegradable natural fibers and materials, so when your children can no longer wear their pieces you have a few options:
- Store away for use by your future children or keep as heirlooms
- Pass on to friends and family
- Donate to a family in need
- Place them in your home compost or city compost receptacle. For more information on composting click here.
How We Manufacture
Essential & Kind’s clothing is manufactured slowly, in small batches, with sustainable and biodegradable fabrics and low impact dyes.
Small batch manufacturing keeps material waste low.
We use coconut buttons which are an environmentally friendly, non-plastic option for buttons that are made from the natural by-product of coconut shells. Coconut is a renewable resource and is fully biodegradable.
How We Package
We are intentional about our packaging. Our clothing is shipped in bags and mailers that are both curbside recyclable and compostable. You won’t find any “fluff” marketing materials included either.
Click here to find out more about composting.
Size Chart
If you have any questions regarding sizing, please email hello@essentialandkind.com. Similar to linen, our hemp weave will relax during wear, but has no stretch in the fabric and so we always recommend sizing up for comfort and longevity of wear.
Measurements are approximate and were taken with the garment laying flat on an even surface.
100% Hemp Essential Wrap Onesie
| US Size | From Shoulder to Crotch |
| 0-3 Month | 13.5 inches |
| 3-6 Month | 14.25 inches |
| 6-12 Month | 14.75 inches |
| 12-18 Month | 15 inches |
| 18-24 Month | 16 inches |
100% Hemp Essential Sleeveless Playsuit
| US Size | From Shoulder to Crotch |
| 3-6 Month | 14.5 inches |
| 6-12 Month | 15.5 inches |
| 12-18 Month | 16 inches |
| 18-24 Month | 16.5 inches |
| 2T | 17 inches |
| 2T Large | 17.5 inches |