Loud+Proud is an German based Eco Fashion label for children and was founded in 2008 by Barbara Schüsselbauer. The company has grown into a well-established family business with her husband Ingo Hecking joining her in 2013.
In 2015, Elves in the Wardrobe became part of the loud+proud family and as well as stocking loud+proud clothes in our online- shop we also represent loud+proud as an agent to give Australian retailers the opportunity to share the fantastic organic quality with Australian families.
Elves in the Wardrobe took the opportunity to interview Ingo Hecking and share more insights about loud+proud with our readers.
What stands behind the Eco fashion label loud+proud?
In the 2008 loud+proud my wife Barbara Schüsselbauer founded GmbH and I joined her in 2013.
Prior to that my wife worked for many years as a designer in sports fashion and after the birth of our two children, she was looking to create a sustainable alternative in kid’s fashion.
This was achieved by combining her own style with sustainability and fair production.
What does loud+proud mean?
Our company name stands for loud children and their proud parents. We offer organic cotton kids wear, that is cool & comfortable at the same time as making sure no harmful chemicals will enter the wardrobe of your precious little ones.
What makes a typical loud+proud product?
We put a lot of emphasis on fresh & vibrant water based colours and only use cotton from certified organic production. loud+proud got known for our changing animal prints, practical reversible products and water repellent cotton-products with environmental friendly impregnation.
Do kids love your organic cotton clothes too?
We get a lot of feedback from mothers telling us that especially the changing animal prints are very attractive for kids. Mothers place their importance more on the great organic quality, practical & comfortable fit and the sustainability.
Loud+Proud received the environmentally friendly GOTS licence. What does that mean?
GOTS (global organic textile standard) is a worldwide standard with the highest production chain, material sustainability and fair production requirements. Every GOTS Company will get checked & certified on a regular base from picking the cotton to the delivery of the finished products.
Where does your label get produced?
We only produce our clothes in Europe, Portugal, and Hungary and since 2015 in our own sewing manufactory in Germany.
What do I need to watch when it comes down to sustainable eco fashion for children?
The fashion trend sustainability attracts a lot of chess players, who presents themselves as very sustainable, but only produces a fraction of their products that way. Also, people like to advertise with GOTS certified organic fabrics, without being certified. They promote their business through a partial area of GOTS certified organic fabrics. But under what conditions these organic fabrics get processed is very unclear. That is why it is important to always check the clothes labels for the GOTS-logo. Only products that meet all the requirements in the production chain are allowed to carry the GOTS logo. In our opinion that is the solution to guarantee sustainable fair trade organic clothes production.
Can you tell us a bit more about your ‘never out of stock’ program?
We have a summer and a winter collection every year. But a big part of our range is the always available – ‘never out of stock’ collection. Retailers are able to restock any products whenever there is a need to reorder, without any risks. Many of our new stockists and start up businesses like to start this way to gain experience. It also creates continuity for customers.
What is the fashion trend for winter 2017?
We can only speak for ourselves. Our autumn & winter collection has bright red, blue and green colours. Combinability is important for us and like every new season, there are two new animal prints. This season we have a classical cat & dog print. As well as our classical organic cotton products, we are offering a range of organic cotton & wool products & reversible knit jumpsuits
Can you tell us a little bit about your next big projects for loud+proud?
We have almost finished our big project of renovating our over 400-year-old company building in Hersbruck. In 2015, we integrated our own sewing manducatory in East Germany. Our main focus for this year will be on the International Market, with focus on Australian Retailers. We will be participating in the upcoming Instyle for Kids in Sydney from Feb 16th – 19th and looking forward to show our products to Australian Retailers.
For all you current and coming projects we wish you all the best, Mr. Hecking!