Beyond the Label: How to Actually Choose Good Fibers for Your Child's Clothes

"Organic cotton" has become one of those phrases that sits on a label and does very little work. It sounds reassuring. But not all organic cotton is equal, and not every fibre marketed as "natural" or "eco" has been through any independent verification at all. If you're buying for a baby or toddler — skin that's thinner, more absorbent, and still developing its own barrier function — it's worth knowing what's actually behind the words.

Here's what we look for, and why.

Start with the certification, not the word

"Organic" on its own is an unregulated claim in most markets. Anyone can print it on a swing tag. What you want to see is GOTS — the Global Organic Textile Standard. GOTS certification doesn't just confirm the raw cotton was grown organically; it tracks the fibre through spinning, dyeing, and finishing, restricting the chemicals that can be used at every stage and auditing the supply chain along the way. It's the difference between "we believe this is organic" and "this has been independently verified, step by step."
If a brand can't tell you which certifying body stands behind their "organic" claim, that's usually your answer.

Wool and non-cotton fibres need a different standard

GOTS applies to cotton and other agricultural fibres — it doesn't cover wool in the same way, since wool isn't "grown" from soil the way cotton is. For wool and other animal or blended fibres, the certification to look for is Oeko-Tex Standard 100. This tests the finished textile for harmful substances — residues, heavy metals, allergenic dyes — against limits that are stricter for baby-wear than for adult clothing. It's a different kind of guarantee than GOTS, and it matters just as much: it's the check that tells you nothing left over from processing is sitting against your child's skin.

We're careful about this distinction ourselves. We never call our merino "organic" — that's not the correct certification for wool — but it is Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified, and where we can, we go further and use minimally processed virgin wool that's been through as little chemical treatment as possible.

Why this actually matters for a baby, not just the planet

The environmental case for better fibres is well known — cleaner farming, less chemical run-off, lower water use. But there's a more immediate reason for choosing certified fibres in childrenswear specifically: a baby's skin has a thinner outer layer and a higher surface-area-to-body-weight ratio than an adult's, so anything it comes into prolonged contact with — a sleepsuit, a blanket, a jumper worn for hours a day — is absorbed more readily. Uncertified "organic" claims and untested wool aren't automatically harmful, but you have no way of knowing. Certification is what turns "probably fine" into "verified."

A quick checklist for your next buy

• Look for GOTS on cotton and other plant-based fibres — not just the word "organic"
• Look for Oeko-Tex Standard 100 on wool and blended fabrics
• Ask what processing the wool has been through — less is generally gentler
• Be wary of "eco," "natural," or "sustainable" used without a named certifying body attached
• Check whether the certification covers the whole garment or just the raw fibre

Where this sits in what we make

It's why every Shooshon piece is built from GOTS-certified organic cotton or Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified merino, and why, where we can, we choose pure, minimally treated Bulgarian virgin wool over more heavily processed alternatives. Each piece is hand-knitted by a small team of women artisans in Bulgaria — a slower way of making clothes, but one that lets us stay close to the materials at every stage, not just sign off on a certificate once a year.

It's a small decision at the point of sale — one label over another — but it's exactly the kind of small choice we think is worth caring about. What we love, we cherish; and the fabric against a child's skin is a good place to start.