CUT 4 CLOTH
An innovative family business
An innovative family business
Situated on the banks of the Helford river in Cornwall, Cut4Cloth is an innovative family business, with a strong commitment to reducing damage to the environment. The idea for Cut4Cloth came about when founders Lucy and Kurt Jewson had their first baby Tom. Aware that disposable nappies did not bio-degrade they opted for cloth nappies. Not long after starting using them, they discovered Tom’s cloth nappies were too big for his baby clothes, even by using a size up, they found they were not cut to fit over cloth nappies.
Lucy trawled the internet and couldn’t find any companies who made clothes to fit over cloth nappies. An idea was born. Cut4Cloth now provide a wide range of clothes for babies and toddlers, which are stretchy and comfortable allowing greater freedom of movement.
They wanted to follow the environmental principles that led them to use cloth nappies in the first place. Their range of clothing is made from 100 percent organic cotton. With a baby’s sensitive skin, there are many benefits to dressing them in gentle organic cotton. Organic cotton feels softer, allows the skin to breathe, and due to the absence of chemicals organic cotton is also less likely to trigger skin allergies.
The cotton is handpicked, and the clothes are ethically manufactured in rural India. They are able to produce brightly coloured clothes, using environmentally friendly dyes that are free from harmful additives such as formaldehyde. The factory itself also supports the local tribal school, by providing food, books, and equipment.
The business has gone from strength to strength, since starting up three years ago. From starting out as a two person team, Cut4Cloth now employ five people. They started off only doing clothes for 0-2 years, and as their customer’s little one’s grew; they were asked to do larger clothes, so they have increased their range up to 4 years. They now sell to 20 countries worldwide and 180 shops across the country. Lucy said;
“We are growing as quickly as we can manage. We haven’t had to go out to market at all really. People just keep finding us, and we try and struggle to keep up, but it’s a great way to be.”
Despite Cut4Cloth having a strong ethos, Lucy felt they could be more proactive in trying to remedy environmental damage.
She said “We really wanted to put our money where are mouth is, so we’ve joined the 1% for the planet scheme.”
They give 1% of their turnover which equates to 10% of their profits to benefit environmental causes. One of the projects they chose to support is the Cornwall Wildlife trust’s ‘Beep’ (Bycatch Evidence Evaluation Project). Beep is a research project looking at possible explanations why marine mammals get stranded on our Cornish beaches. Teams of volunteers inspect and collate all the markings, and injuries on stranded mammals. The findings are then investigated by the National History Museum and the British Zoological Institution, in an effort to find explanations as to why dolphins, seals porpoises and occasionally whales wash up on the Cornish coast.
With more people thinking about what they put in their bodies, it seems a natural step to think about what we put on them. Cut4Cloth’s range show there is no need to use chemicals that can have a detrimental effect on the environment, as well our health. Their high quality clothes are made with room for movement and growth, and when your little ones do eventually grow out of them, they can be passed on. Kurt and Lucy’s new baby is wearing Cut4Cloth clothes which have been handed through five different children and they still look great.
Whether you’re looking for a gift or clothes for your own little ones, June is a great time to check out Cut4cloth’s range as they are having their first half price sale to make way for an exciting new range of winter clothes.
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