Today, I am going to advise a conscious brand for expecting mothers using the 5 Biekapproved pillars. Boob Design is a comfortable, timeless maternity clothing brand. Let’s start the breakdown!

I help women make better choices in fashion – choices that fit better with their life(style), that will save them money and leave out guilt. Part of the journey is that I advise several conscious brands that suit them. And since I got so many requests in my Instagram DM to share more about it, I will highlight some of them in blog posts.

Starting with a maternity brand, because I am a mother of 2 young children since 2020 and I am still recovering with a body that does not feel like mine (yet). Since I feel that I am experiencing body changes now, I think this is an important start for many moms (to be).

Purposefully, I do not call these brands “sustainable brands”, but conscious brands instead. There is no such thing as sustainable fashion. A sustainable fashion brand is one that doesn’t exist. Conscious brands are often small business owners, with smaller collections and with the environment in mind. They do the best they can.

This is also why I invented the 5 Biekapproved pillars, so you can see how these brands align with your values. Because fashion is so multi-faceted, there is no one way to make the best, most sustainable, and conscious choice. There is only the best choice for you.

Exploring Boob Design’s Maternity Pillars

What I love about Boob Design is that they have a collection of timeless pieces that you can wear during pregnancy, but also after. I have a one-time favorite that I even wear way after giving birth, just because it’s not your classic “maternity pants”. And I am a huge fan of versatility, especially in your wardrobe. Having said that, some women hold memories of clothes and cannot disconnect from the feeling of being pregnant in certain clothes – especially if the pregnancy was quite tough. The garments have a mental tag that cannot be removed. And that is okay.

Boob Design’s Conscious Maternity Clothes Overview

Boob Design (don’t you just love the name?) is designed in Stockholm, Sweden. The idea of Boob was born when their founder Mia Seipel watched her sister breastfeed her newborn son with the north wind sweeping around her bare waist. There and then, Mia realized that mothers, like all superheroes, deserve the right clothes during pregnancy and nursing.

This is what they say on their website about their vision and values:
When you buy a garment from Boob, you buy a product that has been produced with care. What may be less obvious, is the care we show for production, the people, and the environment. To us, caring is a given – we make clothes for the future.

We believe that every new product that enters the world today must be justified. This is why every item we make has to meet high standards according to what we call The Boob Sustainability Dogma and tick all the boxes below:

1. Fulfill a purpose
2. Design and quality that stands the test of time
3. Sustainable materials
4. Trustworthy certifications
5. Responsible production

Biekapproved pillar 1: Transparency

At first glance, you see that Boob want to make it clear that they’re all about sustainability – by having a tab in the top menu. This tab has more than 6 pages with information about their values, factories, and fabrics. 

Since 2022, Boob has been part of Bare Collective, a group of companies whose vision is that sustainable consumption should be the norm, not the exception.

I don’t see this often, but they even have a full page linked to factories they work with, all with names, pictures, locations, certifications, and if they’ve been visited by the team. This is an example of what that looks like:

Type of factory: Spinning, knitting, dyeing, sewing
Location: Uttar Pradesh, India
Certifications: GOTS
Collaboration started: 2020
This factory has not yet been visited by Boob’s production team

Biekapproved pillar 2: Humanity

On its website of Boob, there’s a page for its factories and the people “who made your clothes”. These are not stock pictures but seem to be made in the moment and for personal (Boob) use. 

They state: “Our mission is to make clothes you can rely on. When it comes to quality, functionality, and how they are made.

That is why we keep track of every step from fiber to final garment. And that is why we strive to build long-lasting relationships with our suppliers rather than just chase after the cheapest price. We only work with those who share our concern for human rights and the environment. Their certifications and the quality of their work are proof of their dedication to these values.

The fashion industry involves a long chain and it consists of people. You, who are wearing the garment, are at one end. At the other end are those who grew and harvested the cotton, wove the fabric, and sewed the garment. As a customer, it can be difficult to see the people and the factories behind the clothes. We want to change that.”

They also say: “At Boob we are proud of our producers, who have been carefully selected for their quality work and their values regarding the environment and human rights.”

Additionally, I love the variation of women in all different sizes and colors, so you feel included and can see what is possible for your size – pregnant and post-partum.

Biekapproved pillar 3: Fabrics

Let me just make one thing clear, over and over again – clothing production is not sustainable. There is just simply too much being produced. As a brand, you can make the best choices and try to keep it small so you can keep an eye on quality and transparency.

Boob says that every new style in their collection has to meet rigorous criteria. First, it has to be a great idea that serves a purpose. It must fit well and be functional. Their entire collection is made of sustainable materials that are all traceable from fiber to final garment. 

For you, as a consumer, it’s important to know and understand that every garment with one single ingredient of a natural source, is the most sustainable fabric choice you can make. This makes it easier to recycle or break down.

These are their materials:

• Organic cotton – the cotton is grown without the use of harmful pesticides or fertilizers.
• Lenzing™ Ecovero™ – these fibers are produced using wood pulp, derived from responsibly managed forests.
• Tencel™ Lyocell – a cellulose fiber from eucalyptus and other fast-growing trees, which need only 5% of the water needed for cotton cultivation.
• Tencel™ Modal – modal is a cellulose fiber made from beech. TENCEL™ modal from Lenzing guarantees certified and controlled wood sources and growing trees near where the fiber production takes place.
• Organic wool – merino wool that is organic and GOTS certified (end product, Certified by Ecocert Greenlife, Licence no. 177019).
• Recycled polyamide – for tights and seamless styles they use Q-nova® a yarn made from recycled industrial waste. For swimwear, they use ECONYL® yarn, a 100% regenerated nylon fiber made from pre and post-consumer waste like fishing nets and other nylon waste. Both materials are certified according to GRS (Global Recycle Standard). 
• Recycled polyester – For sportswear is GRS-certified recycled polyester knitted used. 

And here’s a snippet of what they use for their leftover material, which I, as an artist who repurposes old clothes, absolutely adore and applaud:

“Both when we design and cut our garments, we strive to maximize the use of materials and reduce the proportion of wasted fabric. But sometimes there is fabric left over, from our own or others’ production. In that case, we like to get creative and investigate how we can design new, smart products from it – rather than letting it go to waste. By using already produced material, we remove the production stage that has the greatest environmental impact while conserving the planet’s resources.”

Biekapproved pillar 4: Construction

When I bought my first Boob item (in the cover picture) in 2020, maybe early 2021, the pants were even more comfortable than I imagined it to be. The thickness of the fabric was perfect for hot Singapore. It’s a stretchy fabric and the stitching is matching. However, the label often sticks out from the back when I fold the “waistband”. I am not sure if this is fixed in the meantime. Boob designs some very smart and sophisticated design solutions for breastfeeding-safe tops that can even be quite cool to wear when you’re not breastfeeding (yet) because it’s asymmetrical.

Overall, it seems like highly considered designs in the collection without many trims (buttons, buckles, etc.), which makes it long-lasting for the washing machine. 

Biekapproved pillar 5: Essential Designs

Boob Design is extremely well in timeless and versatile designs. The colors are mostly muted (think blacks, whites, sands, and greens), and there are (almost)* no allover prints or placed prints, which makes them timeless. These can be staples for every Style Personality and you can dress it up or down. I think most of the items are made of jersey (stretchy cotton, like T-shirts), but to be honest – that’s mainly what you want when you are growing a bump more hips, and a wider ribcage. Some might argue that this is not a fabric to dress up, but I beg to differ. It’s all in the details! And isn’t the bump (or a baby) a fantastic accessory? Just imagine combining it with a beautiful colorful silk scarf around your neck or in your hair. Or what about adding some sparkles in accessories?

*They have expanded their collection recently in ways that I don’t find very much in line with what I have been seeing before. Something with an allover heart print feels a bit more childish and not so timeless to me, but I could be alone in this.

Boob Design quotes:
“We have decided to only make clothes that serve a purpose. We then make sure that they are made as environmentally optimal as possible, in every way – when it comes to design, function, materials selection, and production. This leads to clothes that have a long life – that hold up to being used, washed, and loved, over and over again. “

Conclusion

I think Boob Design is doing fantastically on the Biekapproved scale. I believe they even improved a lot in their transparency, sustainability efforts, and overall aim for circularity (you can also rent via a third party (only Sweden!) from when I was pregnant back in 2020 and got my all-time favorite garment.

Recap Biekapproved maternity with Boob:

• Transparency: a full page linked to factories they work with, all with names, pictures, locations, certifications, and if they’ve been visited by the team. 
• Humanity: we strive to build long-lasting relationships with our suppliers rather than just chase after the cheapest price. We only work with those who share our concern for human rights and the environment.
• Fabrics: a clear list of their used fabrics and what they do with leftover fabrics
• Construction: not many trims which makes it easy to maintain. My personal experience was the placement of the label was wrong, but this was several years ago and might have improved. 
• Essential design: colors and style are timeless, even though the latest edition has an allover print which I find a bit off-brand.

From experience, I know it’s sometimes hard to invest in new clothing – especially when you know it’s only for a limited time as an expecting mother – 9+ months. But since Boob clothing is timeless and consciously designed, it’s worthwhile to invest. A lot of the garments can be versatile with the rest of your wardrobe, which makes it a great addition rather than a full replacement. And because you invest in quality, it also means it has a high resale value – which makes it even more interesting.

Boob Design is in my humble opinion, one of the best maternity fashion choices!