Kaiko Clothing is a company specializing in ethically produced children's and women's clothing. At Kaiko, a passion for beautiful and high-quality clothing is combined with a mission to improve the quality of life for women and children through fashion. Ethics, transparency, and social responsibility are at the core of everything Kaiko does.
Mirjam Sokka, founder of Kaiko, how and why did Kaiko get started?
Kaiko was born from a dream to combine fashion and charity. We direct 7% of the profit from every product sold to the education of women and children in developing countries. The first collection was launched in 2017.
Where are Kaiko's clothes designed and manufactured?
The collections are designed in Vallila, Helsinki, except now during this exceptional time, when we are designing remotely from homes around the capital region. The products are mainly manufactured in Portugal, and there are plans to expand ethical production in the future, for example to Nepal.
In what ways are Kaiko's clothes ethical, ecological, and safe?
We carefully select our partners. We follow safety standards and choose materials according to responsible principles. The majority, about 90-95% of our products, are made in a Finnish-owned factory in Portugal. The products are made from GOTS-certified organic cotton. The fabric is woven and dyed in Portugal. Production is Öko-Tex Standard 100 certified. This means that our products do not contain health-hazardous pesticides, heavy metals, or formaldehyde residues.
What kind of quality requirements do you have for your products?
Our quality requirements for products are high. They should ideally last from one user to the next. We choose durable and functional structures, which we develop together with our suppliers. The quality requirements are reflected, for example, in color fastness and the high quality of the knits. We also strive for consistency between products to meet customer expectations. We research and develop products further based on customer feedback and possible complaints received afterwards.
What new innovations do you have this year to improve responsibility and environmental friendliness?
This year, we are taking our first steps in employing Nepalese workers. We have an ongoing project in Nepal funded by Finnpartnership, with the aim of finding suitable partners for us and helping them develop their business on ethical grounds. In addition, we have smaller ongoing projects related to responsibility, such as a packaging material renewal project, where we are developing our online store delivery packaging to be even more ecological.