A recent article in the French press confirmed our train of thought when we started our business and were deciding where to source our goods from. The article outlined “….The “made in China’ label has a long way to go before one can feel safe about the quality and authenticity of the product purchased…”.

On September 7, a big debate was launched again in France when a man got a third degree burn on his feet from wearing shoes made in China. A similar controversy happened a few months earlier with boots imported form China. What caused the trouble was an anti-humidity product, dimethyl fumarate, a substance forbidden in Europe, found in the shoes which somehow allegedly slipped quality control and ended up being sold in an Italian shoe shop. It was reported that the victim has now pressed legal action against the Chinese manufacturer of the brand, and is seeking support from the French government.

Whilst there are many reliable and ethical manufacturers in China, companies which do not respect international safety and quality standards not only jeopardise their consumer’s lives but taint the entire country with distrust and negative perception.

By contrast, the family-run business which manufactures our goods in Morocco seems at the antithesis of the Chinese big production plants. On rare occasions some items are slightly less than perfect and we get frustrated when we do quality controls because embroidery or a piece of sewing has gone out of line. But the passion of the people working there, their genuine sense of pride, their positive energy and goodwill make up for the little flaws that you get with a truly ‘hand-made’ product.

The fact they are willing to adjust their ancestral handcrafting to match the strict European Union safety rules shows that they truly understand what is at stake when manufacturing items for children.

In hindsight, it gives us the satisfaction of offering our customers a high quality and safe product, produced with love and passion.