Bamboo: it’s not a tree; it’s a woody grass. It’s also one of nature’s most abundant renewable resources. Cut it down, it grows back – and quickly. A 60 foot bamboo tree cut down for market will renew itself in 59 days. Cut down a regular 60 foot tree for market it takes 60 years to replace and requires the replacement tree to be planted.

There are some 1,400 known species of bamboo. The most abundant resources are found in India and China. The amazing thing about bamboo is that it can and is used for thousands of things from food, to framing houses, to furniture, to paper, to clothing. And its demand is growing rapidly.

Bamboo Cool
Fabric made from bamboo is incredibly soft and luxurious and remarkably breathable. It’s also very cool – in both the fashion and temperature sense. Some call it “air conditioned clothing.” In the heat and its natural state, bamboo is naturally cool and this property is maintained in the fabric form. Bamboo fabric stays around two (2) degrees cooler in hot weather.

Bamboo holds an unparalleled natural micro-structure that absorbs and evaporates human sweat instantaneously. It is because of this that bamboo clothing makes people feel cooler and more comfortable in hot weather. It’s the perfect fabric for Arizona’s hot, hot summer days and nights and those muggy summer nights experienced in other parts of the country. It will never stick to your skin.

Bamboo also has the reverse affect. Not only does it keep you cooler in the summer months, it will keep you warmer in the cooler months.

Bamboo Fresh
What makes bamboo so fresh? Bamboo is a naturally wild resource. It grows without the aid of pesticides or fertilizers and owns its own unique anti-bacterial and bacteriostasis bio-agent called “bamboo kun.” Not the most pleasantly sounding word, but it keeps the bamboo pleasantly fresh and free from bacteria. Organic clothing made from bamboo maintains the natural anti-bacterial function derived from nature. Even after dozens of washings, bamboo fabric maintains these functions.

Ever leave a load of clothing in the wash machine for a day or two? When you open the lid you can smell the mildew that has formed within the fibers of the clothing. It always requires another run through the machine. Leave bamboo clothing in the wash and forget about it for a few days – no mildew! It’s the natural make-up of the fiber.

Bamboo clothing is guaranteed to be odor resistant and maintains freshness because it naturally stops bacteria from spreading; thus, it’s healthier and more hygienic than cotton and other man-made fabrics. It’s the perfect option for those whose skin is sensitive to chemically treated and processed fabrics.

Bamboo Fashion
You don’t have to have sensitive skin to enjoy the luxurious benefits of bamboo clothing; and no sacrifice to style is necessary to enjoy its benefits. Designers around the globe are introducing bamboo clothing options into their lines. The fabric is as soft as cashmere and as flowing as silk – and incredibly durable. Its comfort and quality are unparalleled. Odds are when you put on something bamboo you’re not going to want to take it off.

It also comes in a range of brilliant colors (environmentally friendly dyes) and styles from dresses, to tees, to socks, to towels. The possibilities are limitless.

Google “bamboo clothing” and you’ll receive 2,150,000 listings on where to purchase this luxurious fabric in a variety of styles to fit your personality and personal style. And you can always feel good about wearing a stylish, renewable resource that works to eliminate the need to use the 600,000 lbs of pesticides and the hundreds of known cancer causing agents used to process non-organic cottons and synthetic fibers annually in the US alone. Only good things can come from that.

For more information on bamboo and its myriad of uses, please visit www.americanbamboo.org.

Way back when, who would have thought that those “tree hugging hippies” were actually on to something? Just as organic and whole foods has caught on in the main stream, so too is organic clothing. From Levi’s, to Nike, to Gap, and even from the high end fashion houses of Versace, Armani and Oscar de la Renta, everyone is going green; and for good reason.

Typical cotton production is one of the most chemically intensive of any crop in the world. According to the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) forty-six (46) insecticides and acaricides (compounds used to control mites and ticks) comprise 90% of the total volume of all pesticides used on cotton. Five (5) of these are classified as extremely hazardous (known cancer-causing chemicals), eight (8) as highly hazardous, and 20 are moderately hazardous. Yet farmers are legally dumping tons of these known harmful agents into cotton production annually, and without pause.

Chemical exposure doesn’t stop at farming. Fabric treatments done through the manufacturing process add additional harsh chemicals to the mix. According to Greenmoneyjournal.com, harsh chemicals used to resist flame, water, stains and soil, among many others, are often impregnated into the garment and are very difficult to impossible to remove through washing.

Around the world, the use of pesticides in cotton production reeks havoc on cotton producing communities. According to the European Conference on Organic Cotton and Biofach, at least 20,000 people in developing countries die every year from poisoning from agricultural pesticides, and 3 million suffer acute or reproductive after effects.

If all of this is a bit too much for you, let me put it to you in layman’s terms: it takes 1/3 pound of pesticides to produce just one cotton t-shirt. So, for every pair of organic cotton jeans and t-shirt you buy, you save the planet from soaking up one pound of pesticides.

Now I ask you, would you consciously dump a pound of pesticides on your child’s back each day? I can only assume that your answer to this question is a resounding NO. Yet, we expose our children – and ourselves for that matter – to several unknown harsh chemicals each morning when we dress them without ever giving it a second thought; mainly because we don’t even realize that we are doing it.

There is a solution to the pesticide problem. Buy organic.

Organic cotton farming is the best way to prevent these cancer causing chemicals from tapping into our soil, water and air, and is the best protection against preventing chemical induced illnesses of farm workers and communities where traditional cotton fields are farmed; not to mention we save our children and ourselves from exposure to several unknown harsh chemicals at any given time. The bottom line is that buying organic is simply better for all of us.

If the upside of health and environmental conservation isn’t a good enough reason for you to buy organic then maybe the quality of organic materials is. Not only is organic cotton better for us, it’s much softer than conventionally grown cotton; thus, it’s softer on your baby’s skin. And with new styles and designers popping up daily in the organic market – the fashion of organics is no longer a concern.

Don’t just stop with organic clothing. Organic materials are popping up in products such as crib mattresses, towels, sheets, toys, cloth diapers, furniture and personal care products; and the list is growing daily.

Organic products aren’t just for the “tree hugging hippies” any longer.

True Genius Apparel Company’s ultimate goal is to go 100% organic cotton with all of our products.

“HOT.” “Spoiled Rotten.” “Pimp.” “Boob Man.” You many guess that these are some of the latest and greatest phrases in message t-shirts for Hollywood’s bad girls and bad boys. You would guess wrong. They are part of the latest and growing trend of message t-shirts for our children from infant on up.

As parents, should we be bothered by this growing trend of sassy and derogatory messages that are splashed across the chest or the backside of children across America? That’s for you to decide. To some these messages are funny and are used as an outlet for not taking life too seriously. To others, they are derogatory and label kids in a negative light.

Over the past few months, I have met dozens of parents who express a growing concern for how we are dressing our children. Many believe that we are internalizing in our children a negative self-image and are giving them license to act out by dressing them in negative and derogatory clothing. In fact, I have not met one parent who does not feel this way.

Today, peer pressure is at its greatest. Children as young as age five are becoming increasingly concerned with what image they portray at school and with their peers. They are demanding life styles that fit in to the “in” crowd.

Take a trip to any shopping mall across America and sit and watch how parents interact with their children. You may see a young mom and her young daughter wearing matching sweat outfits with “HOT” splashed across their bottom backside. You may see a child with a message t-shirt reading “Spoiled Rotten” having a tantrum to get what she wants. You may see a little boy at the children’s play area with “Playground Pimp” splashed across his chest bumping and pushing kids out of his way. What you will see are many parents giving in to the demands of their children. Parents want their children to fit in and sometimes this means choosing for their child to be the bully rather than the bullied, or to be considered “HOT” rather than smart.

There is an old and popular expression “you are what you eat.” It can also hold true for fashion, “you are what you wear.” Message t-shirts are a very popular fashion statement. They allow you to express to the world who you are.

As a parent, I choose to dress my son in designs that fit his personality and help express the little genius that he truly is. I choose for my son to build his self-esteem through encouraging him to learn and explore – and to have a whole lot of fun doing it. I choose for my son to express to the world that though he may be cute (and he surely is) that most importantly, he is smart.

I choose to inspire my son to have FUN, try hard and aim high in all that he does; because after all – though it may be cliché – children are our future. I would rather have a future shaped by intelligence and what can be accomplished through it than one where we are measured and rewarded for being the bully or the hottest one in the room.