Master & Miss

Mastering Organic

Anne Sanders
23 June 2012

Local, fresh and organic items are all commonplace in our supermarket trolleys, but what do we really know about the origins of our clothes?  In particular, clothes for sensitive young skin.  Fortunately none of my children have experienced skin allergies, but I know many families who have not been so lucky.  Despite the apparent hardiness of my children's skin however, I discovered through researching for this review, the argument for organic clothing may be more convincing than I had previously thought.

Master and Miss are an all-Australian clothing label where the emphasis is organic, soft, practical, hardwearing and above all simple, beautiful design.  Ticking all these boxes as you can imagine is no mean feat, but the creator of Master and Miss, Liane Shannon is committed to producing quality organic, locally produced children's clothes. 

When considering the value for money of this clothing range, it is important to note that studies have shown organic cotton fabric to not only be soft and less likely to irritate sensitive skin, but the fibres remain intact (reducing breakage and "pilling") through a greater number of wash cycles than fabric produced with the use of chemicals.  The reason given for this, is that chemicals used during processing weaken the fibres.  Gone are the notions that organic clothing is harsh, dull and fragile.  The Master and Miss range is vibrant and soft yet hardwearing. 

Looking through the range, Master and Miss include a number of practical, everyday pieces.  The long sleeve navy shirt (unisex) is their best seller.  There is a good range of baby pieces including onesies, hats, leggings, wraps and organic cotton cot-sized blankets that can be difficult to find.  Still keeping with the theme of practical play wear, there are also some adorable dresses.  The one piece that seemed to leap off the page for me was the red dot AW Sophie dress.  The vibrant colour and eye-catching fabric design make for a beautiful fun piece.  My pink-only loving 4 year old was won over by this dress.  Teamed with a navy long-sleeved base layer and leggings for winter, it is lovely to see her expand her repertoire of colour!

The fit is relaxed and the sleeves are long on many garments.  Parents of children with eczema have told me this is great for sensitive skin, even in the summer.  The price for some pieces is a little higher than you may expect but the basic wardrobe staples are on-par with competing organic labels manufactured outside of Australia or NZ.  Next year Master and Miss are planning to add a number of merino pieces, including long sleeve t-shirts, leggings and jackets, thus adding warmth as yet another box to tick!