For every over protective Mum with teenage daughters absolutely sure they know way better than anyone who has been round the block more than once, steering them in the right direction and getting a compromise particularly when it comes to school attire is extremely difficult and challenging.
We grown-ups all know girls between the ages of 10 and 16 have very set ideas about what they like and what they will wear, we've been there ourselves, leaving many mothers beside themselves, particularly when it comes to sourcing good quality leggings, the teenagers’ uniform, now banned in many US high schools due to the fact most are completely see through. In March 2014 following controversy over the issue in California, Oklahoma and Massachusetts, Haven Middle School in Evanston Illinois banned leggings or yoga pants as they are called in the USA to wide student protest on the basis they were “Too distracting to boys, unbecoming and inappropriate”.
I have lost count of the number of Mums I speak to, my customers, who say they have offered to buy my black leggings for their grumpy High Street brand ambassadors reluctant to try anything they haven’t seen in the mall only to find afterwards their own PBL, perfect black leggings disappearing and turning up in their daughters’ wardrobes.
So why is this happening?
Firstly as a life coach I can tell you no one gets to “Old and Wise” without passing through “Young and Stupid” and yet when anybody, young or old tries the PBL, the difference from other leggings is so immediately obvious because they fit so well and feel so nice even a sulky teenager can be converted.
I know teenagers are incredibly hard wearing on their clothes and Mums need to find reasonably priced cotton leggings; great quality garments that can be washed and washed time after time without bobbling, the seams giving way, or the fabric becoming so sheer you can see your pants straight through them.
I only use the finest quality cotton yarn, knitted in the Midlands, UK to produce a super soft yet durable legging dense enough when stretched to do exactly what it says on the tin, springing back time after time, always giving a snug fit and allowing every young teenage girl to be on trend, super cool without showing the world their pants; a win win.
The young people I coach in schools are becoming increasingly more and more aware of the impact on our planet from disposable fashion and the unethical practises in fashion manufacturing and when I speak to them I am often surprised how many have strong views on the subject and real empathy for anyone being exploited which I find extremely encouraging for a sustainable fashion future.
Photo by: Engin Akyurt Unsplash