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Stinky Couture is on Facebook!

Daphne — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 23:00:39 +0000

The elephant in the room . . .

Daphne — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 07:01:40 +0000

A smear campaign is an intentional, premeditated effort to undermine an individual’s or group’s reputation, credibility, and character. .
-Wikipedia

The latter part of 2008 saw the fruition of a nasty smear campaign directed at Stinky Couture. Diligent, persistent and unfounded are just a few of the words that describe it. Why?! Friends, family and customers have kindly given their input and continued support.

Did I unintentionally step on toes, rock the boat with SC’s apparent quick success? If SC’s success rattled the self confidence of some others in the business, they have my sympathy for their own perceived shortcomings. Business is business, business is competition. Compete via quality of product and sound business practices.
Do I choose to not share every aspect of my life, intentionally keeping a safe distance between my personal life and my business? Yes.
Do I believe in keeping the buying and selling facets of business separate? Yes.
Do I prefer my nickname? Sure. So what?
And what of the numerous unashamedly copied SC concepts and designs? Don’t worry about people stealing your design work. Worry about the day they stop. -Jeffrey Zeldman
Did and do I expect to earn a fair wage for the time, quality and detail that goes into every Stinky Couture product? Absolutely!

The fact is that the online world of friends and contacts is a fickle one. Often one may be a friend one day and a target the next. As I see it people can be far too comfortable posting anything and everything on the internet. Some find that with anonymity, it’s easy to be malicious, unkind and make false accusations knowing that there will likely be no atonement or accounting for their words. I am passionate about everything and everyone in my life and though there came a time that I had to withdraw to reflect, to analyze, to breathe . . . the heart of the matter is this: our beautiful daughter is the face of Stinky Couture and I will not have the smear campaign be her legacy. I stand behind by my business integrity which is characterized by the honesty, reliability and fairness shown to each and every customer. As I’ve said before and what still holds true; the building of a business as a mother, wife and career woman requires investment, persistence and the sacrifice of precious time with loved ones. I could not make it through the trying times without the love and repeated support of those around me.

Recently I received an email from a fellow WAHM that prompted today’s blog post and though appreciated the words cannot undo the damage done. The following are excerpts from that email:

. . . I do need to apologize to you for being mean. I know I was. . . .

So Daphne. I am sorry for going to web and the drama blog – it was so out of character for me and honestly – I am ashamed I did – because its not like me. For that I apologize and take responsibility for my actions.

For me to post the email in it’s entirety is not an option. Those that have truly done business with me, know me. The truth has always been documented in writings and photos, though I’ve always felt that to make that information public would be unethical as protecting my brand could not come at the cost of disclosing my customers private business communications.

And now, goodbye to an elephant!

It’s important for me to share with you that in the midst of reeling from the smear campaign mentioned above, personally we tragically suffered more than one loss to our family. The road to healing continues to be a long one. More than ever I believe and embrace what is stated so simply:
LIVE well, LAUGH often, LOVE much.

A sincere and warm thank you to those of you that have continued to reach out, appreciate and support SC.

Tag, we’re IT!

Daphne — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 21:21:58 +0000

Re visiting “Tag, we’re IT!”,
an April 10, 2008 Stinky Couture™ blog post.

From it’s conception in 2005, I have nurtured and given great thought to Stinky Couture™. Every detail from packaging, every stitch, and yes, the tag. The Stinky Couture™ tag is unique in design, cut from vintage denim and individually embroidered with “Stinky Couture”, the tag represents quality. When you see the Stinky Couture™ tag, you know that you have a unique, quality item that was sewn just for your Baby as I would sew it for our Baby.

What it is . . .

Daphne — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 07:31:49 +0000

Creating art, bringing an idea to life . . . it’s food for my soul. It is one outlet that quenches my artistic thirst as well as contributing to our need and desire in being apart of making the world a better place. For every one cloth diaper used, there are the countless disposable diapers that won’t end up in a land fill and that means something!

LOVE is . . .

Daphne — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 07:41:37 +0000

I’m sharing, this is good stuff!

Daphne — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 08:19:59 +0000

Recently I came across a WAHM’s review and just had to share it, this is good stuff! I wrote the WAHM to thank her for her honest and unbiased review as I do not know her personally nor have I sewn for her directly. In my short and sweet email to her I had to add that the rumors aren’t true and I’m not mean! I laughed out loud at this as those of you that know me know that’s the furthest from the truth.

Having had the pleasure of sewing for more than a few WAHM’S such as Amanda of sweetiebums, Genevieve of The Cloth Canoe and Claudia of Sticky Peas to name a few, I can say that it’s truly a special experience and one that I value. Whether sewing for a WAHM directly or having a WAHM purchase my product second hand, the sentiment is the same, to have another seamstress appreciate the time and detail that goes into my work really does mean so much.

Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 293
Rep Power: 209313

I have to admit… when I read all the drama and the hype and saw the pricetag I was very curious…. so I couldn’t resist when I saw a couple of them listed for cheap in FSOT — in cute boy prints.

They are flawlessly sewn with details like having the size tag machine embroidered on each diaper. The margin for error must be microscopic because each one is just perfect. The snaps are exact… not even a mm off ever anywhere. She is like the not-quite-human seamstress… they are that perfect.

If you hold it up to my $35 piddle poddle — the piddle poddle’s snaps are a mm off here and there, serging a little goofy some places, wrinkle here or there — you know, nothing that would affect function or that
the average person would probably even notice. But they were definitely made by a human.

Obviously the stinky couture diapers took anywhere from 4 to 10 times as long to make as my speed serged piddle poddle… so asking $50 does not seem like much, relatively, to me. The perfection of her diapers also explains why people tend to have to wait so long for their orders as I believe she also has a full time job.

On that listing with the $70 diaper — I’m sure she probably paid anywhere from $10 to $15 just for the cut of that fabric sooo it still doesn’t seem outrageous to me.

Of course, that is more than the average person would expect to pay for a diaper.

If I had so much money that I didn’t have to worry about anything, I would be wearing $900 pants… not as a status symbol, but I enjoy luxurious and beautiful fabrics that cost $50 or $100 per yard and clothing tailor made to fit my every curve and angle and that is probably going to outlive me if I take care of it.

All that said, if all the rumors are true then she is pretty unstable and mean and it would be better not to do business with her imo.
__________________
wahm behind Tat2 Boutique

Again, no the rumors aren’t true and no I’m not mean . . . really.

Secret Santa

Daphne — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 00:45:41 +0000

We love the holiday season and this last year Stinky Couture™ was excited to announce the adoption of a new tradition, our version of Secret Santa. Here we go again . . . Do you know someone that is kind, considerate, cares for others and is rich in all things that matter? Stinky Couture™ wants to be a Secret Santa for a special someone. With your help someone deserving will receive a beautifully gift wrapped Stinky Couture™ gift pack for their sweet baby this holiday season. Gift pack will include a Stinky Couture™ Signature Series™ fitted cloth diaper and a pack of yummilicious Stinky Couture™ baby wipes.

Please submit your nominee to CustomerService at StinkyCouture.com with “Secret Santa” in the subject line. Please do include your nominee’s full name, email address and a short description of why you feel that they are deserving. Submissions are being accepted through 12/21.

POLY What?

Daphne — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 07:09:03 +0000

Polyester. What falls into the category of polyester? For starters, those pocket cloth diapers we all love made using suede cloth (bumGenius), micro fleece (FuzziBunz) as well those cloth diapers that incorporate Polyurethane Laminate (PUL) and athletic wicking material, which is, guess what . . . polyester! Even the beloved OCBV (Organic Cotton Bamboo Velour) fabric that can be found in many of our favorite “green labeled” cloth diapers, commonly has a 2% polyester backing. Regardless of how it’s labeled polyester falls into the category of a fabric that is less than eco friendly due to it’s carbon footprint. That said, when incorporated to make a cloth diaper I believe, as do many, that the environmental benefits gained by the choice to use cloth diapers far out weighs the less then green facet of it. We, our babies, our planet, benefit from using cloth diapers whether they are made up of natural fibers or not. Fabrics made up of polyester work and work well giving parents the option to not use disposable without sacrificing performance. As each baby’s/parents needs differ the need for options is a must. Have you thought about how many parents might choose not to cloth diaper if there were not options?

Pleasantries aside.

Daphne — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 03:41:26 +0000

I don’t think imitation is the highest form of flattery,
I think it’s annoying. -P!nk

Better For Babies.

Daphne — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 05:38:29 +0000

Organic and natural fibers are better for babies and it’s why those are our fabrics of choice for what’s next to baby’s skin. Did you know that a baby’s skin is more porous and thinner than adults? That means that their skin absorbs things very easily. Johnson and Johnson states on the their website the following about a baby’s skin: “A baby’s skin is thinner, more fragile and less oily than an adult’s. A baby’s skin also produces less melanin, the substance that helps protect against sunburn. It’s less resistant to bacteria and harmful substances in the environment, especially if it’s irritated. Babies also sweat less efficiently than the rest of us, so it’s harder for them to maintain their inner body temperature.” This means that children are at greater risk for pesticide-related health problems than adults. Lotus Organics states that, “Millions of children in the US receive up to 35% of their estimated lifetime dose of some carcinogenic pesticides by age five through food, contaminated drinking water, household use, and pesticide drift”. Scary stuff for parents to read. Those of us that choose to cloth diaper are typically well aware of the eco benefits and we embrace them. That said, most will agree that the cloth diapering trends of days gone by are not only unappealing to many but unrealistic for most. In an economy where most households have parents working outside the home and are utilizing child care on some level, one’s diaper choice is key in a successful cloth diapering household. I have been asked why Stinky Couture does not make an all organic diaper as a staple product? In my mind blending the best of both world’s makes more sense; organic and natural fibers next to baby’s skin while incorporating man-made high performance fabrics where most effective. I have found that this hybrid cloth diaper addresses not only the need for absorbency, it washes cleaner, dries faster and allows for enhanced comfort and a superior fit. Though there are those that will happily use a simple cotton flat to diaper baby, there are those of us that want it all; the benefits of cloth diapering with the ease and convenience of a disposable diaper. . . and let’s not forget our insatiable need for style and flare!