At Pottery For The Planet, we’re advocates for recognising the contributions of women in every sphere: from the home to the studio, the office, the sports field and beyond. This year, we partnered with Banabae to create The Rad Mama Travel Cup, a Mother’s Day gift that celebrates Rad Mums everywhere! If you haven’t already, check them out - they’re the raddest Travel Cups around!

Banabae is a homewares, nursery and apparel store located in Sydney. You won’t find just any old crib or candle in the store, because Banabae was built on the cornerstone principle that “each product is designed to make you smile whilst also having positive impact on people and planet.” Learn more about the whimsically nostalgic and sustainable store, as well as the women behind it, in our interview with Alana, one of its founders.

How and why did you start Banabae?

Banabae was started by myself and my good friend Jasmine whilst we were on maternity leave with our first babies. Both coming from a fashion background we were passionate about creating a sustainable brand that reflected our own values. Jaz is a whizz at production and sourcing (among many other things!) and I am the frazzled designer haha. We are both nature lovers and fans of anything retro-inspired so it made sense that the business evolved out of a love of these things too. 

Banabae started off as three retro-inspired baby swaddles and over a few whirlwind years evolved to apparel and homewares for the whole family. We have come to identify ourselves as a lifestyle brand focused on families. Our Brand motto is ‘Live on the bright side’ and we try to embed that positivity through all that we do from our design, to our production, to how we communicate with our customers.  We want to make products that make you smile whilst also feeling good to purchase because of their impact on people and planet.

What steps is Banabae taking to be more sustainable? 

Everything we do comes from a mindset of sustainability. From our fibre and fabric choices to our production methods, all the way through to our packaging and delivery. We use only natural fibres like organic cotton, hemp, linen and bamboo as well as recycled fibres in our swimwear. Being a print-based business we were conscious of the waste and chemicals that can be a bi-product of traditional screen printing and so the vast majority of our products are digitally printed to avoid this. All of our orders are packed in recycled cardboard boxes or compostable satchels and any plastic we do come across is reused or repurposed. Lastly, we are a member of 1% for the Planet which means 1% of all sales are donated to charities locally and around the globe fighting to protect our planet.

Can you tell us more about the ‘Rad Mama’ collection?

As rewarding as it is - parenting is such a challenging gig! Every parent deserves (and needs!) to be told what a great job they are doing once in a while. This is how our ‘Rad Collection’ was born. Positive gifts with a rad little logo you can wear with pride.

We want mamas to feel proud of the awesome job they are doing, and it's amazing the power these two little words have. It's all about spreading those positive vibes!

What is your favourite tip for a sustainable home? 

As a mummy, my #1 tip is to avoid the middle of the supermarket when grocery shopping. This is where most of the packaged items are. Not only are they the things your kids shout at you the most for (a great reason to avoid) but they are also the things that are generally bad for your body and bad for the planet. Cooking everything from scratch may sound like more effort but there are so many things you can do to make it easier. I also think it’s important for our kids to see us cooking and learn that real food doesn’t come in plastic and boxes. I’m not saying in any way that my kids are great healthy eaters but I hope that by exposing them to the right thing that eventually that will rub off.

…..oh and get a worm farm and /or compost! The Kids love taking the kitchen scraps out to feed the worms. It’s such an easy thing you can do to reduce waste and your garden will reap the benefits.

Partnering with a like-minded brand and hearing some of Alana’s tips has certainly inspired us! For more styling and sustainability ideas, follow Banabae over on their Instagram. You can also find Banabae wares across Australia, as well as internationally. Find your local stockist here, or shop online at https://banabae.com/. 

For a limited time, you can also find our collaborative, Rad Mama Travel Cup in our Mothers Day Collection!