The organic family

BY RAFFY BOUDJIKANIAN

raffy.boudjikanian@transcontinental.ca

You might be paying a few more dollars when you order organic clothing for your baby from the Zia & Tia Pure luxury organics online store, but the Beaconsfield-based husband and wife team that run it say it's more than worth the cost. "Is it really expensive or is it what the price should be?" asked Julie Jonas, co-founder and co-owner of the store, stating that the unfair labour practices of the conventional cotton and clothing industries have dropped prices for consumers so much that many have grown used to low prices while turning a blind eye to rights abuses.

The couple's inspiration to open up an online store came after they adopted their now three-year-old daughter Zia from China. Her arrival into their lives changed the way they look at clothing. Jonas said they began to question the potential health and environmental hazards posed by chemicals in pesticide and insecticide used in conventional cotton fields. "Mothers, or parents, tend to be very concerned for what their children wear," said Jonas.

Dedicating herself to researching companies that sell organic clothing throughout the world, she soon found enough to start an online store. With her husband Danny Roberge taking over full-time at their other business, an organic baked goods store based in Dorval, she has been able to focus on Zia and Tia.

Jonas estimated there are 60 to 70 customers who regularly visit their online store, but both she and Roberge remain confident this will change with time. "The higher the demonstration from the public, the more there is going to be a change," Roberge said about the conventional clothing industry.

Since the online store opened last year, its line has diversified with organic bedding both for babies and adults, organic pet food and products, organic furniture and furnishings, etc.

Jonas and Roberge's fascination for China began a long time before their adoption of Zia, but they only visited the country when they first adopted her. Concerned about the state of children who slave away for pitiful wages in sweatshops and cotton fields there and in other countries, they say they want to do their part to change these practices. "There is a difference when you go to the other side of the world and you see things you've never seen before," said Roberge.

The Tia in "Zia and Tia" comes from their second daughter's name, who they will also adopt from China but have yet to meet. Eventually, when Zia is old enough not to require immediate supervision, Jonas and Roberge would like to turn this business into a retail store. "We definitely know that some people prefer to touch the product," said Roberge. "It's a long-term project."

Jonas said most of their goods come from the United States, Canada, England, and India.

The online store's prices vary from $85 for an organic hand-knit kimono sweater for boys to $8,000 for organic slip-covered sofas. For more information, visit www.ziaandtia.com.