Timininous: Sustainable Clothing... for Kids!

Profound questions lead to significant changes. That's what happened to Marie-Renée Grondin, the founder of Timininous. Professional burnout, a challenging pregnancy, and the birth of her baby prompted her to reevaluate her life choices and what she wanted to leave behind.

It took a hike in Portugal for her to find answers to her questions. Accompanied by her newborn, she was caught off guard as the heat dramatically turned into a freezing wind. "My son would have needed a merino wool suit, a thermoregulating material that would have kept him from getting too hot or too cold."

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Back in Quebec, she searched for such clothing in vain. A Quebec-based company producing merino wool clothing for toddlers simply didn't exist. And that's how Timininous came to life in 2022.

After an especially challenging search, Marie-Renée found traceable and ethically sourced merino wool that she brought to Quebec, where it's cut and sewn. Today, part of the fabric used by Timininous is knitted in the national capital, allowing her to complete all production steps within a 10 km radius, a source of pride for the entrepreneur.

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The other intrinsically eco-responsible aspect of Timininous is the evolutionary nature of its creations. As we know, children grow quickly, rendering their wardrobes obsolete in record time. "It involves adding strips to the wrists, ankles, and waist that can simply be rolled and unrolled," explains Marie-Renée. This way, a garment that would normally last one season can accompany the child for two years.

Considerable effort is also put into packaging and shipping. The tissue paper is recyclable, the stickers are compostable, and the adhesive tape is rice-based. Deliveries in central Quebec neighborhoods are carried out using electric cars or bicycles. Timininous also collaborates with PickPack, offering reusable packaging that customers send back to the company, earning them a discount on a future purchase.

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After speaking with Marie-Renée for over an hour, one realizes that her green initiatives are nearly countless: donations to the Monique-Fitz-Back Foundation auction and to Ocean Wise, a project for upcycling scraps—none have been discarded since Timininous was founded!—and the list goes on.

That's the beauty of a company born from the heart: the values naturally follow.

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The distribution of this article is possible thanks to the contribution of Détail Québec, comité sectoriel de main-d'œuvre du commerce de détail.