Elirileis one of those brands that are as mysterious as the dark side of the Moon. I noticed it over a year ago in Brno at a babywearing festival – I knew it was a Slovakian brand and it did not take much browsing to find out that its founder is Lucia Metelková, doctor and mother of two, either. But the crucial information I wanted to know so bad – what the tongue-breaking „Elirile“ means – is nowhere to be found.
This time I have review of 8 wraps for you – I must say that this June was the most exhausting month as to the testing I have experienced so far. Yes, Elirile, Rischino megapacket, GoBimbi – all of it at the same time while the little one already has her moments when she does not want to hop into a wrap at any condition. Phew. However, we managed to try every single one of the wraps out at least for one afternoon walk – phew 8 times, because the weather was reeeally hot that time. 😀
I will begin the review generally, speaking about all the tested Elirile wraps – and with nothing that they would twice happy to hear. Elirile is certainly not afraid of colours, distinct patterns or different blend – not that there is something wrong with this but such a brutal eclecticism just screams one and only thing: „there is no concept“. One year ago, at the above-mentioned babywearing festival in Brno, Elirile stand was full of wraps with simple, folklore-inspired patterns (like the brown Blossfolk) in quite subtle colourway. Possibly this style was not very popular (to be honest I was not very intrigued by it either) so someone maybe thought that their new collection needs some spice. Well, in my opinion, this was a little bit too much spice.
Not to be too mean to Elirile, nagging about the absence of concept, I must say that this is something that bugs me even about such wrap giants as Lenny Lamb or Natibaby. In my opinion what every brand needs is a unique style and „look“ that defines it – and this is simply something that Elirile lacks (and of course the main prerequisite is to hire a good graphic artist). Of course, folklore is popular in the babywearing world nowadays (mainly in Slovakia, considering other brands – Be Lenka, Sestrice or recently Moyo) but to leave it and change the style to „Ein Kessel Buntes“? Not a good idea.
On the other hand, there is quite a lot of features that the Elirile wraps have all in common – they are very long (in most cases almost 1 size longer than indicated by the manufacturer on the tag – one of the wraps even turned out to be quite a long size 8, despite being advertised as size 7) but they have very long tips (I did not measure them in all the wraps but several of them had tips about 35-38 cm long). Also they are narrow; except for the yellow-purple Lionfish and blue Quartz every single on measured only 60 cm in width. And they are thin (the only exception is, again, Lionfish) – their weight lies within the first half of the third hundred. But do not get me wrong, this is not something I would consider a flaw in the first place – to rehabilitate Elirile after the first paragraphs full of criticism, I must admit that the wraps’ properties are really good and considering their low weight they are surprisingly pleasant to wear even with heavier wearies.
Blazire Perfect Pink
Composition: 100 % combed cotton
Weight: 228 g/m² (counted by us)
Size: almost 7 (514 cm measured by us)
Reinforced front wrap cross carry
I will review the wraps in alphabetical order – and actually the very first one was the biggest surprise for me from all the tested wraps. A thin cotton piece (but not the thinnest tester in the packet), well, what could be interesting about it…? Sometimes, thin cotton is exactly what you need at that moment – even with a toddler, in multiple layers; we very very comfortable with Emilka during a hot day. Tying and tightening went smoothly, as expected in the case of such a skinny wrap – I would not hesitate to recommend it event to absolute beginners with little babies. Moreover, Blazire has the same magic woven within similar to the „Vatanai magic“; i.e. it is actually much more supportive than its weight would indicate – it takes some skills and meticulous tightening, but it is possible to wear even a heavy toddler in such a wrap without feeling a thing. As to its looks – as I glanced at earlier, the colour is beautiful but the pattern… Oh my.
Blossfolk Lada
Composition: 100 % combed cotton
Weight: 252 g/m² (counted by us)
Size: short 6 (457 cm measured by us – the tag says size 5)
Front wrap cross carry (a very saggy one 😀 )
To be honest I would never guess that this wrap’s weight is higher than of the above-review one. This is a prototype of an „ordinary all-cotton wrap“ that does not offend nor excite basically anyone, at least as to its functional properties. It is pleasant to touch, is easy to tie and tighten; it felt a bit too slippery for my taste – considering how narrow it is, it is nothing I would recommend to wear a toddler in (with single layer carries being the worst idea ever, as you can see in the photos – the carry became saggy almost immediately). I did not ever find it to be as supportive as the pinkie. Well, why not, if you want to wear a little baby and you like the pattern and the colour (not that there was anyone like that in our regional group – our fellow wearers even gave it a mocking nicname – „wrapping paper and not even the pretty kind“ 😀 ).
Crystallo Avanturine
Compositionc: 55 % combed cotton, 38 % Egyptian mercerized organic cotton, 7 % Lurex
Weight: 236 g/m² (counted by us)
Size: 6
Back wrap cross carry with a chest belt
Again, surprised by its weight. Similarly to Blazire I would think that it is much higher after touching and tying it for the first time. I had no problem tightening it; lurex felt a bit scratchy and I felt it on bare shoulders but nothing I would be too unhappy about (I am not particularly sensitive when it comes to “scratchy” blends such as lurex or tussah – but do not mistake the word “scratchy” with “biting” that applies to wool, that is something I feel in every wrap just by looking at it). Pattern and colours inspired probably by circus clowns but I must admit that thanks to the sparkly fibers this wrap was visually one of the most interesting ones from the tester packet.
Flowind Gentiana
Composition: 65 % organic combed cotton, 14 % merino, 14 % viscose, 7 % polyamid
Weight: 205 g/m² (counted by us)
Size: long size 6 (505 cm measured by us)
Inside out coolest hip cross carry with a slipknot
The thinnest, the most slippery and, in my opinion, the most beautiful wrap of all the testers! It is extremely thin – almost see-through, which makes it perfect for the smallest babies. It it pleasantly elastic thanks to the wool and using three layers we had a good time wearing it even with my 12kg toddler. 🙂 BUT! It is a slippery beast! I have no idea why I chose this carry for the photoshoot – the one and only I know how to tie without “consulting” Youtube with the slipknot finish! I had to tighten it like every 5 seconds; it did not hold in its place like AT ALL! But well, two knots (tiny knots) are nothing to be worried about in case of such a skinny wrap and as I already wrote I caught my eye in the first moment – I like the pattern (and such “forest” patterns are in this season) and love the colours. As to the looks, this is definitely a winner for me among the other Elirile wraps.
Lionfish Nymphea
Composition: 44 % baby alpaca, 35 % Egyptin organic mercerized cotton, 21 % organic combed cotton
Weight: 291 g/m² (counted by us)
Size: 6 (we measured exactly 460 cm while the tag says size 5)
Rucksack carry with Tibetian knotless finish
This is a hell of a biting llama! Not a good companion for sissies – but otherwise I have absolutely nothing to reproach! Lionfish is one of the two exceptions as to its width – it is a bit wider, therefore it was easier for me to work with. In the end, the llama showed to be a very good beast of burden – one hour in a rucksack was okay and in multiple layers it was more than just okay – I did not feel Emilka’s weight on my shoulders at all (although I certainly felt the llama biting). The pattern and the colour combination is nothing for those who prefer conservative designs; however, I must admit that it gradually grew on me and, in the end, looking at the colourway made me feel a kind of perverse aesthetic pleasure. I had similar feelings about the pattern – some would say „70’s courtains“ but I think I like it, sort of… Actually I DO like it, looking at it for the third, fourth, fifth time. 😀 Anyway, if you want to stand out, be sure to wear this wrap! Bottom line – this is actually the only Elirile tester I would gladly welcome to our household for longer time (mainly during winter months).
Naturbeauty Pure
Composition: 100 % combed cotton
Weight: 241 g/m² (counted by us)
Size: 7
Rucksack carry with datenight finish
There is no way I could forget about Yaro Broken Twill 33 when reviewing this one! I was not particularly excited about this Yaro – and compared, it looses by a mile with Elirile. They are almost identical “on the paper” – similar weight, same composition; not being an expert when it comes to weaving technique but I think that even the weave is the same (probably it it the difference in the yarn itself). Despite of that I found Elirile being much more pleasant to touch, more elastic in the carry and even more supportive. If I ever found an artist in my heart and looked for a wrap to dye, I would definitely pick this Elirile instead of Yaro (although Yaro would probably be much cheaper).
Quartz Snow Queen
Composition: 100% organic combed cotton
Weight: 210 g/m² (counted by us)
Size: short 7 (515 cm measured by us, the tag says size 6)
Back wrap cross carry with a chest belt
Simply said – a super skinny all-cotton piece for tiny babies. It is easy to work with, seems durable and could be supportive enough for bigger babies, too, in suitably chosen carries – I estimate up to 8-9 kg. However, for a toddler I would definitely look for a thicker, more supportive wrap. The colour is really beautiful (although the wrap is a bit too light for my taste which is not really practical). The pattern is not my cup of tea, sort of a neutral one.
Quartz Snow Bandya
Composition: 88% combed organic cotton, 12 % Tencel
Weight: 206 g/m² (counted by us)
Size: 8 ( 596 cm measured by us, the tag says size 7)
Back wrap cross carry with Celtic knot finish
It is even thinner than its blue twin, this time with Tencel which is my “favourite” blend of all. Luckily, it does not contain much of it so it did not bother me too much. On the contrary – if I did not see the “papers” beforehand I would not probably guess that it contains something else than just pure cotton (better said I would not probably be able to tell the difference between the two Quartz wraps by touching them. Bandya is thin, smooth, pliable, maybe a bit too much slippery for my taste. Great for small babies, not that great for big toddlers. Not intrigued by the pattern nor the colour in this case…
To summarize: Elirile certainly offers very interesting (and not very interesting) wraps with a great variety of blends that comes hand in hand with a bit odd variety of patterns and colours. As to their functional properties, I basically have nothing to reproach – they are easy to work with and despite their low weight supportive enough to be usable even with a heavy toddler (only if they were not so narrow, what a shame). I would also like to point out that (except for the woolen Flowing that was quite prone to shifts in the weave) the wraps seem very durable and not prone to pulls whatsoever! So if someone likes the Elirile designs I could never say “do not buy it”. 😉
Hereby we want to thank Elirile and the Czech tester tour coordinator for the opportunity to try these wraps!