Creatula is a new Czech brand of babywearing clothes, founded by two mums from Uherské Hradiště. They were not able to choose from the offer of babywearing garment available on the Czech market so they started to sew their own. Honestly, I understand it because I have not found the perfect babywearing jacket or hoodie that would have all the features I desire in such a piece of clothing yet, too (nope, not even my beloved Iw design hoodie is perfect in my eyes, in case you were wondering). However, I must say that Creatula came very near to my image of the “ideal” babywearing clothes.
Creatula girls, Daniela and Eva, reached out to Linda and me this spring when we were busy preparing the European Babywearing Week minifestival here in Ostrava – we were more than happy to agree with their participation and subsequently organized a testing tour of one of their soft-shell jackets and a sweatshirt in our regional group.
The first thing I need to praise about the Creatula clothes is the quality of sewing – every stitch has its own place, nothing is crooked, everything is sewn really meticulously and neatly. This aspect is something that only a few other manufacturers could compare to Creatula. Moreover, they look great without a wearie – well, I would be hesitant to say they look “elegant”, because it is still just a soft-shell jacket and a sweatshirt (I somehow cannot say about something made of soft-shell or french terry that it is elegant). However, Creatula just looks very good and I would would happily wear it as a “normal” piece of clothing. They fit true to size in our opinion; the S-size jacket fit me perfectly and the XS-size sweatshirt was a bit too tight (but it was quite okay with a wearie, though).
As far as the babywearing goes, just as I always write in the babywearing clothes reviews, you can tell right from the first moment that the person who designed it was actually an experienced babywearer herself. Moreover, in case of Creatula, you can also tell that they know how to babywear on the back! There is one detail on the insert I would remove, or better said move to another place – the elastic band that is right in the middle of the wearie’s back would be much better under the wearie’s bum in my opinion – otherwise the insert is designed ingeniously! I love the system of the hood that lies flat on the insert, attached by studs, when not needed (similarly to the Loktu She soft-shell jacket) and creates a very nice colourful detail on it. It is also possible to zip it in very high, both in front and on the back, therefore the wearie is fully covered in both positions (unlike in case of most other brands of babywearing clothes).
Soft-shell jacket
size S
It is somewhat interesting that the Creatula jacket is quite different than the sweatshirt, not only when speaking about how it is cut but also a lot of details are different (well, this is not such an obvious thing one might think – you would be surprised how many babywearing jackets and sweatshirts/hoodies from one manufacturer are similar in so many aspects that in the end, it does not really work).
It is looks very good even without a wearie, it is long enough to cover even a big wearie, with really long (well, for me, being a midget, too long) sleeves with the end made of jersey with the thumb holes. The pockets are pleasantly deep; all thumbs up for the third little pocket you can put you cellphone and change in. The hood it enormous and deep – the first one my hair fits in without any problems! – and thanks god, detachable, moreover attached by studs and not a zipper in which your hair would get trapped in. Bravo! I cannot say anything about how warm it is because we tested it during the first weeks of May – the only thing I can honestly say is that I felt hot like hell in it in the temperatures above 15 degrees! 😀
The neck cover is designed somehow “half-way” in my opinion – you cover your neck by fastening the hood. This is quite fine in an “emergency” situation but if the weather gets really damp and cold you would still need a scarf. Concerning the type of fastening of the hood, this is something I am not excited about much – it is fastened by a Velcro which I hate in everything that comes anywhere near to a woven wrap (moreover, the Velcro is really long and wide and if the hood is not fastened, it does not look very pretty in my opinion). Another detail I do not particularly like about the jacket are the thingies mades of leather that are supposed to narrow the waistline and the sleeves. The first ones are much higher than the waistline and therefore do not really serve their intended purpose and the latter ones are directed “upwards” (meaning in the opposite direction than you fasten your watch, for example) – therefore it is quite difficult to manipulate with them when wearing the jacket and again, it does not look good, in my opinion. An the last detail I need to reproach – the colourful parts are made of this cotton cloth which tends to wrinkle quite a lot, not to mention that it somehow does not “match” the soft-shell in the functional aspect – in my eyes, a soft-shell jacket’s purpose is to wear it in rainy weather and not to get wet, while the cotton cloth (which is not hidden in all the places on the jacket) gets wet instantly and it takes time to dry out again.
But we also know that these Creatula clothes we had the opportunity to test were a kind of a “work in progress” – moreover, we discussed them a lot with the Creatula girls and they were really willing to listen; therefore it is quite easy to forgive these few details to the jacket. On the contrary, we are looking forward very much to the new Creatula’s creations! Bottom line, the jacket, even its first variant ever, is great – not only when speaking about design but also functionally – it definitely belongs to the best babywearing clothes on the Czech market, mainly for those who want to wear their babies on the back comfortably.
Sweatshirt
size XS
To be honest, the XS size was a bit of a backstab! 😀 Well, I was able to fasten it in the end but it did not look too good – the zippers were crooked as earthworms. Otherwise, same as the jacket, the sweatshirt looks great and fulfills all my expectations of an everyday babywearing piece of clothing – it is not dull nor too wild. It is subtle but not conservative at all, and moreover, with plenty of interesting details.
As I already said, the sweatshirt is cut differently than the jacket, which is a good thing. The loooong jersey ends of the sleeves are more of a design element than a functional feature – it looks really good and original (however, I would not miss the stud in the thumb hole – and as far as we know it is not longer there in the newest Creatula sweatshirts). The sleeves are quite narrow which is an aspect you need to count on when choosing the right size.
The sweatshirt does not have a hood, in contrast to the jacket – and there is no need for it! Just admit it, who honestly uses the hood on their babywearing jacket on daily basis? A who thinks that the hood (moreover if it is not detachable) in fact hinders? The collar is made of the same jersey as the sleeves, it looks original and while wearing the sweatshirt without the wearie or on the back it makes your neck warm without any excuses. On the other hand, the neck protection is, similarly to the jacket, designed only halfway. The system of ribbon and loops seem a bit too complicated and not very functional to us. Otherwise, the sweatshirt is made of pleasantly warm combed french terry – and again, I was very warm when testing it so I guess that it would be okay to wear it even in these autumn temperatures without any other layers quite comfortably.
As far as the babywearing goes, everything I said about the jacket is true also in case of the sweatshirt – the insert is designed wonderfully and wearing on the back is just perfect – one of the best I have tried so far.
We want to thank Danča and Eva once again for the opportunity to test their clothes and we wish them all the best for the future! 🙂
