ŠaNaMi, acronym from the Czech ‘Šátky Na nošení Miminek’, meaning ‘wraps for babywearing’, is one of the oldest wrap and babywearing clothes manufacturers in the Czech Republic. For a long time, babywearing meant wearing ŠaNaMi or Vatanai in our homeland, and those few imported pieces from our western neighbours like Didymos or Storchenwiege meant the highest level of luxury. ŠaNaMi was founded by the Adamec family from Týniště nad Orlicí in 2004 (my estimate – I counted that according to the information from Slingofest; I was not able to find any official information). Their first wraps were the classical, legendary ŠaNaMi twill-weave stripes. This is what the brand was producing for so long as 10 years, before releasing their first jacquard wraps in 2014.
ŠaNaMi are no wrap innovators and do not experiment, regarding both colourways and patterns – everything is more or less subtle classic that will be here as the “cheap basic wraps for little babies” until the end of the world, probably. As far as the composition of the wraps go, the word ‘conservative’ has a whole other meaning when it comes to ŠaNaMi. I know only about two models of wraps ever woven by this manufacturer that are not 100% cotton – the legendary Oříšek (Wallnut) wrap with bamboo and the linen White (or Brown) Coffee. However, I think they should at least try to experiment a little bit from time to time. Although they traditionally produce mostly the twill-weave stripes, I have always been excited about their jacquard wraps the most. These are very pleasant pieces, thin yet surprisingly supportive and it is a pity that they kind of drown in the flood of hundreds of wraps from other brands.
Before I begin reviewing these two wraps, I need to comment on one particular thing that might surprise you about the ŠaNaMi wraps – their numbering is different than in the rest of the wrap world, or better said, they are not numbered but the manufacturer declares their prewash length. But be careful! Not the length of one side, as we are used to, but the length of the whole wrap, with both tips counted in. So be cautious about this matter if you desire to buy a ŠaNaMi wrap. 😉
Brown Coffee (Hnědá káva)
Composition: 55 % cotton, 45 % linen
Weight: 250 g/m² (declared by the manufacturer), 221 g/m² (counted by us)
Size: 6
Shepherd’s carry
I used to hear legends about the Brown Coffee’s twin, White Coffee – “the best ŠaNaMi, something more than the ordinary all-cotton stripes, great newborn wrap…” Naturally, I was very curious. Well, no surprise, a thin, tougher linen wrap, as I expected. Maybe it was not fully broken-in (I was the first tester to try this wrap) and I was willing to forgive some toughness, but otherwise we did not really have a good time together, to be honest. Tying was okayish, it held in the carry without problems (it is not the super-slippery type of linen like in Kenhuru we reviewed a while ago) but carrying a toddler in it – not very comfortable. What can I say…? An ordinary thin twill weave wrap that is too little elastic for my (otherwise quite tolerant) shoulders. But for smaller babies, for summer, minimalists and those who love ironing (oh yes, linen is a untamable wrinkling b*tch 😉 ), why not?
Paisley Bordó
Composition: 100 % cotton
Weight: 280 g/m² declared by the manufacturer, 290 g/m² counted by us
Size: 5
Double hammock
I have already mentioned ŠaNaMi jacquard wraps – they are great! Little over a year ago, I tied their Levandule and the green clover wrap. Despite being quite thin and of low weight, I found them both surprisingly supportive, not to mention they were a real pleasure to work with. Paisley is no exception – it is very pleasant to touch, soft and perfectly pliable. I was quite surprised about the weight – at the first touch it seems rather thin, from the category of wraps I would not hesitate to tie even a little baby in; however, carrying my 10kg (almost)two-years-old was very pleasant. I am not sure if Paisley would be my first choice for a 15kg preschooler (probably not), yet again, ŠaNaMi surprised me how supportive their wraps can be.
Speaking about the looks of the wrap, I am not particularly fond of the paisley pattern in general. However, this ŠaNaMi Paisley, that is something else completely! The thicker lines make it look more folk (like Sestrice wraps, for example) rather than renaissance-like and romantic as usual, and the bordeaux colour suits it very much, in my opinion. When I brought the wrap to our babywearing meeting, all our fellow-babywearers were charmed by it and quite surprised when I told them that it is ‘only’ ŠaNaMi. 😉 Simply said, a great wrap!
Hereby we want to thank the group Nosíme děti (i.e. We wear our babies) for the opportunity to tie the wrap!
