How one fashion industry mom is finally making kids’ apparel safer
Former product designer for Under Armour and Columbia Sportswear is combining fashion with safety — and parents are happy because kids love it too!
As a mother of young children, I am always concerned about the safety of my kids being out and about.
My children walk to school and they have to cross several streets to get there.
Being a parent, my natural instinct is to be worried when they are out — especially in the dark.
Most accidents occur at night, and many of them involve children under the age of 14.
Knowing this statistic makes me feel very uneasy about my kids being out. My children walk to school and they have to cross several streets to get there.
As a parent, my natural instinct is to be worried — especially after dusk.
I feel obligated to watch out for them closely. I’ve been thinking a lot about what I can do to ensure that my kids will be safer when they’re outside playing.
Former product designer for Under Armour and Columbia Sportswear is combining fashion with safety — and parents are happy because kids love it too!
When it comes to buying clothes for my kids, I've tried almost everything.
I’ve purchased expensive gear that didn't fit comfortably, or it just wasn’t cool enough either!
In terms of clothing designed with kids' safety in mind, everything I saw looked like construction gear. And they just weren’t stylish enough for my kids to enjoy wearing.
After exhausting all the regular brands in the mall, I ran into my friend Jessica, whose child is in my son's class, and he had on the COOLEST jacket!
"Mom, I want one just like that!" my son told me.
As they walked away after a few minutes, I saw a small label on the jacket that said Zapped.
Having never heard of this brand before, I looked them up on Facebook and TikTok, and noticed that they made more than just awesome jackets - shoes, caps, and backpacks.
You know what’s even better?
Zapped products are designed right here on the West Coast - and by a concerned mom, just like me — who also happens to be a designer for some of MY favorite brands!
Finally, there’s a kid's brand that combines both safety and style.
Now my kids love wearing products from the Zapped line.
They feel that it makes them look cool — and they also get to make a style statement.
And finally, I feel reassured that they’ll be safe and visible on the roads.
Designed by a mom like me concerned about the safety of her ten-year-old
As parents, we always want what’s best for our children. However, we don’t always know what that looks like when it comes to making sure they’re safer outdoors — especially when it gets dark.
Scarlet is one of those parents — just like me — who at the time, was concerned with her ten year old being out after dark.
She also has the unique experience of having worked as a product designer for top brands like Under Armour, Lululemon, K-Swiss, and Nordica.
When she felt that her own son wasn’t as visible to drivers on the road as he should have been, Scarlet was inspired to do something about it.
So she used her industry skills and experience to design a line of reflective gear for kids. Gear that’s stylish, rad, and makes kids more visible when they are outside.
Scarlett wanted to design kids outerwear which goes above and beyond just looking cool — to incorporate safety elements which no other brand actually has.
WE ALREADY USE REFLECTIVE TECHNOLOGY ON STREET SIGNS AND FIRE TRUCKS.
So why not on the most precious things we have — our kids?
Zapped products use similar reflective technology commonly used in street signs and fire trucks.
When used on clothing, it makes pedestrians 10 times more visible to drivers.
This allows drivers to spot them from 460 feet away — compared to just 82 feet with non-reflective clothing. And it begs the question: why are we not using it to keep our kids safer?
Kids can be seen from afar, giving drivers enough time to slow down and maneuver safely when and if required.
With a passion for premium quality, Scarlett only uses fabrics and materials used by top brands like Nike and Columbia Sportswear. Which is why they’re extremely durable — and long lasting.
Think of it like a high-visibility gear that actually looks like premium, fashionable kids wear.
Update:
My kids have had their Zapped gear (the slip ons, hat, and jacket) for six months now. You won’t believe how often we get stopped by parents asking us where they can find these for their kids too!
For those of you who have emailed or reached out to me since this article went live — click HERE to get your hands on Zapped's latest collection. But hurry, some designs go out of stock really quickly!
TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR KID'S RAIN JACKET RIGHT NOW.
Let me guess — it's probably worn out from last year, and looks boring right? (if we're being honest).
And I bet it doesn’t reflect car lights too well at all, does it?
Let’s face it, you need to get them a jacket soon, and you're probably thinking "Hey, I've got time, right?"
Almost every time I say that, I always end up scrambling for whatever's left at the department store and thinking "why didn't I take care of this earlier?"
Well, here's your chance.
Click the link below and get your Zapped rain jacket before it sells out soon! (they always do)
