Ridgewood couple Carolyn Butler and Rich Amsinger started Borobabi during the pandemic to cut down on all the waste involved with children’s clothing. Borobabi (pronounced “borrow baby”) clothes are designed to last for a long time, so that parents can rent and send them back for someone else to use.

Borobabi’s clothes are designed with high standards in mind, focusing on organic fibers, durable natural materials, sustainable practices, and staying away from harsh chemicals. By making the clothes high quality from the start, they can be passed along to help more families over time. It’s “slow fashion” - the opposite of the cheap, throwaway, chemical-infused materials that “fast fashion” has brought us.

In particular, Carolyn was a chemical engineer before starting Borobabi, so she knows all about these chemicals and why people should avoid them. She’s also a graduate of Ridgewood High School and coming back to her roots is a big reason why she and Rich are raising their family in Ridgewood.

Carolyn and Rich both have MBAs from Columbia, and this episode is jam-packed with stories about trying to launch a startup during the pandemic, optimizing pricing, contract negotiations, renting versus buying, the challenges of venture capital fundraising, the misunderstandings investors have about their business, and of course….a TikTok video that went a little *too* viral.