I am not a fashion person. Most of my friends would agree that when it comes to clothes, I approach it like I would a room design. My approval rating is based on two things: 1) Is it comfortable and or functional and 2) Will it allow me to work all day without a second thought about what I am wearing? Because the idea of wearing shoes that take precedence of my day by 2pm is not my idea of being productive.
Everything I wear is either borrowed, from thrift, or handed down. I never buy new clothes. I design in much the same way. We have become such a wasteful culture, choosing boredom over sustainability. Rather than choosing something for gratification or void, choose items with practicality and durability in mind. I have shirts from when I was in college that I still wear, and let’s just say it’s been some years since I’ve seen a college campus. But I am happy to see a growing trend amongst many of my fellow tree-hugging friends and that is sustainable clothing. Think Stevie Nicks Meets cool Hipster. Here are 11 brands I can get behind if buying new is necessary.
1) Hemp Eyewear -Seriously doesn’t get any cooler than these. Sunglasses made entirely of hemp fibre composite.
2) Braintree – Sustainable, eco-friendly fashion boutique located in the U.K. that cares about the environment and the the impact their clothes have on Mother Earth. (And yes they ship to the US)
3) RideBro – Eco-Friendly vegan shoes with a barefoot feel. Still in kickstarter mode but way cool and something you need to get behind, mama earth says so.
4) Organic Corsets – OK so this gets a little risqué, but I have people ask me ALL.THE.TIME. where they can buy quality lingerie, that is not only kind to the environment but to their employees. Enter Organic Corsets. They have a commitment and a passion in preserving the environment. And they claim that there are many health benefits to using authentic organic waist training corsets. Their claim, not mine. But this fits the bill when looking for sustainable unmentionables.
5) Swarm Home – OK so Leslie Oschmann, the founder of Swarm Home, does a lot of really cool shit, but her recent launch of Recycled Vintage Oil Paintings made Into One-of-a-Kind handbags – Umm, brilliant!
6) Moral Fibres – So this is actually a blog, not a fashion brand, BUT, I am throwing this in here because Wendy has done an amazing job educating the masses on sustainability and bringing awareness to eco-friendly clothing. It answers the WHY. As she puts it, being eco-friendly should be hip, not hippie, and well, I totally agree!
7) Teeki – For those of you who have read the blog for the last seven years you know I am a huge yoga fan. Teeki offers great yoga pants that are made from recycled bottles and other super cool eco-friendly materials.
8) Nomads – I always call this 1970’s meets modern day hipster. Clothing made from hemp, soy, organic cotton, and canvas. I was gifted a T-shirt from here and it’s totally rad. And David loves the fact that there are options for him on here too, like this sweet pull-over.
9) LoomState Organics – I’ve never bought from here but many of my friends have gotten items off here like this cool beanie. They use organic cotton, tencel and other eco-friendly products.
10) Indigenous– Filled with organic fair-trade fashion options, I like that they have really great accessories like this bracelet.
11) Threads for Thought – Filled with all sorts of really great clothing and accessories. I received a wrap from a reader over the holiday from them and I love it. They use sustainable materials to make their products, and they only work with factories that respect their employees and treat them humanely and fairly.
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Many clothing companies not only choose inferior materials that hurt Mama Earth, but they treat their factory workers poorly and pay them meagerly. We support this vicious cycle by continuing to purchase those products. If a shirt that costs you $60 seems fair, ask the factory worker who made 3¢ from making it and lives in impoverished conditions. Not to mention the clothing manufacturer who sits fat on the upper East side…..change occurs one small step at a time. Purchase accordingly.
xoxo
Mama Earth