Perfect white tee is designed in California, made with fabric milled in California + sewn in California too.
Lovely photo via perfect white tee.
I think I first came across perfect white tee during a visit to my hometown. I pulled on a sweatshirt made of the softest cotton, and it fit just the way I like. The sleeves + the length were just slightly cropped. There were raglan sleeves, and it all hit just right on my high rise army pants. I so rarely get to try on fair clothing in a shop before making a purchase. This felt like a real treat, and I wore that sweatshirt for the rest of the trip.
Perfect white tee is designed in California, made with fabric milled in California + sewn in California too. Lovely photo via perfect white tee.
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I don't always know what to do with brands that don't quite go all the way toward fair, but I think Buck Mason tees deserve a mention here. They are grown, spun and sewn in the USA. I see this as a real commitment, simply because it is in such contrast to what most brands choose to do these days.
Sasha + Erik bought their Mohnton, Pennsylvania knitting mill in 2023, when it was being closed down after 150 years in service. They were able to maintain the employment of skilled employees + keep the specialized machinery in use. Their commitment to American grown cotton further cuts down on the distance materials have to travel in order to be made into a finished product. Buck Mason makes quality, well-designed classics for men + women. These styles are made to stand the test of time + wear. All lovely photos via Buck Mason. Sewing our own clothing gives us a clear view of how much fabric waste is involved in clothing making. Large pieces of fabric are most often leftover after cutting out pattern pieces. These pieces are too small to cut another sleeve or pant leg, but they might be ample enough to cut another pocket or provide bits to contribute to a quilt. It's easy to see that clothing brands end up with lots of small pieces of premium fabric after their cutting process as well. It's exciting to see brands make an effort to use these pieces for scrunchies, belts, quilts + patch kits. It's also easy to understand that the demand for scrunchies cannot keep up with the supply of fabric...and that the amount of effort needed to patchwork a quilt or garment is significantly greater than cutting into fresh fabric. All that to say...I love that WRN FRSH is taking "waste" + making it functional + beautiful. Each piece is made by Gene + Michael in their San Francisco studio from disassembled vintage clothing or brand offcuts. I'm especially loving this colorful collaboration with Gravel & Gold.
As a sewist, I enjoy brands like this as much for inspiration as for shopping. There is so, so much opportunity + need for zero-waste creativity! All inspiring photos via links. A little collection of treats (not a shopping list)...what I'm loving visually right now:
All lovely images via links. Unlinked photos are mine. Love, Jane Dosa designers, Alex + Steph, are siblings whose parents have almost 40 years of sewing + production experience in the Los Angeles garment industry. Doso is short for "library" in Korean, which is how these designers see their parents (who run the production side of the brand). I love this beautiful story of a family owned + run business. These elevated basics get style points for their wearability, local production + natural fabrics, many of which are also made locally in LA. I can't wait to see what they do next!
Find this + lots more fair fashion brands on our ethical clothing brands page when you need them. All lovely photos via Dosa. This is one of those brand finds that has me smiling outloud! Color! Fun! Expression! Yes! Carrie Marill is an artist who designs Punkwasp clothing + jewelry in California. Her clothing is made from "artisan" (for the sewists out there, those are Kaffe Fassett stripes) + dead stock fabrics (+ notions too). Pieces are sewn by seamstresses in Arizona. She says of her creations, "This is how I express my visual language to the world." I like it very much!
All lovely photos (of Carrie) via Punkwasp. It's always a pleasure to come across fair brands in real life that I've only seen online. Today, I had the pleasure of touching a few Le Bon Shoppe tees, trying one on + taking it home! Le Bon Shoppe has long intrigued me. Many of their tees are made in the USA + all are fair-trade. The cotton has a very nice weight that drapes beautifully + feels like it will last for a long time.
Le Bon Shoppe has some deliciously interesting, fair values such as producing limited quantities in an unhurried, flexible time frame, noting:
I very much appreciate being able to support both Le Bon Shoppe + a local, small business while gaining a well-priced basic that I will wear for a long time! Love, Jane I periodically comb through the ethical brands list to make sure it's accurate + up-to-date. This time around, there have been quite a few changes.
Many brands mentioned rising prices of materials, missing the mark with demand estimates + supply chain delays as real issues lately. The following are no longer making clothing:
On the other hand, many are forging ahead! Above are a few things that caught my eye along the way.
On the resale front:
I'm so grateful for all the hard work, perseverance + innovation these brand share with the world! It's always exciting to see what creativity can do, and I can't wait to see the new spring collections arrive in the next few weeks! Our ethical brands list can be found here. It is updated periodically (not always with mention). Please let me know if you find any ethical brands you'd like to share! All lovely photos via links. Love, Jane Surf shops seem to have a special way of partnering with artists + makers. Slowly shaping boards into tools with nuance related to both wave + rider can surely enhances a shaper's ability to appreciate makers of other useful objects. Spending hours in the ocean nudges a surfer's a sense of interconnectedness with nature that can heighten sensitivity toward the resources we consume + use. Daydream Surf Shop offers handmade items as varied as surfboards, ceramics, clothing, skincare products + pastries. Their line of clothing is designed, sewn + garment dyed in California. Their tees are made from 100% USA-grown cotton that is knitted in Los Angeles. The sweatshirts are made from organic hemp + cotton. (More styles of clothing are on offer as well...including some made from deadstock fabrics + some vintage pieces as well!) Daydream Surf Shop also sells gorgeous towels that are designed in Costa Mesa, California + made in the USA. I'm sure they would work just as well after a shower as on the beach (says this girl who lives nowhere near a beach). ;) I would absolutely love to visit this little gem of a shop (and cafe!) in Newport Beach, California!
All lovely photos via Daydream Surf Shop. Love, Jane Roberta avoids trends when designing Wilder footwear in hopes of increasing longevity of wear. Integrity was a founding value of the brand which Roberta has interpreted as choosing vegetable tanned leather whenever possible, using recycled paper for packaging + producing in limited quantities in an effort to avoid waste. I like that the styles seem to work throughout the spectrum of casual to more dressy...jeans or shorts to dresses. Wilder footwear are made prioritizing safe work conditions + fair wages in Los Angeles + Brazil.
All lovely photos via Wilder. |
on a journey toward zero-waste, simplicity, + compassion :: daring to choose fair one choice at a time
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