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:

• red. My skin has a strange relationship with this color, but there is a certain orangey hue that it likes. I'm feeling drawn to it currently.
• wool clogs. A friend generously shared where her super cute ones came from. These! They are made from wool + cork in Austria. ($10 off with this link, if they are what you've been looking for.)
• spotting the first red leaf on our maple tree...and garden blooms that hold on.
• catching the sunset as I drive home every night right now. There is a short window of time for it, and I'm just trying to savor the nowness of it.
• the just-about-to-drop Jenny Pennywood collection of jackets + sweatshirts. (ooph! that red!)
• overalls. I finally found a pair to love + I literally wear them every chance I get.
• seeing everyone's autumn sweaters + colors these days. It's a visual reminder that we are experiencing something collectively.
• rio. This babaa hue is pure joy.
• that red on my favorite sweatshirt shape!  :)

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:

• "Our goal is not to be a super famous brand sold in every store in the world, instead we want to make just enough for everyone who genuinely loves the product."
• "We are flexible + compassionate with our factories + value all those who have a hand in making all things Le Bon Shoppe as people first."
• "We give ourselves ample time to restock + don't sweat it if things don't go according to schedule!"

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:

• North of West
• Study New York
• ​The New Blak
• Two Days Off (now selling some sweet weekend projects)
• Winsome Goods (now selling sewing patterns)

On the other hand, many are forging ahead! Above are a few things that caught my eye along the way.

• Organic cotton leggings, shorts + tanks made in Los Angeles + dyed with onion skins collected from local grocery stores from Groceries Apparel.
• Danu Organics' fully compostable jeans.
• A lovely, organic cotton knit made from leftover yarn (from their main sweater collection) in California from Curator.​
• A bright, linen set sewn by Nettle's team of five.
• Pants made in LA from 100% North American waste cotton from Everybody World.
• Organic cotton/natural rubber elastic, corozo/tagua nut buttons + organic cotton thread (for making or repairing our own compostable clothing) for sale at Danu Organics.

On the resale front:

• I have enjoyed dipping into Noihsaf Bazaar's new home recently. It just makes a little bit more sense to me now.
• Renewal Workshop has been aquired + will no doubt be a part of something positive. We are just not able to buy directly from them anymore. 

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.

I love brands started by people who set out to do one thing well. Jessica's obsession with button-ups led to her begin making them with her partner Kyle in their apartment. Those first shirts took 18 hours to construct from cutting to buttoning up. Today their carefully designed shirts are made with natural fibers in a wide range of sizes twenty miles from where they are designed. A few made-to-order pieces are still made in their studio in New Westminster, Canada. Jessica + Kyle sum up Power of My People as "responsibly handcrafted shirts made for your capsule wardrobe." I love this subtle reminder to consume with care + intention.

All lovely photos via Power of My People.

Beaumont Organics designs beautiful clothing in the UK. Their organic cotton pieces are made in Portugal, while their knitwear is made from lambswool in the UK. Looking at these pieces makes me a little more ready to embrace all of the crisp autumn days to come.

All lovely photos via Beaumont Organics.