What do Elegantees, Grammar & ThredUp Have in Common?
Well for one, they're all part of our Spring / Summer Photoshoot!
But also we chose to partner with Elegantees, Grammar, & ThredUp because each brand, in addition to having amazing style, represents 3 different types of sustainable fashion:
Elegantees: Fair Wages & Restoration
Elegantees started as a New York fashion brand with intent to give profits to fight human trafficking. They weren't planning to work in Nepal until they met a freedom-fighter with a vision to eliminate trafficking in Nepal through tackling poverty. Opening a sewing center was a way to give rescued women meaningful work with a fair wage. It was the missing piece to their brand - the restoration!
They leaped into it with faith, overcame challenges working in an undeveloped nation, and today they have 17 women (and counting) sewing full time. Each time they hire another, an entire family is significantly more protected from the risk of being trafficked.
Each sewer earns between 2-3x minimum wage in Nepal. This is a livable wage in Nepal. They work 6 days per week (this is normal in Nepal), and they each get paid time off.
Grammar: Organic Cotton & Made in the US
Sustainable fashion, according to GRAMMAR founder Althea Simons, means doing things properly, being conscious and thoughtful about the work, employing the triple bottom line: people, planet & profit.
Their crisp white tops are made in certified factories in the NYC garment district - which means no workers were exploited in the process.
ThredUP: Secondhand
According to a talk my friend Kasi Martin of The Peahen gave last month:
- Americans throw away 68 pounds of textiles per person every year - that’s 12.7 million tons of waste
- Less than 1% of clothing is recycled
- We keep our clothes ½ as long as we did 15 years ago
- Only 10 - 30% of the clothes donated to charities are sold by them, the rest are exported to developing countries
ThredUp is making shopping secondhand super easy. I've been a longtime fan of their online market & was over the moon when they opened up a shop in Austin at the Domain. Prices are up to 90% off original retail, you can shop your favorite brands that may not share your ethical standards & they will buy back clothes you aren't getting much use out of. Win / win!