You know what is fashionable? Shopping small and shopping your values. There is a chicness that comes with being able to respond with a personal story about the garment and the people that made it when someone says “I love your outfit”. That is a luxury that I want us all to experience.
This Small Business Saturday, let me introduce you to some of the brands I’ve worked with this year and their stories. Each have their unique style and perspective on fashion, but they share something in common. They are very intentional with their design and manufacturing and fiercely focused on the communities they create for. It is a fashionable bunch!
Mrs. Emily
Emily is passionate about simplifying our dressing routine, while increasing our confidence. She believes well-designed pieces change the way we interact with our lives.
You’ll find the Mrs. Emily shop full of meaningful graphic tees, chic elastic waist skirts, and thoughtful accessories made both in her IL studio and in fair trade, family owned workshops in India and Bangladesh.
In Emily’s website and socials, you’ll find a masterclass in styling, practical dressing, and dismantling the negative mindsets that fashion often forces on us.
UPPERCASE
UPPERCASE is a brand of simple basics that fill the gaps in your existing wardrobe. The pieces are meant to be lasting and fully interchangeable, with neat designs like the Asymm Mini Dress and Hierarchy Jersey Blazer that focus on details and finishing.
Each garment is made on-demand in the USA. UPPERCASE’s mission is to build smart wardrobes that fit seamlessly with your closet and your life.
As a self-educated designer and stylist for so many years, Sophie’s ultimate goal is always love. Love for your community and love for what you do.
Birdie & Claire
Birdie & Claire is an independent women’s apparel brand dedicated to timeless, elevated style for women at every stage of life – specifically designing for women age 50+.
The inspiration for Birdie & Claire came when Julie was shopping with her mom, aunt, and grandmother for an upcoming family wedding, and she noticed the limited age-inclusive clothing options available. Hearing their frustration about the lack of brands catering to women as they age inspired Julie to create a line that celebrates timeless style and confidence across generations.
Birdie & Claire’s focus on versatile, flattering pieces that mix and match seamlessly is rooted in the brand’s mission to create clothing that offers style, comfort, and quality that is made to last. Like the Amanda poncho that makes a great gift a woman you look up to in your life.
Sign up for their email list before 12/2/2024 to receive a special holiday promotion!
Alta Reina
Alta Reina is a tall women’s outdoor brand focused on high-quality, responsibly sourced materials and U.S. manufacturing. Tailored just for tall women, Alta Reina offers vibrant, functional clothing with practical details like pockets, combining style and functionality for women who need more than the standard fit.
After years of design development and product testing, Alta Reina just officially launched with a base layer top and legging long enough to keep your wrists and ankles warm for all your outdoor adventures!
At 5’11″, Suzi has always faced challenges finding clothing that fits her athletic frame. She is committed to ethical production and opposing fast fashion and ensuring fair treatment of workers. Her journey is fueled by a passion for creating stylish, functional clothing for tall women.
Arimma – Coming soon!
ARIMMA was born out of the idea that fashion can be thoughtful, timeless and responsible.
The brand’s sense of fashion is one that celebrates the classics while embracing a subtle charm, sensuality and sustainability. They don’t design with trends in mind but rather craft soulful pieces made on-demand that are meant to be worn for decades to come.
Lucielle Salomon is a first-generation Dominican-American proud of her Latinx roots. For as long as she remembers, she’s always been a lover of fashion. Lucielle became fascinated with sustainability and the innovation behind it. It then became her mission to reassess her role in fashion, in which she decided to move away from its fast-paced consumption and waste.
With her journalism background, she ultimately became a sustainable fashion and beauty editor, where she shares her love affair for both industries while exposing their global impact on people and the planet and now is launching this made-on-demand brand with natural and low-impact materials.
Follow Arimma on Instagram and stay tuned for the official launch soon!
RECLÉM
RECLÉM is a movement with a mission to reduce textile waste.
The patented “Textile repurposing and sustainable garment design” method provides a roadmap for how designers and manufacturers can deconstruct and reuse discarded textile products, and add further value by reassembling – or “upcycling” – them into something fresh and new.
Dr. Mary Ruppert-Stroescu is a Designer in Residence at Stars Design Group Corporate Headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri, where her RECLÉM studio is located. She is also an Associate Professor in the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis. She is always continuing her research and exploration of sustainable garment design and textile repurposing technologies.
I’m thrilled to be partnering with Mary and RECLÉM to reuse scrap waste from samplemaking for my clients who opt to participate!