It’s Earth Day! While every day is, in fact, a day to care for our earth, today is celebrated world wide to help demonstrate and support environmental protection.
So pop on Plant Earth, let the soothing voice of David Attenborough rumble on in the background while you read on for my favorite sustainable brands and some of my favorite ways to practice environmently friendly habits.
I’ve discussed and documented in great detail (and will continue to) my effort to pare down my closet / beauty cabinet / kitchen cabinets / and life in general to the quality essentials. Through this journey, I have shifted my focus toward designers and brands that practice sustainable habits and leaned toward organic/natural fabrics and ingredients. I’m doing my research and have adjusted my shopping mentality to include a checklist of requirements from where we are investing our money. Things like factory practices, packaging, fabric content, etc all go into helping me decide where I want to shop and who I want to give my money to.
Besides the newer sustainable and ethically based brands that are popping up, second-hand and vintage shopping is one of my favorite ways to shop sustainably and help further the recycling process! I look for timeless pieces made of quality and durable (and ideally, natural!) fabrics when I’m on the hunt - while also keeping my eye out for those one of a kind pieces that make your style, your style. (Read more on vintage + second hand shopping here!)
Without further adieu, see below for my favorite sustainable brands!
CLOTHING:
EVERLANE : I’ll sing Everlane’s praises until the cows come home. They make quality basics that every closet should contain. They don’t buy into trends, they take their time and make the pieces that matter, well. They also don’t mark up their prices like other companies do - so not only are you getting ethically made items, they’re affordable too.
REFORMATION : While on the pricier side, Ref pieces add some style to your basics. When I’m looking for spring dresses, I go to Ref. I love to sprinkle in a few pieces here and there that give the vintage, European flair that I’m looking for. It also must be noted that I believe they carry the white t-shirt of my dreams — jury is still out for the #1 tee, but their’s is my current favorite.
WHIMSY AND ROW : They go the extra mile when it comes to being eco-friendly. They use deadstock fabric, no fabric goes to waste, no plastic is used for packing or shipping, no water, recyclable packing materials and they make small batch items. If there was an award, they’d be gunning for it. Plus they make some of my favorite easy dresses and a pair of pants that could rival the beloved Jesse Kamm pants you see everywhere (for half the cost!).
NISOLO : Any pair of shoes you need can be found here at Nisolo. They make all the classic styles you need to round out your closet and they do it ethically! Their producers receive beyond fair trade wages, healthcare, and a healthy work environment.
OUTDOORVOICES + GIRLFRIEND COLLECTIVE : When it comes to my workout / athletic wear, I don’t want a bunch of logos, neon colors, and non-ethically made pieces. I want sturdy, quality and sustainably made items that are cute. Cue, Outdoor Voices and Girlfriend Collective. Not skimping on style, while producing items you can feel good about wearing. Girlfriend Collective makes their gear out of used water bottles, recycling them into your new favorite leggings!
LEVIS : As if this one needs explaining. Your classic denim needs from a forward thinking brand. Levis will stand the test of time - they have a worker well-being initiative and use a production technique that uses far less water than the traditional methods from their rivals. Go one step further and get yourself a pair of vintage Levis that have been getting broken in for 15+ years and will continue to wear well for years to come.
other honorable mentions include: Matter Prints, Lacausa, Cuyana, Hack With Design, ADay, Eileen Fisher, Raven + Lily, Christy Dawn and for your online second hand shopping needs - Depop and Poshmark!
BEAUTY:
RMS : Made from all raw, food grade and organic materials to create a truly natural product! These are made to enhance your skin instead of masking it and that is something I am looking for when I'm looking for makeup. All their products are completely non-toxic and actually nourish your skin which is top of mind when you're putting things on your face!
HERBIVORE BOTANICALS : This Seattle based husband and wife duo (Carman, can we do this? You’ve already got the Seattle part covered) created a skincare line that uses only the highest quality, cold pressed oils. They use all natural ingredients like clays and stones to help restore and bring out your best skin yet. I’m a huge fan and will purchase anything they make because their pure, highly concentrated products yield results at an affordable price (and I’m all about supporting a husband and wife duo!).
TRUE BOTANICALS : All organic, this luxurious company creates some of my favorite non-toxic, (also) highly concentrated oils. The Renew oil is an ‘expensive’ product that is worth it.
SUNDAYS : Don’t forget about your nails! When switching over to an (almost) all natural routine, you can’t forget about all the nasty chemicals hiding in your nail polishes. I love Sundays’ color selection and the fact that they dedicated the time to perfecting their formula (and it shows!). They make premium non-toxic nail polishes right here in the USA.
other honorable mentions : Biossance, Lashfood, Ilia Beauty, Lilah B, Indie Lee, Ursa Major, Caudalie, Red Earth Beauty.
HOME:
COYUCHI : In case you missed it, I did an entire post on how much I love Coyuchi and their organic linens. Read the full post here!
PARACHUTE : Like Coyuchi, Parachute delivers premium quality textiles that are held to the highest standards. They produce textiles that are free from harmful substances and chemicals - and not to mention the most beautiful linens and color schemes.
THE CITIZENRY : Straight out of my home-town, Dallas, The Citizenry is a company that boosts a collection of individuals, artisans and designers that handcraft their items. They make small batch items inspired by all different cultures.
METHOD + SEVENTH GENERATION : To keep a clean house while keeping toxins at bay, we look to Method and Seventh Generation for our cleaning supplies. They’re both made with safe, non-toxic ingredients and essential oils. They’re effective, safe, and biodegradable!
other honorable mentions : Buffy, The Now Candles, PLANTS, West Elm, Cozy Earth Bedding, Vitruvi.
Other ways we like to celebrate Earth Day every day :
01. Being conscious of our energy use! Our apartment has a lot of windows with great natural light - this helps us use minimal electricity during the day (we don’t even turn on any lights until after sunset)! Other ways you can be conscious of energy use is to make sure you turn all the lights off when you leave a room, using energy efficient light bulbs, walking instead of driving, and being aware of your thermostat!
02. Reducing your trash! Recycling paper, glass, and plastic responsibly! Reuse things in your household like reusable shopping bags, glass water bottles, and getting creative with things that could serve a new purpose. Look for things like reusable cloths for cleaning instead of paper towels, a microfiber duster instead of one time use ones and if you’re into it, you can also compost your food scraps!
03. Buying in bulk and storing in glass! I love how organized things look when they’re stored in glass containers, but I’m also cutting back on packaged things when I buy in bulk and store them this way! Things like rice, coffee, noodles, cereals, beans, floor, sugar etc can all be purchased in bulk at places like Sprouts and Whole Foods!
04. GETTING OUTSIDE! The best way to help you appreciate this beautiful earth that we have been given is to get outside and enjoy it. We are blessed to live in Los Angeles which allows us to enjoy the weather 98% of the time. We've got mountains, beaches, deserts and snow all at our fingertips. But wherever you are, you can enjoy nature in whatever way the weather allows! We love going on long walks through our neighborhood, choosing an outdoor picnic instead of eating inside, reading at the park instead of the living room, hiking, etc.
Now get outside and immerse yourself in nature!
Happy Earth Day from our home to yours
XX,
SK
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