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girlfriend collective is donating 10% of today’s net profits to save the rainforest

published on August 22, 2019 by Angela Hamilton
updated on May 1, 2023

You know what’s even better than the new girlfriend collection launching today? Hearing that they’re donating 10% of net profits to Amazon Watch. Today only, when you snag your new fave hue from fall 2019’s Golden Hour collection, you’ll also support an organization committed to protecting the Amazon region and its people. We thought you might want to scroll through the latest collection while learning more about what’s going on there at this very moment.

Moira Birss, campaign director of Amazon Watch says,

Unfortunately, it seems the Amazon has to burn before the world pays attention.

Sherbert

If, like us, you’ve only just started hearing that the Amazon is on fire, you probably have a lot of questions. Read the article Amazon Watch to learn more about what’s going on and why you haven’t heard about it.

Girlfriend Collective is using the new collection’s launch to raise awareness to the issue: “We’re thrilled to introduce our fall 2019 collection, Golden Hour, but more importantly, thrilled to have eyes on our page to bring awareness to the urgent crisis happening in the Brazilian Amazon. Fires have increased 84% since this same period in 2018, and there have been 72,843 reported this year alone. We’re donating 10% of today’s net profits to Amazon Watch, a 501(c)(3) organization that protects the rainforest and works to advance the rights of indigenous people of the Amazon Basin.”

We NEED to spread the word about this crisis, because if the Amazon burning wasn’t enough, it also spreads awareness of Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro, and his past and current assault on Brazil’s natural resources. (read more)

Sand

We need to listen to the indigenous people of the Amazon, whose communities have been targeted throughout history. (read more)

Daybreak

Honey

From NPR: “About half those fires, or nearly 36,000 of them, have ignited in just the past month. That’s nearly as many as in all of 2018. Smoke from the fires has darkened the skies over major Brazilian cities, such as São Paulo.” (read more)

Why is it important that girlfriend collective and brands like them raise awareness? To me, it’s an example of what a good brand does. They are using their influence to make a statement that aligns with their company values. It matters just as much that those of us who are not making a purchase today witness their message, as now we are empowered to choose how to act. We could make a purchase, we could donate to an organization of our choosing directly, we could simply share and share and share.

Photos by Dana Boulos

This backyard party is proof that eco-friendly entertaining can be pretty too

published on July 31, 2019 by Angela Hamilton
updated on May 1, 2023

We’ve been sharing sneaks on Insta all summer, but I’m pretty darn excited to announce that our eco-friendly entertaining guide is HERE! I know it’s a little late in the season, but I wanted to compile all the photos of our summer backyard party into a guide that proves just how easy and affordable it can be to throw a beautiful party with the environment in mind.

PS: After you scroll through the photos below, be sure to follow the link to DOWNLOAD the rest of our entertaining guide!

Why is beauty so important here? If you search Google or Pinterest for oh, about five seconds, for an eco friendly party, you will not be surprised. It’s pretty much all along the same style, including lots of outdated trends at this point. In this case, I can totally see why a hostess would cringe at the thought of throwing a party with an “eco” spin. Then there are entertainers on a budget (hi!) who want to throw a pretty party too. There are tons of single use products marketed to these very people, with pretty patterned paper plates (that’s a mouthful) and even those “handy” plastic wine glasses that “look like the real thing” (don’t get me started). Being in the wants-to-create-something-beautiful-on-a-budget camp myself, I don’t believe I should have to resort to single use to host a creatively styled gathering. So, those are just a few thoughts we kept in mind while putting this together. We really did want to speak to people like us, who love Pinterest and Instagram and all the pretty parties they inspire, but wanted to be conscious of both our budget and our impact.

The first thing we did when planning our party was decide the vibe. We knew we wanted it to be casual and in a backyard, so the picnic idea was just SO much easier than finding enough furniture.

Knowing we had a backyard party vibe helped us narrow down food options. I’ve been all over the Mediterranean diet lately, and I liked that a mezze board could be vegetarian friendly (vegan if you take out the feta/tzatziki) and require minimal cleanup.

We used the same concept for our fruit platter. We always add a little jcoco chocolate, which is a local Seattle brand that fights hunger with every purchase.

You can find our wine cocktail idea in the full guide below, and we’ll do a post on it soon too!

You probably know by now that we use edible flowers on just about everything. Instant pretty!

We also talk more about sourcing decor for your party in our guide but some of the key pieces we used were a marble platter from member Ten Thousand Villages, jute place mats and coasters from Will + Atlas (mostly to steady drinks/vases on the grass), and some pretty linens from Etsy.

We thrifted a few pieces, but for the most part, went with what we already had, which helped us define our color palette and style too.

I created a few farmers market floral arrangements using the techniques shared here, opting for a wildflower look that’s very much trendy and in season right now.

We’d love to share the rest of our eco friendly entertaining tips with you! Simply sign up for our email list to receive monthly updates from the eco club team, and you’ll get a welcome email with the instant download of our 9 page PDF guide with more photos + tips.

ECO CLUB SIGN UP + DOWNLOAD GUIDE

Have you thrown a low-waste party this summer? Share your tips below!

*Photos by Charity

Our favorite ethical fashion brands for adding COLOR to your wardrobe

published on July 25, 2019 by Angela Hamilton
updated on May 1, 2023

It’s midsummer and I am really feeling color. While I’m devoted to pastels year-round, I know when fall comes, I’ll sink into the earth tone trend that everyone’s obsessed with at the moment… But not yet. Everyone’s also soaking up the primary colors, which I could never really get behind until I bought a pretty green linen top, and now I’m sort of into it. All that to say, color is on the brain, and with that, all of the ethical fashion brands that bring us splashes of saturated hues and playful prints. It’s pretty impressive, what all of these favorites below have done, considering many sustainable fashion brands’ commitment to natural dyes. It’s amazing what can be done!

The Perennial Closet is on the pricier side because all of their clothing is naturally dyed and made to order (they even have a dye guarantee where you can send your piece back once a year to have it re-dyed!) but OMG is it beautiful.

Leroli is an Italian sustainable fashion brand with clothing made in New York City. Their patterns are too good.

eco club member Left Edit makes sure their fashion is bold and statement-making, but also versatile enough to pair well with the rest of your closet. Learn more here! Photo by Caitlyn Gaurano

Jungmaven‘s signature organic cotton + hemp tees come in a range of primary and candy colors.

Thread + Sprout offers really beautiful, completely sustainable handmade clothing. They’re made one at a time and each is like a wearable work of art!

eco club member Made Trade is an ethical shopping marketplace dedicated to making ethical fashion easier. Shop here!

The Slow Mode curates the most beautiful prints and colors, and while their pieces are on the (understandably) pricier side, they do offer free worldwide shipping on all orders. This dress is by Spanish designer Celia B.

Sotela‘s Sol Collection featured this lavender beauty. Speaking my language. See more in our jumpsuit guide! Photo by Michelle Terris Photo

OATS features cute handmade crop tops, dresses, and pants crafted in Melbourne.

Alice Alexander offers plenty of size-inclusive neutrals, but when they do color, they do it right.

If you’re located in Europe, Berlin-based fineyellow is a sustainable fashion marketplace stocked with options.

More color blocked, candy striped goodness! Seek Collective has the yummiest colorways.

Let us know what other ethical fashion brands with amazing color we should add!

5 Small Steps to Becoming an Ethical Shopper

published on July 8, 2019 by Angela Hamilton

When you hear people talk ethical fashion or conscious consumerism, it’s easy to assume they have it all figured out. But the truth is, there’s no rule that defines what it means to be an ethical shopper. Yes, there are clear boundaries—cheap clothing made of synthetic material produced in sweatshop, that’s pretty obvious—but for the most part you just have to keep learning and making decisions as learn more about how to shop ethically. If you think of ethical shopping as a whole, it’s very overwhelming, but there are plenty of small steps you can take for direction, and those will lead to big changes. Here’s 5:

5 small steps to help you shop ethically

Research your favorite brands

Start with where you are now, by looking into some of your recent purchases. What can you find out about the materials? (Once you find out what they are, get Googling!). What does each brand you already love say about sustainability or ethical manufacturing on their own websites? Can you detect any areas of possible greenwashing? Honestly, listening to what my gut tells me when I read marketing language and product descriptions is a huge help. Discerning customers can tell when something isn’t up to their moral code.

Search for ethical clothing in the major stores

Counterintuitive, I know. But when you’re used to shopping at department stores like Nordstrom & Macy’s, it’s hard to find everything you once found there elsewhere. While pretty much everyone is throwing around the word “need” these days, there will be a few times when you indeed do need a new article of clothing. There are times when you have an important work event, or times you need a new bra and don’t have $100 to spend on one you can guarantee is ethically made from sustainable materials, and you just aren’t the one who lucked out at Goodwill. These are the times that knowing the most ethical brands in mainstream stores will come in handy. It may not get you all the way there, but it IS a step, which is important. I started off by searching “made in USA” at Nordstrom and then Googling individual brands (not to say it has to be made in USA to be sweatshop-free—definitely not—but it makes tracking a little easier when in a pinch). Department stores do sell a small % of ethical brands, they’re just not actively seeking them. But you can actively seek them!

Don’t buy online just because it’s convenient

Cut down on waste and resources by leaving online purchases to items you can’t get by shopping in-person. If you can pick up the item next time you’re running errands, it doesn’t need to be purchased online. Plus, this helps you be more mindful about what you’re purchasing… We all know how easy it is to fill up a virtual shopping cart when we would be much more discerning in store.

Be a better thrift shopper

Not everyone is super comfortable shopping secondhand from the beginning. It can be a tedious task, especially if you haven’t spent a lot of time in thrift stores and consignment shops. Learn how to be more efficient and mindful when shopping secondhand with these four tips and you will be on your way to a more ethical home.

Go down the Instagram rabbit hole

If you are like me and tend to get exhausted by all the noise of Instagram, I recommend setting a timer and only spending more than a few minutes on this when you’re feeling really inspired. If you can wade through the clutter long enough to find hashtags you really enjoy and accounts that lift you up, educate, and inspire rather than make you feel overwhelmed or inadequate, you can really learn a lot there. Check out some of the hashtags we’re following on our own account, or that we leave in the comments, and use them to bounce around and find your own favorite ethical shopping resources!

Want more tips on how to shop ethically? See what to do with a closet full of non-ethical stuff, and learn how to create a sustainable fashion budget here.

Sustainable Home Decor for Every Style: Ethically Sourced Bohemian Decor

published on June 24, 2019 by Angela Hamilton
updated on May 1, 2023

Did you catch our first post in this series of sustainable home decor for every style? First, we covered the artisan home decor trend–you know, the one with playful colors, lots of natural textures, and some minimalist accents. Next up, another favorite of mine is bohemian decor, and I know it can come off as super trendy and not necessarily something that comes off as classic, which could turn any ethical shopper off from buying into. However, if your style leans bohemian season after season, there are definitely ways to get that laidback, free-spirited vibe with pieces that will last longer and turn more heads than your average department store finds.

Ivory tower reversible rug / Jakarta rattan dining chair / Jars of Dust teapot / Mustard woven bowl / Wildwood Candle Co Maple / Gardenia alpaca throw / Wicker fan / Wicker mirror / Ula oil burner / The essential companion tote from Ten Thousand Villages / Pie dish / Samaya meditation cushion

Besides the ninety thousand other arguments for purchase sustainable home decor when outfitting your abode, I’d say that one major reason is that you are bound to curate a look that’s entirely yours. There will always be trend, but finding handcrafted and slow-made goods to personalize your look means committing to finding and investing in objects that truly represent your style. Plus, the more you shop slow-made, the more you start to realize just how much every. single. thing. you find mass produced is influenced by (or straight up stealing from) an original artist, designer, or craftsperson. It’s jarring!

Back to bohemian home decor. I find my personal style being more of a mix of the artisan home, eclectic thrifted goods (so many quirky finds I try to incorporate in an otherwise fairly reserved space!), and a few boho pieces for added flair. I’d love to incorporate a little more of this look, if I could!

Stay tuned for the next in this series, where we talk modern goods for the sustainable home.

Sustainable Home Decor for Every Style: A Timeless Take on the Artisan Home Trend

published on June 17, 2019 by Angela Hamilton
updated on May 1, 2023

“Trend” is kind of a dirty word in green living and ethical shopping circles. It represents something fleeting, which contradicts our desire to buy those things that are important and are made to last, and less of them, instead. As a creative and a lover of design (Pinterest is still my favorite way to peruse the internet), I think I’ll always get at least a little caught up on trends. But not all of them are totally fleeting, and not all of them are totally useless as far as finding things I actually want to keep. Take the “artisan home” trend. I like to think the increase in demand for artisan home decor signifies our society’s evolution to more conscious, sustainable living.

Round textile pouf (Made Trade, sold out) / Silver rug / Pure beeswax candles / Mini copper rake / Small palm basket / Walnut chopping board / First light ceramic vase / Minna pantelho throw / Blush serving dish (Moorea Seal, no longer available) / Woven palm leaf Moses basket / Pom cushion in burnt / Pom cushion in natural white / First light ceramic plate

how to decorate the artisan home sustainably + ethically

My inspiration for this artisan home decor moodboard was to create a sustainable home design that incorporated some really fun, inspiring trends, like rattan and natural woven materials, geometric textiles, and gorgeous minimalist ceramics, while still maintaining a timelessness that one could evolve with. If you love the artisan home decor trend, I think you’ll find a few pieces that seem like home staples, rather than trendy accents. All sources above come from a selection of my favorite ethical and fair trade home decor shops, and most of them share more details about the story behind each product, in their respective descriptions.

I hope that learning the stories behind our product turns from trend to timeless, and we all enjoy more meaningful pieces inside our homes.

How would you describe your home decor style? I’d love to create a moodboard of sustainably sourced ideas for your signature look!