Desperately seeking organic clothes in San Francisco

Siel, aka GreenLAgirl, is in town! We introduced ourselves Saturday at a notorious fair trade cafe and hunted through drizzle for eco-friendly, sweatshop-free clothes. Thanks to Siel for posing the challenge.

You'd think that of all places in the country, the SF Mission might have the most to offer. We skipped the many terrific second-hand and vintage shops; I wanted to see what textiles local designers use. This was no comprehensive survey, but our jaunt found that jewelry, gift cards, and accessories made from recycled or organic materials are common at area boutiques, while eco-friendly clothing is not.

For example, at Otsu, a vegan store on 16th near Guerrero, Siel found a bracelet made from spoons. Otsu had sweatshop-free silkscreened tees and hoodies, but only from American Apparel, which we were trying to avoid. More ideal products included organic cotton socks (which I got), belts from recycled scraps and tires (above, Siel bought one), and Speesees baby clothes. Unfortunately, some materials were synthetic, such as pleather-like wallets and vegetarian shoes. Still, there were some hand-knit "neck nooshes" (left) and  organic baby hats.

Down the street, Candy Store had sweets, clothes and more. I liked their stuff, but AA tees were hiding underneath some boutique labels and no organics were in sight. Heading down Valencia, we found a shop (I'm spacing on its name) hawking wares made by 71 artists. Again beautiful clothes, no sign of organic textiles. Yet there were bracelets made from legos as well as lite-brite pegs. Siel walked out with a neat Nif brand bracelet made from dolls' eyes by the nice woman at the counter.

Finally, we trekked to Fabuloid (right) in Hayes Valley. While the fabric, often bought from remnants in L.A., isn't organic, these irreverent SF designers make everything in town. The store also sells vintage pieces cherry-picked by two Mission dwellers who scour estate sales. Siel walked out with a pair of rosy, hot vintage shoes and I got a synthetic-but-second-hand, creamy-sheer 50's top.

Verdict: Organic clothes are easy to find online, but most are for fitness or have a heavy hemp feel. You can't try that stuff on, and then you have to deal with shipping. So even walking around San Francisco, if you're trying to dress yourself on a budget without feeling guilty about sweatshops and pesticides or annoyed by supporting American Apparel, your best bet is still to buy used clothes.

Wait, maybe that judgment is premature. Now that the weekend's over, I find this list of organic local clothing stores that we missed. Plus, Patagonia deserves credit--not just for its underwear recycling program. Do you think you could dress yourself from head-to-toe, night and day, work and play, at these places? The mission has just begun. Have any tips?

Update: Siel checked out the list I just mentioned above, and reported on her NoCal hunt for eco-friendly clothes here and here.

Comments

[Pamila]

Superb offers are available here at Couponalbum.com..........related to the baby clothing and accessories............I usually shop here and get discounts while shopping.

[Lesli W. Baker]

Hi there, Greener Side!

I am a Graphic Designer from L.A. and I was also looking for eco-conscious shirts with a less "yoga-like" look. It was hard to find anything hip, so I got the idea to start an Eco-Hip Women's shirts clothing line. I just opened my micro virtual store, and I've made it my permanent company policy to donate $1 for every shirt sold to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. (Also, I think you'll like my "return policy", I cover some exchange shipping costs.)

Anyway, I look forward to your feedback and hope you'll like what you see! (http://www.flyingkisses.us)

Taking Flight For a Cause,
Lesli

[susan gluck pappajohn]

We love your site...We would like to introduce you to sage baby (www.sagebabynyc.com), a new online retailer that specializes in organic and natural products for babies and children. We've also just been featured in the November '06 issue of InStyle Magazine where Jessica Seinfeld (wife of Jerry) names sage baby one of her top 5 baby sites.

At sage baby, you’ll find everything you need to create an eco-friendly nursery or to give a "green" gift. sage baby's wide range of products includes stylish clothing, bedding and mattresses made from the purest organic cotton and organic skincare that avoids harmful chemicals and preservatives. We also carry eco-friendly baby and toddler’s furniture. And to ensure that your baby’s room continues to stay clean and pure, we offer a line of all natural cleaning products designed specifically for the nursery as well as special air purifiers that significantly decrease your baby’s exposure to common allergens, gases and fumes.

For more information, please check our web site at www.sagebabynyc.com or contact us at info@sagebabynyc.com

Susan and Francesca
co-founders

[Kristen Andersen]

Elsa, No problem! I look forward to meeting up with you whenever you can make it down here. Maybe the three of us can have a day on the town. :-)

On the subject of American Apparel, I have been disappointed with the selection in their "Sustainable Edition" but if I heard correctly they are looking to expand their offerings in the near future. It would be great to see the SE produced in a wider variety of colors and better cuts!

Let me know how your trip to Rolo went. The store in the Castro is mostly men's stuff, but the one down by Market semi close to Union Square has some great women's stuff upstairs.

[elsamary]

Siel--good point. and none of the silkscreened AA t-shirts I saw were organic, either.

[green LA girl]

Hey! And just getting back to the American Apparel thing -- Their stuff's sweatshop free, but only their "sustainable edition" -- is organic. So we did just as good as shopping at American Apparel, even if we didn't find a lotta organic stuff ;)

[elsa]

Hey Kristen--Thanks for the great ideas & links. Now I know why some pickings were slim. I'll have to stop by Rolo this weekend...and count me in for shopping next time I head south. cheers!

[Kristen Andersen]

If you are interested is some "fashion forward" conscious clothing check out Edun, Loomstate and Rogan at Rolo's locations in SF:

http://www.rolo.com/

As Siel, Avery and I discovered a couple of weeks ago on our Santa Monica conscious fashion shopping expedition most shops are in between their seasonal shipments right now and stock is a bit low across the board making for a frustrating hunt.

If you are in ever in SoCal let me know, we can have an LA style eco clothing adventure. Also, there is a fantastic boutique in Long Beach that carries only socially and environmentally conscious clothes, both comfy/casual and sophisticated:

http://www.goldieboutique.com/