Daily Gems & other musings — sustainable fashion

We first discovered Elena Velez when we built our Style Board Diversity in Design series, and have been fans ever since.  Her designs speak to us not only because they're the minimal, modern silhouettes that we love, but she also uses repurposed and upcycled materials to make her clothing not only beautiful, but also sustainable.  Elena's designs "play on the ideas of femininity, challenging with the ideas of what can be beautiful by using materials that are deemed for grunt work and transforming them into ethereal garments." A recent Parson's graduate, Elena has already entered the mainstream by dressing celebrities...

We recently discovered Aliya Wanek's women's and childrenswear line while searching for local, San Francisco Bay Area sustainable designers, and it's safe to say we were instantly obsessed!  Launched in 2016, Aliya continues to work with Bay Area contractors to make her environmentally friendly garments (when not making them herself!), both things very near and dear to our own hearts.  After scouring her website and adding *many* pieces to our cart, our current favorites include her organic hemp and cotton dresses, minimal, jewel-toned drop crotch pants and comfy-cool loungewear.  We're dreaming of wearing these in the transition from summer to fall, and all season...