There has been a growing interest in clothing that is made in the USA, and for good reason. Many smaller businesses and independent designers are opting to manufacture domestically, creating more jobs here at home. Manufacturing is the 4th largest employer in the U.S. The standards for wages and working conditions are relatively high compared to the standards in other countries offering cheaper alternatives. By choosing to keep production close to home, I can personally visit and attest to the conditions. In addition to the labor issues, there is also the sustainability to consider. Sustainable in multiple ways. If the winds of worldwide politics change, manufacturing domestically is still an option. In terms of protecting the environment, it reduces the...
June is just around and corner. School is almost done. And, upon many requests, you will soon be able to shop directly at www.ecopetites.com! What has this been like getting ready? A new photo-shoot for one, to make sure I have pictures of each style and color. Talented photographer Crystal Liepa, scrambled on short notice to find a location and did a fantastic job discovering a bright and lovely space in NE Minneapolis. She added to the set of fantastic photos I had from the previous photo-shoot by Stephanie Dunn (who very sadly has moved and will be missed). The two models you see on the website, Makenzie Kramer and Kham Keomysy are both petite, measuring at 5’2” and 5’1”...
Then and now: how green I am. As a sustainable-modeled business, you know I value that which is green, in the eco-friendly sense, but that is not what I mean here. This is a major career change for me, coming from a background as a medical illustrator and moving into fashion. And I started out green, and I mean green behind the ears, not knowing what I was getting myself into kind of green! Now, don't get me wrong: there are some things I know that do apply: sewing and designing my own clothes for 20+ years, knowledge of human anatomy, experience in running a solo business and a passion for sustainability. But when it came to how to start...
The MN Textile Center has been a wonderful find for me. And this is the story of fabric I dyed that has now gone full circle! I first learned how to dye fabric by taking classes there: Color Wheel in Cotton, Mastering MX Dyes and Bengala Dying. The instructors are so helpful and knowledgeable, and I had lots of fun meeting the other students as well. Then it came time to dye fabric on my own, and I rented the dye lab there to experiment first, and then dye a whopping 10 yard piece of hemp/organic cotton fabric! These photos show me in the dye lab (on a cold winter's day), the experimenting and then the 10 yard piece all...
Sometimes people ask me, why did I decide to jump in and start this business? What is my passion and what does it mean to me? I believe in being part of a positive change in how the fashion industry produces clothing, from the fibers to the factory. Mostly, I care about how the industry affects the people in it, wherever they are in the world. I want my children to know that exploitation does not have to be tolerated as status quo and that we don’t have to turn a deaf ear while others suffer, just so we can have something we want but don’t really need. My kids are citizens of the world. One was born in Guatemala,...
