As we close out Earth Month, I thought I'd share some of my favorite sustainable tips, as well as some new product concepts around sustainability I have in the works!

And it goes without saying ... every day is Earth Day! As a small batch production brand, I am fiercely commited to maintaining our commitment to only making purposeful product that is not over produced. It's easy to give into the fashion industry's "expectations" of MORE, MORE, MORE. But as we all know ... the world doesn't need more "stuff". Hence why often our products are made 1 or 2 pieces at a time vs. hundreds or thousands of units at a time.

So let's keep up our efforts to keep this beautiful planet top of mind with all the small choices we make every day. Whether that means bringing your reusable cup, doing a neighborhood clean-up, or donating to your favorite environmental chairty ... you are making a difference!

xo,

Patti

It's no secret I love leather and in some ways leather is truly a more sustainable material than non-leather/vegan bag materials (which are often plastic and petroleum based). However, as I've been exploring more into the world of non-leather materials (I've had quite a few requests for vegan bags!), I have found one that I am really loving and have made an initial Kristen bag in this new material.

I stumbled upon cactus leather a few years ago and started exploring it as a bag material possiblity. It's sourced out of Mexico and is a higly renewable resource that is NOT plastic based. The company has expanded their material offering and I've found one that is great for Marcher bags.

If you'd like to learn more about this new material I've been testing, check out the Kristen Bag in cactus leather:

The Vegan Leather Kristen Bag

I have always loved clothes, shoes, bags and accessories and have amassed quite the collection. I've always enjoyed shopping consignement stores, as I often find some amazing gems to add to my collection! And more recently, I've added online consignment to my shopping efforts.

Consignment is great to not only shop, but to sell your pre-loved items that are ready to bring someone else joy. I know many of us donate clothing to our local Goodwill or other charity, but often these organizations end up with more clothing than they can handle. Online consignment can be a great way to not only give your pre-loved pieces a new home, but make some $$$ off of them as well!

I have 2 favorite online consignment sites that I have used to buy + sell, both of which I love and highly recommend. They are each unique and between the two of them, you can pretty much buy or sell any brand you have in your closet:

The Real Real: Online Luxury Consignment

ThredUp: Online Consignment with over 50,000 featured brands

Where I live in Portland, OR, we are lucky to have weekly green bin composting where everything of organic nature (and I mean everything ... like meat + dairy products) can go in the bin that is picked up at the curb.

I know this is not common in most areas, but there are more and more great home composting options coming on the market. Whether you are looking for a countertop option, a larger capacity in-home unit, or an outdoor composter to handle yard debris and beyond, this list from The Spruce has a great roundup of the best composting options out there:  

The 8 Best Composters of 2024