I agree with you -- we cannot treat shopping as charity. Her post (and yours!) did remind me to be more intentional about seeking out small brands to support rather than just defaulting to what is cheapest or being served to me via ads. The Okayok brand is really cute!
I share a similar philosophy, especially regarding restaurants. We cook most meals at home but the nights we do go out we always choose to patronize locally owned restaurants. Which isn’t hard to do where i live because they are abundant here! I shop mostly secondhand for clothing but my goal this year is to find a better balance when it comes to shopping. I admittedly thrift too much clothing that I don’t really need (or isn’t quite what I’m looking for but I can’t pass it up when it’s only $4!). So this year I’d like to save my money for fewer purchases that tick all my boxes, including being made by a smaller, ethically-minded producer. I also want to start sewing more and spending less time browsing for clothing and instead spend that time planning my sewing projects. Thanks for the thoughts on how fashion can parallel the food industry, always appreciate a new way to look at things.
I love the points you make here - sadly, as consumers we cannot single-handedly support small businesses, much as we want them to succeed. I also love your collection of carefully chosen pieces.
Love this! Discovered Harly Jae and Eve Gravel at the start of COVID 19 and found myself shopping local ever since. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the Canada West boots! They’ve been in my wishlist for the past 2 years… just haven’t clicked “buy” yet hahaha.
I feel the same about the small restaurants in my neighbourhood...I want to support them all but eating out all the time isn't doable for my wallet and I don't think it would be great for my health. Consumption alone can't fix systemic problems. That said, I love the brands you've featured and hopefully I'll discover a few favourites here in Melbourne in time.
Thanks for this thoughtful post and the intro so many great brands. How clothing businesses can thrive in a low-buy society is something I want to think about more...
Where do you usually find out about these small brands? And how do you like to keep tabs on them? Personally, I find it exciting to learn about all these brands but also overwhelmed with how much there is to look through and follow...
Yes, it’s a very interesting problem—and I do think that the rise of low buy pledges and sewing/knitting as a hobby are signalling a social shift.
I’ve found these brands over many years, through a combination of social media, online browsing (scrolling Garmentory was my late night guilty pleasure), and visiting boutiques that focus on small, local brands. There are a handful that I like to keep tabs on each season, but I don’t really go out of my way to find new ones to obsess over (agree that the landscape is very saturated and overwhelming). The list of brands I admire is long, but there are only a few that I would actually consider buying from. That recognition makes it easier to not dwell on what I might be missing out on.
I agree with you -- we cannot treat shopping as charity. Her post (and yours!) did remind me to be more intentional about seeking out small brands to support rather than just defaulting to what is cheapest or being served to me via ads. The Okayok brand is really cute!
Same exact thought! Thanks for intro to a few brands I haven’t heard of, too
I share a similar philosophy, especially regarding restaurants. We cook most meals at home but the nights we do go out we always choose to patronize locally owned restaurants. Which isn’t hard to do where i live because they are abundant here! I shop mostly secondhand for clothing but my goal this year is to find a better balance when it comes to shopping. I admittedly thrift too much clothing that I don’t really need (or isn’t quite what I’m looking for but I can’t pass it up when it’s only $4!). So this year I’d like to save my money for fewer purchases that tick all my boxes, including being made by a smaller, ethically-minded producer. I also want to start sewing more and spending less time browsing for clothing and instead spend that time planning my sewing projects. Thanks for the thoughts on how fashion can parallel the food industry, always appreciate a new way to look at things.
I love the points you make here - sadly, as consumers we cannot single-handedly support small businesses, much as we want them to succeed. I also love your collection of carefully chosen pieces.
Love this! Discovered Harly Jae and Eve Gravel at the start of COVID 19 and found myself shopping local ever since. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the Canada West boots! They’ve been in my wishlist for the past 2 years… just haven’t clicked “buy” yet hahaha.
I feel the same about the small restaurants in my neighbourhood...I want to support them all but eating out all the time isn't doable for my wallet and I don't think it would be great for my health. Consumption alone can't fix systemic problems. That said, I love the brands you've featured and hopefully I'll discover a few favourites here in Melbourne in time.
Thank you for the introduction to Okayok! Love their confetti line!
Oh! I forgot to ask in my comment below… do you find the Canada West boots fit true to size? Thank you!
I think the regular Romeos are pretty true to size, but would go 1/2 size up for the insulated version like mine. Hope that helps!
Thanks for this thoughtful post and the intro so many great brands. How clothing businesses can thrive in a low-buy society is something I want to think about more...
Where do you usually find out about these small brands? And how do you like to keep tabs on them? Personally, I find it exciting to learn about all these brands but also overwhelmed with how much there is to look through and follow...
Yes, it’s a very interesting problem—and I do think that the rise of low buy pledges and sewing/knitting as a hobby are signalling a social shift.
I’ve found these brands over many years, through a combination of social media, online browsing (scrolling Garmentory was my late night guilty pleasure), and visiting boutiques that focus on small, local brands. There are a handful that I like to keep tabs on each season, but I don’t really go out of my way to find new ones to obsess over (agree that the landscape is very saturated and overwhelming). The list of brands I admire is long, but there are only a few that I would actually consider buying from. That recognition makes it easier to not dwell on what I might be missing out on.