{eco boutique} the rescued collection: an eco, online thrift shop

the propensity to rescue dates back as far as my mind can reach. and not just defenseless animals. dusty, old books? i want them; i'll read them all. antique furniture left in the alley next to my flat? guess who's coming home with me tonight? clothes that no one else wants? i'll dust them off + wear them or reconstruct them. i see value in almost everything.

there's a little online eco boutique called bead + reel that you may already know about {i wrote about it previously here on finny + dill, singing high praises for this woman-founded + woman-run retail shop: that's right, it's entirely run by one fierce woman}, but did you know that owner sica schmitz has created an online resale shop that sells only vegan + ethically made wares? sica also won the sustainable business council's small business award this year. here's what the animal activist, shrewd eco entrepreneur + one of my fave everyday heroes had to say about acknowledging women's accomplishments + why size doesn't matter:

before we hear words of wisdom from sica, a woman with a powerful will, i wanted to take a moment to introduce you to her fantastic new online second-hand shop that she has incorporated on bead + reel, her fab retail website. this is no ordinary collection of pre-loved clothes. the rescued collection is made up of eco, ethical + vegan wares only. which means you can purchase gently used + like new apparel, footwear + accessories from some of the best sustainable fashion labels for a fraction of the original price. 

“the average american throws out 70 pounds of textiles each year, according to the council for textile recycling.”

and it's so very easy. just drop the free shipping label into your cart, press send; within 24 hours you'll receive the ups label which you can print from home, then ta da! send your package via post, then receive a payment via paypal or keep the credit to purchase a shiny new bauble or that new set of strappy heels you've been eyeing. trust me, this is a great way to save money on eco items you'd like to invest in or to save your garments from the belly of the whale: and my that i mean the landfill. 

and now sica speaketh the truth. sica talks size, and why it doesn't matter: it was very intimidating to enter this competition as a one-person, $100,000 business competing in the same category as $1 million companies with teams of employees. there is a vast difference in resources and capabilities, and i am well aware of that. but for a small sole proprietorship to win means that any individual has the power to build their own business and to start creating their own unique impacts. don't wait until you're "big enough" to change the world; you, yourself, are capable of it right now.

as a woman whose company honors the earth by stocking only products that are made with respect to our natural resources, to people + to animals, i loved what she had to say about the importance of trees:

one of my friends asked how much money came with this award, and i had to laugh. this award offers only recognition, and a tree. a beautiful "giving tree" - a ming aralia, and it was probably the most meaningful award i could have received. my father used to give away thousands of trees every year to my hometown community - little douglas fir seedlings, free to anyone who would love them. his friends and clients and strangers would plant their jace trees - named in his honor - on their properties, and some people had decades worth of jace trees growing at their homes. he died 5 years ago, so he never got to see bead + reel or the tree that i won this week. however, his jace trees live on, a beautiful and constant reminder that our impact on the world doesn't end when we leave this earth. so give trees, and plant trees, and live the kind of life that continues to grow, even after you are gone.

and finally, sica reminds us why female leadership matters: 

bead + reel is an entirely woman-founded, women-owned, woman-run business, and it is only in acknowledging more women's accomplishments that we can start to shift towards a reality where there are as many large companies run by men as by women.

thank you to sica for her work as a pioneering entrepreneur  + a rockin' role model. 

{don't forget the tip} when i first learned that people across the world dispose of used clothing, i was completely discombobulated. the average american throws out 70 pounds of textiles each year, according to the council for textile recycling. that just won't do. there are many options for recycling your gently-worn apparel + footwear. don't send those gently used items to the landfills, instead give them new life by donating them or selling them. now get ready to shop small. want to know what other options exist for redirecting the destiny of those perfectly wearable clothes in your closet? check out this post at litterless. 

{eco apparel: wearing organic cotton top by groceries apparel + fair trade jeans by monkee genes; find your own fair trade treasures at bead + reel}

until next time, stay green dear hearts!

{simple pleasures} coming home: rentrer à la maison

“It’s a funny thing coming home. nothing changes.

Everything looks the same, feels the same, even smells the same.

You realize what’s changed is you.”

— F. Scott Fitzgerald

rentre à la masion: it struck me long ago while traveling far from home that there's no place that smells quite like chicago. close to lake michigan, cool winds carry an aqueous + water grass bouquet along with the distinct smell of fresh lake water. "water grass" is how my french friends translate  the word "seaweed". i truly cherish this scent, it's definitely one of my fave simple pleasures

{eco mode: wearing a black, organic cotton sweater by slow fashion label bon label, 30-wears skirt shopped from my own closet + a structured cross-body from ethical luxury handbag brand angela roi from fave eco boutique bead + reel.

{eco boutique of the week} bead + reel: layers of good

most products travel through various parts of the world and through many hands before they reach us. free 2 work

today there are a number of well-curated boutiques bringing green hearts the best in eco fashion. what sets these shops apart from one another are the diverse ethical labels as well as the impassioned individuals with varied backgrounds + unique narratives which feed their uncommon approaches to his or her small business enterprise. 

bead + reel was founded by sica schmitz, fervent social justice advocate, animal rights activist + inspired entrepreneur, who previously worked in costume design in film, television + theater. 

sica understands that our clothing tells a story, and as the tale unfurls, she wants consumers to know that there are many characters involved: from farm + tannery workers, to the needleworkers in garment factories, to consumers wearing textiles that affect their own health. 

if you peel back the layers of sica's story, you'll find more than a woman with a keen eye for design-led fashion, you'll also find someone with an abiding commitment to shedding light on industry issues such as forced + child labor, 

the exploitation of animals and the need for more transparent supply chain practices {follow her on fb}. 

in 2014 sica decided to spearhead her l.a.-based shop with the hope of telling a story of both style + compassion, "

i didn't know where the things in my closet were made, or by who, or what chemicals may be in the fabrics or dyes on my skin. i didn't think about the true cost of what i was buying on the larger world around me. i realized i need to change my clothes, change my story. i started researching which brands, which fibers, which processes i wanted to include in my story...."

bead + reel stocks some of my fave ethical labels, inlcuding made-in-the-usa labels like amour vert, animal-friendly shoes + accessories by bhava, indosole + angela + roi and artisan-crafted jewelry by natalie frigo.  

when i first started writing about eco fashion, i did general google searches, held my breath + hoped for the best. but the days of aimless eco fashion wandering are gone thanks to miss schmitz. see what all the hype is about right here.

{top image: pippin's pics 1. rachael ryen earrings / 2. natalie frigo cuff / 3. angela + roi  crossbody bag / 4. supra endura postcards / 5. eqo optics sunglasses / bottom image via bead + reel}