6 Slow Fashion Designers To Wear For Summer By Kara Armstrong of The Conscious Merchant
PHOTOGRAPHED BY ESTHER LEE LEACH
WRITTEN BY KARA ARMSTRONG // OWNER OF THE CONSCIOUS MERCHANT
LOCATION: DAIRY BLOCK
I created my retail brand, The Conscious Merchant, as a place for individuals to be empowered to make changes for a healthier life and cleaner world. I’m no stranger to the challenges many of us make to be more eco-conscious. Fashion is my forum of artistic expression. As I started to be more conscious of waste, I really struggled with my love for fashion. The fast fashion industry has created a frenzy to always be wearing something new and never twice. It was a challenge for me to embrace slower fashion and incorporate timeless pieces to reduce my consumption and in turn, waste. The Conscious Merchant has created a place to have the conversation around slower fashion, a place to examine how Denver can elevate the movement and unite local designers, influencer and the consumer to collectively create change. Here are six of Kara’s favorite Denver based slow fashion designers.
THE OULA COMPANY
Erika Dalya Massaquoi, Founder of The Oula Company
Erika Dalya Massaquoi is the founder of The OULA Company, a producer of heirloom-worthy womenswear whose aesthetic is based on tunics, day dresses, and caftans the designer’s artist/activist mother wore in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Handcrafted and sewn in the USA, OULA’s vibrant colors and patterns are the company’s signature and its ethos embraces the testimony of black joy. A voracious reader, yogi, traveler, and active contemporary art curator, Massaquoi is a former professor and served as assistant dean of the School of Art & Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Under fair conditions, all OULA garments are hand-cut and sewn locally in the USA, which results in a smaller carbon footprint. Our goal is to make classic, practical pieces from comfortable, durable fabrics that will last a lifetime and never end up in a landfill. OULA is wearable art that you will cherish forever. In addition to our use of African Wax Fabric, we also source dynamic vintage dead-stock textiles globally for our limited edition and small-batch runs.
MEÇLÂ
Meçlâ Soyer-Kaplan, Founder of Meçlâ
Meçlâ designs high-fashion clothing that is modern and versatile. She also incorporates ethical and sustainable fashion practices for each phase of her garments like sourcing fabrics, hiring local, and producing most styles made-to-order. You can purchase her pieces online at shopmecla.com or in person at Matriarch Mercantile 2700 Walnut St.
MIMI SHIM STUDIO
Mimi Shim, Founder of Mimi Shim Studio
Mimi Shim Studio is a sewing atelier focused on creating heirloom quality quilted goods, providing clothing alteration, and sewing services - all with sustainability in mind from beginning to end. Starting from sourcing from ethical and sustainable material vendors, timeless designs, made-to-order production model, to using fabric scraps for minimal waste. Along side a rotating capsule collection of quilted wears to home goods, Mimi provides clothing alteration services to help make the existing clothes in your closet last longer, as well as bridal alterations and vintage re-design.
DANTE PEROZZI
Dante Perozzi, Founder of Dante Perozzi Jewelry
Dante Perozzi, the founder of Dante Perozzi Jewelry, creates pieces that strike a unique balance between art and everyday expression. Perozzi produces thoughtfully handmade pieces using recycled metals for her brass, sterling silver, and gold designs. Moving beyond simple adornment, her pieces seek to inspire and empower the wearer. Direct inquiries can be sent to info@danteperozzi.com
@danteperozzijewelry // www.danteperozzi.com to shop, keep up with in-person events, and to see a list of local stockists.
TENTH & SPRUCE
Alicia Rose Moore, Founder of Tenth & Spruce
Tenth & Spruce, a Denver-based women’s outerwear company, is on a mission to create timeless jackets that inspire confidence. They take inspiration from traditional suiting and tailored garments, then combine those elements with thoughtful details and a fantastic fit. The result is a high-style, high-function, everyday jacket that can transform any outfit. Tenth & Spruce’s pieces are made with the utmost care and consideration. They’re focused on shifting the fashion landscape by prioritizing sustainability. Each coat is made out of deadstock, upcycled, or natural fabrics, and is manufactured in LA, keeping its carbon footprint low. @tenthandspruce // www.tenthandspruce.com
YOU4ic FITWEAR
Crystal Mansanares, Founder of YOU4ic Fitwear
Crystal started YOU4ic Fitwear in 2018 with the inspiration to make functional, sustainable but fashionable athleisure wear. The company’s efforts to being a more earth conscious brand started with looking at the excess pieces to manufacturing such as tags or plastic wrap as they just add to the landfill. YOU4ic is working towards becoming a close-cycle fit wear brand that’s designed with performance and fashion in mind.