New at Birch- Fused Glass Jewelry

Kathleen Davis is a local Minneapolis artist who makes stunning designs out of fused glass and incorporates them into pendants and earrings. We are pleased to feature some of her hand crafted creations at Birch.

Kathleen makes her unique, artful pendants and earrings out of translucent and clear glass in various colors and shades. Some of the glass is dichroic adding a shimmery quality to those pieces.

Kathleen fuses the various colors and layers of glass together and creates attractive shapes for her pendants and earrings, resulting in jewelry that really pops with style.

Enjoy the beauty of fused glass jewelry. It will be a perfect compliment to your fall wardrobe.

--Your friends at Birch

Mehera Shaw- Fair Trade Feminine Fashion

I attended a fashion show put on by Mehera Shaw at Ten Thousand Villages in St. Paul and was impressed by the beauty, quality and style of the collection presented.

Mehera Shaw was founded by Mark and Shari Keller in 1999. Shari designs and produces fair trade, natural fiber clothing in vibrant and feminine styles. The apparel features vintage, nouveau classic and Asian-inspired designs.

Mehera Shaw uses small-scale, traditional methods of production and works extensively with cottage industry artisan groups in the Jaipur region of North India. The company uses hand block printing, embroidery and hand-looming. All garments are designed and stitched in-house.

Shari Keller notes:

Our business is not only about beautiful fashion, it is about relationships: relationships with people and with the earth. We have relationships with the pattern masters, stitchers, quilters and hand block printers.

Whenever possible, Mehera Shaw uses organic cotton in its collection. When organic cotton is not available, material is selected that has not been chemically treated after looming. Cotton fabrics include voile, corduroy, velvet, and silk blend. Eco-friendly azo free dyes or vegetable dyes are used to color the collection.

Mehera Shaw is a member of the Fair Trade Federation. The company guarantees and pays a fair living wage to employees. All employees have 100% health/medical coverage, including all household members.

Visit the Mehera Shaw Store in Minneapolis if you are in the area. I think you will be impressed with the fine detail work including pin tucking, pleating and crinkling, and with the vibrant colors and attractive designs of the pieces. We particularly love the tunic pieces and leggings for a current look.

Thank you to Shari Keller for providing information for this post and the photograph from the Mehera Shaw collection.

--Your friends at Birch

Simple Style – Six Items or Less

We’re back from our summer hiatus and have another interesting wardrobe thinning challenge to tell you about. It begins in September so you have plenty of time to prepare for this experiment in simple living if you decide to take the challenge.

Can you choose just six items from your wardrobe and wear only those pieces for an entire month? That is what the Six Items or Less challenge asks you to do. The tag line of the Six Items or Less project is: a global experiment examining the power of what we don’t wear.

The first group of about 250 people from around the world completed the month long challenge in July. Now the project is looking for new recruits to take the wardrobe slimming plunge for the month of September.

Here are the details. Each participant agrees to wear a maximum of six items from her or his wardrobe for one month. There are (thankfully) exceptions that do not count towards your pick of six garments. They are:

undergarments, swim wear, work-out clothes, work uniforms, outer jackets (rain slicker, outdoor jacket), shoes and accessories. You can get multiples of the same item for laundry purposes, but different colors count as separate items.

Makes sense but is it doable? I’m going to find out by making the month of September a six item month for me. What an easy way to simplify life for 30 days.

The founders say they have no set philosophy behind their wardrobe challenge but I can think of at least a few reasons to take this on.

One good reason is that having only six items to choose from will make my daily dressing decisions easy thereby freeing up time, energy and creativity for other more satisfying tasks. Another reason, (the flip side of the first reason in some ways) is that wearing only six items may enhance my wardrobe creativity because if I challenge myself to use accessories, jewelry and shoes in ways to make six items into a unique look for each day of the month. And a third reason to give this challenge a try is that it may be a fun way to tame that big old American urge to consume that seems to be wired into many of us.

If one or more of these reasons resonates with you, give the wardrobe diet a try in September. You can learn more about how one participant met the challenge during July here.

--Your friends at Birch

Simple Style- Perfect Fit With MyShape

One important key to creating a simplified wardrobe is to make sure everything in it fits you well. An ill fitting garment is sure to stay in the back of the closet and to make you squirm a bit if you do end up wearing it. And a simple style wardrobe has no room for a piece that is not worn regularly (except of course special occasion wear). But finding well fitting clothes can be a frustrating experience.

MyShape is a website store that helps you find clothes that fit your body perfectly and meet your style preferences. This is how it works. To create your own personal store you take detailed body measurements and answer questions about what types of things you like to wear. Then voila! The site creates your own “personal shop” full of clothing choices that they say will fit you beautifully and meet your style requirements.

The process of answering the questions and taking the measurements to set up a “shop” took me about a half hour. Once you have completed the survey you are provided several web pages of garments that have been selected to fit you properly and to match your style preferences. One limitation is that the site does not take into consideration your color preferences when choosing garments for you to consider. They may add that refinement in the future.

The MyShape web store carries over 200 designers some of which use organic and sustainable fabrics such as Blue Canoe, Jonano and Eileen Fisher. The wide selection of designers helps to keep your “shop” well stocked.

In addition to providing you with personal shopping options, MyShape also puts you into one of seven body shape categories based upon the information you provide. The site provides general tips and ideas for dressing options, cuts and styles that look good on your body type.

MyShape could be a useful tool in creating a simplified wardrobe because it does some of the heavy lifting for you. Its purpose is to find styles that flatter and sizes that fit you. Since fit and attractiveness are two keys to building a simple style wardrobe, you may want to make use of this resource.

--Your friends at Birch

Simple Style- Summer Light Challenge

Here is a terrific summer challenge for you. Pare your wardrobe to 10 pieces to wear for the entire summer. That is the essence of Green by Design’s Summer Light Challenge that starts today- the first day of summer. What a great exercise in simplifying your style and in making the summer carefree and easy.

Green by Design’s Facebook page gives you some tips on how to make the challenge work if you even if you must “dress up” for work each day. The rules allow you to use unlimited accessories and they state that work out clothes do not count toward your 10 pieces. Sounds quite sensible and doable to me. And if you’re not into rules, make up your own version of a pared down wardrobe and try it for the summer or a month or a week. Take the challenge and open up more time to savor the sweetness of summer.

--Your friends at Birch

Alchemy Goods

We’ve added some Alchemy Goods bags to our web store. When we carried Alchemy’s products in our Minneapolis store, they were customer favorites. In addition to bringing back the always popular Haversack and Messenger Bag, we’re introducing some new items such as the East Lake Laptop Sleeve and the uber cool Magnolia Handbag.

Alchemy bags are designed and crafted in Seattle out of recycled/upcycled inner tubes and seat belts. The company denotes the percentage by weight of recycled/upcycled material contained in each of their products by putting a tiny, nicely designed number in the corner of the logo. It is a perfect reminder of what a great, easy on the earth bag you have decided to carry around town.

If you are thinking that an inner tube bag would not be jazzy enough for you then think again. Alchemy embellishes their bags with colorful piping and lining that gives you just the right amount of pop. Take a look at what Alchemy has to offer.

--Your friends at Birch

Visualizing a Slow Fashion Future

What will fashion look like in 2025? That is a question Forum for the Future decided to research. The answer they came up with is described in the report: Fashion Futures 2025: Global Scenarios for a Sustainable Fashion Industry. While the report describes four different possible scenarios for the future of fashion, the one we honed in on and believe is the most likely picture is one in which slow fashion precepts have taken hold of mass consciousness.

In the “Slow is Beautiful” world the authors describe the fashion scene as “über sustainable and über cool… most consumers are prepared to pay more for a smaller number of high-quality sustainable clothing items.” This vision of the future brings clothing that is durable and worn longer. When we are done with a garment we take it back to where we bought it for the fabric to be remanufactured into something else making apparel truly cradle to cradle with no waste.

The report even envisions government campaigns to encourage consumers to “wash less; wash cold”. What a fresh concept to have government propaganda to prolong the life of garments and reduce needless energy consumption by washing clothes only when truly dirty and then with cold water. In our society of hyper cleanliness, driven by corporate propaganda, some common sense messaging about apparel care could save a lot of human and fossil fuel energy.

Imagining a Slow Fashion future is the first step to making it a reality. Once we decide to reframe the concept of “fashion” to encompass appreciation of craftsmanship, longevity and classic style we are on our way to a place where consumers buy more intentionally and with an eye to keeping and wearing well what they purchase. Bring on the slow fashion future.

--Your friends at Birch

It’s Time to Start Line Drying

The weather is fine, the days are long and you just want to be outside. That makes it the perfect time to start drying your clothes on an outdoor clothes line. You get some exercise and time to be in the fresh air and sunshine and your clothes get a deluxe drying treatment. They smell better and fresher and will last longer if not subjected to the rough and tumble action of the dryer.

A large percentage of the environmental impact of wearing clothes comes from laundering if you use hot water to wash and a clothes dryer to dry your garments. Plus, mechanically drying your laundry costs in the neighborhood of $70 per year.

If you are concerned that line drying your clothes will leave them stiff or bunchy or otherwise unpleasant to wear, check out these line drying tips. And remember with line drying you never get that unpleasant surprise of taking something out of the dryer that should never have been put in and finding the garment shrunk and unwearable.
So once you’ve simplified your wardrobe a bit with some of our slow fashion tips, why not take things one step further and hang your clothes to dry? A simple, natural drying method beautifully complements a simple style wardrobe and slow fashion. Try it today and we think you’ll agree.

--Your friends at Birch

Simple Style - Show Some Respect!

The simple style credo calls for a new appreciation of the apparel we put on our bodies each day. For many of us, the sad truth is that we don’t respect our clothing. We toss it in heaps, have way too much of it to truly appreciate, throw it away when the whim of fashion dictates something new, leave it behind on trips, forget it at a friends, keep it trapped in our closet to never see the light of day, and on and on.

True, our garments are not gems or treasures. They are not things we would run back into a burning house to save. Most of our apparel wears out, fades and otherwise loses luster over time.

But-- someone labored long and hard to sew and finish the clothes you are wearing right now. Someone else worked hard on the design. If you are wearing natural fibers others labored to grow and harvest the cotton, hemp, flax, or bamboo that composes your tee shirt or trousers. If your dress was made oversees someone loaded it onto a cargo ship and then someone else transported it across the ocean and then someone else trucked it overland to the store where you bought it. You get the idea. Throw away fashion and fast fashion does not respect people’s labor.

By adopting a simple style, slow fashion credo, we embrace a full appreciation for the garments we choose to buy and wear. Because there are less of them, we can easily be more intentional and purposeful in our selections. This leads to a natural appreciation for each component of our attire. By wearing a streamlined wardrobe each piece of which we truly love, we are honoring the work that went into creating our garments.

So today’s advice is to slow down, simplify and show some respect, already!

--Your friends at Birch

Made in the USA

We’re not trying to promote xenophobia or anything, but isn’t it nice to look at a clothing label once in a while and see “Made in the USA”? With so much of apparel production being done overseas, we are pleased to let you know we’ve found some gem companies that make their clothing on our home soil. From shirts to lingerie to baby clothes to socks to yoga wear to underwear-- we’ve got you covered in “homemade” apparel. And for you Twin Citians we have a local option of Made in the USA for you to love with Sassy Knitwear.

If you are in the mood to boost the home economy, take a look at our collection of MADE IN THE USA clothing. You are sure to find something that is just right for you from one of these companies that manufacture in the USA: Amelia’s, Autonomie Project, Bgreen, Blue Canoe, Cottonfield, Mountains of the Moon, Sassy Knitwear, Swell Foop, Teko and Tianello.

--Your Friends at Birch

Book Review: The Better World Shopping Guide

Book Review: The Better World Shopping Guide

One of the reasons we opened Birch is because of our belief that the way we spend our money shapes our world. We wanted to make it easier for our customers to be sure their dollars were making a positive impact by supporting ethical manufacturing.

Ellis Jones shares this philosophy. He wrote The Better World Shopping Guide to assist consumers in finding goods that are made in a socially and environmentally responsible way.

This handy dandy pocket sized guide is arranged alphabetically by category. Companies and products are rated A to F on social and environmental criteria. The guide covers a wide range of consumer goods. It is compact to carry, concisely written and well organized.

Under the category “clothing”, we were pleased to see that Patagonia and Maggie's Organics are rated highly. Birch sells apparel from both of these producers and our customers love their offerings.

Included in the Guide’s list of ten small but beautiful companies is Ten Thousand Villages and World of Good, two of our favorite fair trade resources.

The Better World Shopping Guide is fun to look through and see what is considered the good, the bad and the ugly by the author who is described as a “scholar of social responsibility, global citizenship and everyday activism”. This guide is a sequel to Ellis Jones’ first book The Better World Handbook.

--Your friends at Birch

Swell Foop Now at Birch

Swell Foop makes cute men’s and women’s tees and baby clothes in super soft organic cotton fabric. The Company embellishes its tees and baby clothes with designs featuring animals such as sea turtles, penguins and dolphins that are threatened by a variety of conditions including global warming, human encroachment of habitat or hunting.

Swell Foop shirts are all 100% organic cotton and are made, printed and finished in the USA. They make perfect gifts for friends, family and newborns.

The Company supports non-profits dedicated to environmental causes by donating 10% of all proceeds to groups that are particularly effective in helping to make the world a greener place. Swell Foop is currently supporting Earth Island Institute and American Wildlands.

This is a perfect time of year for a new summer tee. Enjoy the soft feel and cute designs of our Swell Foop collection knowing that you are also being easy on the earth and helping to support environmental causes.

--Your friends at Birch

Fair Trade Fabulous

World Fair Trade Day is May 8th. Celebrate by treating yourself or someone you love to a fairly traded, gift, jewelry or bag. Birch has an inviting selection to choose from.

And if you are a Twin Cities Metro area reader, here are two fair trade events you should know about.

Ten Thousand Villages on Grand Avenue (at Victoria) in St. Paul is hosting a fair trade fashion show on Saturday, May 8th at 2 PM to celebrate World Fair Trade Day. Fashions will be provided by Mehera Shaw a Minneapolis Fair Trade Fashion boutique. Designer Shari Keller will be on hand to talk about her creations and the process of fair trade production.

And, the temporary Ten Thousand Villages West store (7630 Lyndale Avenue South, Richfield; phone 651.367.4145) is focusing on how to fair trade your home all month with a different highlight each weekend:
May 6-9 learn about fair trade food.
May 13-16 learn about fair trade clothes.
May 20-23 learn about local artisans.
May 27-30 learn more about Ten Thousand Villages.

Please consider shopping for fair trade gifts, jewelry and home accessories while you visit the St. Paul or the Richfield Ten Thousand Villages store. Invest in a fair trade world.

--Your friends at Birch

Eat.Shop Twin Cities

Do you like to eat, to shop or do both? Then the Eat.Shop Twin Cities Guide by Anna Blessing, is for you. Eat.Shop Twin Cities provides you with reviews and descriptions of many unique, independent, locally owned eating and shopping venues in Minneapolis and St. Paul. (Full disclosure: Birch is one of the shops listed.)

Eat.Shop is chock full of must visit eateries and shops that may be under your radar because many of them do not have the advertising budget of bigger players.

The format used gives you a short, concise description of the restaurant or shop, followed by a few suggestions of favorite dishes or merchandise. There are several photos of each featured establishment that act as an effective enticement to visit. And the author includes addresses, hours, phone numbers, websites—all the essentials about each entry. To make it easy to find each place, there are maps of each neighborhood covered with the locations of the businesses noted.

This handy guide is a perfect gift for yourself if you are in the mood to discover new and interesting places to visit in the Twin Cities and for any out of town friends or loved ones you may be trying to lure here for a visit. Or for that matter, give Eat.Shop to an in-town friend who is looking for some fresh ideas of where to go for some fun in the Cities.

--Your friends at Birch

The Bamboo Scene

A bamboo jungle in NYC? It seems unlikely considering the climate, yet the Metropolitan Museum of Art has made it happen. Or more accurately, two inventive artists named Doug and Mike Starn (identical twins, no less), have created the “Big Bambu” exhibit atop the Met’s roof. The exhibit which opened Tuesday has bamboo thickets with elevated paths winding through them that will cover about 100 by 50 feet when the work is completed (it’s growing daily!).

It seems as if bamboo has captured our collective imagination of late. Bamboo is now being used to make floors, furniture, rugs, dishes, fences, food, apparel and many other things.

Most bamboo clothing is made of a viscose extruded from the bamboo through a chemical process. The apparel ends up with a lovely drape and soft, luxurious hand feel. It is a nice mid-weight fabric that feels good on your body during any season. And, viscose from bamboo is perfect for travel wear because any wrinkles you may pack into a piece, fall out easily when you hang it up at your destination.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to wear a viscose from bamboo apparel piece yet, take a look at our selection. You’ll want to find something bambooesque to wear when you visit the “Big Bambu” exhibit at the Met this summer. If a visit to the Big Apple is not in your plans, enjoy your bamboo piece wherever your summer travels take you from a picnic at the local park to dinner at an exotic locale.

--Your friends at Birch

Made in Minnesota – Tessoro Jewelry

Birch is now offering earrings, necklaces and pins from Tessoro. Tessoro’s natural birchbark jewelry adds simple elegance to any outfit. We feature selections from Tessoro’s Classic, Nordic, Salon and Calder collections in our web store.

Minnesota jewelry designer Deborah Bushinski has been designing and handcrafting her jewelry using the natural beauty of salvaged birchbark since 1998. Her design composition is focused on color, texture and composition.

Tessoro’s commitment to green practices begins with the salvaged birchbark used to produce the jewelry. The bark is cured then cut or torn into the shape needed and coated with an acrylic polymer sealing the wood, enhancing the color as well as bolstering the natural durability of the bark.

Tessoro also uses reclaimed copper from scrapped car radiators. The copper is sanded and cleaned and then artfully used by Deborah to create her jewelry.

The final touches to many designs include the use of semi-precious gemstones as well as freshwater pearls, and simple hematite or sterling beads to add contrast to the bark. Sterling silver and reclaimed copper, hand hammered to create subtle nuances and irregularities, lend structure and boldness to other designs.

We think you will enjoy the unique, naturally elegant styling of our Tessoro jewelry selections.

--Your friends at Birch

Rewilding Our Style

The term “rewilding” has been used to define a concept calling for restoring ecological balance by reintroducing wild species such as bears and wolves to areas from which they have disappeared. Now some eco-psychologist types are trying to rewild the psyche. They believe that personal health and the health of the earth are connected. Healthier environment equals healthier us.

Taking this concept a step further, the term “soliphilia” has been coined for the concept of being aware of and in tune with the interconnectedness of all the components that make up a healthy environment. The theory is that communities which understand that mind and nature are not separate but interconnected are healthier and their residents more satisfied.

Recognizing the essential connection between us and the other inhabitants of this great world, both animal and plant, is key to the success of environmentalism. Connections. Those who make them fare better. That is the meaning of soliphilia.

So when people ask: Why are you concerned with organic and sustainable fashion? One answer (now that I have learned of the concept) is that it helps to create soliphilia in my community and world. Wearing clothing each day that is created with minimal environmental impact and with respect for the sewers producing it, promotes the general welfare while allowing us to look and feel our best. It brings us back to the basics, increases healthy connections and makes us more satisfied.

Rewild on! And, Happy Earth Day, too!

--Your friends at Birch

Book Review of Practically Green

With Earth Day coming up on Thursday, this is the perfect time to let you know about a handy new “green” resource that is now available. Perhaps you know someone who would like to learn more about sustainable living in an easy, straightforward manner. If so, tell them to get a copy of green blogger Micaela Preston’s well written book, Practically Green.

Practically Green is a practical guide to creating and maintaining a sustainable and healthy home. The book is divided into sections on topics such as eating, cleaning, wearing and conserving. It has up to date charts for you to cut out and keep in your purse on topics such as: sustainable seafood (great to pull out when your eyes are glazing over at the seafood counter wondering what to choose that is healthy for you and not overfished), nontoxic cleaning agents and sustainable clothing standards.

The guide is peppered with “Eco-Spotlights” - little blurbs about notable environmentally or socially responsible organizations or businesses that will tune you in to some new interesting resources.

Do-it-yourselfers will love the more than thirty projects and ideas for things to make instead of buy. And, the eating section of the book has several good recipes to try.

Practically Green is compact and well organized, so if you are looking for specific information, it is easy to find. It is a helpful guide to have around to answer many basic questions about green living.

--Your friends at Birch

The Green Creation at Birch

Birch has stocked up on some wonderfully soft, 100% organic cotton clothes, towels and receiving blankets for infants and toddlers from The Green Creation.

The Green Creation is an eco-conscious company that creates hip/stylish clothes and accessories for little ones with sizes from newborn up to 24 months.

Your child will love the adorable tees, pants, bibs and bodysuits with fanciful graphics. And, the organic cotton towels, washcloths and blankets have a perfectly soft feel for your baby’s tender skin.

We love the “above and beyond” attitude of this company towards sustainability. The entire line is made of Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified 100% organic cotton. GOTS certification gives the added assurance of ecological and social responsibility throughout the production process from knitting the yarn through producing the garment.

Not only are their garments GOTS certified but The Green Creation makes their clothing line in India using paddy husk energy for manufacturing. The company’s Smitha Prasad explains: Paddy husk is a major by-product of the rice milling industry and at present around 540,000 metric tons of husk is produced annually. In the majority of rice processing areas, husk is considered as waste material and disposed. But a few companies, including The Green Creation, reuse the husks as a source of energy thereby minimizing its “disposing impact” on the environment. And a productive use has been found for the ash that comes out of burning the paddy husk – the “black ash” can be used as a fertilizer in paddy farming, and the “white ash” in banana and other vegetable cultivation.

The Green Creation works to minimize any adverse effect on the earth while creating adorable baby apparel and accessories. The products are priced nicely from $4.99 to $29.99. We invite you to take a look at these sweet clothes and accessories for infants and toddlers.

--Your friends at Birch

Sustainable Style - Art to Wear

I came across a textile gallery by the name of Moonstruck Art, full of inventive apparel and accessories when I was visiting Silver City, New Mexico recently. I was drawn into the space by a colorful jacket made of recycled saris hanging on the back wall that I could see through the shop window. The exceptionally friendly owner, Pat Bouchard, enthusiastically told me about the artists and the handmade art to wear throughout the store.

I was particularly drawn to the handwoven scarves by Cary Wilcox. I found the distinctive patterns, texture and colors she creates irresistable. I chose a beautiful handpainted medium weight scarf made of tencel and silk to take home with me. It is a perfect weight for spring or fall. Plus, it is nice and long so I can wrap it and wear it several different ways.

Art to wear is an especially delightful part of the slow fashion movement and sustainable style. Art, of course, sustains our essence, our spirit, our soul. The garments are one of a kind accent pieces that the wearer will treasure for years and are often locally made. And if you see something you like that is not quite the right color or size, the artist may be able to custom make a version for you to your specifications.

If you are ever in Silver City, New Mexico stop by the Moonstruck Art Gallery and let Pat tell you about how, where and by whom all the scarves, jackets, jewelry, hats and more were made. As a bonus, she’ll also let you know the best restaurants and coffee shops to visit while you are in town.

--Your friends at Birch

Sustainable Style –Update on the Uniform Project

Sheena Matheiken decided to wear the same black dress for one year beginning in May 09 as an exercise in sustainable fashion and to raise money to send underprivileged children to school in India. We reported on her adventure in dressing through The Uniform Project in an earlier post.

Well here it has been almost a year now and Sheena is still finding new ways to wear her one basic dress. Pictured is her outfit for Thursday, April 8th. And, she has raised almost $70,000, enough to send 193 children to school!

I like Sheena’s approach to sustainable style because she makes sure the outfit meets her functional needs, (deep pockets to hold gear) speaks to her style sense (by looking through and analyzing her current wardrobe when designing the dress) and that the dress will work in all seasons (by choosing a durable cotton fabric that is trans-seasonal). And arguably most important, Sheena did not neglect the importance of fit in creating her sustainable style piece. The designer, Eliza Starbuck, who made this all happen, also made sure the dress fit Sheena perfectly.

A perfect fit makes all the difference in whether or not we reach for a garment from the closet in the morning. If we could find a practical and reasonably priced way to have our clothing custom fit, I’m convinced everyone’s closet would be a lot leaner.

Sheena has given us one possibility for creating a custom wardrobe – limit yourself to one perfect dress. Note that Sheena’s one dress is actually seven identical dresses- one for each day of the week. That practicality makes her scheme for dressing more workable.

--Your Friends at Birch

Made in Minneapolis

We love sourcing locally. But with apparel it is not always easy to find appealing items that are made in the USA much less in our own community. So we are especially pleased to let you know about Sassy Knitwear made in our very own hometown of Minneapolis.

Sassy Knits are designed and produced by Molly O’Brien Black and Sarah Grudem. These two women create fun, comfortable, contemporary pieces for women and for babies/toddlers.

We feel happy whenever we wear a Sassy Knit piece and we think you will too. Each item is made out of soft and sometimes quite colorful organic cotton knit in flattering designs.

Whether you are looking for a cute sleeveless dress, the perfect yoga top or pants, or something for heading out on the town during these lovely spring days, Sassy Knitwear has it. And don’t forget to put some kick in your little ones wardrobe with a soft, comfy, organic cotton piece for your baby or toddler.

--Your friends at Birch

Sustainable Style- Performance Wear

I just returned from a hiking adventure in the Gila wilderness in southwestern New Mexico. My wardrobe consisted of some very basic performance pieces that were lightweight, breathed well, and were quick drying from Patagonia, Icebreaker and Teko-- all lines we’ve carried at Birch. These companies offer great options for outdoor comfort. I highly recommend their merino wool pieces. My hike one day included multiple icy stream crossings and my merino wool socks worked beautifully to warm up my cold feet afterwards.

If you often wear performance clothing, here is an option you may want to check out. While looking for sustainable and simple style choices for the active life, I came across a company called Beyond Clothing that custom makes outdoor performance wear apparel. They custom create outdoor clothing to your exact size specifications with a turn around time of five weeks. The clothes are all made here in the United States. You decide the colors, fabric and style and the company creates a garment that works perfectly for your needs. This should mean less clothing pieces doing more of what you need to be comfortable and satisfied during your outdoor adventures.

Custom made clothing for active living offers an inviting option to simplify your wardrobe by making it work more optimally for you. If any reader has purchased from Beyond Clothing, we’d love to hear about your experience with the company.
--Your Friends at Birch

Jonano at Birch

Jonano makes on trend apparel out of eco-fabrics that come from sustainable and renewable sources such as organically grown bamboo, cotton and hemp. The company’s nature inspired color palette is created using low impact dyes and PVC/Phalate-free graphic prints. The romantic eco-chic designs are created with a Scandinavian streamlined styling.

Birch is currently offering several pieces from Jonano’s ecoKashmere line of apparel made from viscose from organic bamboo. The attractive styling and buttery soft feel of the garments will make them wardrobe favorites. We especially love the Ecolux lace boy shorts and cami for a nice first layer for spring.

We are featuring Jonano at our web store because of the style and quality of the collections and because of Jonano’s commitment to using sustainable business practices and fair labor standards in producing its apparel. We hope you enjoy our selections from Jonano.
--Your friends at Birch

Sustainable Fashion- Less is More

Here is a fresh take on the less is more philosophy. A friend of mine told me that he is trying not to buy any new things to bring into his home because every time he does he creates “negative net worth”. My quizzical look prompted this response. Empty space has monetary value. People spend extra money to buy a big house so they will have more room – more space. When you fill that space up with things you are decreasing the value of your home and your net worth.

Sound a little crazy? If you’ve ever sold a home, you will see that the net worth theory makes total sense. The realtor tells you to get rid of much of what you have so that your home is not cluttered and looks more spacious. The spacious look gives it more value to the buyer.

The lesson here is when you choose to simplify by minimizing what you bring in to your home you create wealth at the same time. And of course you save money outright by not purchasing something.

This applies to the closet portion of your home too. So when the spring cleaning bug hits you, why not start by cleaning out your clothes closets and drawers to remove everything you don’t wear and/or does not fit. Then if you choose not to go out and replace some of the items, you can simply gaze at all that peace inducing open space around you and enjoy your newfound wealth.

--Your friends at Birch--

Alicia Silverstone Loves Birch!

Alicia Silverstone has been wearing leggings from Birch as reported in her blog at The Kind Life. She loves our organic cotton leggings from Sternlein which are, alas, sold out for the season. Sternein’s leggings and tights are the softest we’ve found and as Alicia testifies they keep you plenty warm on cold winter days.

But with spring on the way it is a perfect time to check out some lighter weight offerings in organic cotton and other sustainable fabrics. Birch has some great tees to keep you covered in style this spring.

Yvon Chouinard Tells It Like It Is

Patagonia’s founder, Yvon Chouinard, said something that resonated with me on a commercial during the Academy Awards telecast. He said that it was a selfish thing to want to protect nature because we are a part of it and so are destroying ourselves when we destroy it. I’ve always instinctively understood this and been perplexed when I hear people speak of environmentalism as if it is some do-gooder sport or elitist concern. I need to drink clean water and eat uncontaminated food to stay healthy. Yep, environmentalism is all about me and you and the rest of us humanoids, along with the animaloids and of course the plantoids.

Speaking of plantoids, Patagonia, not surprisingly was one of the first companies to use organic cotton in their clothing line. You can check out some of their sustainable selections on their website. And Birch also has a good assortment of organic cotton essentials to keep you looking good as we head into spring.

GreenSmart’s Intelligent Bags

Are you looking for a computer bag or for a beverage or food container that is lightweight, attractive, durable and made from materials that have less of an environmental impact than conventional materials? If so, check out GreenSmart’s brief case, computer sleeves, lunch bags and bottle carriers.

GreenSmart makes laptop sleeves, lunch bags and wine and water holders from Neogreene. Neogreene is a substitute for neoprene. Some of Neogreene’s advantages are: no solvent adhesives, no VOCs, no chlorine, no formaldehyde and less energy used in production. NeoGreene provides non-toxic insulation for your food and drink and waterproof protection for your computer.

GreenSmart also makes a brief case and a laptop sleeve out of recycled PET polyester from plastic bottles resulting in less bottles heading for the landfill and in less energy used in production. The bags have nifty features too, including padded walls and a double zip clousure.

The company approaches success with three criteria in mind: people, product and planet. This triple bottom line philosophy has led to the creation of their innovative collection of products.

Simple Style- The End of Unrequited Love

You saw it, you loved it, you had to have it. Let’s call it “The Leopard Print Dress”. The color, the look, the style-fabulous. So, you purchased it and took it home with you. But no matter what you do or say, you just can’t make that cat dress yours. Because while you may loooove that Leopard Print Dress, the cold, hard fact is that it does not love you. It consumes your psychic energy but gives you no real fulfillment. And this is because it just does not look good on you. It does not make you feel and look your best.
There are some pieces we are strongly attracted to that are not at all meant for us. It happens to everyone. But the sooner we come to terms with this the better.
One way to ward off the scourge and cost of unrequited love in your wardrobe is to learn and decide what styles and colors look good on your body and speak to your soul; then, buy only pieces that fit your predetermined criteria. This takes some discipline but it sure pays off in dollars and closet space.
If you practice this tip, when you open your closet in the morning, true love and not regret, will await you.

Fewer Choices = More Happiness

There was an article in the New York Times last week about how too many choices can paralyze consumers and result in indecision or in poor decisions. “Too Many Choices: A Problem that Can Paralyze” by Alina Tugend.

Shopping online or shopping in stores around town gives us lots of clothing options. Yet, research shows that too many choices make us less satisfied once we have chosen because we wonder if we could have done better with one of our other options. The advice is to ask yourself when making a choice- am I happy?—and if the answer is yes, let it go at that and do not obsess about whether you could have done better somewhere else or with something else.

This seems to be sound advice for picking garments for your wardrobe. Do I love this piece? Does it make me happy to know I am wearing it? And if the answer is yes then the trick is to nix thoughts such as -can I get a better deal somewhere else, will I find an even nicer pair of pants in the next store I visit, etc.

Simplifying your wardrobe helps in this process because once you know what pieces you want your wardrobe to consist of you can ignore all the extraneous choices that paralyze other less intentional shoppers. By definition, you no longer have too many choices! It’s easier to make better decisions because you will have learned to cut through the clutter of the marketplace. And that should make you happy. It’s that simple!

Autonomie Project

Birch now carries some fun and funky men’s and women’s tee shirts and baby clothing from Autonomie Project.
Autonomie Project is a Fair Trade fashion company that offers stylish, sweatshop-free and eco-friendly clothing and accessories. Launched in 2007, Autonomie Project works exclusively with small independent cooperatives and Fair Trade certified facilities located in developing areas of the world.
Autonomie Project assists artisans with developing, design and marketing of products and ensures eco-friendly practices are used at the manufacturing level. The Company uses organic cotton and other eco-friendly and locally-sourced materials whenever possible to lessen environmental impact. The company never uses animal products in any of its merchandise and encourages cruelty-free purchases and practices. Check out their soft, comfortable organic cotton offerings. You’ll be glad you did.

Thank You

Thank you to all our customers and friends who have stopped by our Minneapolis store during the last month to let us know what the store has meant to you. We will miss you and we appreciate your business and support for the last five years. Now that our Minneapolis store has closed, we invite you to continue shopping with us at our web store and communicating with us through this blog or by email or by phone.
Again, thanks making the last five years possible and supporting fair trade, organic and sustainable shopping. It’s been a delight to experience the growth of environmental and ethical fashion awareness over the past five years.

Transitioning

Birch is going totally virtual this year. We are closing our brick and mortar shop in Minneapolis to focus on our web store and business.
Talking with customers over the last year a recurring theme we have heard is the desire and/or necessity to make due with less and to buy more intentionally. The philosophy of being intentional when making purchases and when bringing things into our lives resonates deeply with us.
While we will continue to provide our customers with organic, fair trade and sustainable merchandise through our web store, we will also provide our readers with resources for simpler, more intentional living. When we find fresh, new ideas that sound promising, creative or worthy of your consideration we will pass them along to you.
We’d love to hear from you about what you would like to see us carry and the kinds of resources you’d like us to provide.

Wool is Back

BRRRR. It is early January in Minnesota and we are fighting to make it above the degree of 0 each day. Whether you call this weather brisk, invigorating or frigid, it is time to pull out some merino wool and get cozy and warm.
I’m so glad high quality merino wool is available now so we don’t have to wear oil based polypropylene or other synthetics to keep us happy in winter.
Merino comes in various weights. You can wear it as a base layer (underwear, leggings, tees) a mid layer (pullovers, tops) and a top layer (jackets, sweaters, jerseys). You can wear one layer over the other and feel toasty while you curl up with your book. And because merino breathes beautifully, wicks away moisure and does not hold odor, you will love it when you venture outside to try some skating, skiing or walking around or showshoeing over the lakes.
Try it. You have nothing to lose but your smelly, unnatural feeling synthetics.