The Showstopping Style of SF Ethical & Sustainable Fashion Brands
by gail goldberg
How much fun would it be, we wondered, to gather beautiful pieces from a group of local talented designers, engage a couple of gorgeous models and hit the urban jungle for a photoshoot?
Lots, obviously.
A few weeks ago, when the city was still bustling with activity a dream team of creatives—photographer, art director, stylist and makeup/hair artist— made it happen. Heads were turning as we conducted this on-the-street shoot. The results are in and they're stunning, if we do say so ourselves.
Many thanks to the Bay Area brands that played along: Love is Project, Agaati, A by Anubha, Tonlé, Diarrablu, Taylor Jay and Freda Salvador. Read more about them here.
Diarrablu
Who knew math could be so beautiful? Diarra Bousso, the Chief Creative Mathematician at Diarrablu, knew.. The current FiSF designer bases her signature prints on mathematical equations.
Her affinity for numbers (she has a Masters in Mathematics from Stanford) initially led the Senegalese native to a career on Wall Street. Rather quickly, however, she realized that fashion design was her calling: In 2013, she launched her contemporary lifestyle brand and hasn't looked back since.
Weaving algorithms into her collection was a no-brainer, but Bousso had more in mind for Diarrablu. Its mission is manifold—to iterate for sustainability and celebrate her African heritage (via rich colors and unique patterns) while empowering local artisans in her hometown of Dakar, Senegal.
Most of the pieces are intended to be timeless wardrobe staples known for their convertibility and ability to adjust to fluctuating body sizes Her pieces are elegant and playful. Whether you’re hosting a dinner party at home, or heading to the Oscars, her pieces will make you float in a room like a goddess.
While Diarra’s signature pieces have been the mathematical equation prints, her new line is all about sustainability and simplicity. Diarrablu’s Sustainable Essentials line contains beautiful solid color jumpsuits and dresses, in colors perfect for spring/summer. The fabric feels and drapes like silk, but it is made of regenerated cellulose fibers from recycled cotton linter. For this photoshoot, you’ll also see shoes made of fabric scraps of her earlier collections!
jacket: A by anubha , dress: Agaati, bracelet: love is project
Agaati
Ethereal and bold, luxurious and sustainable, beautiful and wearable: Agaati founder and designer Saloni Shrestha seamlessly balances yin and yang in her dresses, outerwear, skirts and tops. Chalk it up to the San Francisco resident's unique global perspective, and innate talent, of course. She grew up in the Himalayan region of India, started her first fashion line in Singapore and attended New York City's Parsons The New School.
A glance at any piece—a signature bird-embroidered dress or skirt, for example—instantly reveals meticulous craftsmanship. Clearly, Shrestha's internships at the fashion houses of Oscar de la Renta, Diane von Furstenberg and Naeem Khan were time well spent. Her technical mastery is matched by her creativity. Some of her regular inspirations and influences include nature and Mom's colorful and magnificently draped wardrobe and embroidered textiles. "Bollywood and the richness of culture and fashion, music and romance still stir something in me," says Shrestha.
Agaati, a Sankskrit word meaning the origin or arrival of something, was born in 2017, two years after the designer graduated. "I knew it was time to get out of my comfort zone and push a new idea with a bigger purpose beyond just being a business for profit. The seed for making sustainable clothing that tells stories about the makers came while I was at Parsons studying zero-waste design. I was looking at the impact I could have on communities and the environment in a completely different light," Shrestha explains.
That vision blossomed.
Agaati uses only natural fibers, (silks, organic cotton and linen, and hemp silk), and all pattern making, draping and cutting are done manually, in keeping with a zero-waste philosophy. The company also provides a living wage to workers in India and Nepal, preserving their rare handiwork. Agaati also gives back 5 percent of profits to NGOs that support women's empowerment and create employment for artisans around the world.
// agaati.com
jacket: A by anubha , dress: Agaati, bracelet: love is project
Pink dress: Agaati, shoes: Diarrablu, bracelet: love is project
Jacket: A by anubha, dress and shoes: Diarrablu
A by Anubha
San Francisco designer Anubha Srivastav knows a thing or two about cool covers. For eight years, she's been making swoon-worthy coats and jackets under her namesake brand A by Anubha. The tailored statement-makers are handcrafted primarily with khadi, a handspun and hand-woven eco-friendly fabric from India.
Srivastav's primary goal when starting her label eight years ago was to deliver khadi in its purest form to customers. Bringing mandarin-collar (or Bandhgala) styles to the fore? "We take these elements that are traditionally dominant in men's clothing and bring them to our women's collection. Our clothes are inspired by styles found in pre-independence-era India yet the detailing is modern—allowing for the perfect blend of old and new, East and the West," says Srivastav.
Anubha's signature sleek eight-button coat with mandarin collar comes in brilliant colors and myriad fabrics like cotton, wool and tweed. Those who prefer more feminine styles are in luck, too, thanks to the many flirty swing coats, peplum jacket and other one-of-a-kinds found in the line.
Whatever the style, Srivastav's distinctive point of view shines through.
Love is Project
Chrissie Lam's Love bracelets make the world go round. They help provide fair wages and regular employment for hundreds of women artisans across the globe—and add the perfect pop of chic to wrists everywhere. Love is Project (LiP) is best known for its original bright-red beaded bracelet emblazoned with the word "love" and made by female artisans in Kenya. (The bracelet, and variations, have been worn by the likes of Anne Hathaway and featured in Oprah magazine, Elle, Refinery29, the Today show and in many influencer photoshoots.) It’s hard to resist these beautiful and powerful bracelets.
LiP received its first round of capital via an Indiegogo campaign five years ago. Today, the pay-it-forward SF-based company makes colorful, stackable bracelets in various materials, designs and production techniques inspired by artisans in 10 countries including: Kenya, Indonesia, Ecuador, Bhutan, India, Vietnam, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico and the Philippines.
"Our aesthetic is international and colorful…above all, though, 'love' is at the forefront of everything we do," says LiP founder Lam, who initially left a decade-long career in corporate fashion to connect artisans and brands to create jobs in underserved communities.
Along with an ethical supply chain and giving back more than $100K to myriad charities, LiP is consistently focused on sustainability: "As part of our commitment to green practices, we eliminated 95 percent of plastics from our supply chain in 2019. We offer an array of products made from sustainable, vegan leather as well as upcycled materials, like our Trinity Horn bangles. When it comes to fair labor, we offer our female artisans steady employment, fair wages, educational opportunities for their children, and benefits like healthcare and paid vacation," Lam adds.
bracelet: love is project
P.S. Round of applause to Lam for winning the Best New Product at NYNOW Tradeshow last month for her photo book The Greatest Love Story Every Told, which chronicles conversations with hundreds of people in 50 countries to answer one simple question: What does love mean to you?
top: Agaati, shorts and necklace: Tonle , shoes: Diarrablu, bracelet: love is project
cape: Taylor jay, top: Tonle, shoes: Diarrablu, bracelet: love is project
Tonlé
When it comes to sustainable fashion, San Francisco designer Rachel Faller is the real deal—a veritable queen of green. For those not familiar with her women's clothing line, her elevator pitch goes like this: "Tonlé is a revolutionary zero-waste global fashion brand making contemporary clothing," she explains.
Translation: Every breezy dress, hand-woven cardi and boho-chic wrap is made with remnants and surplus fabric discarded from large manufacturers. Not a single scrap goes to waste. "In doing so in just one year, we saved 10,000kg of textiles, 70,000kg of CO2, 200kg of pesticides, and 46,296,600 gallons of water. And we’re just getting started," Faller says.
Indeed, long before sustainability became a fashun buzzword, Faller's head (and heart) was in the game. She moved to Cambodia 12 years ago as a Fullbright scholar researching fair trade. Her learnings about greenhouse gases, pesticides and the like lead to the birth of Tonlé.
"Today, with our incredible teams in Phnom Penh and San Francisco we’ve built a supportive environment with sustainable and fair labor practices," says Faller. Her comfy and versatile collection is available in 10 countries, and Tonlé has its own brick-and mortar shop on Clement Street in the Inner Richmond, located in the same building as the company HQ/design studio.
// tonle.com
crop top: Taylor jay, skirt: Agaati, boots: freda salvador dress: taylor jay, bracelet: love is project, boots: freda salvador
Freda Salvador
More than eight years after debuting, Freda Salvador is so much more than a shoe brand: it's a lifestyle, an adjective even (Freda girl). All credit to co-founders and friends Megan Papay and Cristina Paloma-Nelson whose "handmade footwear designed in California and hand-crafted in Spain" continue to bewitch with their utterly wearable, sophisticated and slightly quirky designs.
Boots, sandals, slides and non-girly flats are the Sausalito label's bread and butter. Bestsellers and signature styles include the iconic Wit d'Orsay oxford, the Keen mule (a celeb fave), and the Ace lace-up combat boot (featured in our photoshoot). New and evergreen styles in fresh colorways and materials are dropped often enough to keep fans on their toes, always wanting more.
The brand takes pride in its quality craftsmanship and use of fine Spanish and Italian leathers. All the shoes are cut, sewn and lasted in a teensy family-run factory in Elda, Spain. The skilled cobblers employ techniques that have been refined by shoemakers over the centuries.
It's really no surprise that the sumptuous and sturdy styles snagged the hearts of San Franciscans from the jump—they're uncomplicated, cool and comfy enough to cruise most hills sans blister outbreaks.
The label has retail stores in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York City.
Taylor Jay
The Taylor Jay collection makes anything-but-basic basics. Elevated, comfortable and versatile, the eco-friendly designs are made for women of all sizes and sensibilities. These attributes flow directly from the Oakland designer who lends the company her name.
Like many founders, Taylor Jay started her business (in 2015) to fill a need. She couldn't find clothing to fit her changing body so she created her own. Other women took notice and wanted pieces to fit their not-size-2 bodies, to boost their confidence, to have a wardrobe to match their lifestyles. Naturally, Jay obliged and inclusion remains a core tenant of the brand.
Yes, inclusivity is the fabric upon which Taylor Jay is built…but so is the fabric itself. Taylor Jay's chic dresses, jumpsuits, dresses, crop tops and skirts are made in an Oakland factory with ethical sourcing and fair labor practices. All environmentally safe garments are made from certified eco-friendly textiles, threads are recycled and upcycled, and tints are safe for humans and the planet.
The power of slow fashion is real.
Wondering about the team behind this shoot and how we set it up? Subscribe to the FiSF newsletter to get notified for the release of our behind-the-scenes story on the local fashion professionals who collaborated together for this shoot.
Photographer: Alon Reuveni @alonik
Editor: Gail Goldberg @gailg17
Creative Direction: Kimara Mitchell @kimair
Stylist: Sara Jezreel Ghaffari @jezreel17
Hair & Makeup: Monica Noe @makeupwithmonica
Model: Alyssa Moore @moorealyssa
Model: Suong Nguyen @suongn
top: Agaati, shorts and necklace: Tonle , shoes: Diarrablu, bracelet: love is project
crop top: Taylor jay, skirt: Agaati, boots: freda salvador
