Stephen Cridland Nau's shop in Bellevue, Washington
A look at two visionary labels that are defining style with a conscience.
The Concept This Portland, Oregon–based outdoor clothing company uses innovative online retailing to create a pioneering shopping concept.
The Stores At locations in Chicago, Boulder, Portland, and Bellevue, Washington, customers get a 10 percent discount if they order from Internet kiosks and have items delivered to them (shipping is free). Up next: stores in Denver and Los Angeles.
The Products Adventure gear made from organic cotton; polyester; or PLA (polylactic acid), derived from corn.
Feel-Good Factor Shops consume less energy because of small inventory and centralized distribution, while 5 percent of each sale goes to a green organization of your choice.
The Concept When her flagship boutique of stylish green products opens this month on L.A.’s trendy Melrose Avenue, Linda Loudermilk will raise the bar for responsible retailing.
The Store The low-impact space incorporates soy and even recycled denim in place of traditional building insulation, and the construction materials also have high recycled contents. A solar-paneled sculpture powers the store’s lighting and shades the roof-deck.
The Products Sexy dresses and jackets in materials such as bamboo fiber, seaweed, PLA, cruelty-free wool, and organic cotton.
Feel-Good Factor Besides the small footprint of the building itself, Loudermilk sells Charity Water ($20). All profits go toward digging wells and building water systems in Africa.
