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I blog about sustainable fashion, earth-friendly fibers like hemp and Tencel, capsule wardrobes, travel wear, and related subjects.
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Does modest dressing oppress or liberate women?
There's a controversy about modest fashion between those who think it is for oppressed women who are often seen as backward religious adherents and others who consider it aspirational and reflective of independent women who dress for themselves rather than for men.According to The New York Times’s chief fashion critic, Vanessa Friedman, modest dressing is a defining [...]
Travel Tales: Adventures in exotic textiles shopping
Last year I visited the Batik Market in Jogjakarta, Indonesia, a city known for its art, especially its batiks. During my visit, I watched an artisan make a batik fabric which using wax as a resist. With repeated dips in dye baths, complex patterns emerge. The quality of Indonesia batiks depends upon the type of fabric [...]
Microbusinesses matter more than you think
In the late 1970s I was part of a rural cottage industry that depended on home based stitchers to help craft the natural fiber apparel we sold. At the time, the US clothing industry was in the midst of a seismic upheaval. It had begun sending its manufacturing offshore in search of the lowest possible [...]
Travel Tales: Honeymoon in Israel
Lots of you tell me you take your Sympatico wear along when you travel. I’d love to hear (and see) more about how it worked for you. Where did you go? What styles did you wear? How did your Sympatico items travel? Got any packing tips? In telling your Travel Tale, feel free to color [...]
What's so great about Tencel (and hemp)!
When I began Sympatico, it was with the aim to make comfortable, wearable clothing and to do the right thing environmentally. But finding the right fabric proved to be challenging. Early on, I zeroed in on Tencel as a possible candidate since it's really soft, lets your skin breathe, absorbs moisture, drapes beautifully and resists wrinkles. Unlike [...]
Travel Tales: Travelwear tips from an intrepid voyager
When I recently put out a call for Sympatico fans’ travel tales (and photos) for publication here, I didn’t know that I had Edith Vermiji in mind. But in reading her submission, I realized she’s emblematic of so many women who visit my booth at craft fairs. Smart, educated, engaged in interesting work, and widely [...]
The big stretch: how I use elastic
It’s not uncommon for me to hear shoppers in my show booth exclaim, “Oh, good—elastic!” They know what I know—elasticized waists make a lot of sense when dealing with non-standard tummy proportions. But it goes further than that. Anyone who has a fluctuating waistline or experiences bloating can appreciate the forgiving fit elastic offers.Unfortunately, [...]
What do you wear to feel most like yourself?
I read recently that people mostly wear variations on only about five outfits. Considering how many garments are in my closet, that makes no sense at all! And yet, when I think about the combinations of items that make me feel attractive, comfortable and most like myself, it's true! Obviously I still need dress-up clothes [...]
The fuzzy state of industrial hemp
When I last wrote about industrial hemp cultivation in the United States , things were looking up. A number of states had recently legalized growing industrial hemp—in some cases permitting experimental crops. Kentucky, at the forefront of this movement, was actively pursuing hemp as an alternative to tobacco. Consumer demand for body-care products, foods, textiles, and building materials augured well for the future of industrial [...]
Caring for clothing in an eco-friendly way
Customers often ask what's the best way to care for their new clothes. There are some universals that not only help preserve clothing but also are good for the environment. According to a Proctor & Gamble study, washing and drying account for 75-80% of the energy consumed during our clothing's lifecycle. Here are some ideas to [...]
