Inhabitat » SUSTAINABLE STYLE SUNDAY: Turk + Taylor

March 18, 2007

SUSTAINABLE STYLE SUNDAY: Turk + Taylor

by Jill Danyelle

Turk+Taylor is a West Coast duo that launched an organic t-shirt line a couple of seasons back. We were pleased to learn that this season they have expanded the line with several tailored pieces. The guys are off to a good start offering solid basics in a few different colorways to compliment the t-shirts and hoodies that seemed their mainstay last year. The new additions are comprised of hand-dyed silks, linens and organic cotton twills.

Turk+Taylor, Turk + Taylor Eco-friendly fashion, Sustainable Style Sunday, Organic Apparel, Organic menswear, organic womens wear

Turk+Taylor maintain their commitment to quality over quantity and all styles are hand-numbered, limited editions. Additionally, Turk+Taylor tags are sewn pouches containing not only extra buttons for the garment, but also a handful of sow-worthy organic treviso seeds. Staying true to the personal details of their homegrown business, if you cannot find what you are looking for via one of their retailers, then Mark and Andrew accept orders via email and ship at no extra cost. Turk+Taylor seems intent on sowing success with attention to all the right details. We look forward to watching it grow.

+ Turk+Taylor

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3 Responses to “SUSTAINABLE STYLE SUNDAY: Turk + Taylor”

Celeste Says:

March 18th, 2007 at 10:43 am

I know that this has been said before, but it bears repeating. Clothing lines in which the t-shirts cost $46 are NOT sustainable. If most people can’t buy these clothes, then those people are going to have to buy their clothes from the usual, non-green sources, and so the same old same old carries on. If buying green clothes remains a privelege of only those of us who have enough money to buy these expensive green things, then nothing will change.

Fabulously Green Says:

March 19th, 2007 at 2:29 pm

I agree with Celeste that $46 for a T-shirt isn’t affordable to everyone (not even me). Thankfully though, this has been changing for the better.

Green fashion has an element of technology and invention that designers have to bear when they enter the green market. And the costs for them must be high. From organic farming to paying workers a living wage, to configuring manufacturing processes to conserve energy, water, waste recovery, etc., it’s admirable that they are able to launch products at all.

Many products begin selling at a premium first such as computers, stereos, etc.. How many people had cell phones ten years ago? Now you can even get them for free. Innovative products usually begin at a premium and come down as their research costs get recouped with sales. I have faith that green fashion will do the same.

Still there are many ways to green a wardrobe without breaking the bank. These are a few I consider and I’d love to hear other ideas from you all out there:
1. Buy on sale. Online boutiques like Beklina, BTC Elements, Hip and Zen and many others have continuous sales on organic, sustainable clothing. Independent designer’s like Twice Shy have clearances as well.

2. Hold a fashion swap. I’ve picked up two pairs of jeans, a fitted denim jacket, the perfect white shirt, and various novelty tees and it saved me two seasons of shopping.

3. Buy quality, not quantity. I’ve stopped buying on impulse by asking myself three questions: “Does it look great on me as is?” “Is it comfortable?” “Can I use this to create several outfits?” If the answer’s yes to all then I buy it. If not, I take a deep breath and put it back on the rack. Once or twice a year, I’ll make a big purchase on something I absolutely love and will wear for a long time.

4. Start with affordable basics. American Apparel,Target and H&M have developed clothing that is starting to meet the cost needs of everyday people. I buy bamboo socks from Target for example.

5. Seek out Second-hand style. Granted one needs an eye and some patience for thrift shopping, but it’s amazing how many things you can find locally or, on ebay. I owe Jill Danyelle a big one for helping me find favorite vintage sellers on ebay.

It’s not perfect. There’s a lot out there I’d love to wear and can’t afford either. Whether it’s just buying socks or greening an entire wardrobe, we all can take advantage of green to improve our lives and lives of others and the planet.

Jill Danyelle Says:

March 19th, 2007 at 8:18 pm

celeste,

We wrote about H&M’s new organic line and you can go to Wal-Mart. A client of mine recently told me she picked up several stylish, organic cotton t-shirts there. Yes, $46 for a t-shirt may not be cheap, but you must also consider that there are many t-shirts out there at that price-point and higher that are not organic. Additionally, you do not need to buy 50 t-shirts. I spent a year trying not to buy anything new that was not sustainable in some way. I attempted 50% sustainability in my wardrobe via reuse, reduce, recycle. I took a picture of what I wore daily for a year, so check it out.

http://fiftyrx3.com

Be a little resourceful, splurge on a couple of things, by some second hand, learn how to sew and remake some things or utilize your tailor. Also, be more resourceful in your search if you do not care for or cannot afford what we choose to feature on Inhabitat. You clearly are connected to the web. A quick web search for organic cotton t’s yields plenty of results…

$20 http://www.gaiam.com/retail/product/04-8323_MSTR
$15 http://www.rawganique.com/Womens/organic-cotton-t-shirt.htm

and again… look for sales

Patagonia has a simple black organic cotton dress on sale now for $29.00
http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/product/collection.jsp?OPTION=COLLECTIONS_DISPLAY_HANDLER&pageSize=11&pageNumber=all&ws=true&catcode=WS.WEB_SPECIALS.WOMENS#yc
http://www.gaiam.com/retail/product/04-8323_MSTR

Inhabitat is a green site, but it is also focused on design. We try to highlight a variety to best fit readers lifestyles and budgets while also looking for designs we like. That said, style is so often how you wear something and not what you wear. So if you can only afford the $20 t-shirt, as Tim Gunn would say, make it work.

What is that they say, about the Lord helping those who help themselves…

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