Want Love Need: 6 Sustainable Jewelry and Accessory Brands I Just Found
- by Alden Wicker
- Aug 22, 2016
Hey, my most fashionable readers! In the spirit of making sure no sustainable, ethical, and – above all – beautiful brands slips by you unnoticed, here’s a roundup of six jewelry and accessory brands I’m drooling over this month. The clothing edition is on its way!
Love: Startas Shoes
These adorable canvas and rubber sneakers actually have a really interesting backstory. An employee-owned heritage brand, they were a wildly successful communist shoe – the “Converse of Yogoslavia – until the Balkan Wars started, and factory and town were both shelled almost into oblivion. Thanks to some colorful new designs, though, they’re starting to make a comeback. But they’re still made in the old, quality way by proud Croatian employees on pre-WWII equipment.
Need: Kintu
Founded by a woman of color from Uganda, Kintu New York handbags are designed in New York, co-developed with global artisans, and made in Italy of Indian handwoven luxury brocade, Kenyan hardware, and 100% natural vegetable tanned leather sourced from the best European tanneries.
Love: Pyrrha Jewelry
These talisman charms are cast from 100% reclaimed precious metals in house in Vancouver. All printed materials use recycled and FSC-certified paper products with biodegradable inks, and outgoing orders are shipped in recycled packaging. A B Corp company, Pyrrha sources as much as possible from other B Corps, and is striving to become a zero waste company. These talismans mean: New Beginnings, Follow Your Dreams, and Be Here Now.
Want: Westland Jewelry
Westland Jewelry pieces are consciously sculpted and carved freehand by Los Angeles native Melissa Minney using the lost wax technique. Everything is made from reclaimed metal, fair-trade gemstones, and animal-friendly materials. Westland Jewelry is proudly a PETA-Approved vegan brand, and is free of leather, animal hair, feathers, bone, silk, wool, pearl, shell, or coral.
Need: Hobes Shoes
These ultralight, minimalist shoes are made for stuffing in your suitcase and walking around new cities. They’re constructed in an ethical factory in Hong Kong that is directed by a fourth-generation Italian bootmaker. The founders personally visit the factory three to four times a year to ensure quality production and good working conditions.
Need: Carla Colour
The modern frames are made with acetate originating from renewable wood pulp and cotton fibers.
