Brooklyn’s Sustainable Design Boom: 10 Eco-Friendly Designers To Know Right Now
Photo by Austin McAllister
Charlie Morris of Fanmail
fanmail-us.com
The only menswear designer on this list, Charlie Morris launched his first line as Fanmail last summer with a line of organic cotton and hemp t-shirts and tank tops. He’s since expanded to include a full Spring/Sumer 2014 line of woven pieces including button down shirts, shorts, and jackets, all made at the Dynotex Factory in Greenpoint. “I started it in order to solve a pretty straightforward shopping problem,” says Morris. “I wasn’t able to find a high-quality t-shirt that was made in the USA from sustainable fibers that felt special, that wasn’t mass-produced. I wanted something that was considered, but was also versatile enough to go with most of what was already in my wardrobe.”
Like a lot of independent designers, Morris cites that catch-22 that tends to come with operating a small business—no access to the kinds of suppliers you want to use unless you’re already in the big leagues. “H&M has the buying power to have the mills they already work with develop ‘sustainable’ fabrics,” says Morris, “But the options generally available to us little guys are limited! For example, I’ve only been able to find one style of zipper made with organic cotton tape, and organic cotton ribbing for sweatshirt cuffs and collars currently doesn’t exist off-the-shelf.”
Similarly, smaller collectives of growers, weavers, etc. often can’t afford to seek out the kind of official certification as fair trade or organic that most ethically-minded designers try to work with; that’s left up to bigger corporations. Price can be a sticking point, Morris admits, but adds, “I don’t think we’ll ever be able to make a $30 tee, but you can feel how special the fabrics we use are as soon as you try on a piece.”
