Conscious Fashion: Summer Style Guide
Summer is our favorite season: sun-kissed skin, warm breezes, sandy toes, and the occasional margarita are our perfect recipe for joy here at Grit & Grace Studio.
This summer, as we safely venture out into the world, we’re more excited than ever to spruce up our wardrobe and seize the day. (It was a long spring hibernating with Netflix and yoga pants, y’all.)
As a green company, sustainability is always on our minds, but especially when it comes to fashion. Did you know the fashion industry produces 10% of all humanity's carbon emissions? The fashion industry is the second-largest consumer of the world's water supply and pollutes the oceans with microplastics.
Fortunately, there are a number of amazing ethical brands and sustainable fashion companies that craft gorgeous, eco-friendly garments. We’re here to help you put your best foot forward (without leaving a huge carbon footprint!) with our thoughtfully curated Conscious Fashion Summer Style Guide. Let the guilt-free shopping spree begin!
15 Hot Summer Looks from Ethical Brands
Seam Siren Nettle Fiber Protective Shawl
Make waves during your next surfside adventure with Seam Siren’s Nettle Fiber Protective Shawl: it looks gorgeous with your favorite bathing suit or linen romper. This 100% natural fiber shawl was handcrafted from nettle fibers by the women of Bala and hand-dyed in Seattle using traditional botanical dying methods instead of chemicals and synthetics. Seam Siren is a conscious fashion company that believes clothing can be a vehicle for healing and that the consumer deserves full transparency. $129
Grit & Grace Golden Tide Coastal Calm Oyster Necklace
The world is your oyster with Golden Tide Coastal Calm Oyster Necklace. Our hand-painted pendant resembles the shimmering pattern the ocean’s waves leave in the sand, reminding you to sail through the ebbs and flows of life with grace.
Wear it with your favorite sundress or dress up your favorite tank and tailored shorts for an evening at the pier.
We are a woman-owned ethical brand that champions oyster reef restoration. Our in-house oyster recycling program has returned more than 5,000 gallons of shells back to the Lowcountry waters since 2016. Our studio recycles 10 shells from Charleston area restaurants back to local oyster reef projects for every oyster shell product sold. $90
Kara Thoms Tate Dress
You belong among the wildflowers in the romantic, whimsical Tate Dress from Kara Thoms. This sweet, playful babydoll frock plays homage to the ‘60s and ‘70s with its flowing poet sleeves, ruffled yoke, and handmade covered buttons. This breathable garment can easily be dressed up or down to take you from day to night seamlessly.
The Tate Dress is made from 100% washed linen, a sustainable fabric, and produced ethically by a small family-run business that was handpicked by the designer on a trip to Bali. $245
photo credit: @jeffjohnson_beyondandback
Another Tomorrow Seamed Slip Dress
Whether you’re going out for a hot summer night or relaxing on a patio during the dog days of summer, the dramatic lines on the Seamed Slip Dress from Another Tomorrow are sure to turn heads. This organic linen and sustainable viscose (made from an FSC-certified wood pulp sustainably sourced from Sweden) frock also features hidden pockets.
Another Tomorrow is a sustainable fashion company known for its chic designs and step-by-step transparency regarding its manufacturing process. Learn more about the process behind the Seamed Slip Dress, from the source of the materials to who made your clothes. $545
photo credit: courtesy of Another Tomorrow
People Tree Valerie Plumeria Top
Spread sunshine and joy in this sweet, vibrant floral top from People Tree. Pair it with capris for a stroll along the shore or an A-line skirt for a picnic with friends.
The Valerie Plumeria Top is made from TENCEL™ Lyocell, a sustainable fiber made from wood pulp with a closed-loop production process. The TENCEL™ Lyocell uses pulp from sustainably managed plantations, and it is biodegradable and compostable. People Tree is an ethical brand known for fair trade practices, environmentally-conscious materials, and transparency. $75.13
Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, especially when they’re ethically sourced, and their settings utilize recycled precious metals. We love the delicate lines of the Super Nova Ring: wear it alone, or pair it with your favorite pieces.
Designer Valerie Madison marries her background in environmental science with her timeless sense of aesthetics to create conscientious heirloom pieces that use conflict-free diamonds, ethically-mined stones, recycled diamonds, and lab-grown gems.
Valerie Madison Jewelry is a conscious fashion brand, a black-owned business, and a woman-owned company based in Seattle, Washington. $685
Just add water: the stunning Eva One Piece is all you need this summer. We love this piece for the exceptional lines, the sustainable materials, and because Arrow + Phoenix designed this bathing suit to double as a bodysuit with your favorite jeans and fall boots!
Proudly made by “a babe from the bayou,” these sexy swimsuits use 100% recycled material, 100% recycled yarn, and use 75% less energy during manufacture. Arrow + Phoenix is a conscious fashion label, is a woman and black-owned business, and is a size-inclusive brand. $125
photo credit: @abovethewildflowers model: @alvionsade
Stephanie Leigh Krobo 3-Strand Necklace
Who couldn’t use a little extra summer lovin’? The Krobos Necklace is designed to “hug” your neck and reduce anxiety, and the luminous recycled glass beads truly shine with your favorite swimsuit or linen pantsuit.
Designer Stephanie Leigh handmakes each piece in her Atlanta studio, and she pairs recycled glass with salvaged leather and antique findings for a completely eco-friendly design process. $140
Gracemade Gratia Jumpsuit
You’ll be a ray of sunshine in the timeless, chic Gratia Jumpsuit from ethical brand Gracemade. Dress it up with wedges and a statement necklace for an evening out or enjoy a relaxing day at the beach with your favorite sandals.
The turmeric-hued crepe fabric is sustainably sourced from deadstock rayon, and Gracemade manufactures their pieces in Los Angeles using ethical standards and “the utmost respect for people, our local community, and our environment.”
Rooted in faith and modesty, this woman and black-owned business donates a portion of the proceeds to Life Impact International for each purchase made. $155
Loch Effects Wooden Sunglasses
Whether you’re soaking up the sun in the pool or on the sand, you’re going to need a hip pair of shades. Check out Loch Effects Reclaimed Wood Sunglasses. Handcrafted in Canada from reclaimed wood that’s more than 500 years old, Loch Effects frames come in a variety of shapes and sizes, so you can find the summer look that’s truly your own.
Loch Effects is a conscious fashion accessory brand that recovers lost ancient timbers submerged and preserved in the Great Lakes from logging efforts dating the mid-1800s. From $225
photo credit: @peternphoto
United By Blue SoftHemp™ Tie-Shoulder Jumpsuit
Beat the heat in the breezy, relaxed SoftHemp™ Tie-Shoulder Jumpsuit from United by Blue. The wide pant legs were designed with comfort in mind, while the pockets are perfect for storing your beachcombing finds.
This jumpsuit consists of 55% Hemp, 24% Organic Cotton, 19% Recycled Polyester, and 2% Spandex and was responsibly made in China. United by Blue is an ethical brand centered around sustainable materials, responsible manufacturing, and eco-friendly consumerism. They remove one pound of trash from oceans and waterways for each product sold and have cleaned up more than 3,336,206 pounds of trash to date. $108
photo credit: provided by United by Blue
Amour Vert Hanne Silk Maxi Dress
Show off that sun-kissed glow in this elegant flowing maxi dress from Amour Vert. The oversized floral print and flowing lines are perfect for long, sultry summer nights.
The best part? Amour Vert sources environmentally responsible materials, has a transparent manufacturing process, and uses compostable garment bags, recycled packaging, and soy-based inks.
The conscious fashion brand also plants one tree for each t-shirt sold, in partnership with American Forests, which amounts to a whopping 312,032 since Amour Vert opened their doors. $278
photo credit: Colette de Barros for Amour Vert
Marine Layer Stella Tank
Long walks on the beach call for an adorable outfit. Look no further than the flirty, flattering Stella Tank by sustainable fashion company Marine Layer. This breathable linen tank sports playful detail work and is made responsibly by adults abroad.
Marine Layer is a conscious fashion brand that has custom-developed more than 100 fabrics with sustainability in mind. They estimate that 81% of their fabrics will use sustainable materials by the end of 2020. $68
photo credit: @arturoshoots
Made Trade Darzah Tatreez Flat in Rose
Kick your feet back in style with the bold, geometric Darzah Tatreez Flat in Rose from Made Trade. These fair trade certified tatreez embroidered leather flats are a modern take on a traditional Palestinian art form and will pair perfectly with your favorite sundress or shorts.
Darzah is a women-run 501(c)3 non-profit social enterprise whose mission is to create economic opportunities for refugee and low-income women artisans and to celebrate tatreez embroidery and Palestinian cultural heritage. $209
photo credit: @darzahdesigns & @made.trade
We wish you a safe, sun-soaked summer. As you update your seasonal looks, remember to shop ethical brands and small conscious fashion companies when possible: your support is our anchor as we ride out these waves.
Grit & Grace Studio is proud to create gifts that give back: we recycle 10 oyster shells back to Charleston area oyster reef restoration projects for every oyster shell product sold. Update your favorite beach looks with our oyster necklaces today!
One Love & Blessings,