Paris Ethical Shopping Guide: 9km

 

My quest for ethical shops in Paris recently took me to the 14th arrondissement, to visit the super trendy 9km shop on rue des Plantes. The shop caters for both men and women, featuring a range of ethical, minimalist clothing with an urban feel.

Brands included Stanley Stella (my favourite item being a rather cool 'Gone Fishing' t-shirt), organic t-shirts and underwear from Kolam Collection, and, to my delight, jeans and chinos from Monkee Genes. I was also happy to find a selection of organic canvas shoes in the store, from the brand Natural World.

The shop was quite small but great for wardrobe staples (including hoodies), and cool printed t-shirts. I visited during the bi-annual French 'soldes', but they do a rather cool offer which is kind of like a restaurant set menu: 1 pair of trousers, 1 plain t-shirt, and 1 pair of shoes for €100 - a really amazing offer for an all-organic outfit!

Address:
2, rue des Plantes
Paris 75014
Like 9km on Facebook

And if you're in the area, check out rue des Thermopyles, an incredibly beautiful little road that feels more like rural France than the heart of Paris - don't forget your camera!

Sadie xxx

Paris Ethical Shopping Guide: Sap's and Co

I've been meaning to post about this shop for a long time now, having first visited last summer. Sap's and Co, located in the trendy Batignolles area of Paris, is filled with ethical clothing delights. The stock has been carefully curated and includes some of the best fashion-forward ethical clothing labels, whether it is organic jeans by Kuyichi, ethical accessories by Deux Filles en fil, silly organic t-shirts by Monsieur Poulet or eco trainers by FYE, amongst many other brands. Oh, and they also stock People Tree, which made me really happy!

Rather excitingly, they also stock loads of menswear, so this is a boyfriend-friendly zone. There is also a quality second-hand section, featuring silk shirts and branded jeans.

Worth a special mention are their Keep Company trainers, which I am currently considering purchasing (can't decide between those, or Veja, hmm), as well as their Nat Mad clutches, purses and bags, which are some of the finest examples of recycled-material accessories that I have seen.

In short, you've definitely got to pop in if you're visiting Paris!

The service is brilliant - I spent a good 15 minutes having a chat before revealing that I'd quite like to take some photos!

Address:
37 rue la Condamine
75017 Paris

Like Sap's and Co on Facebook

Sadie xxx

A porridge-themed t-shirt by Howies

I really must get in to the habit of sharing random amazing things that I find when browsing the internet. Oddly, I came across this porridge-themed t-shirt when reading an academic article for my dissertation, which pointed towards Howies.co.uk as an example of an ethical fashion brand. Naturally, seeking a little distraction, I googled them, and before long I was on their company blog, where I spotted the t-shirt.

I'm considering buying it for when I get back to uni this year. Appropriate, because I can occasionally be found wandering down the street with a bowl of porridge and a spoon, if I am running particularly late (actually a necessity rather than a silly stunt, so I don't keep my friends waiting).

The excellent news is that it is 100% organic cotton, rather than 73% cotton (explained on the site), and is screenprinted by hand in Cardigan, Wales. It also comes in a men's version.

Sadie xxx

P.S. Just realised that if you order one this weekend, you get a FREE BOX OF PORRIDGE by the luxury cereals brand, Dorset Cereals...!

Paris (and online!) ethical shopping guide: Tudo Bom

It was when searching for 'sarouel molleton bio' on Google that I came across Tudo Bom, an ethical brand that has one foot planted in colourful Brazil and the other foot in chic Paris. Tudo Bom has masterfully fused these two rather different styles together to create one unusual and exciting brand, which can be found online and in its two boutiques right in the heart of Paris.

The clothes are produced in Brazil through a vertically-integrated supply chain, starting off with organic cotton and environmentally-friendly dyes. They are then sewn together in disadvantaged parts of Petropolis, by 35 skilled workers in small workshops, providing much needed employment with fair pay. Sounds good to me!

I paid a visit to the shop in Abbesses (home to the film 'Amélie'!) to have a look at the new Spring/Summer collection, as well as to try on the drop-crotch jogging bottoms that I found in my original Google search! The boutique was incredibly beautifully presented, and was a fantastic burst of colour (just what Paris needs).

I also have some good news for men - they have menswear too :D.

One of the coolest things I have ever seen is that the name of the person who made your exact garment is hand-written on the tag! It's a great way to connect with their supply chain, and is just about as transparent as you can get.

I wouldn't be a proper blogger unless I photographed their peter-pan collar dress, part of the Parisian side of the collection!

(mmmm geometric prints)

 

 

 

 

I was hugely impressed with the high level of customer service - the trousers were actually taken all the way to the store for me to try when I expressed an interest in them. And when I found myself pulling them all the way up to my waist, the shop manager Caroline was helpful in pointing out the error of my ways ;). After wearing high-waisted things for so long, I don't think harem pants are for me, haha. But there are several dresses I now have my eye on...

Addresses:

8, rue des Abbesses
75018 Paris

19, rue Pavée
75004 Paris

Sadie xxx


P.S. Why 'sarouel molleton bio?'... because it's a lot easier than 'drop-crotch-organic-sweatshirt-fabric-jogging-bottoms'. Sometimes French is just more precise.