Sustainability & How Our Products Are Made

Did you know that around 2.2 million tons of online clothing ends up in landfills each year and that approximately 85% of garment workers around the world don't even earn minimum wage?

We say that is unacceptable! The fashion industry has done too much damage for far too long. At Blue Urbane, we intentionally carry brands and artisans that are making positive changes to the fashion industry. When we source clothes, the most important things we look for is that they are sustainable and ethically made. We want our clothes and other products to be made well, last long, and give your great style! It's great to look good, but what's more important is that we help the planet and women while doing so.

We invite you to read below all the ways Blue Urbane is an eco-friendly, mission-based boutique founded to meet all your fashion and style needs.

More Information:

Sustainable fashion refers to clothing that is designed, manufactured, distributed and used in ways that are environmentally friendly. Natural materials such as hemp, linen, cotton, silk, wool, leather, and cellulose fibers are preferable over virgin synthetics like polyester, acrylic, and nylon. 

Natural fibers are biodegradable and can compost cleanly back into the soil unlike synthetic fibers that do not biodegrade and sit in landfills, continually leaching toxic chemicals. Also, using recycled materials and deadstock to create new clothing is another great way to be sustainable because it doesn't require the production of new resources from the Earth. It instead makes the most use of materials that may otherwise go to waste.

This all why you'll see Blue Urbane's clothing is made overwhelmingly from organic cotton, linen, deadstock, and other eco-friendly and recycled materials. These fabrics are good for the planet so you can shop with us knowing you're not contributing to polluting or waste.

Also, more than 80% of garment workers don't get paid minimum wage and most work up to 60+ hours a week. The overwhelming majority are women, so it's extremely important to us that we support garment workers in the best way we can. That means they earn fair wages and benefits, clean and safe workspaces, training opportunities, and more. We are proud to support and carry only designers and small brands that pay and treat their garment workers fairly. 

Additionally, all our jewelry is handcrafted and designed by women in the USA or through fair trade in Asia. The pieces are made by hand with gemstones, polymer clay, deadstock vintage jade, and brass using traditional techniques such as stamping, torching and assembling vintage and curated materials. Unfortunately most jewelry pieces are produced in a very unethical and unsustainable way so we're working to combat that.