Fashion and Sustainability at Well-Minded Wardrobe

Lucy Krane's fashion company, Well-Minded Wardrobe, launched in early 2007 in downtown San Francisco, has given fashionistas all over the country a chance to shop sustainably. The first Well Minded Wardrobe boutique opened in Los Gatos and the company has since expanded to San Francisco as well as online. We sat down with her to chat about her business and their moves to minimize the fashion industry's footprint here on earth.

What inspired you to start Well-Minded Wardrobe?

I was interested in cutting out the middleman and being transparent about our practices so that other companies practices became more transparent. I yearned for a more environmentally responsible way of producing clothing to prove that high fashion and sustainability can coexist. 

Tell us a bit about the clothing at Well-Minded Wardrobe.

The clothing is made from vintage garments and surplus fabrics. Sourcing from these throw-away pieces allows us to eliminate waste. Because of this, all out styles become limited editions. 

Your factory is the first sustainable sewing factory in America. How did this idea emerge?

I wanted to get rid of the practice of using middlemen to produce clothing. The factory is powered exclusively by renewable energy, using solar power. We use all reclaimed and repurposed materials and we have made sure to use only green products - meaning everything from our cleaning supplies to our desks are eco-friendly. 

What is your mission at Well-Minded Wardrobe?

To allow for our customers to change the world without changing their style. 

Do you have any advice for other green-minded businesses? 

To focus as much on sustainability as you do on profit, and to focus as much on the health of your employees as you do the satisfaction of your customers. 

Thanks Lucy!