The Three Ethical Brands You Should Support on Kickstarter Today

You’ve probably seen your friends or favorite small brands share a Kickstarter campaign to help fund a project underway, and the method of crowdsourcing makes sense for designers who take their ethical responsibilities seriously when creating their wares.

Why does a Kickstarter campaign line up with the values of an ethical, sustainable, or eco-friendly company? It allows business owners and designers to keep things 100% DIY.

With no outside investment or corporate sponsorship to cater to, creative professionals are able to devote their time and efforts to achieving their vision, and in keeping their mission transparent with potential backers, you know exactly what you’re gonna get with that monetary pledge.

We’ve found three brands currently raising funds with their own Kickstarter campaigns that are not only items we would totally love to own, but their values and mission statements is something we can stand behind. 

SEINCLLN 
Goal: $24,468

Working with skilled artisans from Britain to deliver minimalist designs, SEINCLLN combines traditional methods with the most current technology to create truly one of a kind looks. Big supporters of the “slow fashion” method of creation, SEINCLLN’s Kickstarter boasts zero waste designs at 50% off retail prices, with donor rewards ranging from a thank you email to a plane ticket to Europe to create a custom-designed piece of your own.

PONYBABE
Goal: $22,000

Designed and manufactured in the U.S., Brooklyn-based brand PonyBabe is raising funds to fund their first production, ensuring a strong start to the young company. Using eco-friendly, raw materials to create ethically produced garments, PonyBabe delivers easy-to-wear clothing that feels good to wear, and buy. Their first collection, called The 24 Hour Outfit, consists of a wrap, racerback tank, cardigan and pleated pants, all made of organic cotton and bamboo, and pledges will buy supporters single pieces or the entire set at below-retail value, and ships anywhere in the world.

BlueBlood
Goal: €4,000

While this campaign is technically closed, overreaching their goal by more than €2,000, we still thought the brand was worth mentioning in case anyone is looking for a sustainable yet affordable leather bag option to shop from. The Belgium-based company aims for classic over trendy, creating timeless pieces with a fine attention to detail only a true master of their craft can command. You can check out their Kickstarter campaign for a look at their fine leather wares here, featuring their take on the classic satchel, barrel bag, and backpack.

Americans Could Take a Few Hints From New Zealand brand Lonely Hearts with Lena Dunham

“I don’t recognize my own fucking body anymore.” 

Writer/actor Lena Dunham wrote that statement in her newsletter, Lenny, back in March of this year, where she publicly stated that she would no longer allow magazines to alter and manipulate her photos. Lonely Hearts took notice, and with the help of Girls co-star Jemima Kirke, teamed up with the star to deliver a body-positive lingerie ad campaign, entirely unretouched. 

The New Zealand-based lingerie brand, openly “celebrates the strength and individuality of women and creates lingerie, swimwear and clothing that embraces and empowers them,” according to their website. 

The pair are featured in the brand’s series titled Lonely Girls, an “ongoing journal series featuring candid portraits of inspiring women in their own spaces wearing Lonely, their way,” as stated on their site. Dunham and Kirke strip down to bear the brand’s stunning garb in the Photoshop-free set, which features an array of models from various parts of the world, all relying on nothing more than the natural light of day to allow their natural beauty to shine. 

“Instead of being objectified, the women who participate in these campaigns—in this case, Lena and Jemima—are empowered and exhibit real beauty that will hopefully help women everywhere feel a little more liberated,” Lonely Hearts told Dazed in a recent interview. 

Not only does Dunham prohibit Photoshop to edit her images, Lonely Hearts as a company also abides by this value, making this pairing a natural fit. Regularly sharing images from campaign shoots on their own Instagram, the brand “aspires to showcase women wearing underwear in a way that we usually don’t see in mainstream advertising and the media.” 

American campaigns can take a cue from what the direction this Kiwi brand is going. With social media always on the rise, and “real” women making names for themselves in the influencer sphere, it’s no secret that fans and consumers alike are looking to relatable figures to serve as a voice they can trust. 

With the Lonely Girls campaign, this forward-thinking brand showcases the body the way any good piece of lingerie should - using comfort and confidence to highlight one’s assets in a very real way. Lonely offers its supporters what they want - a realistic glimpse at just how great their items can look on almost any body shape, size and type. No smoke, no mirrors, and absolutely, positively, no Photoshop. Ever. 

You can view Lonely’s campaign online at lonelylabel.com/girls, or follow their vision on Instagram @lonely. 

Written by Krissy Howard

Three Brazilian Activewear Brands that are Fashion Blogger Approved

With the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, all eyes are on Brazil right now. Home to fashion heavy-hitters Uma, the South American destination also boasts a robust roster of activewear brands, and there’s nothing that will shine a light on a sports-driven market quite like the world’s best athletes competing to bring home the gold.

Combining high-performance quality with the bright, electric colors synonymous with Brazil’s buzzing energy, activewear designers are here to put the “fun” in functional, offering something different and exciting to anyone looking to get a good sweat in (or at least, anyone who’s gotta look good while breaking a sweat.)

As Brazilian Instagram starlet Thássia Naves told Stylecaster earlier this year, “I think there really is a special Brazilian touch. Even the colorful activewear is just really flattering and comfortable. I know I’m biased, but the Brazilians honestly do it best.”

Check out the top three Brazilian activewear brands to look out for right now, according to WGSN Insider.

CCM
Designed and made in its own factory located in Brazil, CCM is one of the largest activewear brands dominating the Brazilian market today, with an ever-growing international presence. Established in 1995, and known for being “unpretentious and powerful, chic and simple,” the brand serves both function and fashion with their use of bold prints and bright colors. You can find them online at ccm.net.br

LAUF
This relatively young brand, created in 2010, knows how to make a name for themselves, and by getting in on the athleisure trend, they’re doing just that. Known for not compromising fashion for function, LAUF allows its wearers to revel in both, and their ad campaigns show it. Taking a sharp turn away from the traditional sportswear shoots, the high-end editorial images featured on their Instagram share a story that assures viewers they’ve landed someplace leaps and bounds away from their average gym. Visit LAUF online at lauf.com.br

NU BODY
The baby of this bunch, newcomers Nu Body are here to represent 2016 with a look indicative of today’s style: the highly refined throwback. Brazilian designer Andre Lima and lingerie line Hope come together to form this budding brand, bringing bodysuits, leggings, top and jackets to make for an easy integration to any wardrobe, using killer colors and tight cut lines. One thing’s for sure: these looks might seem familiar, but you've definitely never seen anything like this. Check them out at nubodywear.com.

Interview with Founder of Lucky People International

One of the best things about Instagram is discovering new brands and companies from around the world. We recently stumbled across a brand called Lucky People International which originally caught our eye due to the name (quite catchy), and the beautiful images of artisan products.

Andean Shoes, Argentina $59.45

We were able to chat with founder Sergio Reyes about why he started Lucky People International and how the business originally came to life.  

As a filmmaker by profession, Sergio couldn't help but admire the art, narrative, and uniqueness in the places that he would visit. 

One thing he realized while visiting various countries such as Colombia and Argentina was that there was a lot of isolated creativity.  There were plenty of unique creations without a real audience.

As an artist himself, Sergio was personally impacted by this problem, which was how the brand originally came about.

Despite Sergio's current work in many huge commercial areas such as film, photography and graphic design, he chose to dedicate himself to this project and apply his many skills to help promote these local artisans.  

With the help of a small but mighty team, Sergio is slowly paving the way for designers and artisans from the smallest towns across the globe.  

Adventure Journal from Argentina $45.50

But the idea of Lucky People International as it is today officially started to cook in his mind after spending almost a year in New York in different neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Manhattan.  

Here he was able to witness at first hand a burst of creativity everywhere he looked, from people from all around the world trying to make a living from what they truly love.

After NY, he flew to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he began to go to artisans fairs and visit different regions in the country to buy the most beautiful items he could find.

During this journey, he made the decision to focus at first in third world countries and isolated towns or communities, but eventually will integrate more first-world urban items made from artists whom he hugely admires as well.

Read on to learn more about Sergio and Lucky People International.

Where are you based? 

I am based wherever Lucky People International takes me, right now, I am managing things from Colombia, in a couple of months, it seems like it will be Mexico. 

When did Lucky People International start? How long have you been around? 

It started actively around a year ago, when I traveled to Argentina where I began contacting and buying crafts from artisans. The web started functioning around february and Instagram 4 months ago approximately. The reception on Instagram has been outstanding so far, we are grateful with the community that follows us. Since we are new, we are still working on driving sales, but we can see a bright future and a great niche market gap to fill. 

Royal Handbag from Columbia $110

Where are the majority of your products from?

Right now, from Argentina and starting to include products from Colombia. Actually, we are traveling Colombia meeting great people and beautiful crafts that you can only dream of. Really, Colombia is a country full of color and passionate people. 

Who is the Lucky People International customer? 

The Lucky People International customer is someone who wants to stand out wearing exotic items brought from remote places, or to surprise someone with an unexpected, rare and beautiful gift. Is someone who cares for preserving ethnic traditions or help communities and independent artisans to keep having their way of life.

Carnival Change Purse, Columbia $25.35

Where is your favorite travel destination?

It's difficult to say, Argentina has stunning landscapes, huge mountains, and high views, it's really jaw-dropping. Colombia has a lot of green and some magnificent beaches, there's color all around. I wouldn't say I have a favorite destination but looking forward to visiting some Asian and African regions. 

Where do you want to travel next and what products do you hope to find?

It would be Mexico. We are very interested in finding unique objects that represent their culture and traditions, such as the  day of deads skulls, their famous 'Alebrijes', their multicolored embroidery of flowers and animals, their Talavera art in ceramics and their handmade masks. I know we will find a lot of interesting personalities and artisans to talk about on the web and Instagram. And of course, looking forward to taking some wonderful pictures.