Swahlee Journal - Updates, Stories, and More
-
Meet The Rest Collection: Sustainable and Ethical Women’s Cotton Loungewear (Plus New Product Launch!)
![]()
Loungewear. These days everyone has it, and those who don’t want it. But, from pants that are too tight in all the wrong places to shirts that lo... -
Give well: a Swahlee holiday gift guide
![]()
The holiday season is fast approaching and here at Swahlee we’ve put together a list of Swahlee items which will make thoughtful gifts for the loved ones in your life. By gifting from Swahlee, you can know you are purchasing ethically, sustainably made goods with enduring impact. -
My journey into ethical fashion
![]()
I looked into my closet at the rack of hanging clothes, the baskets of folded clothes, and the overstuffed dresser. I felt ashamed. Up until that day I prided myself for that wardrobe, bursting at the seams. I marveled at how cheap I had purchased much of it. I looked from the ill-fitting shirts that I found on the deeply discounted clearance racks, to the dresses that I rarely wore because they didn’t really suit my personal style. I looked at the pants that I didn’t even like, but only bought because the price was just too good to pass up. I was a fast fashion addict and did not even know it… at least not until that day.
That day was the day I watched The True Cost documentary on Netflix.
-
Upcycled
![]()
Knowing the fashion industry is a major contributor to pollution and environmental waste, I’ve begun to ask the question, what is our role as an apparel company when it comes to environmental stewardship? One thing we can do is help to minimize fashion waste. For our Fall | Winter Collection, we decided to source material from the surplus, or deadstock, markets. By “upcycling” these fabrics we are making use of textiles that have already been produced anyway and might otherwise go to waste.
-
Interview with a master weaver
![]()
Each time I have visited the weaving unit where our fabric is hand woven, I am further amazed by how intricate and detailed the handloom process is. It’s surprising how many people are involved in the process to bring these beautifully crafted fabrics to us. The best person to share about the weaving process is Sankar Das, the Master Weaver at the fair trade company where we have sourced the fabric for Swahlee’s first collection. Recently I sat down for a phone call with Sankar to learn more about handloom fabrics.
