20% off Responsible Luxury Brands at Otte

Rachel Comey Lone shirt | $396 after GRECHEN20 code for 20% off
Ryan Roche cashmere dress | $658 after the code
Acne Studios sweater | $288 after the code
Issey Miyake Bao Bao Lucent tote | $520 after the code
Opening Ceremony Velvet Cici slides| $180 after the code

NOTE: This post is part of a series of posts I do for Grechen’s Closet’s partners. These posts are not sponsored and have been written and initiated entirely by me. They contain affiliate links where applicable, and are meant to be a more in depth look at Grechen’s Closet’s most valued partners/advertisers; I couldn’t do this without them.

I’ve mentioned in a couple of previous posts Otte NY’s in-house line of NYC-produced silk dresses (some are made with surplus fabrics) and their new line of Made-in-Italy leather handbags, but they also carry several other luxury designers that monitor their supply chains, produce more sustainably, work with artisans, and/or use alternatives to leather.*  Here are some of my favorites:

Ryan Roche designs beautiful, luxurious cashmere/knit essentials and

is committed to supporting responsible manufacturing via sustainable, low-impact production and has worked with a women’s cooperative in Nepal for the last decade, whilst also supporting American manufacturing. (via Ryan Roche)

Bao Bao Issey Miyake – iconic Japanese designer, made in Japan, uses plastic triangles on mesh.  I’m seriously tempted by this bag as a very simple tote; and I love that there’s NO LEATHER at all.  Many nylon bags, like my Tumi tote and Rag & Bone nylon backpack have leather trim that in my opinion isn’t necessary.

Opening Ceremony non-leather slip-ins – neoprene/nylon or velvet on rubber. No leather at all.  The company itself is a champion of smaller designers and local influence, but there’s not a lot of information out there about corporate responsibility efforts.  I do appreciate that they don’t add leather trim to their non-leather shoes.

Rachel Comey – is mostly manufactured in NYC on a somewhat smaller scale.  I just love the overall cool-girl styles and silhouettes, and efforts to incorporate diversity in her messaging (she’s used quite a few “older” models in her recent campaign also).  She uses alpaca in a lot of her sweaters (which is generally more sustainable than wool or cashmere), and is always a trend-setter in a subtle way.

Acne Studios is a member of the Fair Wear foundation which helps monitor and improve labor conditions at the factories that manufacture their products.

Not shown above:

RE/DONE – “restored” from old Levi’s jeans, made in the US.  I keep trying to buy a pair of these but can’t find a style that remotely fits my thicker legs; they seem to run REALLY REALLY small.

*leather alternatives are NOT NECESSARILY more environmentally friendly or “sustainable” given that they are generally made from plastics, which are not biodegradable, and require chemicals to process.  But leather production is FAR from a “clean” industry on a large scale, even with some degree of veg tanning and more ethical manufacturing.  And it goes without saying that if you’re a vegan, it’s more important to not consume animal products of any kind, and therefore non-leather is absolutely a more ethical alternative to animal leathers.