The Edit: J. Crew

I was wandering through J. Crew yesterday and was happily surprised to find a few American-made items in store… and then even more online! The majority are the products of J. Crew’s “In Good Company” collaborations… but these partnerships do seem to fuel future design, so here’s hoping J.Crew starts adding more American-made products to their core assortment.

J.Crew is pre-empting the holiday craziness with 25% off, ending today! use the code GETGIFTING. 

The Edit: Reading My Tea Leaves

I discovered Reading My Tea Leaves shortly after launching TAE and it has quickly become one of my favorite blogs… Erin has amazing taste, is a fantastic photographer and writer, and shares a lovely perspective on her life in Brooklyn. Unsurprisingly, her favorite American-made items are amazing, and she’s introduced me to some new brands that I’ll be following. Thanks so much, Erin!

The Edit : Zady

I can’t believe we haven’t talked about Zady yet! The socially conscious e-commerce site has become one of my favorite online shopping experiences, and I had the opportunity to meet with co-founder Maxine Bedat while in New York to learn a little more about the vision for the brand.

Maxine founded Zady with Soraya Dorabi – the two met in high school (in Minneapolis!) and reconnected in New York over a shared appreciation for well-crafted products. While building The Bootstrap Project, they saw an opportunity to impact the apparel industry by building a community brand based on items made with style and integrity.

And they have delivered. Zady is not only a curated marketplace of amazing, ethically-made brands (Imogene + Willie, Small Trades, Clare Vivier, Pendleton, and more…) but they do a phenomenal job of telling the story – from the background of the Garment Factory, to building a closet based on cost-per-wear, to the history of denim. Even more, when you shop with Zady, a percentage of all proceeds are donated to the Bootstrap Project, which provides microloans to artisans around the world.

What I love most about Zady is how accessible the brand is – from the impeccable but still realistic styling of the products on the site, to the team’s presence on social media, to the thank you notes sent with each order. Maxine spoke passionately about building – and supporting – a community, and that belief is apparent in every single aspect of Zady.

Zady currently has a holiday pop up that looks amazing – be sure to check it out if you are flying through LGA!

Thanks for meeting with me, Maxine… I can’t wait to see what you and Soraya come up with next!