Ethically-made products for ethically-minded women.
Brand: Hackwith Design House
Product(s): women’s apparel
Price: $36 – $425
Eco / Ethical: made to last from ethical fabrics in St. Paul, Minnesota
It’s always awkward to show up to an event where someone else is wearing the same outfit (an occurrence that happens almost too often with my group of friends). But, with the limited edition collection from Hackwith Design House, I won’t have to spend the evening worrying about who wore it better.
Lisa Hackwith started Hackwith Design House in the fall of 2013, with the goal of making unique clothing for all women. Trained as a fine artist, Lisa taught herself to sew out of utility, and then refined her skills as she found herself wanting clothes that she couldn’t find in stores. When she first launched, she offered one new product every week, sewing no more than 25 of each design by hand, in her home studio.
Over time, she’s expanded her product line-up – and her team – and HDH now produces several collections. There’s the Basics Line, which is sold direct-to-consumer to provide better pricing and ensure constant availability. Then there are the Core, Swim, and Plus lines, which are sold at boutiques all over the country. And, finally, there’s the limited edition line, which is comprised of weekly releases that are made in small batches, just like the brand’s initial offerings.
Every HDH piece is still sewn in St. Paul, Minnesota, by Lisa and her team, who also work tirelessly to reduce the brand’s environmental impact wherever possible. They source ethical fabrics, are constantly improving patterns to reduce waste, and are always finding fun and unique uses for scraps – from baby clothes, to wall décor, to recycling for insulation.
And, on top of all of that, the clothes are beautiful! The pieces strike a perfect balance between comfort and elegance. I always feel like a more put-together version of myself in HDH’s stuff. And, if it’s a limited edition piece, I know I won’t bump into any accidental twins while I’m out!
Rita Mehta shops for a living and talks a lot. She launched her website, The American Edit, and podcast, Why Do We Have Things? so she’d have a place to talk about some of the things she’s most passionate about: American made design, responsible manufacturing, and conscious consumption. You can follow her on Instagram or Twitter.
