Last weekend we braved the rainy weather to visit one of our (and The Monocle’s) favourite retail locations in Warsaw: Mysia 3. This building used to be the Office for the Control of Press and Publications during the Communist times. Ironically, it is now used for the opposite of censure: bringing the world to Warsaw and Warsaw to the world through interesting concept stores carrying a variety of domestic and international brands, a restaurant, a deli, and an open meeting space that used for a variety events. This weekend it was hosting USTA Magazine’s Festival of Tea and Coffee, an expo of various vendors involved in all aspects of the brewing process, producers, café’s, bakeries, water purifiers, ceramists, etc.
The one thing that we were not expecting to stumble on at the event was Transparent Shopping Collective.
This collective is comprised of two companies, elementy simple wear and balagan studio. Both companies have committed to providing high quality fashion items at an affordable price and made in an ethical manner. Their products are all made in Poland by craftsmen and women earning a fair wage.
The only company that B and I know of with a similar outlook is Everlane. The trouble is that they don't ship to Europe and the American dollar is not exchanging in our favour these days. The fact that we found something similar here in Poland, with the added bonus that we could see the clothes, shoes, and bags in person and not just in pictures, surprised the both of us incredibly. We found out that the reason that they were at this event, since clearly their line of business is neither coffee nor tea, was because they chose a coffee plantation run by women to be the charity to which they were donating 4% of their sales. Every time a purchase is made with one of the companies in the collective, 3-5% of the total cost, not just the profit, goes to a charitable organization.
Keep in mind though, that we didn’t know their ethical and moral views until we talked to the representatives of the company. What initially drew us in was the beauty of their designs. I had been looking for a camel wool coat for the past year. Being picky me of course, there was always something wrong with the cut, the material, the quality, or the price. When I tried the one made by elementy, I knew that it was the one. The fit was great, the cut was timeless, I liked the thickness, and it was made in Poland!
As my coat was being wrapped up, my observant husband caught a glimpse of balagan's leather shoes. They looked unique with their dual-colour soles. When I felt them, the leather felt very soft and supple. I have cursed feet that shoes tend to abuse, so finding something comfortable that lasts longer than a season is nothing short of a miracle. B convinced me to try on a pair, he continued negotiating with me about the status of my shoe collection, pointing out that I didn't own any black shoes or any flats, and that these are a good investment because of their versatility and quality, etc. etc. etc. I swear he should be given the commission off of this pair. The truth is that I really didn’t need all that much convincing, but it was cute to see that he was as excited as I was.
Now I have a beautiful new coat and shoes, perfect for this autumn weather that we have in Warsaw. The best part is, I feel amazing wearing them. Not just because of comfort or style, but because I know that they are made well, in a fair and ethical way, and my money was going to support Polish companies that cared about their workers and the world they live in.
Bisouxx,
B[ZU]
The one thing that we were not expecting to stumble on at the event was Transparent Shopping Collective.
This collective is comprised of two companies, elementy simple wear and balagan studio. Both companies have committed to providing high quality fashion items at an affordable price and made in an ethical manner. Their products are all made in Poland by craftsmen and women earning a fair wage.
The only company that B and I know of with a similar outlook is Everlane. The trouble is that they don't ship to Europe and the American dollar is not exchanging in our favour these days. The fact that we found something similar here in Poland, with the added bonus that we could see the clothes, shoes, and bags in person and not just in pictures, surprised the both of us incredibly. We found out that the reason that they were at this event, since clearly their line of business is neither coffee nor tea, was because they chose a coffee plantation run by women to be the charity to which they were donating 4% of their sales. Every time a purchase is made with one of the companies in the collective, 3-5% of the total cost, not just the profit, goes to a charitable organization.
Keep in mind though, that we didn’t know their ethical and moral views until we talked to the representatives of the company. What initially drew us in was the beauty of their designs. I had been looking for a camel wool coat for the past year. Being picky me of course, there was always something wrong with the cut, the material, the quality, or the price. When I tried the one made by elementy, I knew that it was the one. The fit was great, the cut was timeless, I liked the thickness, and it was made in Poland!
As my coat was being wrapped up, my observant husband caught a glimpse of balagan's leather shoes. They looked unique with their dual-colour soles. When I felt them, the leather felt very soft and supple. I have cursed feet that shoes tend to abuse, so finding something comfortable that lasts longer than a season is nothing short of a miracle. B convinced me to try on a pair, he continued negotiating with me about the status of my shoe collection, pointing out that I didn't own any black shoes or any flats, and that these are a good investment because of their versatility and quality, etc. etc. etc. I swear he should be given the commission off of this pair. The truth is that I really didn’t need all that much convincing, but it was cute to see that he was as excited as I was.
Now I have a beautiful new coat and shoes, perfect for this autumn weather that we have in Warsaw. The best part is, I feel amazing wearing them. Not just because of comfort or style, but because I know that they are made well, in a fair and ethical way, and my money was going to support Polish companies that cared about their workers and the world they live in.
Bisouxx,
B[ZU]