designeddifferently

From the pages of The New York City Issue, we bring you the beautiful era of conscious style, and the pioneering brands who do not just design for profitable gain, but with intention of sustaining a community, the environment, and more: the world.

From the material selected  to the sale of inventory, we call this the belle epoque, or the beautiful era of conscious style. For the editorial shoot we partnered with Brothers We Stand, Cultures of Love, Modavanti, and Zady  who helped us find designs we deem  “conscious,” meaning they embody one or more of the following: Made in the USA, Fair Trade, Eco Friendly, Making Charitable Contributions, Buy 1 Give 1,  Made Locally or delivers an empowering message. All of the designs featured in the pages below have a story.

Discover / shop the brands we have come to love! Also, find the full editorial spread when you pick up your copy of Conscious Magazine, available for purchase via consciousshop.co

4 All Humanity works with artisans all over the world. Their apparel is produced in a cooperative in northern Uganda. Their accessories and jewelry come from cooperatives in India, Thailand, Mexico, and South Africa using recycled materials, silver, vintage fabrics, leather, and semi-precious stones.

AFIA is a social business built on transparency, mutual respect, and collaboration. Sustainability means creating prosperity for all people involved in the process. AFIA is an award-winning women’s sustainable clothing line sourced and sewn in Ghana, West Africa.

Altix Clothing The mission is simple. To bring hope and make a difference.  Altix Clothing was born on the principles of innovation, creativity, passion and design. They use these elements to create artistic and innovative designs on products, and to demonstrate views of positivity and hopefulness.​

Angela & Roi meticulously selects minimalist styles of tote, shoulder, and cross-body bags. Each style comes with various color options. The Angela & Roi aesthetic is vintage-inspired with a modern touch. Every bag is made with vegan leather and durable fabric.

Apolis is a socially motivated lifestyle brand that empowers communities worldwide.

Brothers We Stand is a stronghold of conscious style, a celebration of creativity and a show of solidarity with the men and women who make their clothes. They bring you menswear with design, provenance and quality.

Connected in Hope Foundation is a non-profit, social enterprise fashion brand empowering women and families in Ethiopia to rise above poverty through sustainable income development, improved educational opportunities and increased access to basic health care.

Cultures of Love is a boutique ecommerce where you can shop with a mission and still walk away looking fabulous. All the brands that they represent  follow the “Lovemaker’s Honor Code”.

Dana-Maxx is inspired by shape, architecture and color. Every design focuses on how she can flatter a real woman’s body and thoughtfully design clothing that every body type can wear. Dana-Maxx believes in the importance of community involvement, inspiring others and giving back.

Dirty Librarian Chains collection is founded on a zero waste design model and ensures the production of every piece utilizes USA made materials dating from the 1960’s to the 1980’s.

Eff Y Bee is an acronym for “follow your bliss”, is a NYC based line of jewelry founded in 2011, with a mission to inspire others to pursue what brings them happiness.

Esperos came to life shortly after its founder, Oliver Shuttlesworth, returned from a trip to Central America. After witnessing the debilitating effects of extreme poverty on children in those areas, he became resolved to create a sustainable solution that would equip children in the developing world with the tools needed to build a brighter future for themselves and their communities for generations to come.

FROCK L.A. by Victoria Tik is a women’s fashion design house founded in 2009. Every piece of their collection is framed by their constants: luxury sustainable fabrics, careful construction, flattering cuts, low-maintenance care.

Indie Twenty Jewelry

Indigenous is fair trade and organic apparel choosing only the most supple organic cottons to create clothes that are stylish while still healthy for you, your morals, and the environment.

Knotty Gal is the result of the founders’ desire to raise funds for the Bhandari Girls’ School in Bogra, Bangladesh. Founded in 1962 by Nur-E Farhana’s great-grandfather, the institution was the first all-girls school in the region.

Lily & Albert is a luxury, ethical clothing brand specializing in high quality, handmade, 100% wool knitwear.

Lydali Their mission is to share beautiful, ethical products and the stories of the artisans and designers who make them. They envision a world where every consumer is empowered to change the way the global economy works, bringing opportunity to craftspeople all over the world.

Modahnik Founded in 2009 by designer Kahindo Mateene, MODAHNIK is known for the mix of vibrant colors with bold prints. Having lived and traveled in Africa, Europe and America, Kahindo expertly combines these different stylistic elements, bringing a unique point of view to her design aesthetic.

Modavanti is the destination for the new generation of socially conscious consumers who are looking to find stylish and sustainable fashion that fits our values without compromising on quality or design.

Olsen Haus Pure Vegan was founded by Elizabeth Olsen in August of 2008 in New York City. The mission was to merge passions for design, fashion, function and being a voice for animals, the environment, transparent business practices and unwavering values in ethical and social responsibilities.

Pima Doll, as the name suggests, is a pima cotton collection. It is designed in New York and manufactured in Peru, from the world’s best pima cotton. Pima Doll puts a fun twist on the cotton basic, treating the fabric in innovative ways

Raven and Lily is a socially-conscious lifestyle brand dedicated to empowering women through design.

Run & Fell Drawing on their city’s (Manchester, England) rich creative and industrial legacy, their garments are influenced not only by the artistry and innovation pulsating through their interest but by the beauty they see in relics of bygone ages which give them a glimpse into England’s past. Handmade in England.

SkinnyJeans are made from classic denim but with a high nylon/elastane content.

State Bags aren’t just backpacks, they’re GiveBackPacks. They created the GiveBackPack program to address the immediate needs of American children living in impoverished communities. For every STATE backpack purchased, STATE hand-delivers a backpack to an American student in need.

Viva Aviva is a Brooklyn-based designer who sources materials locally.

Zady provides an alternative to today’s “fast-fashion,” a fad demanding consumers buy more and more instead of buying ‘good.’ Zady partners with the nonprofit The Bootstrap Project so that with every purchase made on Zady, an artisan launching a micro-business in the developing world will be provided with the crucial funds they need to grow their business and revive their traditions.