This post is sponsored by Miakoda New York, an athleisure clothing label devoted to producing comfortable, every day wear in an ethical and sustainable manner. 

When it comes to curating closets, I’ve embraced something close to a no-frills policy. Over the past few years, my clothing choices have increasingly gravitated towards basic, minimalist styles, dismissing trends in exchange for timeless classics. I’ve found that this is simply my personal taste, but decreasing the need to keep up with fashion trends is also a plus, since it eliminates the draw towards buying clothing or accessories in order to keep up with the times.

Fashion is about dressing according to what’s fashionable. Style is more about being yourself.                                                       -Oscar de la Renta

Additionally, practicality has climbed my ladder of priorities, usurping the need to search for statement pieces. I prefer to make statements with my actions rather than my things. Versatility is equally important, to fit my hobby-filled lifestyle. On any given day, you can catch me baking bread, while practicing yoga, writing on my blog, photographing random “lifestyle” moments, learning guitar and new languages, and sneaking in a few pages of my current book at every opportunity in between bulk fermentation sessions for my dough. Those activities may embrace practicing dentistry more half of the week. Top the busy schedule with hours of socializing with family and friends, and one can see why going back to basics was attractive to me. The most ideal pieces in my closet fit together with any other article of clothing, making grab-and-go an easy, and common, occurrence.  Regardless, I try to attempt getting dressed with the utmost intentionality, establishing a sense of comfort for whatever activity may arise, while still attempting a decent appearance, for who ever I end up meeting during the day.

So today, I decided to take Miakoda New York through my daily routine. Their clothing line is composed of athleisure wear, all of which I could see myself toting on any given Sunday. Sunday is my only weekend day off, and while I wear scrubs a majority of my other work days, I like to use Sunday as an(other) excuse to dress as comfortably as possible.

A huge fan of the basic black tee, you can see me outfitted in just this very thing for half of any given week. In fact, I have about five black tees that I cycle through, but I always find myself running out by Saturday. So here I am, adding another black tee to my arsenal.

This essential tee is all sorts of comfy, and all I need on any warm, Southern California morning (read as: for two-thirds of the calendar year). I spent the morning taking in the sun’s rays, before ordering my chocolate pretzel, a twist on my usual pain au chocolat.

The boxier fit is less constricting than the body hugging types and honestly, is more flattering for teenage-girl-like physiques like mine. Each tee, as well as other products from their clothing line, is ethically made in a New York factory that the founders personally visit a few times each season. The black one that I’m wearing in particular is made up of bamboo, organic cotton, and spandex. Bamboo lends to the fabric a layer of softness, while the spandex lends some stretch. Both were much appreciated when I continued to wear this tee later in the afternoon on my yoga mat.

Unfortunately, despite the warm sun rays, it was not long before I started to feel a bit too cool. Comfortable to me usually means a room temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and although we live in So Cal, it IS the middle of January. Sensibly, I am always carrying around additional layers and I couldn’t help but throw on Miakoda’s sweatshirt before we’ve even left our first destination. The sweatshirt kept me warm, and happy, as I continued to gobble up that chocolate pastry.

The sweatshirt accompanied me on my search for a spritzer for my new Ficus houseplant, and all errands and chores thereafter, including grocery shopping, running the laundry, washing the dishes, etc. It definitely draws me in with its functionality. I can see myself throwing this over scrubs, wearing them to bed as pajamas, or sitting on the couch sinking in its comforts while I type, type, type. In fact, I continued to wear it while I did some writing, cooked meals for the upcoming week with Mike, and relaxed with a late-night movie with Kirsten. (Note: over scrubs, and all other activities, never in the same day). This piece will definitely transition through my day-to-day activities quite nicely.

For a more refined look, I paired the sweater with light and airy silk drawstring pants. Still laid-back and modest, but slightly more elevated. Averse as I am to putting on the ritz, as some would say, I usually combine cotton basics with more delicate fabrics, to create a discreet outfit that is all-together enticing to the wearer (me) and alluring to the eye. Paired with some sturdy clogs, this summarizes my ideal ratio of practicality and style.

The boxy nature of the sweater makes it similar to the tee, a brother if you will, with longer sleeves and a thicker, softer composition. You can tell that this sweater was very thoughtfully constructed. Perhaps worth mentioning is Miakoda’s affinity towards using sustainable plant fibers such as organic cotton, bamboo, and soy. From their commitment towards finding ethical fabric suppliers who are using sustainable products, to their investment in partnering with high quality garment factories in New York, one can tell that the company is committed towards creating change in the way clothes are being made.

With tees and sweaters such as these in tow, I can go on with my hobby-infused lifestyle without a hitch. Suffice to say, writing about ethical companies and about not believing in the word negligible interests me more than writing about the next fashion trend. On the heels of that thought, it’s just as important to me to support companies that are trying to change the way the fashion industry is being run.

Unfortunately, fashion has transformed significantly in the last twenty years. The way we produce, distribute, consume, and then throw away, clothes has sped up to an alarming rate. Larger companies cannot keep up with the supply and demand without hiring megasuppliers, who then hire suppliers, who hire sub (sub-, sub-, sub-) suppliers to produce the clothing. It’s become such a large scale ordeal that it’s difficult to control how large orders are being filled. Case in point, when a factory burned down in Tazreen and sixty percent of the products were being produced for Walmart. Walmart had no idea that their orders were in Tazreen. In fact, they had previously visited the factory and deemed it unsafe and had specifically banned their suppliers from using that factory. So how did their products end up there? Because multiple sub-sub-sub-suppliers pawned off the work to this factory, without ever needing to communicate with Walmart. Other companies’s products were also being produced there, such as Disney and Dickies. Because these companies have specifically banned the Tazreen factory due to unethical working conditions, none of these companies were responsible for compensating the victims of the fire. When the fire first began, some workers asked to leave, and they were told to go back to work. Minutes later, they were enveloped in smoke, and some tried to escape through stairwells that had locked exits. 112 workers were killed in that fire, and many people suffered broken limbs trying to jump out of the windows.

Factories are being audited, but audits don’t necessarily prove that factories themselves are improving, only that factories are improving at making it seem like their conditions are improving. Additionally, as with the case above, audits aren’t really enough to stop orders from reaching these factories. Some orders are even sent to small groups of workers, or at-home workers. It’s gotten so bad that producers don’t know what company their products are being made for. Their orders come from, and are delivered to, middlemen. Alternatively, interviews show that many large companies don’t know in which countries their products are being made, let alone which factories.

Supporting small companies dedicated towards ensuring high quality products and meeting ethical standards of working conditions is important to me. Miakoda’s sustainability and ethics are worth noting. One of the problems we see with people who are aware of the pitfalls of fast fashion is the immediate reluctance to buy anything new at all. As more anti-fast-fashion advocates protest by shopping only vintage hand-me-downs to abstain from supporting unethically made clothing lines and to decrease waste, may I suggest that doing so does not pave the way for an improved future in the fashion industry. By shying away from purchasing new products completely, we do not allow the growth of smaller companies trying to change the fashion scene. As we disappear from the consumer population, those who are left purchasing any goods at all are either unaware of the situation, or are aware but choose to ignore. The hamster wheel of supporting companies that sell cheaply-produced goods at a larger cost to the planet and the living beings inhabiting it will be strengthened, and these companies will continue to thrive. Who will be left to support smaller companies trying to implement change?

In order to ensure that our products are being made ethically, the companies have to be held accountable for the production of their products, down to the very last detail. This doesn’t include just factory workers and hired employees, but also includes the workers who supplied the materials and their working conditions. We need to start thinking about the planet, as well as everything and everyone living on it.

I understand that this problem goes way beyond our purchasing power. Buying from the right companies will not directly yield immediate abolition of child labor and unhealthy working conditions. Governmental policies need to be implemented in order to successfully produce the changes we want to see. But in order for those policies to go into effect, it requires a call for change. As long as the large majority of the population continue to consume as if we are okay with conditions that violate basic human rights, there will be no pressure created to promote change. Our purchasing power acts as a vote towards the future we want to see.

Miakoda understands that as well. When asked to name the one message that they wish to send out to the world through their work, they answered with this. Everytime you make a conscious decision, you make an impact. Your closet can be filled with fast-fashion, or clothes that you’ve only worn once, but the decision to buy an ethical basic tee that you wear daily does make a difference. I do not believe in the word negligible. We need to feel empowered by our decisions, because they do matter.

For those who were wondering, the tee was paired with Eileen Fisher denim (similar one here) and accessorized with Nisolos and a gold Giving Key with the word “Create”. The sweater was paired with silk pants, also from Eileen Fisher, and accessorized with another pair of Nisolos and a black matte Giving Key with the word “Fearless”.

This post was sponsored by Miakoda New York, but all opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that support The Debtist.

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