Sustainable Fashion in Greensboro NC

I was in North Carolina last weekend visiting some family, and I just happened to stumble upon two eco-friendly clothing stores in downtown Greensboro!

Pretty Birdie Hemp & Organic
Cotton Muslin Snap Jacket

The first was unfortunately closed (appointment only), but it was the cutest little shop window/design studio. It's called Pretty Birdie Eco Couture, and the designer's name is Stephanie Teague. She makes handmade, custom, sustainable women's clothing and accessories. She uses only high end sustainable and organic fabrics, and uses low impact dyes. You can find her designs on her Etsy shop and I think they are really great. She's able to create really interesting wearable designs, and the price point is good considering they are handmade! It was too bad her store was closed, I would have liked to speak with her. I wonder how much of a market there is for sustainable custom clothing in Greensboro (or if she mostly sells through Etsy).

The second store I stumbled upon was located down the street from Pretty Birdie, it is called Civic Threads. Their logo is "wear your heart on your sleeve." As stated on their website:

Civic Threads aims to be more than a retail store; the world has enough of those. We aim to be community centered. Socially aware. Malleable... Through a retail space, we aim to sell quality, consciously-made apparel and local handmade goods, also we want to be a space where people can hold events, be inspired by learning about ways they can get involved in the world around them through action and activism, or just be a place to have a good conversation. 


I only had a few minutes to run through Civic Threads (my family was waiting for me at the car, they had enough window shopping...), however I think I got the gist of what they do. Mostly their clothing stock was Alternative Apparel brand, a company I've mentioned before on this blog. Alternative Apparel is committed to various sustainable initiatives, and seems like a good emerging sustainable fashion brand. Civic Threads also featured a few items designed by local designers, and had a lot of promotional "I <3 GSO" (Greensboro) memorabilia.

It was really refreshing to be in a city that I don't know and just happen upon two stores that are doing interesting things in sustainable and local fashion!