Summer is fully upon us. And so begins the season of long beach days, traveling far and wide, warm breezy evenings, and so much sun. It is truly my favorite time of the year. But with each summer comes a need for a few essentials. Ones to soothe our sun kissed skin and keep us hydrated. While it’s tempting to want to pick up a cheap bathing suit, or grab a bottle of water from the grocery store, we have a growing responsibility to be conscious consumers. Thankfully, more and more companies are making this easy for us. These six summer essentials are made by brands who create ethically made products, give back, or use sustainable practices.
1. Memobottle
This sleek, reusable, bpa-free water bottle fits easily into your bag, backpack, or even pocket for staying hydrated on the road. We actually featured them in our Empowerment Boxes this past quarter, and are huge fans. Plus, $1 from every online order is donated to water.org, who p rovides access to safe water for one person for 10 months.
2. Hackwith Design House Swim
Hackwith Design House creates ethically made clothing and swimwear in their Minnesota studio. Most of their items are made to order in an effort to reduce waste and give exceptional attention to detail to each piece. I just purchased the Skinny Knot Top and High Waisted Bottoms and let me tell you I am in love. The fabric is high quality and their designs are so flattering on a wide variety of body types.
3. Malawi Sunglasses by Solo Eyewear
Solo Eyewear is committed to helping the world see better, and not just by providing some shade. With each purchase, Solo restores vision for a person in need. In doing research of how they could help the great need for eye care around the world, they realized that 80% of the world’s blindness is preventable. By donating 10% of profits, and through their partnerships, Solo Eyewear has restored vision for 13,000+ people in need through the funding of eye exams, eyeglasses, and cataract surgeries across 32 countries to date. Plus, their sunglasses are made with ethically sourced, repurposed bamboo and recycled plastic!
4. Herbivore Botanicals Skincare
Founded by a husband and wife team out of their Seattle kitchen, Herbivore Botanicals creates high quality, natural skin care and beauty products free of synthetic ingredients, parabens, chemicals, fillers, animal testing, and the list goes on. The After Sun Mist, a blend of aloe vera, mint, and lavender, is the perfect refreshing, therapeutic solution to a few too many hours in the sun. All Herbivore products are made in small batches in the USA, with an emphasis on plant-based, organic ingredients.
5. The Form Crossover Sandal by Everlane
As someone whose sandal collection has seen far too many days at the beach, these supportive, contoured leather sandals look like a summer dream. Everlane is a champion for radical transparency and ethical production processes. They put great care into selecting the best factories around the world, and ensure the integrity of their production process through close relationships with the owners. They also show you the cost breakdown of each product, and reduce markups by being an online-only retailer.
6. Grey & White Towel by Loom Towels
These lush, hand woven towels are made with 100% certified organic cotton and dyes for the softest summer luxury. Loom Towels products are sustainably and ethically made in a small Turkish community, celebrating their traditional craftsmanship weaving each product by hand on old shuttle-looms. While a bit of an investment, these towels are made to last for decades - and are said to become softer and more absorbent the more you use and wash them.
Photos by Liz Calka and via Memobottle, Hackwith Design House, Solo Eyewear, Herbivore Botanicals, Everlane, and Loom Towels
