A Birdie Told Me
By KATIE KENNEDY
Walking into Birdie for the first time is like walking into the coolest little house ever—only where there should be sofas and beds are racks of clothing, and the tables are covered in clothes and accessories. The front room is filled with shelves and crates covered with fresh flowers and a few other odds and ends, but the majority of the store is devoted to dresses, tops, jeans, t-shirts, and jewelry. Birdie is owned by Katie Huskerson and her husband and sits right next to the University of Oklahoma Campus, in the Campus Corner shopping center. Surrounded by other independent stores and restaurants, Birdie fits right in here—but also offers something completely different from any of the other stores in the area.
When I first met Katie Huskerson, she was sitting behind the counter of her shop in Campus Corner, eating her lunch. She welcomed me brightly, and as I looked around, we chatted. Her lunch smelled delicious, and when I told her so, she immediately informed me that it came from a restaurant around the corner where all of the food is locally and organically grown. This may seem like an odd thing to say, but Katie Huskerson is more aware than most of the eco-friendliness of everything in her life. Birdie is her brainchild, and she carries only items that are organic, natural, recycled, and fair trade.
Katie says that it was her third grade teacher, Mrs. Boyd, who first got her into sustainable and eco-friendly living. “She taught us about recycling, composting, and gardening and those things really stuck with me as I grew up.” On her blog, thebirdiesnest.com, Katie tells her readers, “My great-grandmother, Prudence Mann, started a little shop in McAlester, Oklahoma back in 1924. Growing up among orchids, lilies and roses was simply magical. Following in the footsteps of Gran, Grandad Mann, my Dad and Mom, I'm thrilled to be a fourth generation florist.” As she got older, she also became interested in eco-friendly clothing: “I bought a great vintage tee shirt at a thrift store in my home town when I was in 7th grade and have enjoyed thrifting, going to estate sales and flea markets ever since.” In September of 2008, Katie began selling vintage and handmade clothing and accessories in a friend’s store in Oklahoma City. A year later, on October 24, 2009, Katie and her husband opened their own store in Norman, Oklahoma. She opened Birdie because she and her husband felt that their area needed a sustainable shopping option.
So what exactly is “sustainable style?” It can mean a lot of things, actually. “Unique pieces that are well made and don’t give out after one season,” says Katie. Essentially, it includes clothing and accessories that are made from natural or organic materials, fair trade and handmade items, as well anything that can be recycled or upcycled. Upcycling is converting waste or useless materials into new materials that have a higher environmental value and quality. Sustainable style is environmentally conscious, and works to produce fashionable products that respect the planet and the people on it–style that is made with integrity.
***
In the past few years, the sustainable movement has been sweeping the fashion industry, and what started primarily in small, independent shops like Birdie has been attracting the attention of bigger name designers. One of these is H&M, the enormously popular “cheap and chic” clothing store that started in Sweden, and now has over 2,000 stores worldwide. In 2009 the company launched their sustainability strategy, revealing their plan to increase their use of organic cotton by 50% each year until the year 2013. They have also been researching other ways of using organic and recycled fabrics. As Catarina Midby (Trend Coordinator for H&M) said in a press release in March of last year, “It’s an educational process for us and our customers. We all have to learn about new materials and about how to care for our clothes in a more energy-efficient way.”
Some of these “new” recycled materials are scheduled to debut in April of this year, according to a press release on February 3, when H&M introduces their Conscious Collection—“an ongoing range for women, men and kids, made from environmentally-adapted and sustainable materials…” All the clothes in the line are based around four main “conscious” materials: organic cotton and linen, which have both been grown without the use of hazardous chemicals; recycled polyester, which is made from pet bottles or textile waste; and a material called TENCEL, which is a renewable, silk-like material produced with minimal environmental impact. This collection is a follow up to the Garden Collection, which was a semi-sustainable line featured in spring of 2010.
On H&M’s website, they discuss environmental objectives they are trying to apply in all aspects of their business. Environmental awareness is the first; making sure that their suppliers, employees, and customers are informed about the environmental factors involved in production, distribution, and consumption of their products. Anyone who visits the H&M website can easily find information regarding the sustainability movement—specifically the sustainable movement at H&M, but also general information about what it means to be sustainable. They also work to ensure the sustainable use of resources and a clean production chain—making sure that environmentally friendly methods are being used from beginning to end in all of their products. “We have a responsibility towards everyone who contributes to our success, including those who are not employees of H&M. That is why we work closely with our suppliers to develop a long-term, sustainable social and environmental standard in the factories that manufacture H&M's products. We have to ensure that our employees' human rights are not violated, and the same applies to employees of our suppliers and other cooperation partners, and to our customers.”
For any large corporation like H&M, there is this challenge of balancing environmental strategy with business strategy. CEO Karl-Johan Persson says, “At H&M, we think that sustainability isn’t just an add-on. It’s an integral part of what it means to be a successful business. That’s why, when we think of sustainability, we look at it in terms of three connected areas: people, planet, and profit.” Another of their environmental objectives, green transport, proves to be a big challenge in regard to profit. “Offering our customers the right products in the right quantity at the right time and in the right place is crucial to our business. At the same time, transporting merchandise accounts for a significant part of H&M’s carbon dioxide emissions.” H&M is faced with the challenge of transporting all of their necessary products while reducing emissions and using the fewest possible resources. They have been achieving this goal slowly by partnering with transportation companies that are environmentally aware- which calls back to that good relationship with everyone involved in the process of making and selling products.
An important factor of the sustainability movement is respect for nature and people. At People Tree, another large, chain clothing company, they work to improve the lives and the environments of the laborers and farmers in developing countries that produce all of the material they use in their products. To do this, all People Tree Fashions meet the standards of the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO). This means that they promote environmentally friendly production, and they have high standards for labor conditions. The number one priority of companies who work with WFTO is the creation of opportunities for “disadvantaged produecers,” and accountability among trade partners. Buying sustainable clothing isn’t just good for the earth—it can make a difference in somebody’s life, too.
***
Something many people have been led to believe is that it is expensive to live green and wear sustainable clothing. When I asked Katie about this, she responded honestly: “Sometimes the price of sustainable goods can scare people away. However, you have to consider that sustainable products are made in an alternative way. More time, organically grown fibers, fair labor wages, locally sourced goods, etc., all play a part in sustainable goods. These are factors to consider when evaluating the price of buying sustainable.” On average, clothes in a shop like Birdie are going to fall in the $30-$80 range. When I visited, I left with a t-shirt made with organic cotton and hand-painted in bright, summer colors for $32. I also coveted an organic hemp jersey dress for $75. At H&M, a store that made its mark as a place for clothes that were on the cutting edge of fashion and affordable, the prices will run slightly lower. You’ll find organic cotton, floral-printed dress for just $20, and jeans made from organically grown denim, also for just $20. The best part of buying clothes made with these natural materials? All of them can be recycled. So, after you’ve finally outgrown your favorite organic cotton t-shirt, don’t throw it out, recycle it; that’s the whole idea behind this movement.
The sustainability movement is still a young one, but it is getting bigger everyday because of people like Katie Huskerson and Birdie. It is a movement that is being picked up in the greater fashion world, but is still very much driven by people who have taken it upon themselves to make a difference. I asked Katie how the Average Jane (or Average Joe) can get involved with this movement. She gave four great suggestions:
- Look for fair trade certified items. If it is fair trade certified (it will say so on the tag), that means it’s doing good for the planet, and for people. For more information on Fair Trade Certification, visit their website wfto.com. You can also go to the People Tree website to learn about how they are working with WFTO.
- Check out thrift stores, shop at farmers markets and local handmade shows. Thrifting is a great way to recycle old clothes and cut down on consumption of new, disposable goods. Plus, it won’t break the bank- it’s a great cheap alternative!
- Shop at locally owned businesses. Buying locally is a good way to support your community, and help out local eco-friendly businesses so that this movement can continue to grow.
- Ask or research the labor standards for products you are buying. Katie says, “If the price is too good to be true, there’s a good chance someone was exploited to bring you that too good to be true price. Educate yourself.” The best thing to do is check the tag on anything before you buy it. If it doesn’t say, or doesn’t have one, ask.
Sustainable style is not only a smart way to make a difference; it can be a stylish one.