For nearly a month now, the feisty residents and independent retailers in the Mission District of San Francisco have been abuzz over the national retailer’s bid for a new space at 988 Valencia St. The hippest corner of San Francisco, most widely known for its incredible burritos, vibrant street scene and eclectic culture, has long prided itself on being free from stores like the Gap, Banana Republic and Starbucks. Instead they have the beloved Four Barrel Coffee company, taxidermist’s paradise Paxton Gate and veritable treasure trove of all things printed, Little Otsu. Shopping on Valencia Street is not like shopping in any other place, and the neighborhood’s residents intend to keep it that way. No formula stores, no chain stores, not even if it’s American Apparel.

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Alright, when your organization name sounds like poetry about nature you’ve caught my attention, and fall never sounded so lovely:

“Mountains of the Moon clothing is created with the conscious fashionista in mind - those of us who care about the environment and fair labor practices who also want to look good in what we wear. From start to finish, our garments are designed, patterned, manufactured, dyed and tagged (using eco-friendly materials) in the USA in small, 100% sweatshop-free facilities that are family owned and operated. We choose to use eco-friendly materials like hemp, tencel and organic cotton that are known for durability and long-life..”

How do they accomplish such eco-style and sophistication?

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KusiKuy specializes in warm alpaca yarn from Bolivia. All of their yarns are hand spun and made from the fibers of the alpaca which remote, nomadic communities tend. Their company is culturally sensitive and respects the culture and ceremony of the animals that these communities keep.

They sell a wide range of weights of the yarn, which is a strong, durable fiber, perfect for the Bolivian climate and indigenous to the area. It comes in over 25 different natural colors, perfect for accessories and socks. KusiKuy does not sell their yarn to yarn stores, and instead caters to the home crafter and small business crafter. Many socks and hats are created from their yarn.

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1. How do you brainstorm designs for the shirts? More specifically, what is your favorite tee and why?

My inspiration for the designs comes from reading and using a little bit of imagination. It’s the kind of thing that takes practice, I think the more you exercise your imagination the more pleasing the results are. My favourite tee right now is Only sheep need a shepherd. It just represents what my site is about - doing things your own way and not following the crowd. It can be interpreted in various ways: religious, political, ideological, etc.

2. What does the word “Sustainability” mean to your organization?

Sustainability is about leaving the Earth in a better state than we found it. To me that is the simplest way of describing it. We are increasing the number of organic t-shirts that we have available, and I hope that soon they will all be organic. We also use American made shirts because we believe that the employees get a living wage.

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I am in LOVE with this company, Speesees, which provides fun and stylish children’s things from beautiful kimono onesies to au natural baby hat. Here are the other reasons to love this Eco-conscious and green company.

• It’s manufactured under fair trade practices in India and the owner has developed a close relationship with the farmers who live bio-dynamically and receive health care.
• Everything is made from handpicked organic cotton, and knit and dyed with low impact dyes. All the products are made sweatshop free. “Natural light floods the premises and our energetic team, including disabled members, work decent hours for fair living wages. An organic garden surrounds the premises.”
• They give back to the community by donating $1 to every $100 earned from online retail orders. The company has also implemented a recycling program.

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As a recently-established brand, they first focused
on making sweatshop-free t-shirts (printed with water-based inks), but
will soon be offering their popular styles on organic cotton,
furthering their commitment to bettering the planet. By signing up for
the company’s e-mail newsletter, you are entered into a monthly drawing to win a free Wisdom Tee.

WT’s
first three designs, sporting text statements, have been featured in a
wide variety of media outlets and still get oodles of attention.
"Buddha is my homeboy," "peacemaker," and "one planet, one karma" are
still available in the company’s online store, as well as four new
designs. Three of the new graphics available feature artistic images of
the most well-known social and spiritual legends: Mother Theresa, Dalai
Lama, and Ghandi.

Last but not least, the company’s first organic
cotton shirt for men and women displays a delicately simple list of
inspirational and centering words, no doubt representing the purity of
the organic cotton the tees are made of. Prices range from $28-$36 for
women’s t-shirts and $26-$34 for men’s styles. Ten percent of all money
made from purchases is donated to Kiva,
a non-profit website that loans money to small businesses in developing
countries, "helping the world’s working poor make an important step
towards economic independence."

"Whether you buy organic fruits and veggies, drive a hybrid car, or teach kids to recycle, our products are another way to celebrate your way of living. Little Green Star is about inspiring kids to learn about the world around us and to develop their own ideas on ways to care for the earth," says the company's website, where you can peruse and purchase items from their entire collection. Though the graphics are simple, they are also adorable, featuring statements like "My dad recycles more than your dad," "Water pollution makes me crabby," "Future geologist," "Growing up green," and a number of others.

On top of their swank designs, LGS' website also features a collection of links to green activities. "[We are] on a mission to provide families with unique educational resources that promote the exploration of nature and the interest in science. We have gathered some information for you, so have fun!" Special links are devoted to major metro areas, specifically San Francisco, LA, New York, Honolulu, Chicago, Atlanta, and Portland. Spending "quality time" with your kids doing sustainable and educational activities will empower them more than any eco-documentary could ever hope to, and these resources do a great job of getting the ideas flowing.

With affordability a consistent factor when clothing your kids, I'm happy to say that Little Green Star's line is quite accessible. Priced at $24 for any item, free shipping is provided on all orders shipped within the United States (extra bonus). Still unsure about ordering? Check out the many positive reviews for LGS on OrganicPicks.com.

Working as a Chinese medicine practitioner and a roofing company founder, Natalia and Adam didn't have much experience with the clothing industry, but that didn't stop them from wanting to make a difference. "We differentiated our product just by being different, and that was enough. I experienced the pleasure of taking market share from well established outfits by doing nothing more complicated than trying to treat everyone the way I would want to be treated. And I began to wonder if this notion could have broader applications. Bienestar International is my answer to that question," says Adam, the company's President and CEO.

The concept behind the brand is quite simple: function as an open source, sweatshop free, union made apparel company.

We are the first - we think, the first of many - apparel maker to go open source. We will tell you about our sources, highlight them, show them off. The workers who make our clothes will have living wages and decent working conditions; they will have unions. Will that lead our competition to the same shops? Excellent. We want our sources to thrive. That's the whole point. Or a good part of it, anyway. The other part of open source apparel making is a challenge to our competitors: let them, too, reveal their sources. Let them suffer shame and loss of revenue for favoring sweatshops. Let them reap the rewards of choosing union shops and respecting workers rights.

The previous quote is taken from the company's website, serving as a perfect, direct explanation of the brand's goals and benefits to the industry as a whole. As expected, this open source model has garnered the brand a due amount of attention from the media, including the New York Times, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, NPR, and al Jazeera TV. Celebrity support has come from a number of unique sources as well, from a Nobel Peace Prize winner and Oscar winning screenwriter to a British folk singer, all of which are highlight on the company's "News" page.

So, what are the items really like? Wonderful, of course! Happy people make quality, long-lasting garments that you can appreciate. Though the company is only using a limited amount of sustainable fibers (read more about why here), your dollars do have an impact on the quality of life for their workers around the world. Also, 7.5% of the businesses' pretax profit is donated to anti-sweatshop organizations and union organizing funds in developing countries. Tess and tanks (both blank and with logos), hats, work apparel, sweats, athletic wear, and more are available for men, women, and children. The company's most popular item is their footwear collection, ranging from $40-55 a pair.