Local shops
Bitter Grace
This woman- and minority-owned Capitol Hill shop offers its own brand of sustainably made athleisure and cashmere, along with leather bags, handmade jewelry, skin care, and home goods. A subscription-based “community” includes member self-care and empowerment events, use of a workspace, personal styling, and more.
The Phoenix
This 65-year-old Georgetown shop offers a high-end selection of clothing, home goods, and both costume and fine jewelry, made using sustainable practices.
Tribute Collective
This women-owned concept offers vintage and secondhand clothing, accessories, and home goods, as well as new items from “small, conscious, self-funded” designers from around the world. Items are available both online (@thisistribute on Instagram) and at pop-up shops in the District. Popping up next: May 5 through May 15 at 1710 Connecticut Avenue.
National Brands With DC Outposts
These big names boast environmentally conscious practices or initiatives.
Everlane
In response to questions about its sustainability practices, California-based Everlane outlined plans to reduce its carbon emissions by 55 percent by the end of the decade and to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. The brand, which has a shop on M Street in Georgetown, sells men’s and women’s clothing and shoes in classic styles and neutral colors, designed to outlast the trends.
Madewell Forever
Fun fact: The well-known denim brand offers “pre-loved” jeans in a special section of its website. What also helps keep clothes out of landfills: a partnership with the resale website ThredUp. Drop off unwanted denim (any brand) at the Georgetown shop—you’ll get a coupon toward new jeans—and grab a ThredUp kit, including a bag and a shipping label, to send off any other unwanted clothing for resale or repurpose.
Reformation
Known for its feminine dresses, the Los Angeles company started as a vintage-clothing store, then began making its own line using low-impact materials, deadstock fabrics, and repurposed vintage pieces. Further proof that the brand—which has a shop on M Street in Georgetown—is sustainable: It’s certified by the nonprofit organization Climate Neutral.
Consignment
Another way to be eco-friendly? Buy secondhand. Here are a few favorite shops in the Washington area for finding high-end apparel on consignment.
Ella Rue
Started by two sisters in Georgetown with an affinity for mixing old designer staples with new pieces, Ella Rue offers women’s designer consignment—think Shoshanna dresses, a vintage Gucci umbrella—along with a selection of new ready-to-wear items, such as bathing suits.
Inga’s Once is Not Enough
This well-known spot on DC’s MacArthur Boulevard resells only con-temporary (five years old or less) and high-end women’s clothing and accessories.
New To You
The Falls Church shop stocks resale vintage and designer women’s—plus some men’s—clothing and accessories (a 1950s dress by Christian Dior is one recent listing), as well as home goods.
Reddz Trading
High-end women’s—and some men’s—clothing and accessories are available both online and in its two stores, in Georgetown and Bethesda.
Secondi
This 36-year-old Dupont Circle store offers designer clothing and accessories—recent finds included a Louis Vuitton bag, Fendi sneakers, and Gucci pumps—plus home goods in-store and online.
This article appears in the April 2022 issue of Washingtonian.
Amy leads Washingtonian Weddings and writes Style Setters for Washingtonian. Prior to joining Washingtonian in March 2016, she was the editor of Capitol File magazine in DC and before that, editor of What’s Up? Weddings in Annapolis.
