Are you ready to touch and love the sustainable t-shirt of your dreams? Well, it is time! For Days is a new sustainable t-shirt retailer that opened in May 2018. They offer t-shirts and tanks, but will eventually branch out to include more items. They are based in LA but had a pop-up shop located in SoHo from September 12th to September 29th. During that time, they had partnered with a charity called Give An Hour and had events focused on sustainability, such as a panel, embroidery, and raised money for the Central Park Conservatory.
As I walked into the pop-up in SoHo it was a bright and airy minimalistic feel. They had clothing racks filled with t-shirts and tanks of all colors. The focus on sustainability permeated throughout the store with facts about sustainability and clothing. The t-shirts themselves are well-made and super soft because they are 100% organic cotton. Their tags are clearly labeled with the information of what it is made out of and the phrase “Return/Recycle/Repeat”. Tees are one of the biggest staple items in a persons’ wardrobe with a lot of versatility. They sell a variety of options, such as crew style shirts, v necks, scoop necks, tanks, ribbed shirts and tanks, sweatshirts and more. They have an option for everyone!
For Days is membership based. It is a circular retail model. When someone gets a t-shirt, down the line if they want a new one they can send it back to For Days and then they will send them a new one. For Days will use the old one’s material to make a new t-shirt. This is a great up-cycling method and an innovative way to reduce pollution and waste in the fashion industry. For Days has four different levels of membership with different amounts of tees and prices. Every membership gives you endless tees if you return them, free shipping, and cool events and partnerships.
On the For Days website, they list the positive environmental impact they have had. Currently, they list 248,860 gallons of water saved, 2533.58 pounds of CO2 saved, and 1653.15 pounds of waste saved. They also have their organic cotton certified by Global Organic Textile Standard which reduces water usage. They are building their own facilities with the goal ultimately being a zero waste facility. They are also designing renewable programs to reduce their footprint, such as a water reclamation program. They also use recyclable bags for the packaging and do not use hang tags to reduce waste.
Kristay Caylor is the founder of For Days and is the former president of Band of Outsiders and co-founder of Maiyet, also a sustainable clothing brand. She does a lot of work in sustainability and consumption doing talks at the United Nations Women’s Summit, SXSW and more. She believes retail should be centered around product access instead of ownership.
Check out fordays.com if you are interested in joining this innovative and sustainable clothing brand. It is a great initiative to keep you stocked with good quality items over time and get them recycled and replaced when you want something new or it gets worn out.