Exploring sustainable shopping in Alamance County
Sustainable vogue has designed its way into suppliers in the latest several years. This kind of trend can consist of clothes built with environmentally friendly products these kinds of as organic cotton, repurposed materials and any other type of apparel made to very last very long. The good news is for Elon College, there are some nearby businesses providing sustainable solutions.
Elon U Thrift
Elon U Thrift is a consignment store launched by junior Jakob Reuter and senior Grace Granger. The store at first started as a course assignment in 2020 for their ENT 2500 course, Creative imagination & The Doer/Maker Mentality. Following the course finished, the two chose to go on with the task.
“We resolved we had been equally passionate about the strategy and decided to make it a actual business enterprise,” Granger wrote in a assertion to Elon News Community.
Granger observed thrifting to be a useful thing to the setting, as it lowers the amount of garments squander and is essential to our culture. This enthusiasm is section of why she ongoing with the venture and proceeds to offer sustainable apparel.
“I enjoy that thrifting is getting much more preferred and I hope to see even more of it… and recycled garments in the coming a long time,” Granger wrote.
Learners can obtain things from Elon U Thrift at Market Underneath the Oaks or on their site, elonuthrift.com.
Simply Oak
Positioned in downtown Elon, Simply just Oak Boutique carries apparel, extras and gifts. Melissa Troutman, operator of Merely Oak Boutique, explained the shop’s primary mission is to have distinctive, entertaining pieces that will make everybody truly feel self-confident.
“We get pleasure in selecting one particular of a sort items that you wouldn’t usually come across in other stores,” Troutman wrote in an email to Elon Information Network.
Troutman opened the retailer in January 2017 — two yrs following acquiring her bachelor and master degree and bachelor’s degree from Elon University.
The sustainable clothing marketed at Simply just Oak Boutique comes from neighborhood suppliers, so when another person buys dresses, some of the financial gain goes back to the vendor.
“We attempt our finest to order and have as a lot of regional merchandise as doable in order to support lower our carbon footprint,” Troutman mentioned.
Together with carrying sustainable apparel, Merely Oak Boutique also has sustainable packaging in the form of recyclable paper searching luggage. Shoppers also have the solution to obtain a reusable Just Oak Boutique bag.
Troutman said the boutique’s garments is encouraged by present-day developments and are closet staples — pleasing to the university college student population.
Wearology
Wearology is an eco-welcoming boutique that opened five months back. The store is found in Gibsonville and owned by former community faculty instructor, Brittany Pate. By way of Wearology, Pate has been equipped to give back again to the group — exclusively to general public universities.
Wearology carries a wide array of sustainable and eco-friendly outfits objects that are mostly targeted at a youthful audience. Pate said she has normally liked vogue, but under no circumstances knew exactly where her apparel came from or how it was created. With Wearology, she explained she can make absolutely sure the clothing is sustainable and nearby.