Casual Wear

Bamboo
Bamboo fibre clothing is a green alternative as the bamboo can be harvested every 5-6 years, regrows directly from the roots (making re-planting unnecessary) and requires minimal to no fertilization or pesticides.

In addition bamboo fibre clothing is naturally anti-microbial and requires no harmful chemicals during processing.

Possible concerns: Some bamboo fabric is actually a bamboo/cotton blend that is less environmentally friendly. Cotton (unless organic) has serious negative environmental implications due to the amount of pesticides used.

There are no factories or facilities in North America that extract fiber from bamboo. Therefore all bamboo used in the production of clothing must be grown and processed overseas (negative environmental implications due to transportation).

Dyes are toxic chemicals, and their use and disposal has harmful effects on the environment. Look for bamboo clothing that is un-dyed.

Ottawa-area retailers of bamboo casual wear include: T-shirts: Various items:
 * Arbour Environmental Shoppe
 * Victoire Boutique - 238 Dalhousie St. (613-321-1590) - sells the Passenger Pigeon clothing line
 * Yogo Clothing custom casual and exercise clothing cut and sewn locally

Non-local Suppliers

Hemp
Hemp is an environmentally friendly fibre as its manufacture does not require the use of chemical pesticides or fertilizers and uses very little water. It has minimal growth requirements and is a renewable resource.

In addition hemp fibre clothing has three times the tensile strength of cotton, and is therefore strong and longlasting.

As an added benefit, hemp fibre clothing is UV and mold-resistant

Possible concerns:

Sometimes hemp is blended with silk to make a softer, more flowing fabric. This of course is not a vegan product.

Hemp that is blended with cotton is less environmentally friendly as cotton consumes far more resources than hemp.

China, the world's leading producer of hemp fabric, uses chemical methods for processing hemp, while producers in Europe have begun using cleaner biologically-based enzyme technology.

Dyes are toxic chemicals, and their use and disposal has harmful effects on the environment. Look for un-dyed hemp clothing.

Ottawa-area retailers of hemp casual wear include: Pants:
 * Arbour Environmental Shoppe
 * Karma Wear

Skirts:
 * Arbour Environmental Shoppe
 * Karma Wear

T-Shirts:
 * Arbour Environmental Shoppe

Various items:
 * Victoire Boutique - 238 Dalhousie St. (613-321-1590) - sells the Passenger Pigeon clothing line

Non-local Suppliers

Organic Cotton
No toxins or synthetic fertilizers are used. Organic cotton is produced without the use of harsh chemical bleaches or dyes, and is allergy free.

Possible concerns: As with the other alternative fabrics, colored dyes are also a problem with organic cotton clothing. All dyes are toxic chemicals, and their use and disposal has harmful effects on the environment. Look for org. coloured cotton clothing that is grown "on the stem" or undyed organic cotton clothing.

Ottawa-area retailers of organic cotton casual wear include: Hoodies: Pants: Polo Shirts/Casual shirts: Shorts: Skirts: T-shirts: Tank Tops:
 * Cotton Ginny
 * Cotton Ginny
 * Mountain Equipment Co-op
 * Mountain Equipment Co-op
 * Cotton Ginny
 * Mountain Equipment Co-op
 * Cotton Ginny
 * American Apparel
 * Cotton Ginny
 * Mountain Equipment Co-op
 * Roots
 * American Apparel
 * Cotton Ginny

Various Items:
 * Victoire Boutique - 238 Dalhousie St. (613-321-1590) - sells the Passenger Pigeon clothing line
 * Yogo Clothing custom casual and exercise clothing cut and sewn locally

Non-local Suppliers

Soy
Possible concerns:

Ottawa-area retailers of soy casual wear include:
 * Yogo Clothing custom casual and exercise clothing cut and sewn locally (not organic soy)

Second-hand clothing
Ottawa-area retailers of second hand casual wear include:
 * Clothes Encounters of a Second Time - 67 Beechwood, Vanier (613)741-7887
 * Pr�t-A-Reporter - 80 Beechwood, Vanier (613)745-1302
 * Ragtime Vintage Clothing - 43 Flora Street, Ottawa (613)233-6940
 * Value Village

Upcycled clothing
A number of designers are starting to make clothing out of recycled fabric. Clothing made out of recycled fabric is very green as usually only the carbon costs of re-manufacture need to be considered (e.g. electricity to run the sewing machine etc.). Manufacturing clothing from recycled materials is also known as 'upcycling'.

Possible concerns: Some designers/manufacturers may have non-local sources for their used clothing. In that case the carbon cost of shipping the used clothing would also have to be taken into account. Some of the local retailers sell clothing by non-local designers (again, there is a carbon cost for shipping these clothes to Ottawa).

Ottawa-area retailers of upcycled casual wear include:
 * Aunt Olive's - sells their own line of clothing
 * Aurajan Boutique - 159 York St. (613-241-8354) - sells their own line and also Mycoanna
 * Babe in the Woods - sells their own line of clothing
 * Gemini Dream - sells their own line of clothing
 * Victoire Boutique - 238 Dalhousie St. (613-321-1590) - sells the Preloved line of clothing
 * Workshop Studio and Boutique - sells clothing by 'Precocious', 'Embody Clothing', 'Loot by Stina B', 'Mod to Modern', 'Ghetto Couture', 'Lion and tie girls', 'Infineight'
 * Workshops to help you make your own! For example Exile Infoshop has hosted a couple of sewing workshops organized by Mojo.