On Shopping More Consciously with Sarah Peltier
Business Feature: Sarah Peltier & OTHERS Shop
Others Shop Team: From the left (Sarah Peltier, Laura Morris, Vanessa Truelove, Riley Martin, Danyel Moe, and Kara Lee.
Hi, Sarah! It was a delight to discover your shop in Fargo! We would love to get to know you and how the shop came to be! Can you start by telling us a little bit about yourself and how you found your way to working with Others?
Absolutely! I came to Fargo, North Dakota in 2010 to study advertising and public relations, and also because my boyfriend lived in Fargo. As I often say, I came to Fargo for school and a boy; I finished school, married the boy, and now I live here. Through a few different marketing jobs over a few years, I found my way to Others in 2017 when Laura posted an opening for a marketing position. I transitioned to the manager role in the summer of 2018, and then picked up the buyer role in 2019 as well. I’m a jack of all trades at the shop!
You are celebrating your 5 year anniversary! Congrats! Can you share more about the shop itself and how you came to be? Did you start as a fair trade, ethically-focused business or did that develop over time?
Others is indeed celebrating five years in Fargo! The brain-child of our founder, Laura Morris, Others has always been a fair-trade focused business. Having been raised in a philanthropic-focused home, Laura wanted to find her own way to impact the community and give back. The idea of a boutique was appealing, and with the added impact of giving back 100% of all profits, Others was born.
At the beginning, the offerings were pretty “stereotypical” fair-trade: brightly patterned woven goods from South America, carved wooden items and baskets from Africa, etc. However, as the ethically-made movement has gained traction in the US, we’ve shifted to include items which are made ethically and sustainably, but may not have a fair trade certification. The other element of giving back at Others is supporting social enterprise brands that have a give-back model, like Meow Meow Tweet, Dear Survivor, and Bright Endeavors.
When did you discover your place in the ethical fashion movement? Was there a turning point or a-ha moment for you in your personal journey?
Having been raised in rural Minnesota, the oldest of eight kids, I grew up thrifting and “shopping” at garage sales. My grandmother and aunt were low-waste before it was cool, saving every baggie and jar to be used for years as left-over containers. So, from an early age, being thoughtful with purchases and using/wearing things until they could no longer be mended was a mindset I developed.
However, it wasn’t until I started at Others that I began to fully realize the problems with fast fashion, labor trafficking in the fashion industry, and the environmental impact of my shopping choices. Looking back, I think the “a-ha moment” may have been a news segment (I can’t remember the exact one) where they showed a glimpse into a clothing production facility; I had never realized a garment worker’s entire job could be to sew the right arm hole on a men’s dress shirt. Day in, day out, living in poverty, sewing one seam over and over again. I remember pausing the broadcast, sitting there in silence and realizing my $7 shirt from a major fast fashion brand was actually a token of misery. That was definitely my a-ha moment.
“My grandmother and aunt were low-waste before it was cool, saving every baggie and jar to be used for years as left-over containers. So, from an early age, being thoughtful with purchases and using/wearing things until they could no longer be mended was a mindset I developed. ”
Others Shop is all about creating a conscious, feel-good opportunities when it comes to “consumption.” What does conscious consumption mean to you?
To me, conscious consumption means buying better, buying less, and making it last. Researching brands and their production methods, fabric sources, and labor standards, and choosing not to support brands who don’t make it easy to find that information. Your dollar is your voice. To be “conscious” is to be aware and respond to one’s surroundings. For the fashion industry, I take this to mean constantly researching and learning more of the workings of the industry, then aligning my support with brands which are doing better things.
I think an element of conscious consumption about which we don’t talk enough is making it last; learning to sew, learning handy-man skills, learning to fix things before simply buying another. Not fashion related, but my Christmas tree has two sections where the lights are no longer working; it was an $8 thrift store tree, but I’m going to spend $20 on replacement bulbs and probably 4 hours testing each and every bulb, so I don’t have to throw away an entire tree. Buy better, buy less, and make it last.
What types of items or brands do you carry at your shop? How do you decide what to bring in?
Each and every brand we carry has to hit at least two of four requirements: sustainably made (better for the planet than the alternative), ethically made (transparent with production practices), fair trade (if using the term, needs to be certified) and an element of charitable giving. Additionally, when choosing organizations to support with our profit donations, we look for organizations working in health, hunger, education and employment.
When I’m looking to bring in a brand to the shop, I look through their website and pay close attention to the language and wording they use: once you’ve been in this space for a while, you start to see patterns in the way brands talk about their practices, some of which are genuine and some which stink of greenwashing and appropriation of ethical terminology. If I find a brand of which I’m not quite sure, I email the brand and ask them anything I may not have found already. If they can’t answer transparently and genuinely, I move on to a different brand. I don’t pay much attention to their social media statistics, as I’d rather bring in a lesser known brand and hopefully help them reach a bigger market than only work with trendy brands with hefty marketing budgets.
“Researching brands and their production methods, fabric sources, and labor standards, and choosing not to support brands who don’t make it easy to find that information. Your dollar is your voice. To be “conscious” is to be aware and respond to one’s surroundings.”
How do you use your brand and store to talk about ethics and fair trade? Does this carry into other parts of your life?
In each interaction with every person who walks through the door, we’re trying to gage their interest in the shop and what we’re doing: do they know what fair trade is? Do they seem to know what we’re talking about when we say “ethically made,” “sustainable fabrics,” etc.? For many, the quality of the clothing and goods we carry is what sets us apart. Once we convey the reasons for the higher quality (and subsequent higher pricing), some guests want to talk more about why it matters to support ethically made, fair trade brands. Other guests simply smile and nod. We consider every person who walks in an opportunity to widen a worldview.
My time with Others has absolutely carried into every other part of my life. I haven’t purchased a piece of fast fashion in 15 months, I can’t buy single use plastic things without feeling a lump in my throat, I don’t complain about pricing anymore. I shop local whenever possible, I research things endlessly before purchasing (much to my partner’s chagrin…), and my family has begun to understand it’s not a phase or something “cool” to do, being an ethical, conscious consumer is what I aim to be throughout my life.
If you could pick one thing you wish more people were more aware of when it comes to the issues in the fashion industry, what would you want to talk more about?
One thing I wish people were more aware of in the fashion industry is margins! There are a few really great episodes of Conscious Chatter that delve into pricing and margins which have helped me better understand how the business side of fashion works. Before, I would balk at buying a $128 cashmere sweater. Now, knowing the cost behind bringing a garment to production, a $128 cashmere sweater seems like a fair (if not low) price.
Threaded was built on the idea that Midwest is more than a flyover when it comes to a conscious approach to fashion. There are so many creators, artists, designers, and visionaries right here doing incredible work and living their values. What do you wish more people knew about the Midwest and what do you love most about living and working in Fargo?
I wish people knew we don’t all have Norwegian accents, and that the Midwest is the best place to build a community. We’re a resilient bunch, we take friendships seriously, and we’re endlessly passionate about building community.
Any words of wisdom to all the creatives out there hoping to start a business or support fair trade efforts?
Dipping your toes into the world of sustainable living and ethical consumerism can be daunting; my advice has been to choose one area of your life where you feel you can make a change towards sustainability and have fair-to-good success. Once you’ve created a habit and a mindset, it’ll be easier to translate to other areas of your life. For me, it was creating a capsule wardrobe and sticking to it. Eventually, this mindset of sustainability in one area becomes a lifestyle!
What is inspiring you right now? Any favorite brands or fair trade organizations we should be following?
The thing that is inspiring me right now is the growing number of businesses in Fargo who are adopting sustainable practices, and who want to know more and have better conversations. It’s going to be a busy year and I can’t wait!
As for brands to follow...Oh man, so many. Dear Survivor is one of my favorite brands of all time, and Christine has made some changes to her production processes and materials used that impact even more people for the better. I’m wearing a pair of her earrings right now! I am also a huge fan of ABLE, Cafe Feminino coffee (who just made it into West Elm!!!), Malia Designs, Bandits Bandanas and SOKO jewelry. If you’re not following the Sustainable Fashion Forum yet, you should; you should also fly to Portland with me in April to the event itself! (Not an ad, just excited to go!!)
“Yes, living sustainably takes more work, but if enough of us change our consumer habits and are vocal and visible in our protest of slow fashion and the climate crisis, perhaps corporations will notice. ”
What are your thoughts on how we as individuals can shift the industry to one we can all be proud to be a part of? Where are you heading next with Others and how can we support you and your work?
As individuals, we need to keep making better choices. Don’t buy that pair of swoosh slides and support their horrid labor practices. Learn to mend so you can fix holes in your jeans. Start composting. Wash your clothes in a wash bag. Stay in and cook more often. Don’t buy plastic. Shop local.
Yes, living sustainably takes more work, but if enough of us change our consumer habits and are vocal and visible in our protest of slow fashion and the climate crisis, perhaps corporations will notice.
At Others, we’re sashaying into the new decade with so many plans up our sleeves- we’re building eCommerce out even bigger and better, we’re bringing on new staff to assist in store management so more attention can be given to content creation and brand awareness, and we’re working on a year-end give back that will blow your socks off! To support Others, keep engaging with us- that darn algorithm isn’t going to beat itself. Come visit our shop, give us reviews online, engage with our posts...it’s not hard, but it’s so very much appreciated!
If you find yourself in Fargo, ND be sure to stop by Others. To follow Sarah and the Others Shop Team, engage with them on instagram or browse their shop online anytime.