If you've been following SPUN then you know that we LOVE social media! Apps like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and our new love....Pinterest are the not only fun but a great way to connect with fans and make new friends. We love Pinterest so much that we even wrote a little post about it over at the SPUN Sustainable Collective blog last month!

We know that we're not alone in our, ahem, addictions, so we decided to help make it easier for you to share your favorite SPUN pieces with your network. Check out the SPUN online shop and see all of your favorite social apps right there on the descriptions page. We hope that you enjoy using the quick links and continue to tell your friends and family all about SPUN!

Follow SPUN on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest

 

The last year has been very busy for me. With the opening of our flagship store, SPUN Sustainable Collective and the studio, I was worried that there would never be enough time to put a new collection together. But after almost a year of waiting, SPUN fans were finally introduced to the latest collection, Petals.

I am extremely proud of what my team and I were able to create with this new collection. The use of prints and a special woven organic cotton fabric joins our favorite organic cotton jersey to bring the 11 styles together. Since SPUN doesn't offer seasonal collections, it was imperative that the styles we included were ones that can be worn year-round.

The Petals collection was inspired by the changing seasons in Seattle and the neighborhood that surrounds SPUN Sustainable Collective. The artists and students that live in the area dress in a casual, comfortable and eclectic way that inspired the looks for the collection. Lots of new skirts, dresses and tops that manage to stay true to the SPUN sensibility while offering a fresh point of view from past SPUN collections. Don't worry, you can still incorporate these pieces into your closet and wear them with ease just like all of your other SPUN favorites.

I hope that you love wearing the pieces in the new Petals collection as much as I do!

xoxo, Sara

 If you live in the Seattle area, then you are in luck! Join us on August 27th for the first ever Sample Sale at our flagship store SPUN Sustainable Collective! Along with SPUN, we are featuring some of Seattle's finest indie designers for a huge day of savings! Everything is priced from 20% to 90% off retail. Find past season's, old stock, samples and some never before seen one-offs! Event starts at 11am and is first come, first served....so get here early!

 

Last month, I was contacted by Tom Watson who is the King County EcoConsumer in Seattle. If you know Tom, then you know that not only is he a walking encyclopedia of knowledge about recycling, eco and going green, but he also loves supporting local business. Tom wanted to know if I was interested in joining him on the Seattle TV station, Q13 Fox, for 3 live segments and talk about organic fashion. Even hearing the words "Live TV" made my stomach turn, but I jumped at the opportunity to educate consumers about eco clothing.

Flash forward to yesterday when the very personable and fun to talk to Kaci Aitchison of Q13 Fox show "Mornings with Kaci" came by the store to chat! Not only did we get to talk about eco fashion and local artists (my favorite topics) but she also got her hands dirty and made a dress! Thanks Kaci for coming by and a big thank you to Tom for the support!

Here are some clips from all the action from yesterday's show!

 

 

 

Those who know me, know that I love Twitter. What's not to love? You get your own profile which you can add any image, a link to your business or personal blog and a short bio to explain who you are. You also get 140 characters to say whatever you want! Whether it be a link to your favorite news story or a picture of a cute puppy you just saw in the street. It's a no pressure, easy to cruise social networking site that has made my life easy and fun!

In 2009, I decided that I wanted to have deeper conversations with my twitter friends. Since Earth Day was just around the corner, what better way to engage with my tweeps and to bring attention to Earth Day, than to promote a giveaway! I personally love trivia games so I worked in questions about the history of Earth Day, sustainable fashion, organic cotton and SPUN. At the end of the day, not only did I get to talk to some of the shy Twitter followers that I had never tweeted with, but we had 10 winners who walked away with a new SPUN Tank!

Once again this Earth Day, I will be personally tweeting trivia questions from some of the topics above and a few other fun ones. The first person to tweet the correct answer, gets a prize! This year's giveaway is a SPUN Low V-neck tee in your choice of color!

If you're on Twitter, follow me @ChooseSPUN and join the fun!

Happy Earth Day!

It's been 3 long years and today is our birthday! The past 3 years has thought me so much about fashion, eco, business, people and more importantly....about myself. I have made many mistakes but through it all, I've managed to successfully balance my family and SPUN. It's not easy to keep your personal life and business on track when you're first starting out, so I've been fortunate to have the love and support of my friends and family to remind me of what is important.

Whether you have recently found SPUN or been around since day one, I want to thank you for your support. We'd love to hear from you on our Facebook page or you can leave a comment here. If you live in the Seattle area, please stop by and say hello at our new store. We would love to meet you!

Thank you and here's to 3 more years of SPUN!

xoxo, Sara

 

So we finally opened the new store! SPUN Sustainable Collective is located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle. We are right next door to the delicious, best coffee in the world, Porchlight Coffee and in the heart of the city. Coincidentally, I used to live in the neighborhood back in the day, and love being back!

You can get all the latest news, updates and learn more about what the store really is by visiting the store blog: http://SPUNcollective.blogspot.com

Come by when you can, we want to meet you:

SPUN Sustainable Collective, 1515 14th Ave, Suite A, Seattle, WA 98122

xoxo,

Sara 

One of my favorite movies is "Pretty Woman". It's the kind of movie that I could watch over and over again and never get sick of it. I know the movie by heart and repeat all the lines while I watch it...which sort of makes me annoying to watch the movie with. One of my favorite parts is in the beginning when the camera follows a guy walking through Hollywood, California. He says "Welcome to Hollywood. What's your dream? Everyone has a dream". In the movie, a girl dreams about being more than who she is, and let's just say that she her wishes come true. There's some prostitution involved but that's not really here nor there.

I'm sort of like that girl (I'm not a prostitute though - not that there's anything wrong with that). I moved to the US with my parents and little sister when I was 8 years old. Skipping past the trials and turbulations of coming to a new country from a war striken homeland and right along to the part when I realized that my parents are working 18-20 hour days just to make their dreams come true. They made sacrifices every single day and worked their butts off to give my sister and I a better life. Of course there were many people along the way who helped us get to those goals. Afterall, it takes a village to raise a child!

It also seems to take a village to build a clothing line! Growing up, I always knew that I wanted my own business and sort of had the idea that I would somehow like to help others in some way. Over the past years, I have worked very hard to take SPUN from a small eco basics line to what the new collection, Black/Blue, has become. All the while, I've received a lot of help and support from my friends and family. I have tried to pay it forward every chance I get and have mentored numerous designers, artists and business owners in the US and in other parts of the world. Call it karma, positive energy or whatever, but the feeling of knowing that I have helped someone in their business gives me the will to move forward with SPUN.

It's this passion to support others that has driven my decision to open a new boutique, SPUN Sustainable Collective! More than just a boutique, SPUN Sustainable Collective is a space that will foster the growth of indie designers and artists. I have carefully selected a handful of individuals who will not only sell their goods in the store but will use the space as their studio and showroom. I will also be moving SPUN's manufacturing in-house and allowing the designer's to also construct their garments in the space. I will continue to design accessible organic pieces but will only produce in small batches, making SPUN's manufacturing even more sustainable!

We have lots more to share with you in the coming weeks so please become a fan of SPUN on Facebook so we could update you regularly. I hope that you stop by the store and come say hello to me and my friends. I'd love to show you around and introduce you to the undiscovered talent of our beautiful city.

On behalf of my family and I, thank you for your continued support of SPUN and for allowing me to live out my dreams each and everyday. I love what I'm doing and excited for what's ahead. But I can't do it without you...so thank you for choosing SPUN!

xoxo,
Sara

Trends may change, but there are a few staples that a gal’s always got: a little black dress, a comfy-yet-sexy tee, and a great pair of jeans. Much as I may lust over Joe’s and Seven’s, my old faithfuls of late have mostly come from Gap or Old Navy. And I’m always getting compliments, so they must be working for me! While these larger chain stores are far from the local, eco-friendly designers and shops that I try to support, that doesn’t mean they’re all bad.

Through this weekend (March 14) Gap is collecting used jeans (of any and all brands) to be upcycled into insulation for homes in communities in need. As an added bonus for you, Gap will give you 30% off your purchase of a new pair of jeans — you’ve always gotta have a pair, right? I’ve heard some buzz that Gap carries some organic cotton jeans, but I couldn’t find any on their online shop. If you’ve got the scoop on this, please share.

And while we’re talking recycling, did you know that SPUN has its own recycling program? You can send in your worn or damaged SPUN pieces and Sara will use the salvageable material for samples and new pieces — and she’ll give you a $10 credit towards your next SPUN purchase. Just email recycle@choosespun.com for info on how to send your old SPUN pieces back to us! Not too shabby, eh?

Yours in Recycling,
D.

She’s fun, flirty, simple yet stylish, and she really cares about the planet. No, she’s not Barney’s latest gal pal on this week’s episode of HIMYM (“How I Met Your Mother”). She’s actually my new SPUN wrap dress.

Like all SPUN pieces, she’s made from 100% Certified Organic Cotton and colored with environmentally safe dye. And she’s versatile, which I think adds another eco-friendly (and budget friendly too!) element — it’s like a day dress and a night dress in one. Talk about making your clothes do double duty!

Last week Diane and I made our debut at the office, with high boots and a bright scarf — dresses/skirts + boots are my solution to soggy pant legs on a rainy day, and scarves are my solution to cold days.

Next time we’re out on the town, I’m planning to dress her up with a fashionable fringe metal necklace, like this upcycled piece from Brooklyn’s indie designer Fort. I tried to find a local Seattle area designer making similar pieces, but no luck. Anyone have any suggestions?

How ‘bout you — do you already have your own Diane? What’s your favorite way to dress her up or down?

Fashionably yours,
D.

Thanks to all of you who commented on your favorite SPUN piece! We drew a name and found our winner!

Athena has won her very own SPUN Low V-Neck Tee and we can’t wait to hear what she thinks of it. Be sure to keep us updated Athena!

xoxo,
Sara

My closet is home to many SPUN pieces, but my favorite is — hands down — my Low V-Neck tee!
Don’t get me wrong, I love all my SPUN, but a girl can’t help having a favorite, right?

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I thought I’d give a special shout-out to this very special part of my life, er, wardrobe.

Dearest SPUN tee, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways:

1) I can throw you on with jeans, heels and the right accessories and feel like one hot mama.
2) I can throw you on with pajama pants and feel like a very comfortable couch potato.
3) Your color does not fade when I wash you.
4) Your sleeves are the perfect length — they cover up the dreaded arm flab, rather than accentuate it like other traitor tees.
5) You are just the right amount of snugness — not too tight and not too loose or frumpy.
6) You are not too short, and not too long. You’re just right.
7) You are soft. Probably because you are made from 100% Certified Organic Cotton.
8) You’ve got love for Mama Earth. Unlike traditional t-shirts, you don’t require 5 ounces of pesticides for your creation.

I could go on, but I’d rather hear from you.

Which SPUN piece do you heart the most?

Leave a comment about your favorite piece, and you might just get a very special Valentine from SPUN: your very own Low V-Neck tee!

Until next time,
D.

Hello lovelies!

I hope you’ve been enjoying the new SPUN shop, and I’m super excited to report that it’s about to get even better! Now, you can find fabulous, eco-friendly fashions AND read up on “green” fashion and lifestyle tips, and the latest SPUN news right here on the SPUN blog!

Since I’m not really a blogger and tend to talk too much…I’m bringing in a little help from my friend, Dominique B.
Dominique is a Seattle-native, Sagittarius, MAC make-up junkie, and a borderline stalker fan of SPUN! She’s also a writer who’s worked for Seattle Picks and the Seattle edition of Ideal Bite (which sadly is no more).

Her first post will be up real soon, so stay tuned. In the meantime, feel free to leave a comment here and let Dominique know what you’d like her to write about! Oh, and please welcome her aboard!

As always, I appreciate the support and thanks for choosing SPUN.

xoxo,
Sara

Ever since SPUN was launched in 2008, our loyal fans have been asking us when we will be offering online shopping. Well, I’m super excited to announce that the wait is finally over!

The new SPUN online store allows you to not only purchase directly from SPUN, but also to take a more detailed look at our pieces. Exclusive to the SPUN store, we now have gift packs. Now you can stock up on your favorite SPUN tank and our comfy scoop tee while saving a little money. We are also proud to offer some beautiful handmade art via our artist partners. These are SPUN pieces which have been given a new look by an artist.

So take some time to look around and let us know what you think. You will notice that shipping is FREE!

If you are following SPUN on Twitter or like us on Facebook, you can also enjoy a limited time offer…be sure to find out what it is!

It’s your support that makes all this possible. As always, thank you for choosing SPUN! xoxo, Sara