Gifts That Gift: Shopping Local This Season

What's up Local Laundry fam?! We have a very special guest blog from one of our favourite YYC bloggers, Emily Thwaites owner of It's Simply Em. On the blog, Emily is chatting about gifts that give back and her obsession with our newest Local Collection line! Keep scrolling, reading and enjoying!
Let's dive into it!

It’s that time of year again!

It’s no secret I love shopping, so when the holidays come around, I can’t wait to start buying gifts for all the special people in my life! Last year I decided to start a new tradition of only giving locally-made goods as presents, and it felt amazing. Shopping local is great because it helps to keep money in the community, preserve the community’s identity and create more jobs locally. On top of this, you get to know the people behind the products and develop meaningful relationships with them.

This holiday season, not only am I continuing to shop local, but I’m on a mission to find gifts that give back to the beautiful country I’m so proud to call home. When I heard about Local Laundry‘s newest line, the Local Collection, I just knew I had to add these pieces to my gift list! 100% made in Canada, this purpose-driven line of premium pieces includes the Giving Toque and the Local Crewneck. Promoting and building better communities has always been part of Local Laundry’s philosophy since they started in 2015, and that’s why they donate 10% of every month’s profits to a local charity! The Local Collection works to extend this commitment by offering incredible pieces with a unique social purpose behind them!

The first product in the Local Collection is the Giving Toque. My personal favourite is the grey, but it’s also available in maroon. Just as the name suggests, this piece is all about giving back! For every Giving Toque purchased, Local Laundry will donate a toque to a Canadian homeless shelter, with the goal to donate over 1000 toques by this Christmas. Not only does it look and feel amazing, but the Giving Toque is so warm! It’s the perfect holiday gift — keep a loved one warm AND someone in need, all while supporting Canadian fashion!

Entirely sourced, cut, sewn and printed in Canada, the Local Crewneck aims to highlight the importance of Made in Canada apparel. With more and more brands producing overseas in efforts to cut labour and production costs, Canadian textile manufacturing continues to decline. By purchasing these products, you’re helping to revive the Canadian apparel industry, create jobs, and lower your carbon footprint by supporting slow fashion. The most noticeable difference between Made in Canada clothing is the price of the garments. Canadian-made clothing is more expensive because we have high standards of living and labour laws in place to ensure our workers receive fair wages and have safe working conditions. After learning more about the fast fashion industry and exploitation of workers overseas, it’s become important to me to try my best not to support this industry, and instead, to make a conscious effort to shop more ethically, sustainably sourced products. Available in Salt & Pepper Grey and Peppered Black, the Local Crewneck is another perfect Christmas gift idea!

You can shop the The Local Collection as well as Local Laundry’s other products at select stores in Alberta, Quebec and Ontario — just visit their website for the full list — or to order your products online!

Photos by Molly Li // @mollyyi

 

 

Tune in next week to see what we have on the blog next! If you or someone you know would like to be a guest blogger on our blog drop us a line! Chat at chaaa next week Canada - stay local!