think globally, wear locally

SA VA workers sewing buttons on the line's 'Allison' jacket. All pics from SA VA blog.

If you’d like a neat inside look into the process of starting up a fair-trade, good-wage-paying, hyper-local boutique in Philly, check out the SA VA blog. Owner Sarah van Aken and other staffers discuss the nuts and bolts leading to the opening of their store at 1700 Sansom on Saturday, from sheetrock to design to garment construction. Three quarters of the stuff at SA VA will be clothing made on site, as in next door, as Van Aken says she’s tired of lying awake at night worrying about her carbon footprint and tsunamis:

SA VA garment center

…and the place’s mission statement is full of other pretty excellent sounding stuff: creating 22 new fair-compensation jobs in Philly in the next two years, producing locally and using fair-trade and organic materials.

Vera blouse

Shopping at SA VA will be by “event,” encouraging people to shop for their clothes depending on their needs:  “Workday,” “Night Out,” “First Date,” “Saturday” or “Dress Up.” Sizes range from 2 to 16, and price will range from $40 for a shirt to $350 for a hand-printed, hand-sewn coat or dress, which… admittedly a bit out of my price range, to be sure, but readers who already shop at, I dunno, J.Crew or Banana Republic or other mid-range stores might want to seriously consider outfitting themselves in clothes that are good for Philly.

Nearly finished space