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Photo by Jennifer Harr Photography
Sarah Ross and Missy Johnson
Founders of Fitted
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1. High Rise Pants
From Tribe Alive
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2. 100% Polyester Cardigan
From Manduka
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3. Red Silk Dress
From Cuyana
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4. Recycled Rain Jacket
From Patagonia
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5. The Emily Top
From Reformation
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6. Recycled Joggers
From Alternative Apparel
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7. Fitted Leggings
From NUX
While scouring boutiques for handbags, blouses and coats, few think of the greenhouse gas emissions that might have resulted from — or the pollutant dyes and exploited workers that might have gone into — making these items we adore.
The apparel industry’s impact on the environment is not only threatening but far-reaching, greatly utilizing industries that have the biggest carbon footprints: transportation, livestock, agriculture, petroleum and electricity.
Realizing their influence, in recent years, leading brands around the world have changed their business model to a more sustainable one. They make products with recycled materials, work with factories to lower carbon emissions and make sure employees are earning livable wages in safe environments.
Some companies have stepped up to make sustainability their mission, among them a recent Fort Worth contender: Fitted.
Founders Sarah Ross and Missy Johnson are childhood friends, tennis players and athleisure enthusiasts who grew frustrated at the lack of options, particularly on the sustainability front, they saw for athleisure clothing.
“We started reading about statistics of textile waste ending up in landfills and also unfair labor standards of workers in the manufacturing process,” Johnson says. “We did not want any part of that.”
After a year of research trying to determine how they could bring a sustainable clothing brand to Cowtown, the duo founded Fitted.
The company, in its current form, is an online store and pop-up shop that showcase three brands — Manduka, NUX and Dharma Bums — each a sustainably made and ethically sourced athleisure apparel company.
Each of their athleisure products — which includes bras, tops and bottoms — features some sustainable benefit, whether that means the clothing’s production included efforts to lower the global carbon footprint, is made from recycled polyester or is made by employees with fair pay and comfortable work environments.
For Johnson and Ross, it’s about peace of mind.
“We look for companies that are committed to 100 percent transparency, as well as making every effort to reduce the global impact during the manufacturing process,” Johnson says. “We follow the ethical supply chain all the way back to the beginning.”
“We look for companies that are committed to 100 percent transparency, as well as making every effort to reduce the global impact during the manufacturing process. We follow the ethical supply chain all the way back to the beginning.” -Missy Johnson
Meanwhile, the Fort Worth community has welcomed Fitted with open arms.
“The excitement and the reception that we have had since our launch have surpassed our expectations,” said Ross.
Not just putting clothes on a rack and hoping they disappear, the duo also hopes to educate Fort Worthians on sustainable clothing and take the opportunity to teach through social media and their website product descriptions.
“I think it starts to open people’s eyes,” Johnson says. “It makes people look at what else they’re purchasing and what other things are they bringing into their lives that maybe aren’t sustainable choices.”
Visit Fitted’s website, fittedfw.com, to shop for sustainable athleisure wear and find the dates and locations of their upcoming pop-up shops.
1. High-rise pants from Tribe Alive. Made from 100 percent recycled cotton by craftspeople around the world. $168, tribealive.com. / 2. Cardigan from Manduka. Made from 69 percent recycled polyester. $98, fittedfw.com. / 3. Silk dress from Cuyana. Made from silk in China from a factory committed to lowering the carbon footprint. $275, cuyana.com. / 4. Rain jacket from Patagonia. Made from 100 percent recycled nylon yards. $199, patagonia.com. / 5. Emily top from Reformation. Made in LA in a fair and safe work environment. $149, thereformation.com. / 6. Pants from Alternative Apparel. Made from recycled and organic materials in factories that comply with Fair Labor Association Workplace Code of Conduct. $64, alternativeapparel.com. / 7. Fitted leggings from NUX. Made in LA with high minimum wages and comfortable work environments. $99, fittedfw.com.
