The Faces Behind Ethical Fashion | Haute Hope

At THR3EFOLD, we absolutely love connecting fashion brands with ethical factories around the world to easily allow them to manufacture responsibly, so naturally, we get to have conversations with some pretty great humans working to push the ethical fashion movement forward. So keep reading our blog, as we will be highlighting the great influencers in the ethical fashion world that are making it easier for you to be a conscious consumer. This week, say hello to Jess Puccinelli from Haute Hope, one of our favorite conscious etailers, who is carefully curating gift boxes jam packed with products that are changing the world.

Haute Hope | Jess Puccinelli

What excites or intrigues you most about the conscious fashion movement?
I’m intrigued by how conscious designers are looking at the whole picture. It’s no longer acceptable for the give to just be a percentage donated or one for one model - we are now seeing business models that require a positive impact from top to bottom. Though it’s not a fashion company, Askinosie Chocolate is a fantastic example. They pay their farmers above fair wages, offer business classes, operate a give back program that provides school lunches in the communities where their farmers live/work and use sustainable packaging. My hope is that this is the future of how business will be done across the board. 

What was the catalyst that led you to start your venture?
In the fall of 2013 a good friend of mine introduced me to The Giving Keys. Their classic pendant necklace was one of the first socially conscious pieces I’d seen that didn’t feel like a compromise to wear. Almost instantly the concept for Haute Hope arose - carefully curated gift boxes featuring products that give back to a good cause or positively impact the world. 

Where do you feel is the biggest need to push the conscious fashion movement forward?
Instinctively, I want to say policies and mandates for businesses and manufacturers…but the reality is until the consumer demands that their favorite brands are held accountable for their (lack of) ethics, that won’t happen. So I suppose the biggest need is consumer education. For most of us, once we know the negative effects of our choices we can no longer look away. We have to make it so that both the consumer and the big box brands can no longer look away. 

What is the most important thing to look for when shopping ethical?
Personally, I always look to see where an item is made! Just because the manufacturer donates a portion of its profits to an organization doesn't mean the piece wasn't made for next to nothing in a sweatshop somewhere. Big brands do this often, they'll slap a "conscious" label on something and use a little bit of organic cotton in hopes that we’ll overlook the fact that the actual piece was made by a child slave somewhere. Not cool. 

What conscious brands do you love to wear?
Where do I begin??

SHOES: Marais USA // M.Gemi 
STATEMENT PIECES: Galerie.LA // Kurt Lyle 
HANDBAGS: Clare V. // Clark & Madison // Someware Goods 
BASICS: Victor Athletics // Tradlands // Everlane 
BOTTOMS: Vetta Capsule // Vintage Levis
ACCESSORIES: Westerlind // Vrai + Oro 

Very notable mentions: Our Sacred Woman, Parker Clay, Zady 

For more ethical fashion influencers interviews, which conscious brands to buy, and general advice on how to be a conscious consumer be sure to subscribe to our emails to stay connected!