Setchi, a boutique that blends environmental consciousness and trendy women's apparel, opened four weeks ago in Georgetown. Unlike the majority of boutiques that line Wisconsin Avenue - swanky, unwelcoming and perhaps overpriced - Setchi has a homey, accessible feel that students can find inspiring.
Jessica del Pilar, one of Setchi's owners, wanted the store to exude relaxed vibes, since she finds nearby M Street to be too hectic. Instead of trampled sidewalks, she opted for a cottage-like storefront, complete with a patio and potted plants of purple and yellow flowers, which she and her husband, Albert, take turns watering daily.
Setchi is co-owned by Jessica and Albert, who handles the store's finances. An investment banker by trade, Albert's focus is on helping small- and medium-sized business owners through transitional periods. Although Jessica's responsibilities pertain mainly to the aesthetics of the business, she is no fool to things fiscal; she has an economics degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She understands the principles of supply and demand and contends that once consumers demand more ecologically-friendly products, manufacturers will begin to supply them.
After working in architecture for 10 years, Jessica pursued green fashion design. Her talents and interests abound - her mother is an interior designer and her father is an environmentalist. Since growing up with these fields in mind, Jessica found solace in a field where so much advanced itself toward sustainability.
"I looked for ways to make my life more sustainable - in my living, my eating, anyway I could," she said. "Dressing myself in D.C. was hard."
The idea of creating an eco-friendly shop solidified in April when, much to Jessica's astonishment, several major fashion magazines, including Vogue, Marie Claire, Harper's Bazaar and Town & Country featured Earth Day spreads featuring all organic clothing and beauty products.
"It just all fell together," Jessica said.
Every item for sale in the store is fair trade, meaning everyone that contributed to its production was paid a fair wage and worked under humane conditions. The store is also vegan - free of any animal-made products - with the exception of a few leather messenger bags, which were sourced from domestic and European farms. The store's manufacturer personally visits every local farm where a product is made and inspects it thoroughly to ensure that Setchi's products are true to their claims.
Setchi carries a variety of lines of clothing from mostly local (within 300 miles) producers, including Habitude, Loyale, Turk + Taylor and Jonano. Setchi challenges notions of organic clothing by selling fashion forward apparel. You won't find hemp ponchos with an enormous marijuana leaf on the chest here. What one would see at a store like Anthropologie, a trendy women's clothing store, one could find similarly at Setchi. The diversity of clothing is uncanny: vintage muumuus, gaucho style pants, empire waist dresses, printed T-shirts, handmade copper jewelry and lacy lingerie can all be found.
In another move to save the environment, Setchi will also give 10 percent of its proceeds from current sales to American Rivers, a nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving and restoring United States' rivers.
Jessica chooses her words carefully when claiming to run an eco-shop. She defines something as sustainable if it "can meet the needs of the current generation without compromising the next one."
Despite opening in early August, a notoriously slow month for pedestrian consumerism, she says she remains optimistic from the overwhelmingly positive feedback she collects from visitors. "People of all ages have responded well to the store."
Students who boast themselves as dedicated consumers and slaves to fashion can join the eco-fashion revolution by visiting and shopping at Setchi. Setchi's grand opening celebration will be today through Sunday from noon to 8 p.m. Customers can enjoy free organic cupcakes and wine and witness a trunk show at the store.
Setchi aims to usher in a new age for fashion, one where consumers can be visually and ethically pleased. With growing concerns for the preservation of our environment and our economy, eco-fashion seems to tackle both.
