Meet époque évolution, Purveyor of Chic Sustainable Fashion

This brand uses organic, upcycled, and deadstock fabrics, all of which must meet standards for low maintenance.

époque évolution is a sustainable fashion brand that grew out of a single backpack. As the story goes, friends and founders Nancy Taylor and Hannah Franco were traveling together in Morocco, when Nancy noticed that Hannah fit everything she needed into one small backpack. Whether she was exploring bazaars, climbing sand dunes, or dining elegantly, she had it all in there, such to Nancy's astonishment.

That's when the idea for developing a carefully edited, versatile, and low-maintenance clothing line came about. These are pieces that can travel, pair easily, transform from casual to elegant, and feel comfortable and flattering at all times. And if that all sounds too good to be true, there's more to love about the production standards.

All of époque évolution's clothes are made from sustainable, organic, upcycled, deadstock and/or post-consumer waste recycled fibers. Fabrics are chosen specifically that do not require dry-cleaning or other toxic care. These include non-mulesed wool that's machine-washable, warm in winter, and cool in summer; Econyl nylon made from old fishnets and carpets; and blends of recycled polyester and non-mulesed wool.

© époque évolution – The Nonstop Midi Dress in black, made from 100% merino wool

'Deadstock' refers to excess fabric that would otherwise be discarded from textile mills and garment factories and sent to a landfill. The designers told TreeHugger by email,

"We release our deadstock / limited edition products when we find deadstock fabric that meets our requirements (for functional fabric: machine washable, easy care, and performance qualities). It totally depends on what we find and how much is available that determines the product and release date."

The brand, which is based in San Francisco, lists its garment factories online (located in Portugal and the Bay Area in the U.S.) and only works with those that adhere to high labor standards.

And then there are the clothes themselves! It's rare that I scroll through an online store and want to own every item I see, but I had that feeling with époque évolution. These are grown-up woman clothes, mostly black and white, practical, well-made, gorgeous.

If you're trying to wean yourself off quantity and move toward quality, then this is a brand worth checking out. It fits well into the slow fashion ethos, into the movement toward minimalism and capsule wardrobes and investing in basic pieces that will give you years of value.