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New Mod + Ethico Brings Sustainable, American-Made Fashion To West Loop

By Stephanie Lulay | October 20, 2016 8:18am
 Focused on sustainable fashion, new boutique Mod + Ethico opens at 27 N. Morgan St. in the West Loop Thursday night.
Focused on sustainable fashion, new boutique Mod + Ethico opens at 27 N. Morgan St. in the West Loop Thursday night.
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DNAinfo/Stephanie Lulay

WEST LOOP — Joining the trend of new retail shops opening in the neighborhood, the West Loop's newest boutique is focused on clothing with a conscience. 

Mod + Ethico, a new indie boutique focused on sustainable, American-made women's fashion, will open Thursday night at 27 N. Morgan St. in the West Loop.

More than 90 percent of the items in shop are made in the USA, and all are sourced ethically, said founder Candice Stewart. A number of the shop's brands, including Suki + Solaine, HOVET, Argaman & Defiance and Coat Check, are based in Chicago. 

"My mission is to combat the ills of fast fashion, even if it's in a small way," said Stewart, a Ukrainian Village resident and graduate of Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management. "I want people to think a a bit more about what they're buying and where it's made." 

Stewart's passion for ethical fashion was born from her own experiences growing up in a working class family in Williamsburg, Virginia. Working at Jockey in high school, she can remember wondering: "Why is everything made in Mexico or overseas?" 

As she learned about the fast fashion industry fueled by "sweatshops," Stewart eventually scrapped everything in her own wardrobe that wasn't made in the U.S.A. 

When clothing is manufactured in other countries, it is difficult for the consumer to determine how was made and how the employees who made the garment are treated, Stewart said. Clothing manufactured in the U.S. adheres to stricter labor and environmental standards and provides American jobs. 

"As much as possible, I try to buy American made everything," she said. "I'm very thoughtful and mindful about every purchase I make as a consumer." 

Focused on sustainable fashion, new boutique Mod + Ethico opens at 27 N. Morgan St. in the West Loop Thursday night. [DNAinfo/Stephanie Lulay]

But finding American made, eco-friendly clothing "in the aesthetic I love" wasn't easy, said Stewart, 32. 

Armed with a sustainable mission, Stewart, who works at Facebook fulltime in advertising, said she was inspired to start her own company by a quote from Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg: "What would you do if you weren’t afraid?" 

"I thought, my very first day of Facebook, I'd start my own business," she said. 

And she did. After launching the business in 2015 as The Sewn Co., Stewart sold online, at Dose Market and out of a River North showroom. This year, she set her sights on opening the brick-and-mortar boutique. 

As the shop grows, Stewart says she hopes to developer her own sustainable, sports luxe line. She's still on the hunt for that perfect winter jacket that is ethically made, keeps her warm on snowy bike rides and "looks great." 

"One that doesn't look like I'm going skiing," she said. 

Mod + Ethico is open Tuesday-Friday 1-7 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday Noon-5 p.m. The shop is closed Mondays. 

Sandwiched between the neighborhood's destination restaurants and warehouses, more and more retailers are beginning to call the West Loop home. Lifestyle retail shop Rider, custom suit shop BLVDier, luxury retailer Billy Reid, Kit + Ace and M2057 by Maria Pinto all opened in the neighborhood in 2015.

Clothing retailers Anthropologie and a Free People have also signed leases on Randolph's restaurant row. 

Home to Google's Midwest headquarters, the booming Fulton Market neighborhood is poised to welcome a slew of new hotels in the next few years and McDonald's corporate headquarters at the old Harpo site in 2018.

T-shirts at indie boutique Mod + Ethico in the West Loop. [DNAinfo/Stephanie Lulay]

Opening party 

Mod + Ethico will celebrate the store's opening with a party from 6-8 p.m. Thursday.

The event is open to the public, and guests will enjoy music, locally-sourced drinks, a photo booth and have a chance to win raffle prizes from designers Argaman & Defiance, The Things We Keep and Holly & Tanager. Stewart will also offer a 20 percent discount on items in store. 

Modern Vice ankle boots at Mod +Ethico in the West Loop. [DNAinfo/Stephanie Lulay]

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