Customers have been asking, and Sam McInnis, owner of Evolve- an eco-friendly toy store in downtown Meaford has delivered.
Whether made from organic cotton, or recycled materials, the clothing lines now available at Evolve are part of an ever growing movement toward finding more environmentally friendly ways to manufacture clothing.
“When they cut out the material for their regular (clothing) lines, all of the scraps that would normally have gone to the landfill are sorted into like colours, then they grind it up and re-spin it into new material,” said McInnis of the Stephen Joseph line of t-shirts and hoodies made from recycled cotton.
To make room for the new product line an unused room in the store was renovated and turned into what resembles the ultimate eco-friendly walk-in closet for kids. All of the clothing is even hung on eco-friendly hangers made from recycled paper, natural adhesives, and vegetable dyes.
“The average clothes hanger that goes to a landfill is there for a thousand years, but these ones, if you pitch them or recycle them will either decompose or be turned into something else,” said McInnis.
Evolve opened it's doors for business nearly a year ago, and it was a natural progression to add clothing to the store that is filled with a wide range of environmentally friendly toys and games.
“I've had a lot of people asking for clothing, and many have told me that they have to go out of town to find good quality clothing,” said McInnis, “The nice thing about these lines is that they are all different price ranges so they will appeal to a lot of different clientele. It's not all high end pricing.”
McInnis also says that there is more to come.
“I'm already working on my fall lines,” she said, “But the nice thing about what I have in stock now is that for the most part they can all be worn year round.”
Evolve is located at 25-2 Sykes St. N. In Meaford.
