Over the past year or so, I've gotten just a slight taste of what it is to purchase clothing from the person who made it... I pride myself on buying as many handmade products as I reasonably can - but somehow, the idea that I could have a good portion of my wardrobe be made by individual craftspeople kinda escaped me somehow.

So, this year, I'm making an Indie Clothing Pledge, where I will, whenever looking for a new article of clothing, seek out something that is ::

1) made by an individual designer, seamstress, craftsperson, etc.
(i.e. not made in a factory in some far away country and then distributed here in the U.S. for 10x the cost to produce it),
and/or
2) made in the U.S. (or better yet, Chicago) and sold at a local boutique
(however, the retail markup of even a foreign-made item would be going to support a small business in my community)

Not that it's surprising, but Etsy is a really great place to find clothing items that fit into category #1. Like these kick ass slippers that I got from Etsy shop, Hydra Heart. They arrived yesterday and I wore them all last night and Jw had to pretty much pull them off my feet this morning.

I was in desperate need of new slippers and normally, my first place to look is Zappos! (which is great, don't get me wrong!... but it doesn't quite fit into my Pledge, now does it?) But when I couldn't really find anything that was quite right (or wasn't some ridiculous price), I decided to search "slippers" on Etsy... I was pleasantly surprised to find HydraHeart, and even more pleasant surprised (read: ecstatic!) when they showed up at my door!

If you're skeptical about ordering shoes from a girl in California with a knack for sewing, well, let me dissuade you: All you do is measure your foot, length & width - (I traced my foot onto a piece of paper and measured that), and they'll arrive in just a few weeks, custom-made to your feet!

There are other colors/styles available, too, so be sure to check out HydraHeart's entire shop, here!

*Check back for more updates on how my Indie Clothing Pledge is going throughout the entire year... hmm, and probably for many years to come!

And, if any of you know of (or you yourself make) clothing, shoes, accessories, etc. - anything that fits into the description of "being part of someone's wardrobe", leave info in the comments. I'd love to find more places to shop for the Pledge!

images c/o Jw