Today, I’m introducing you to a brand that was recently placed on my radar, Accompany. When they reached out to me a few weeks I groggily read their e-mail with blurry eyes while still in bed. Once I realized what they were all about I quickly shot up in bed and began browsing their site/drooling over their expansive Men’s Shop. Besides curating an impressive collection of everything from clothing to home goods, they’re out to make the Fashion world a better place.

Their mission is to introduce global curation at its finest. They scour the globe for the coolest, most beautiful and one-of-a-kind finds, and filter them through a range of style lenses— to create unique boutiques that contain both an eclectic mix of cultures and a well-edited point of view. Each and every piece they pick has a story behind it, and embodies exemplary design. Handmade pieces and ethically sourced items, that bring human impact and fashion impact together to create feel-good goods through a look-good lens. 

 While I enjoying working with any brand that aligns with my aesthetic and personal brand, I always enjoy working with companies like Accompany. They have quite the impressive Men’s Shop alongside boutiques for Apparel, Accessories, Bags, and more. Head on over to their Gift Shop to cross a few people all your shopping list, or shop some of my favorites below. 

Shop The Look:

Photos by Andrew Dangler / Apolis Flannel Button Down (similar here) / Topman Shirt (similar here) / Levi’s 510 Jeans / CAT Footwear Boots / Miansai Bracelet / Faire Collection Bracelet (similar here)

A bit more about Accompany from their site: 

THE ETHICAL STANDARDS WE WORK TOWARDS

First and foremost, our mission is to help human beings—to change the lives of individuals, families and communities, for good. Because to us, change doesn’t mean a quick fix or temporary solution. It means a forever altering of the systems and cycles that perpetuate poverty and economic disparity around the world. And we believe that socially-conscious industry holds the key to that permanent change—fortunately, as fun as fashion is, it’s also an industry that’s perfectly positioned to make a powerhouse impact. 

That said, ethics and humanitarianism can be highly confusing arenas, filled with red tape and vague results. And we’re determined to go about it differently. So our mission is to ensure our merchandise meets the standards in at least one of these three key areas: Artisan Made, Fair Trade, and Philanthropic. 

HANDMADE AND ARTISANAL GOODS

In a world of mass commercialism, traditional crafts and indigenous methods for making are being lost every day. Supporting local craftspeople means preserving both cultures, and communities. By bringing work to small towns and villages, people can stay without being forced to urban centers to seek low-paying employment in industrial factories, that tend to have low standards of labor and quality of life. With more local industry, a small community can thrive economically—so the traditions and skills of the region can continue to be handed down. In many cases, we are able to work with these artisans by simply providing a lens for design direction or editing—to ensure that their craft and design appeals to an audience in developed nations, and provide them with access to modern consumers who are interested in their goods. 

These items tend to be:

• Handmade, Limited-Edition, or One-of-a-Kind
• Reflective of the cultural heritage of a community through traditional craft techniques
• Leverage indigenous skills that have been passed down through generations 

FAIR TRADE

Fair-Trade is one of those terms that everyone knows, but most people would be hard pressed to pin down exactly what a certification means. And that’s because it kind of means a lot of different things, depending on who is doing the certifying—which can be one of several organizations with varying definitions and standards for measuring those definitions. You’ll often see the certification regarding cotton and fabric—but since it’s rooted in agriculture, the label doesn’t take into account standards around the design, craft, or making of the material. Confusing, right?

It’s also a certification that is very expensive and time-consuming to get—and in some cases fraught with corruption. This ends up leaving a lot of do-gooders out. Most important to us is that our brands are genuinely invested in making the lives of their workers better, and our producers want to rectify the injustices created by a profit-driven supply chain organization. It’s about ensuring appropriate compensation and working conditions. Incentivizing and empowering workers. Providing a fair (and true) opportunity for progress.  

So, while some of our items are Fair-Trade certified, we also have our own set of criteria that we look for in our partners, to make sure they are actively pursuing that goal. We look for the following qualities so you don’t have to just rely on a nebulous certification to know the impact you’re having:

• Actively engaged in stopping and reversing the exploitative nature of dramatic economic disparities. Helping a poor workforce cultivate a healthy career through commitment to training, safe working environments, above average wages and quality of life benefits like healthcare or child care.  
• Building capacity so that the development engendered by a given business opportunity is sustainable for, and beneficial to the local community. We want to help create a self-sufficiency in the community so they can save, build, and grow—on their own. This also means ensuring that not all profits from international trade are exported out of the community or absorbed by an elite group or owners. 
• Incentivising through output-based payments, so employees can achieve the level of work and reward that best suits their needs and ambitions. 
• Maintaining clean, safe, comfortable, healthy working conditions