Don’t let the cold months compromise your style. Take charge of your look in 2025 with these brands guaranteed to have you stepping out fabulously from head to toe in the new year.
When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Handbags
Up to 40% of the food produced in the United States ends up in landfills, according to the USDA. That amounted to roughly 131 billion pounds and over $160 billion in 2010. With these figures in mind, the need for food waste reduction has never felt more necessary.
New York-based boutique accessories producer Allégorie wants to solve the food waste crisis one stylish handbag at a time. Founded in 2019 with an eye toward sustainable fashion, Allégorie’s vegan leather bags are manufactured using bio-based materials like discarded fruit, vegetables, and other plants from grocery stores and other food-focused businesses.
The brand’s Gala Collection uses discarded apple peels collected from apple juice factories and alchemizes them into sleek handbags, cardholders, and clutch bags, to name a few items.
Shop Allégorie’s online store to receive 20% off any full-priced item today and relish knowing your purchase will help to create a more ecologically conscious world.
Clothing With A Story To Tell
The ecological harm caused by the fashion industry is a heated topic, and for good cause. As the second biggest consumer of water and the producer of up to 8% of annual global carbon emissions, the fashion industry (and, particularly fast fashion brands like H&M and Zara) needs a major overhaul.
Adding insult to injury, the average consumer today buys 60% more clothing items than 15 years ago but keeps each item only for half as long.
Streetwear brand Dinner Service NY wants to change the fashion industry for the better. Founded with sustainability in mind, DSNY’s bold, epicurean-driven designs are made exclusively from upcycled, plant-based fibers like organic cotton, hemp, and banana fiber. This eliminates the need for using more traditional (and, more harmful) synthetic materials like microplastics, which eventually find their way into oceans and impact over 900 varieties of marine species every year.
As for its name, DSNY says it’s a description of its company mission: creating lasting clothes that can mirror the unparalleled connection made between people sitting down to a good meal. The company even collaborated with New York-based bakery Leon’s Bagels on its most recent line.
New Eyewear for a Radically Retro Upgrade
As vintage fashion continues its inevitable cycle in and out of our wardrobes, it’s a comfort to know that the ostentatious, neon-fueled sartorial motifs of the 1980s still command formidable closet space some four decades later.
NEVEN curates its vibrant line of fashion-forward eyewear – including glare-reducing polarized sunglasses, prescription frames, and blue-light styles – not only with that iconic, bygone era of opulence in mind, but also your wallet. With retro styles ranging from the classic Aviator to the Browline, there’s a little something for everyone and every activity.
If price is a concern, then NEVEN truly has you covered. The company will replace your lost or broken frames free of charge, no questions asked. And, with the purchase of a pair of NEVEN sunglasses (which starts at $80 per pair before tax), you get two additional complimentary pairs. Now that’s tubular.
Still Fly: When (Ocular) History Repeats Itself
When designing products for its product line, Fly Frames foraged even deeper into history to bring its unique ocular ethos to the forefront of modern eyewear: the Middle Ages.
The Fly Frames team plunged deep into the annals of ophthalmological history to uncover the pince-nez: a timeless style that first appeared in the 14th century but peaked in popularity by the late early 20th century. Pince-nez frames, derived from the French words ‘pincer’ (meaning ‘to pinch’) and ‘nez’ (meaning ‘nose’), were designed to pinch the nose using a fitted spring, negating the need for the temple earpieces typical of most modern eyewear design. What emerged is a product that seamlessly marries old-world charm with contemporary flair in one dynamic pair of shades (think Hercule Pirot meets Top Gun).
“This discovery marked a defining moment in our journey as we unearthed a timeless treasure, a piece of history we couldn’t leave behind,” said the company on its website. “Thus, we engineered and patented our Flyer technology, breathing new life into a forgotten world.”
While Fly Frames promises to stay put regardless of your activity level, true fans of the look can add an eyeglass chain to add a touch of authenticity and ensure you never lose your shades.
When Eyewear Meets West Coast Sustainability
Northern California-based eyewear brand WOODZEE emerged in 2011 with NoCal pride and sustainability at the helm of its executive mission.
WOODZEE’s natural wood frames and products are constructed with renewable materials throughout production; its lenses also provide 100% UV 400 protection.
WOODZEE’s frame styles pay homage to Californian destinations, further solidifying the company’s commitment to the Golden State. Through the brand’s Recycle Program, customers can recycle their old WOODZEE-made frames for a 50% off coupon for a new pair; this allows WOODZEE to offer customers free repairs and minimize waste. And, if you’re feeling creative, you can collaborate to design your own custom shades.
WOODZEE plants a tree for every frame sold, so you can rest assured that your purchase will have an immediate net positive environmental impact.
Hang XTRATUF This Winter
As winter fully settles in, owning a sturdy, comfortable, and stylish outdoor boot is more essential than ever. Fortunately, XTRATUF wants to be your boot of choice for the snow, rain, sleet, and everything in between.
XTRATUF is not just an outdoor shoe brand; it’s a lifestyle reflected in the care taken to construct its collection of waterproof, all-terrain boots for all of your outdoor excursions, which include styles for the whole family. Its flagship design, the Legacy Boot (or, the “Alaskan Sneaker” as it’s referred to on the company’s website) comes in a variety of colors and patterns to protect your extremities against the elements.
The Ankle Deck Boot, its most recent addition, features a fleece-lined design that will keep your toes warm during your winter rush hour commute, on the slopes, on the boat, or anywhere else.
Nortiv8: Shoes for Every Active Walk of Life
Sports and activewear footwear brand Nortiv8’s lineup of products offers a shoe for virtually every outdoor activity you can think of. Whether you are a runner, a hiker, a surfer, a nurse, in construction, or simply seeking a durable everyday shoe, you’ll be able to find what you’re looking for in Nortiv8’s extensive shoe arsenal.
One of its newest releases, the ActiveFloat, is Nortiv8’s answer to the platform sneaker. It offers a breathable, lightweight design and features a shock-absorbing foam midsole that reduces pressure on your knees and offers your feet total support.
Get 20% off your first pair of Nortiv8 purchases over $79 for a limited time. And you can also save 30% off select styles for the brand’s New Year sale.
Images by Carolyn Okomo
