"Be the change you wish to see in the world."
That quote from Mahatma Gandhi provides words to live by for Alok Appadurai and Jade Beall, founders of Fed By Threads.
The new boutique sells clothing made from 100 percent sustainable materials made by American workers, and donates part of its profits to the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona and a nationwide hunger organization.
Fed By Threads is housed in the dance, yoga and photography studio The Movement Shala, at 435 E. 9th St..
The idea to help feed people hit when Appadurai and Beall decided to create a shirt for the studio.
"It was holiday season and the Community Food Bank was putting out statistics about hunger in the U.S. and it hit us like a ton of bricks that we had to do something," said Appadurai.
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"It was then that Fed by Threads was born as a tiny kernel of an idea to have sales of our garments feed the hungry in the U.S."
It started with one simple shirt design, a phone call to the food bank and a commitment to give enough to provide 12 emergency meals per T-shirt sold.
Fed By Threads' soft launch in January was a success. "The response was good. The people let us know it mattered," Appadurai said. "We've been able to provide a total of 6,684 meals from clothing sales."
With the feeding people part of the equation being "solid," they began to look at where the shirts were manufactured and what they were made with.
Appadurai and Beall wanted to do more to help create American jobs.
Appadurai said that "what's been normal my whole life (buying non-U.S.-made products) has been part of the destruction."
"Things don't change unless things change," said Appadurai. "It's such a simple statement, but it's true."
The duo connected with U.S. manufacturers, and discovered organic cotton and other sustainable fabrics made out of recycled plastic bottles or repurposed wood pulp.
Appadurai said that when people think "sustainable," they think frumpy or rough. But the opposite is true, he has found.
"The fabrics are so soft," Beall said. "I put them on to dance and it feels so good energetically."
"Now," Appadurai said, "I can proudly say all of the pieces are together."
The store has gone from a soft launch in January, with one design on a T-shirt, to full-fledged boutique that officially opens Nov. 17.
With prices ranging from $20 to $80, it's "fashion people like, that doesn't price the majority out," Appadurai said.
The shop's decor also reflects the owners' values.
The lobby walls are adorned with antique Singer sewing machines, a representation of "our commitment to 'Made in America' in modern times."
All of the shop's supplies and promotional materials are recyclable or upcycled (made to be higher in quality or better environmentally).
The mailers used for shipping are fully compostable and reusable. The business cards and postcards are printed on recycled materials with soy- and vegetable-based inks.
Appadurai said they've had to make some hard choices, but "living the life of being the change" is important to them.
"Your choices matter," he said. "Everything has an impact."
"It was holiday season and the Community Food Bank was putting out statistics about hunger in the U.S. and it hit us like a ton of bricks that we had to do something."
Alok Appadurai, Co-founder of Feds By Threads
If You Go
What: Fed By Threads' grand opening with the chance to take free classes at The Movement Shala. There will be food trucks at the event.
When: Noon, Nov. 17.
Where: The Movement Shala, 435 E. Ninth Street.
Contact: 445-8533, fedbythreads.com
Contact reporter Angela Pittenger at apitteng@azstarnet.com or 573-4137.