New Online Boutique Kindred Black Combines Eclectic and Eco-Friendly

New artisanal online retailer Kindred Black sets itself apart from the thousands of other e-shops that seem to pop up in droves daily through a single characteristic: thoughtfulness. The co-founders of the brand, Alice Wells and Jennifer Francis, have put palpable, painstaking effort into selecting a uniquely luxurious, ethically manufactured crop of goods that run the gamut from covetable handpicked denim, rare vintage finds and apothecary oils to hand-me-down jewelry, photography journals and other art publications.

“We believe style and design should not have to be compromised for eco-responsibility,” reads the website’s brand description. “We should have more options to make socially and environmentally conscious decisions about what we buy.”

Standout items include Patek Philippe and vintage Rolex watches, photobooks and hard-to-find foreign novels, Civil War-era handcrafted jewelry, handmade southwestern belts, sombrero-shaped jewelry dishes and an impressive collection of lightweight, eco-friendly shirts and sweaters. Kindred Black also boasts an exceptional stock of old-school Levi’s and Lee’s jeans in a variety of sizes, fits and washes, a near-impossible feat to accomplish for many online retailers, especially since quality vintage denim is so difficult to find and size correctly.

The brand has a suprising number of the classic Levi’s 501s and 505s, in a multitude of sizes and washes, no less, alongside nearly extinct Orange Tabs on top of a hefty collection of Lee and Wrangler jeans from the darkest of pure blues to near-white bleaches. You’ll be able to find a pair to suit your tastes, from pristine hems and faded whiskering to distressed crops and artful knee-rips. Though these jeans are sturdy enough to last a while on their own, they also have endless potential to be repurposed into ever-popular fringed cutoffs.

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About Kindred Black’s mission, co-founders Wells and Frances state that:

When sourcing product we look for at least one, but preferably a combination of the following elements—natural ingredients, low waste packaging, the use of recycled materials, manufacturing local to the designer, pre-owned, vintage items, craftsmen and handmade goods, and heirloom quality items that can be treasured and handed down for generations to come. Our vision is to promote the reuse of those things that are beautiful and already exist in the world and combine them with high quality contemporary goods that can replace a dozen mass produced and disposable versions.

The lookbook for their exclusive denim collection was shot by NYC-based photographer Kava Gorna, who captures the wide selection of well-loved jeans against a backdrop of spare bedrooms, empty beaches and delicate lingerie. Check it out here.