Nau open: Eco-fashion store in the Beverly Center

Eco-fashion-conscious angelenos have already been shopping at Nau's online store, but now Nau fans can try on their organic cotton or sustainably-harvested merino wool clothes before buying them. The newest Nau boutique opened at the Beverly Center last weekend in all its sleek, techy glory.

Nau's like a more stylish Patagonia. Both companies have great outdoorsy clothes made with eco-friendly materials, but Nau's designs tend to be more edgy. On Saturday, I tried on a soft, merino cap sleeve shirt (right), asymmetrically designed with a creative, double-layered bottom edge.

I also liked the Chrysalis (left) -- a puff-collared jacket-dress-vest combo made of 100% recycled polyester, which has the feel of a thinner, more pliable windbreaker but can be modified endlessly. The hem and fit can be changed by little cinchers, and the sleeves can be removed entirely. Unfortunately, I discovered that it took forever to piece the 'fit back together once I took it apart, and decided I didn't have the patience to deal with it.

The sleek Nau boutique doesn't scream its eco-conscious mission, but shoppers will nonetheless be surprised by the unique retail practice. For one, you can get 10% off any purchase -- if you elect to have the item shipped to you for free instead of carrying it out of the store. This policy allows Nau to stock and ship (and ship back) fewer items, allowing for more energy-efficient stores.

Each item has a number of little bar-coded cards next to it. To buy my merino cap sleeve shirt, I took one of these cards to a self-service kiosk, which read the card, asked me to select the size and color I wanted, and had me put in my shipping info.

In addition, because Nau donates 5% of all sales to progressive nonprofits, I got to pick from a list of four local groups -- Heal the Bay, Homeboy Industries, California Wilderness Coalition, Chrysalis -- to give the money to. I went with Heal the Bay.

When I got home I had an email from Nau confirming my order and letting me know my purchase sent $3.24 to Heal the Bay. And earlier today, my shirt arrived in a recycled padded envelope! I'm wearing it now as I type --

Nau. Beverly Center. 8500 Beverly Blvd., Space 724. Los Angeles. 310.358.0600.

Comments

[m]

I'm not really sure that I believe that shipping items to ppl individually is better environmentally than just getting them to the store en mass. Why is the store shipping "back" things anyway? Are items "made to order"? If you walked out of the store with the item, you wouldn't need any packaging (you can use your reusable bags), even if it is a recycled padded envelope. Is the envelope also recyclable? Will it be used to ship something else? What shipping method do they use? Part of what I like about Patagonia is that things are kinda neutral for style so I can still wear the same item for 3 years and still find the same item in their stores 3 years later if I needed to replace it.

[Siel]

m -- Most retail clothing stores send stuff back at the end of the season that didn't sell. What Nau's trying to do is shrink store space (including the storage), which of course will help shrink the carbon footprint. The founders talk in more depth about it in an interview with Treehugger, if you're interested in reading more.

Yes, the envelopes are recyclable -- and even have a note on them asking you to reuse it.

[m]

I guess I shop at places where they *don't* send things back (i.e. garage sales and thrift stores) or I buy the things on sale at the end of the "season", which means they are not being sent back. It's a bizarre concept for me. Where do "out of season/style" clothes go? Why do clothes even have a style or season? Somehow I manage to wear almost the same exact wardrobe year around, year after year.

Do they give you the same discount if you only buy online? If not, they are essentially giving you a discount to visit their store, which I hope people aren't driving to...

I also don't understand the whole deal with making a donation because you buy something. Is this supposed to make you feel justified in your purchase? Why didn't you just give that money to the organization on your own? Why not totally forgo the purchase and donate all of the money to the organization? Better yet, why not take the time spent going to the shop and trying on clothes and just donate the time and money directly to the organization of choice? Were you going to be clothes-less without a new shirt? See, this just doesn't really make sense to me. It seems like a bunch of marketing gimmicks piled on top of something that may be good by itself.