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Becoming a B Corporation – What It Means & Why It Matters

11.22.2016 by btslingerie // 1 Comment

B Corporation – What It Means

B corporation logo

We have some big news to share, after many months of hard work behind the scenes we are proud to announce that Between the Sheets is now a Certified B Corporation ®. Certified B Corps meet higher standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. In the apparel industry this is a huge task, given that apparel manufacturing is the second most polluting industry in the world second only to oil.

We have always made the 3 pillars of sustainability (environmental, economic, and social) a part of our brand, our certification as a B Corp deepens and formalizes this commitment. Transparency and sharing the thought process behind our collections has always been important to us, so things that were too big or too broad to cover in our sustainability statement we have shared on our blog – and some of those ideas have been picked up and carried far and wide across the web like our blog post fast fashion vs. fast food. In the coming months we will share more on the blog on our process of becoming a B Corp and the evolution of our business. In the mean time you can read more about what it means to us to be a B Corporation on our website or our profile & mission statement on B corp.

B Corporation – Why It Matters

Made in NY B corporation - scenes from Between the Sheets factoryAs customers we know that ethical and sustainable choices are tough to make, especially when times are tight. As a designer I know that what draws me to brands and collections are designs, functionality, price, so we’ve never really led with our sustainability but let it be the icing on the cake. Opting for you to discover the values that drive us and made in the USA commitment on the care label, or info card we include along with your orders, or perhaps in a hashtag on social media. As the years have gone by, we have noticed a new wave of brands who have adopted the same marketing, and we realized it was becoming increasingly difficult for consumers to tell the difference between brands that really cared and brands that just copied and pasted their ethos from others. It’s easy to re-write something about sustainability and environmental issues giving it a “green wash”, but it’s another thing to be at the forefront and grappling with the balance between wearability, durability, design, and ethical environmental manufacturing.

One of the things that appealed to us about becoming a B Corporation was that you are assessed on a broad number of social, community, environmental, and other criteria. This includes the PERCENTAGE of sales coming from products or services that support or incorporate these important values. One of the things I have noticed is brands who write a really compelling PR pitch but who don’t follow that up with any hard data. Using one green collection or practice to basically greenwash their company and enjoy all the feel good sales that come with it. Not all of our collections are as environmentally friendly as others, but for sure all of them are made ethically and in NYC where environmental energy standards, and labor standards are both stringent & strictly enforced. A brand that claims to be using eco-friendly fabrics but producing in a country with little to no environmental standards for manufacturing could be using machines powered by coal-burning plants and dumping excess dyes in rivers – practices that we are still trying to recover from here in NYC (my husband would know he spent 6 years advocating for a cleaner Hudson River for the environmental NGO Riverkeeper).

Made in NY B corporation - scenes from Between the Sheets factory

We know it’s hard enough to shop for products that look good, feel good, wash easily, fit properly, and fit your taste for color and design – so the last thing you want to worry about is how a product is made and its’ impact on the environment, so our goal with becoming a B Corp was to make sure our customers know we are actually walking the walk and not just talking the talk.

There are certifications for fair trade, but they don’t include places that already have higher wage standards like the USA and Europe, and they certainly don’t track environmental standards or concerns of producing in the countries they cover. There are environmental certifications of factories, of fabrics, but they don’t quite cover the many things that go into the operating of a brand & making of a product. With B Corporation we’re committing to tracking IT ALL – how much water we use at our office (it’s a shared studio so that’s kinda hard), what percentage of energy we use is from renewable sources, what our waste is in production, what percentage of items we SELL are organic, chemical free, and much more (the qualification of SALES is important, it keeps us honest because collections designed for PR do not count!).

Made in NY B corporation - scenes from Between the Sheets factory

Small businesses are naturally lean, but not naturally green – if you are taking care in how you spend your dollars with ethically made brands, imagine our decisions – with everything from boxes, to mailers, to paper we must consider each choice and are always hunting for better and more sustainable ways to make, store, and ship product, all on top of the already huge task of designing and marketing it.

Making undergarments in a sustainable way means always looking for the next innovation in design or materials. We can’t go back to the dark ages of rigid fabrics and materials without spandex, these just don’t function for modern undergarments. New developments in textiles are coming out every day and we are always looking to move ever closer to our goals of being a greener company. At the same time not all of them apply to intimate apparel and sleepwear (I don’t think most of our fans are gonna be into vegan fruit leather underwear) and sometimes if a material is so new its durability may be untested and it can be prohibitively expensive and won’t price out once we add our Made in NYC labor costs. Again, those are the concerns that we weigh, and that you won’t have to think about when you buy from us. You can keep coming back knowing that each year our goal is to be an improving version of ourselves – because sustainability is not a destination it is a journey, tomorrow we will be better and we hope you will continue to show your support for our brand and share in that journey.

We’d love to hear from you in the comments: if you have questions about B corporations or a specific ethical or environmental issue we’ll try to answer them here where other fans and customers can see our responses. We’re committed to remaining transparent and that means if you have questions or want to know why we made something a certain way, just ask us!

Categories // going green, inspire, made in the USA, sustainable manufacturing Tags // b corporation, between the sheets, green, josh verleun, layla l'obatti, lingerie manifesto, sustainable

inspire – Iceland travel tips

11.12.2015 by btslingerie // 1 Comment

inspire – Iceland Travel Tips

Iceland has become the place to see, and its not hard to understand why. The incredible natural landscapes are so inspiring, and since our trip we’ve gotten so many questions about our tips for travel as many others are making the voyage themselves, so we’ve collected travel photos and a breakdown of our tips. I spent hours reading travel blogs & looking up information since we traveled to Iceland for our Andromeda photoshoot – I needed to scout locations and we couldn’t spare even a moment to run around looking for things while there! Hopefully all that time and research will save you a bit of time and headache on your travels. To get straight to the tips scroll down, but if you want pictures & lists of sites we visited read on!

For behind the scenes of our photoshoot with Arden click here & if you’re interested in the Andromeda lookbook click here

 

Behind the scenes #BTSfireandice

Day 1 – Arrival & Blue Lagoon

early am arrival, pick up rental car, blue lagoon, check into airbnb in reykjavik, shop/cook, prep for shoot next day

Iceland Fire & Ice - Between the Sheets on the road
Landing at Keflavik, which is about an hour from Reykjavik by car. (Free luggage carts were appreciated as we discovered our luggage had its wheels broken on the flight.)
Iceland Fire & Ice - Between the Sheets on the road
Breakfast and installing our new sim card so we could make our way around without GPS. Joe & the Juice, which we discovered was not only in Iceland but in London as well, had really good food, smoothies/juice, and coffee.
steam rising from blue lagoon - between the sheets iceland travel tips
Seriously, what is there to say about the Blue Lagoon that hasn’t already been gushed about on every travel blog? I was told it was overrated/overpriced, and honestly I disagree, it was serene, surreal, beautiful, and there is no wonder that a whopping 90 something percent of all visitors to Iceland stop here!

Arden Leigh and Josh at Blue Lagoon Layla L'obatti and Arden Leigh at Blue Lagoon in Iceland

Lava at Blue Lagoon - between the sheets iceland travel tips
Lava Restaurant at the Blue Lagoon

view of blue lagoon lava restaurant - between the sheets iceland travel tipsIceland Fire & Ice - Between the Sheets on the road

rainbow over blue lagoon in iceland

the unique crystal blue water of blue lagoon - between the sheets iceland travel tips

Iceland Fire & Ice - Between the Sheets on the road
Our resident environmental expert/photographer, Josh, was really excited to shoot this unique geothermal waters and the silica that is the byproduct of the geothermal energy plant that lends the water it’s icy blue/white color.

Iceland Fire & Ice - Between the Sheets on the road  Iceland Fire & Ice - Between the Sheets on the road  Iceland Fire & Ice - Between the Sheets on the road

Iceland Fire & Ice - Between the Sheets on the road
refreshed and glowing on the drive to Reykjavik!

Day 2 – Southern Iceland

road trip to Reynifsjara, stops at skogafoss. If we weren’t shooting we would’ve had more time to see more of vik, take a detour to search for the abandoned airplane, see a couple more waterfalls, or have driven a bit further east to glaciers at jokarlson

Iceland Fire & Ice - Between the Sheets on the road
So I believe I’ve mentioned elsewehere that Iceland is a Volcanic island. That geological activity is what created the surreal beauty of southern iceland which we passed through on our way to Vik/Reynifsjara. With vertical cliffs and this iconic black sand/dirt, and because of weather patterns the sky was clear and sunny even though the forecast for areas near Reykjavik and Golden Circle were overcast and rainy for that day.

between the sheets iceland travel tips Iceland Fire & Ice - Between the Sheets on the road Iceland Fire & Ice - Between the Sheets on the road reynifjara, view of vik icelandIceland Fire & Ice - Between the Sheets on the roadIceland Fire & Ice - Between the Sheets on the road  Iceland Fire & Ice - Between the Sheets on the road skogafoss on our way back from reynifsjara - between the sheets iceland travel tips hills near skogafoss - between the sheets iceland travel tips josh verluen shooting landscape of vik iceland skogafoss - between the sheets iceland travel tips incredible black sand riverbed in vik icelandIceland Fire & Ice - Between the Sheets on the roadarden leigh taking a photo of hillside cottage - between the sheets iceland travel tips

Day 3 – Reykjavik explorations

we rested up and took a break from shooting and explored Reykjavik sites, if we had another day or on a return visit we might’ve spent this day driving north or to the westfjords

Iceland Fire & Ice - Between the Sheets on the road
Hallgrimskirkja in downtown Reykjavik
josh layla and arden in downtown reykjavik
Selfie with Hallgrimskirkja
Iceland Fire & Ice - Between the Sheets on the road
Hallgrimskirkja organ, we were lucky enough to get the chance to hear it being played!
cute colored houses in downtown reykjavik iceland
colored houses in downtown Reykjavik
Iceland Fire & Ice - Between the Sheets on the road
Josh photographing Sun Voyager Sculpture in Reykjavik
Iceland Fire & Ice - Between the Sheets on the road
coffee and dessert and at the colorful and cute “C is for Cookie”
Iceland Fire & Ice - Between the Sheets on the road
Perlan Observatory in Reykjavik, this was a bit of a cloudy day and the view of the city was beautiful, I can only imagine how breathtaking it would be on a clear day.
Iceland Fire & Ice - Between the Sheets on the road
street art mural and colored houses in reykjavik
touristing at viking museum gift shop in reykjavik iceland
viking museum gift shop, near Aurora and down the street from the street art above

 

northern lights center in reykjavik iceland
aurora northern lights center
visitor map at northern lights center in reykjavik
visitors map at aurora reykjavik

Reykjavik waterfront & lighthouse Reykjavik waterfront & lighthouse

Day 4 – Golden Circle

Highlights Pingvellir, Gulfoss, Geysir, and had we not been shooting we would’ve visited this greenhouse for a tour and lunch!

pingvellir on iceland golden circle roadtrip
Roadside cafe near the entrance to Pingvellir

Iceland Fire & Ice - Between the Sheets on the road

Iceland Fire & Ice - Between the Sheets on the road

Iceland Fire & Ice - Between the Sheets on the road
geothermal spot near geysir, the smell of sulfur was really strong around spots like this
Iceland Fire & Ice - Between the Sheets on the road
crowd gathers waiting for geysir to go off
Iceland Geysir Golden Circle
a few snaps of Geysir going off with crowd for scale

Iceland Fire & Ice - Between the Sheets on the road Iceland Fire & Ice - Between the Sheets on the road

iceland geysir cafe on golden circle
the gift shop and cafe next to Geysir was really nice, the coffee and cheesecakes – lots of tour buses so this place was pretty packed

lattes near geysir in iceland  cheesecake at geysir cafe in iceland

 

gulfoss waterfall on golden circle roadtrip in iceland
Gulfoss waterfalls was one of the most incredible sites we visited, with several viewing spots and a relatively short but wet walk up to be right on top of the waterfall. Only wish the cloud cover had not been so low that day!

Iceland Fire & Ice - Between the Sheets on the road

Iceland Fire & Ice - Between the Sheets on the road Iceland Fire & Ice - Between the Sheets on the road Iceland Fire & Ice - Between the Sheets on the road

layla l'obatti and josh verleun of between the sheets at gulfoss waterfall in iceland
Layla & Josh at Gulfoss waterfall

Iceland Fire & Ice - Between the Sheets on the road

icelandic pony on golden circle road trip
We made friends with this icelandic pony, stay tuned for more photos & our behind the scenes teasers of the collection and photoshoot with Arden!

 

Day 5 – We had early flight to the UK, let me know in comments if you are interested in tips for London! We didn’t shoot there but it was nice to have the opportunity to continue onto London bc of Iceland Air’s free layover the portion of the trip to London only added a small price to each ticket.

I can’t wrap this up without recommending you pop on over to I heart Reykjavik, I’ve mentioned the blog on our periscope chats before and after the trip and it was a huge resource in planning our journey to Iceland!

Roundup of Tips for Planning Your Trip

Things to get in airport

before entering

Duty free food (mostly candy) or liquor that you can finish while in country – (we didn’t really see any liquor or wine shops in our travels around Reykjavik and if you’re like me you prefer to do something when its most convenient, so a little forethought saved us a trip out of our way for a bottle or two of wine which would’ve cut down on our sightseeing and relaxing time!)

Sim Card, they have limited brands at airport but this helped when we needed to find/reach our car rental that was located on other side of parking lot since there really weren’t a lot of staff or an info desk at airport when we arrived off the red eye. More details on brands we tried further in the post!

when leaving

If you’re traveling on via iceland air’s stopover remember whatever liquor you get will have to be checked on leg of your journey back (and with overweight bag fees be careful not to go over!). We got some Icelandic gin that is really good and definitely worth rearranging our luggage for.

Chocolate and Icelandic salts – we regretted not getting the salts! You will find these all over in gift shops all over reykjavik as well, but if you forget grab them on your way out!

Sim card- options

They didn’t have siminn when we went, this we found at the gas station but had to ask attentandent to help us with activating as the call in was in icelandic! Siminn worked well in/outside reykjavik but we didn’t go farther that vik/reynifsjara.

We picked up a Vodafone sim upon arrival at duty free and it worked well in Reykjavik, but didn’t have as much data as Siminn.

Culture

People are really friendly, things close rather early between 6pm-9pm. We stayed across from a grocery store that was open later, that helped on our first day running out to get groceries

No need to tip – this was surprising to me because we come from tipping culture but was good to know ahead of time.

Blue Lagoon & pool etiquette

This would never occur to me but before heading over I read this post, and there were definitely some stern pool attendants who enforced rules. Basically, shower before, get completely dry before re-entering locker room.

We got the premium package at the Blue Lagoon, which includes robe and slippers and a little gift pack of their toiletries, and a drink at the lagoon side bar. If it was summer and not as chilly you could probably make due without the robe, but you’d probably want to pack flip flops for showers.

We didn’t manage a visit to one of Reykjavik’s many geothermal pools – I guess we have a reason to go back now! Public pools are frequented year round in Reykjavik, because of the heated water it is possible even in the chill of winter to enjoy swimming (check this post for a roundup of reykjavik pools). If you have more time or decide to skip the Blue Lagoon, you might want to check some out!

Hotels vs Airbnb

This is a personal preference, to me the bonus of staying at an apartment with a kitchen is getting to shop and experience the daily life of local. Plus late night snacks and coffee on demand are pretty sweet too.

Rental cars

Reserve ahead to make sure that you get a non-stick shift if  you don’t know how to use stick. My guess is that in the summer/high season this is more of an issue, but all the rental cars save a few are right off the exit from customs so you can easily book one there if you don’t have time or inclination to book ahead.

In general there was not a lot of traffic, there was a funny quirk when driving and getting directions they dont have 4 way stops that have traffic circles, my guess is because most people drive stick but if anyone knows why planners choose traffic circles vs 4 way stop let us know in the comments!

We found out gas was more expensive than stateside, a liter is much smaller than a gallon so if you’re operating on a tight budget add a line in, look up current rates, and maybe look for a fuel efficient rental car.

Language

We got around with english, if you are road tripping further afield I think basic Icelandic would help.

Food

We only snacked and had coffee while out, with the exception of blue lagoon’s Lava Restaurant which was our only full meal (and fantastic! dining in a spa robe, yes please!). A rundown on the places we ate below.

Joe & juice, Te Og Kaffi (Wish this was stateside!), Bistro at geysir  (prettiest cake selection & great coffee), C is for cookie coffeeshop in Reykjavik, lava restaurant at blue lagoon.

I guess this is a good spot to mention getting the exchange rate in your head, Iceland Krona to USD is a bit confusing and while we found most things were not too expensive (again we may be bias here coming from a notoriously expensive city like NYC) but when incorrectly translated to USD this could lead to some overspending. Another money tip is to find a card that does not charge foreign transaction fees – your credit card company negotiates exchange rate and waves the foreign transaction fees. If you’re not careful this could add $$ to your trip that could be getting spent on great experiences.

 

Categories // behind the scenes, inspire, love Tags // behind the scenes, designer, layla l'obatti, photography

love – artist, muse, & chameleon Meredith Adelaide

09.04.2015 by btslingerie // Leave a Comment

I follow a lot of photographers in the Pacific Northwest on Instagram, and I can’t quite remember when I came across Meredith but we chatted about her transition to the East Coast when I saw a call she put out to collaboration with designers an artists on Instagram. She told me she was planning a trip to Europe and wanted pieces to shoot, and you can see the stunning result below. Funnily enough she stopped by Iceland and we’re already planning a trip there later this year.

Sometimes seeing photos of artfully crafted models becomes a bit draining, we’re seeing a person with someone else’s idea of what they should look like on them. We do this as brand when we transform models on set, even natural makeup and photographer’s lens is enough to capture a likeness that is something else. But what I find interesting and lovely about Meredith’s instagram is that is is mostly comprised of self portraits.

I don’t know if Meredith would call herself a muse, but take a quick look at her instagram and you’ll see the many artists who’ve been inspired by her and their artwork reflecting her representation.  Then again, she is also an artist in the way she explores her own self image through photography. There is something raw and real about her self portraits, and I think its that there is no one else between her and the camera and so we get what her image of herself is, and that is rare in the modeling world. No makeup artist, no designer or stylist, no hair person, just Meredith. Let’s not try to put these images in a box and call it art, or modeling, let’s just appreciate the beautiful intimate images of Meredith, by Meredith.

model muse Meredith Adelaide  - Between the Sheet airplay babyoll  Meredith Adelaide  - Between the Sheet airplay babyoll model muse Meredith Adelaide  - sheer babydoll nighty by Between the Sheets

shots above of Meredith in our Airplay babydoll

model muse Meredith Adelaide  in Layla L'obatti Arabesque gown model muse Meredith Adelaide  in Layla L'obatti Arabesque gown model muse Meredith Adelaide  in Layla L'obatti Arabesque gown model muse Meredith Adelaide  in Layla L'obatti Arabesque gown model muse Meredith Adelaide  in Layla L'obatti Arabesque gown

Meredith self portraits in our currently sold out Arabesque gown, you can shop the rest of Arabesque.

 

all images copyright Meredith Adelaide, You can find Meredith on social media below:

Instagram

Twitter

Facebook

 

Categories // her perspective, inspire, love, models, the girls between the sheets Tags // airplay, arabesque, between the sheets, layla l'obatti, model

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Between the Sheets Inc - purveyors of luxury lingerie, designer loungewear, and luxurious lifestyle products brings you a blog about our brands, collections, and life's simple luxuries.

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