From locally made clothing to secondhand finds, these New Hampshire slow fashion brands and boutiques offer a more thoughtful way to shop.
Fast fashion has made it easier than ever to fill our closets with inexpensive, trendy clothing. But with new styles constantly hitting shelves, many of those purchases don’t get much wear before they’re replaced.
Slow fashion, on the other hand, encourages more thoughtful shopping habits and a greater appreciation for the clothes we already own. And you don’t have to look far to find businesses embracing that philosophy in New Hampshire.
Across the Granite State, clothing brands and boutiques are putting their own spin on slow fashion, from locally made outdoor apparel designed to last to secondhand shops giving pre-loved pieces a new home. Keep reading to discover six slow fashion brands and boutiques worth checking out if you’re looking to shop more intentionally.
What’s the difference between slow fashion and sustainable fashion?
Slow fashion and sustainable fashion share a common goal of reducing the negative impacts of the clothing industry, but they approach it in slightly different ways.
Slow fashion is mostly about your habits as a shopper. Buy less, and keep what you buy for longer. Rather than chasing every new trend, you spend on well-made, classic pieces that will still look good years from now. Thrifting, mending a torn seam, and finding new ways to style the sweater you already have all count.
Sustainable fashion looks at how clothes get made and what that costs people and the planet. Think organic or recycled fabrics, less water and waste in the factory, and workers who are paid fairly and treated well.
In practice, slow and sustainable fashion overlap quite a bit. A slow fashion brand will often use responsibly sourced materials and ethical production, and a sustainable brand will usually care about durability and timeless design too. Still, a company doesn’t have to check every box to lean into one approach or the other.
Slow fashion brands in New Hampshire
Burgeon Outdoor
Burgeon Outdoor is a premium outdoor apparel brand that was founded in 2019. It embraces slow fashion principles through local manufacturing, quality craftsmanship, and responsible material choices.
Burgeon prioritizes local manufacturing—in Lincoln and Gorham—over cheaper production methods and hires highly skilled stitchers. If you visit the store, you can actually see the production team at work. In a blog post, the company writes: “We want you to appreciate their craftsmanship and the care they put into each Burgeon product.”
Additionally, Burgeon uses sustainable materials like Tencel, recycled polyester, deadstock, and organic cotton whenever possible.
Burgeon also reinvests in the mountain communities it serves, donating five percent of sales to local organizations like search-and-rescue teams. It’s also committed to caring for the landscapes in which customers often wear its clothing through trail stewardship initiatives, as well as supporting community conservation groups.
“Burgeon envisions a world of thriving mountain communities that are economically vibrant, environmentally sustainable, and socially rich. Our mission is to bring that vision to life in the White Mountains of New Hampshire,” a representative for the company told us.
Minus33
Minus33—a fifth-generation family-owned business based in Ashland—specializes in merino wool clothing designed to stand the test of time. The company prioritizes quality, creating durable, classic styles that customers can wear season after season. Its clothing is even tested in the extreme weather conditions of New Hampshire’s Mount Washington.
A representative for the company told us that “quality over quantity means taking responsibility for every step of bringing a product to market.”
“Unlike many apparel brands that rely entirely on outsourced manufacturers, we have in-house textile engineers who understand every aspect of responsible textile production,” he added.
At Minus33, this includes responsible wool sourcing, earth-conscious packaging, and products that meet Woolmark, OEKO-TEX Standard 100, and Responsible Wool Standard requirements.
To further reduce waste, the company repurposes gently worn and factory-second base layers into warming kits distributed for free to search-and-rescue teams and first responders across the U.S. and Canada.
Mountain Girl Clothing
Mountain Girl Clothing was founded in 2008 in Margaret Kasper’s bedroom, where she used her grandmother’s sewing machine to transform recycled clothing and textiles into unique new garments.
The one-woman operation eventually moved to a studio space in Milford and expanded its team to include three more employees. The Made at Mountain Girl collection features upcycled creations made at the studio, ranging from patchwork ponchos and scarves to tie-dyed tees and lounge pants.
“I’ve never been interested in following every trend. I’ve always loved clothing with character, pieces that are made with intention and meant to be worn and loved for years. That’s really what Mountain Girl Clothing is all about,” Kasper told us.
As the business grew, so did its offering. In addition to items made in the studio by the Mountain Girl team, the business also sells goods from other brands that share similar values.
If you want to shop Mountain Girl’s Clothing in person rather than online, you’re in luck: the brand plans to open a shop in downtown Milford sometime in November.
Slow fashion boutiques in New Hampshire
Indigo Blues & Co.
Indigo Blues & Co. is a clothing boutique in Hopkinton that embraces slow fashion by curating high-quality jeans, clothing, and accessories designed to stay in style for years. Rather than chasing fleeting trends, the shop focuses on timeless silhouettes, versatile wardrobe staples, and a reduce, reuse, recycle philosophy.
Some of the brands carried by Indigo Blues & Co. include Carve Designs, which makes its swimwear and apparel from recycled materials, and local makers like Molly Grant (handbags) and Erica Walker (jewelry).
New Moon
New Moon is a women’s consignment boutique in downtown Durham that sells secondhand clothing and other items, plus pieces from local makers and sustainable brands.
While not all the secondhand items come from slow fashion brands—the boutique lists Free People, Gym Shark, and Urban Outfitters as some of its most-sought-after brands—its consignment model extends the lifespan of existing clothing and reduces the demand for newly manufactured garments, both of which are important to the slow fashion movement.
New Moon also hosts events like clothing swaps and donation drives.
Thrifty Bootique
Thrifty Bootique is a secondhand and upcycled clothing boutique in Dover that embraces slow fashion through resale, creative reuse, and clothes mending workshops. Owner Jo Harvey told us the goal is to “keep things out of the landfill.”
In addition to gently used clothing, the boutique also has an upcycled collection made by a team of about 30 upcyclers who repurpose stained, damaged, or no-longer-used items into creative, fun, one-of-a-kind pieces.
Thrifty Bootique also offers a space where community members can gather to mend, upcycle, and craft together. It’s stocked with sewing machines, fabric scraps, needles, buttons, and other supplies. The store even hosts organized mending nights in the space twice a month.
