[GREEN BRAND SPOTLIGHT] Meet Eco fashion brand milo+nicki – the designer+dog duo

Hello ladies! This feature is about everything you love – fashion, shopping, new summer /beach-ready clothes, pets, sustainability & most importantly pussy power (Trump learned what it means recently)! Pink is no weak sauce or the second sex!
Especially when women are not only doing incredible startups but also driving climate change. We presented a feature on women driving sustainability in various fields. We have already covered so many women entrepreneurs and change-makers from food, eco fashion brands, politics to even FMCG products.
This week we introduce you to yet another woman entrepreneur & her eco fashion brand that’s making clothes which are cruelty-free and sustainable – milo+nicki – a cruelty-free, ethically-designed womenswear line with Indian & Zambian root. Plus, they have an exclusive offer for all our readers only! Here milo+nicki introduce themselves in their own words.
 

Hello UrbanMeisters! We are milo+nicki!

My name is Nicki and my partner-in-crime is the handsome, crazy energetic stud pup, Milo. We are an energetic, indomitable duo that love hard and care deeply about people and the planet. Our lives have been full of highs and lows (especially in health), evolving bodies, and many life struggles, but we have never skipped a beat on lifting each other up.
Milo (my pup) and I both hit rock bottom in 2014. The combination of our health problems, Milo having a major injury, and a very stressful burglary that spiraled us both downward, we begin to slowly feel the floor crumble beneath us. And no doctor or specialist had a remedy. I lived in fear of not knowing what the next day, hour, or minute held for us.
In our pursuit to grow stronger and healthier, we both turned to our roots. Family and love became our medicine. It is here I began to understand the delicate relationship between our bodies, the environment, and our health. Plus, I began to realize the impacts of societal pressures and life changes females face on a day-to-day basis as I struggled to commute long hours, work full-time, maintain my health, and keep loyal to a company that didn’t value my hard work. The company gave me an ultimatum that wasn’t an option or choice. But, I chose to make my health priority and left the position. This became my focus for change.
By combining our health rollercoaster with my love for fashion, my mission to empower women, and my drive to bring awareness to a deep-rooted destructive consumer industry, I came to create milo+nicki.
 

We believe #WeAreUnstoppable

We believe women are unstoppable! We are here to empower women and inspire change. We’re here to empower the ever-evolving woman to conquer her fears, take a leap of faith, never give up on herself, and live a life of color. As women, we feel pressure to play multiple roles may be it be a daughter, mother, sister, employee, spouse, colleague, etc. We’re taught to be competitive rather than supportive, and we’re held to higher standards. With this we lose ourselves. But we don’t need to.
We are strong, beautiful, independent, confident, courageous, loving, and caring. We can do it all. Let’s share it, let’s flaunt it! Why not?! Just like the untold stories we carry, what we wear is something more than a piece of cloth. It has history, meaning, roots, sweat, and tears. The sacrifices in each piece of cloth is an untold story, but with milo+nicki, I hope to bring these hidden truths to the surface and build an awareness that drives the ethical and sustainable fashion movement.
 

To make a change, we are the change ourselves!

Do good to feel good. Social and environmental responsibility, less waste, and quality product is our recipe for doing good and feeling good. To provide the most economical product without compromising on our ethics and values, we have partnered with two manufacturers in New York who share the same commitment toward social and environmental responsibility. To avoid excessive waste and overproduction, we produce local in small batches and reuse the excess fabric towards our zero-waste movement pieces.
This ensures better quality control, fair wages and workplace safety, and prohibits discrimination of any kind. We pride ourselves on supporting factories that treat their employees with dignity and respect, and provide job opportunities in the US and abroad. We work very closely with both factories to ensure you are receiving quality products.

 

All our milo+nicki products are made to be sustainable

Our roots are really important to us. Our fabric is made-to-order and handwoven in India through a distributor who provides certification to confirm authenticity, sustainability metrics, and fair trade measures. With transparency as one of our core values, this ensures that our supply chain stays clean and clear.
We believe in designing clothes that last, and are made without compromising people or the planet. We only use cruelty-free, ethically-designed, and sustainable fabrics in our designs that not only look good, but also feel good. Our pieces are designed with certified Ahimsa or ‘peace’ silk + GOTS certified organic cotton blend fabric.
 
The fabric is:

• extremely strong and durable | can withstand machine washing (but we recommend not to so we can help our planet out a bit)
• thermo-regulating | keeps you cool when it’s hot, and keeps you warm when it’s cool
• luxurious with no strings attached (wear it like cotton) | more you wear it, the softer it gets
• cruelty-free | silk worms are never harmed in the process
• biodegradable | leaving zero additions to our environmental concerns, and pre-existing landfill problems

 
The process is:

• fabric is hand-dyed with plant-based indigo
• screen printed with non-toxic, no phthalates and formaldehyde free, natural water-based dyes (learn why synthetic dyes are harmful)
• original designs are embroidered in India

 
The packaging is:

• 100% recyclable or recycled, biodegradable, and environmentally friendly for everything from clothing labels and hangtags, to mailers.

 

Sit back & get ready to see our first collection!

We are all about looking good + feeling good. The fit of our pieces are looser, flowy, and easy-care for all women, and for any occasion. The designs and fabric are timeless, classic, and versatile to give you that go to date night look, or relaxed music festival vibe. It takes you from vacay to everyday, just like we like it!
Our family and roots are really important to us. Each piece is inspired by the 5 rocks in my life: my pup, Milo, my mom, my dad, and both of my sisters – named and designed with each one in mind.
 
1. Paws for change scarf | the gender + pet neutral scarf is inspired by the happiness, love, and passion Milo has brought me as we “paws” for change in the sustainable fashion movement (with 5% of proceeds going to Austin Pets Alive)

 
2. Dream short | the dream short is for the forever dreamer inspired by my middle sister (pairs with the lr blouse)

 
3. lr blouse | the lr blouse is for the true rebel with a cause inspired by my nickname “lr” from my dad (pairs with the dream short)

 
4. Milano midi | the milano midi is for the adventure seeker and forever wanderer with east and comfort in mind inspired by Milo

 
5. Amore maxi | the amore maxi is roomy with a kaftan feel: for all women, all ages inspired by mom

 
6. Smother jumpsuit | the smother jumpsuit is for that 70’s lovin’ girl with a touch of sass and class inspired by my eldest sister

 

Like our milo+nicki idea? Show us love & become a part of the brand!

YOU are the key to the success of our campaign, and ultimately, our brand. Without you, we don’t exist. We need your support to bring milo+nicki to life. We are doing pre-sales at reduced pricing to give our day 1 supporters a little love. Please support our project here, follow our journey on social, and help us by sharing our campaign and story with everyone you know. ☺
 

And for all you UrbanMeisters readers, we have got an exclusive offer – Get a $29 Zero-waste charm for free!

I love the authenticity of UrbanMeisters community, as well as your platform’s mission to empower men & women by embodying love and care for themselves and the environment. This is why I have prepared a special promotion for you UrbanMeisters – the zero-waste charms! These charms were created as part of our zero-waste movement and retail for $29. Our goal is to use all the scarp fabric leftover post cut & sew of our collection and to eliminate any waste or excess fabric ending up in landfills. The charms are 100% recyclable + 100% biodegradable. The charms also are made of same hand-loomed fabric, hand-dyed with indigo, and hand made in NYC. They came in two options: the pom-pom charm or tassel charm and can be worn on your purse, key chain, as a decoration, around your wrist, or whatever you fancy!

 
Here’s what you need to do to get the free charm
Pledge $139 or more PLUS share our project via social and tag us (@milonicki @urbanmeisters for Instagram and Facebook, @milonicki_  @urbanmeisters for Twitter) with hashtags #weareunstoppable #pawsforchange #urbanmeisters
Get a $29 zero-waste charm for FREE
 
Need help with what to say when sharing the project? Here are a few post ideas you can easily copy, paste, and share away!
Just backed @milonicki_ or @milonicki on @kickstarter! Check out their #crueltyfree #ethicallydesigned womenswear line! #pawsforchange #urbanmeisters (link to Kickstarter campaign)
Do good, feel good – support @milonicki_ or @milonicki on @Kickstarter today #urbanmeisters #weareunstoppable (link to Kickstarter campaign)
 

Drop by anytime at one of our addresses:

• Kickstarter Link: http://bit.ly/weareunstoppable

• Website: http://www.milonicki.com

• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/milonicki/

• Twitter: http://twitter.com/milonicki_

• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/milonicki/

• Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/milonicki/

 
So go ahead UrbanMeisters, support a good cause, be proud to be a woman (or a man proud of all the incredible women in his life) and stay green and stay stylish! Here are some more tips on how to set the trend alarms buzzing without an alarming carbon footprint!