Kotn Apparel

If you’re wearing a white tee-shirt, chances are you don’t know where the cotton it’s made from was grown. What’s really troubling: the company that sold you that shirt may not know, either. Now in its 10th year of business, Canadian apparel and home goods company Kotn creates traceable, affordable, quality tees made by well-compensated farmers and weavers. The company’s co-founder and CEO, Rami Halel, traveled to the Nile Delta, where the cotton industry is thousands of years old, to establish relationships with farmers. Kotn works directly with small-holder farmers and responsibly run facilities to create “farm to closet” items, including — but hardly limited to — those great white tees. We love Kotn’s loungewear, as well as the simple, fashionable staples for men and women. Remember that 100% cotton garments do shrink, so order (and wash) accordingly.

All purchases help fund the brand’s ABCs Project, which promotes primary education in farming communities in Egypt. To date, the brand has built 19 schools. Now a Certified B Corp, Kotn uses materials beyond direct-trade Egyptian cotton. All additional fibers are certified by groups like Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) to ensure ethical production.