Ethical shopping. Independent brands. A longer shelf life for thoughtfully crafted products. At The Canvas, showcasing sustainable creators is more than a trend — it’s a mission. Each business featured in The Canvas’s light-washed space on South Street, and on The Canvas online, has values that align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The Canvas is also proud to showcase rising brands with female founders, bringing them to a wider, global audience. 

Here, we highlight five brands available at the Canvas that are helmed by creative women with a commitment to sustainability. 

Amalya Meira

Founder: Amalya Meira
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Instagram: @amalyameira

Dreamlike shapes. Printed silks. Unique creations for the curious among us. Designer Amalya Meira proves that there are no limits of the imagination when it comes to sustainable design. Each piece in Meira’s line is a work of art, a wearable sculpture and experiment, all in one. 

The Brooklyn-based founder works, wherever possible, with natural fibers, and is committed to a zero-waste process. Meira manipulates fabrics to create fresh silhouettes and create clothing that is both playful and polished – right down to the seams. 

The Amalya Meira line has been shown at NYFW, Paris Fashion Week and Miami Art Basel. Handmade in Brooklyn, her work is sold in New York, Los Angeles and London. Beyond her own ethical practices, Meira has also guest curated the Fashion Week Brooklyn Sustainable Show, which featured her collection, “Leaning Inn.”

Explore the newest Amalya Meira collection at The Canvas.

Bella Mews

Founder: Jigisha Patel 
Location: New York City, New York
Instagram: @bellamews

What’s immediately noticeable about the Bella Mews collection of one-of-a-kind handbags and accessories is their vibrant hues and patterns. The “aha” moment comes when you learn that the pieces are crafted from preloved saris. As a girl, Jigisha Patel was enamored with her mother’s wardrobe of saris and today, she gives similar garments a new lease on life — rather than letting the fabric wind up in landfills.

The name of her brand comes from Patel’s daughter’s names (Ella and Belle) and a play on the word “mews” — conjuring both the English buildings of the same name and the word, “muse.”

Patel focuses on local production, sourcing from vintage shops and collaborating with experienced craftspeople. This “slow fashion” approach aligns well with Patel’s values, and what she calls the “rebirth” and “poetry” of her found fabrics finding new life in her creations.

Check out Bella Mews accessories at The Canvas.

Cipango Paris

Founder: Paola Pimentel
Location: Paris, France
Instagram: @cipangoparis

Well-traveled Franco-Dominican designer Paola Pimentel makes a splash with her bold, bright collections for Cipango Paris. With experience at Nigerian fashion house Alphadi, and training at the Atelier Chardon Savard fashion school, Pimentel is now forging a name for herself, with a distinct multicultural ethos. The name of her label, Cipango, reflects this global outlook, stemming from the Chinese name Marco Polo gave Japan. 

Creating elegant new pieces out of surplus stock from major brands, Pimentel believes in zero waste, and refuses to use materials of animal origin. Cipango’s first collection was inspired by both the United States and Japan, and this merging of cultures continues to be a touchstone for the brand.

Browse the latest Cipango collection at The Canvas. 

La Femme Apéro

Founders: Léa Enderlin & Sarah Lequimener
Location: Paris, France, & NYC
Instagram: @lafemmeapero

Apéro is the French word for an evening ritual of drinks and bites with friends at a bistro or at home. Confidence is another word favored by Enderlin and Lequimener, who met in Paris and reconnected when they both moved to New York City. At the time, Enderlin worked as a designer, and Lequimener as a stylist (for clients like Tory Burch and The Row). Together, the pair founded an ethical brand that they describe as both feminine and “accidentally sexy.” 

La Femme Apéro combines French panache and a downtown New York twist to create on-trend silhouettes cut in high-quality fabrics. The brand partners with a woman-owned factory in Istanbul, Turkey, that has safe and equitable working conditions, and sources local fabric with recycled content. Enderlin and Lequimener are also intent on keeping things real — they use a diverse range of models and do not retouch photos. “Above all, we want our designs to inspire confidence, self-love and happiness in whoever is wearing them,” says the duo.

See the La Femme Apéro collection at The Canvas.

Y E S A E T

Founder: Hiywet Girma
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Instagram: @y_e_s_a_e_t

Designer Hiywet Girma has a 25+-year career in fashion design in New York, but for her own label, Y E S A E T, she draws on her past growing up in Africa, surrounded by bold colors, patterns and prints. Girma was born in Ethiopia and raised in the Cote d’Ivoire and the UK. Her work honors the intricate hand-loomed textile crafts of Africa, and relies on limited runs, natural fibers, upcycled cashmere and one-of-a-kind botanical dyes. 

Seeing how the fast-paced fashion industry has contributed to the waste of resources inspired Girma’s commitment to these responsible practices — and as a mother, she believes that sustainability is no longer a choice.

Y E S A E T means “of a woman” in Amharic, and the brand’s designs aim to reflect women’s strength, focus, and resilience.

Browse the latest pieces from Y E S A E T at The Canvas.

Discover more finds from these and other sustainable brands at The Canvas at 93 South Street, between John and Fulton Streets. You can also browse the latest collections here.