I don’t shop for clothes all that often. What I want I make for myself and what I can’t make I often buy used. It’s only in vintage apparel, really, that you get the true sense of the origin. Tweed woven from the wool of sheep who foraged on the moss of the moors in Scotland... Icelandic sweaters knit in Iceland by the hands of people who descended from the Vikings who created the designs... Leather shoes built on lasts that have been handed down through generations of shoemakers in the Italian alps. These things all have meaning to me as do the signs of wear and use, true indications of durability and utility. They wake me up to the notion that there is nothing sustainable about something disposable. That the only way to be a conscious consumer or producer is to tighten the loops of exchange, not expand them. are you concerned about the food you eat? Buy it from your neighbor, you can look over the fence anytime and see how it’s grown. concerned about how your verve clothing is sewn? Yes, you still might run into one of our 

‘grannies’ in line at the store...just ask her.

At Verve we take fabric very seriously. It is the foundation of any garment. It’s the bones. Without high quality hard wearing cloth, any design elements or specialized fits would be pointless, particularly in athletic clothing. Check out the stuff you already own and wear every day. Chances are it’s similar stuff... natural fibers like cotton and Merino...old friends that never let you down.

The grannies are a tough bunch. They are the last of a breed of seamstresses turned artisans that have refused to give up despite the immense pressures of competition from cheap foreign labor. When the factories they used to work for close, they bought the machines, turning a guest room or basement into efficient workshops. The grannies proudly sign what they sew for Verve and their eye for detail and quality is as much a personal expression for them as the Verve designs themselves are for me.