Lady White Co Is Quietly Evolving

Lady White Co doesn’t do anything with pomp or circumstance. The humble Californian sportswear label stays in its own lane, quietly churning out the world’s best basics and beyond every season.

Spring/Summer 2023 is more of the same but better. Same as it ever was.

One of the reasons I’m drawn to Lady White is its ethical, conscious production. It’s impossible to produce fashion sustainably, full stop. Resources are spent developing, producing, shipping new goods and that’s all there is to it.

However, you can make the most of your place within our ceaseless consumerist cycle by ensuring maximum ethicality and intentionality throughout the supply chain, minimizing harm and maximizing good.

For Lady White, this means sourcing its cotton from North Carolina and, now from California, then producing everything within driving distance of its minimalist HQ and flagship store.

It’s support for domestic farmers, a worthy paycheck for garment makers (none of that vague “liveable wage” nonsense), and clothing that’s as hardy and well-made as the sportswear made over a half-century ago.

Lady White does this every season, with every garment (save for its socks, which are produced in an ancient Japanese mill). You can come back every few months for more of the best heavyweight cotton T-shirts, boxy hoodies, and easy pants on the market.

Updates are sparse, because if it ain’t broke, yadda yadda. The big change for Spring/Summer 2023 is that Lady White is replacing its cotton/nylon items with garments made entirely of Californian cotton (still made in California, too).

No generic fabrics from mass-market mills, just bespoke textiles exclusively woven to Lady White’s unyielding standards.

Little wonder Lady White has such a devoted following in Japan, where quality craft is rewarded with ardent support (the team recently returned from a trip to visit longtime stockist TF Gohingi).

I don’t enthuse about brands very often because, quite frankly, not a lot are worth the time. It takes someone special, someone devoted to their craft, to get me excited. Lady White hits the mark every time.