Temple of Offering

OUR ARTICLE

Not to start off as a Negative Nancy here or anything, but it’s no secret that our world isn’t in the best shape these days. If the planet itself could kick us out like a bad roommate that leaves their trash and dirty dishes everywhere, we’re sure it would. Humans can be selfish and destructive, and in times where all we care about is convenience, often something or someone on this earth suffers for it. We’re not just talking about sea creatures with trash in their bellies or the fact that The Great Barrier Reef may end up dead before most of us do, we’re referring to that leather jacket your mom bought you for Christmas in one of the popular apparel chains she frequents when shopping at the mall. She’s an angel and all, and she probably doesn’t know that clothing and footwear production contributes 8.1% of global greenhouse gas emissions, because, well why would she?

Donning the shelves in this cultivated house of ease, you’ll find brands that share the same admiration for conscientious clothing

Fast Fashion is a term that’s come up in recent years which unfortunately describes a huge percentage of the biggest retailers in the world. Unfortunately in the sense that these low-cost, low-quality items destined to end up in the secondhand stores of the world before the season has even passed are entirely unsustainable and have been known to keep modern sweatshops alive and well. This is where a glimmering, healing light shines on companies such as San Antonio-based Temple of Offering, who are making a huge difference with the response of “Slow Fashion” which tends to be a positive retort to the Forever 21’s of the world.

Earlier this year, the owners of the ultra-chill UTSA neighborhood java shop Indy Coffee Club, Alex Lee and Jake Scott, sought out to create an environmentally-friendly clothing store that focuses on not only the goods of local designers and true sustainability, but on wellness as a whole. Encased within locally-sourced limestone, Temple of Offering is organized with badass baubles from wall to wall made with durable, cruelty-free fabrics and materials for your decorating and wearing pleasure. Donning the shelves in this cultivated house of ease, you’ll find brands that share the same admiration for conscientious clothing such as Taylor Stitch — who uses a magic recipe of 22 stitches-per-inch to create durable, high-quality men’s clothing, as well as Australia-based Lack of Color, who create trendy, downright GORGEOUS hats created for the rockstar within that are made in factories that ensure ethical practice across the board.

On the home goods side, you will find environmentally-friendly, healing goodies like long-lasting and lovingly curated cups, bowls, and more by Austin-based Settle Ceramics, alongside colorful, other-worldly suncatchers by Los Angeles-based stained glass artist, Debbie Bean, who has toured with Stone Temple Pilots AND trained beside a Tibetan Monk for Pete’s sake. If there’s any kind of BDE you should want to manifest within your living quarters, it’s that. 

Self-care isn’t just a trend, it’s something that should have always been practiced as a means for survival. Temple of Offering presents wise spoken-word on the subject and more amongst their Contemplation & Education section of their website, along with an extensive book selection including everything from Peruvian cookbooks to the art of Georgia O’Keefe and the scattered poems of Jack Kerouac. There’s something for the preferred type of bookworm in all of us. Whether you’ve been busy reducing your footprint for some time now, or you’ve always wanted to start, look no further and put a few Temple of Offering goodies on your back. You’ll look cool doing it too.