Father’s Day is difficult. Most guys only want a certain selection
of things. When you’re already buying for Dad on Christmas and his birthday you really find yourself running
out of ideas. In a mere five years you already have to come up with 15 unique items to give him. Even the
most creative of us can’t be that triumphant.
That’s when new spins on old classics need to happen. It’s easy and can lead to some very impressive buys —
especially if you’re being trendy.
The staple product is the tie. For a man, they’re like shoes to women: There can never be enough. A
different-coloured tie can transform a suit no matter how many times the suit has been worn before. So how do
we reinvent the tie? Go organic.
According to earthday.net, more pesticides and insecticides are used in cotton than in any
other crop. These toxins are detrimental to the vegetation, workers and animals of the areas cotton is grown
in. Organic clothing is also more likely to be a product of fair trade, meaning the farmers were paid fairly
for their work.
You can buy ties made out of a variety of alternative materials. Popular choices are bamboo and hemp. Organic
cotton is also an option.
There are certainly organic clothing stores in major cities across Canada now, but there are numerous online
options.
One is Rawganique. Based
on a small island an hour north of Nanaimo, B.C., it’s grown into three locations offering more than 1,000
eco-conscious products and serving customers from Canada to Palau (seriously). Not only do they ship
worldwide, but the products are returnable within 30 days, so the mysteries of buying clothes over the
Internet needn’t cause problems. They’re the kings of ethical production, even avoiding soy and bamboo
products because of their suspect production processes.
Rawganique’s ties are made in Europe out of hemp and come in 11 colours (although passionflower purple is out
of stock, go figure). They measure 147 centimetres by 3.8 centimetres at the top and 8.9 centimetres at the
bottom.
They’re stylish, they’re ethical, they’re a conversation piece. These ties aren’t shallow and neither should
be a gift — have your dad feel really good about his gift this Father’s Day.•
Photo by Pumbaa80 / Wikimedia
Commons
