6 Small Businesses to Shop for Workwear

Are you tired of the same old workwear offered by the big box retailers? Want to add a few more “special” items to your office wardrobe? Shop small! In this post, I’m sharing six small businesses to shop for workwear. Four of them are brands from which I already own products and love!

The best part is that workwear nowadays is no longer limited to pencil skirts, slacks, and painful pointed-toe heels. Thanks in large part to the pandemic, many of our working environments have changed (more WFH/hybrid schedules) and therefore, so do our workwear needs. There really is something for everyone and every working environment. Wearing workwear that you LOVE will help you be more productive, life your mood, and feel confident!

Small Businesses to Shop for Workwear

Amour Vert

Y’all know how much I love Amour Vert! It was really the first small brand that I fell in love with. Their responsibly-produced garments and focus on sustainability and the Earth quickly made Amour Vert jump to the top of my list of favorite brands.

Since 2010, Amour Vert has been offering beautiful, office-appropriate garments made from eco-friendly materials. Amour Vert’s signature fabrics are what set them apart from the rest. Their modal fabric is one of the softest fabrics I’ve ever felt and it drapes beautifully. Looking for machine-washable silk? Amour Vert has that, too! And for every tee purchased, Amour Vert plants a tree. (And they just started a resale marketplace called ReAmour where you can buy and sell AV secondhand!)

I currently own a variety of tops and tees, sweaters, skirts, and pants (including comfy pants for work from home) from Amour Vert, and the brand is a staple of my workwear wardrobe. Shop all of Amour Vert’s workwear and check out these blog posts for more Amour Vert casual work outfit inspiration!

Brass

Founded in 2015 and based in Boston, Brass is an elevated clothing brand for everyday working women led by Katie Demo and Jenny Rudin. They produce beautiful, tailored pieces to add polish to anyone’s workwear wardrobe. Their prices are similar to J.Crew. I’ve been admiring the brand from afar for a while now! I absolutely adore the blazer in this look and almost wish I had a reason to wear more blazers, haha.

Like Amour Vert, Brass also has a place to buy and sell secondhand items called the Brass Exchange. I see a future where more and more businesses will offer a secondhand shopping experience (and I would love to see more of them offer a way to recycle items that can’t be resold).

Here are a few of the workwear categories you can find on Brass!

M.M.LaFleur

M.M.LaFleur is a workwear-focused brand and is an excellent small business to support when you are ready to level up your workwear wardrobe. Their prices are on the spendier side, but the products come highly rated and will likely last you years (barring any size or lifestyle changes!).

Sarah Lafleur started the company in 2013 along with Miyako Nakamura and Narie Foster to offer practical and stylish workwear for women. Their products are designed for every working woman—those that work in the office, those that work from home, and those that are out and about in their communities and running for office.

Shop these popular workwear categories on M.M.LaFleur:

Quince

One of Quince’s core values is: “Quality shouldn’t be a luxury.” And with that, they set out to offer high quality, luxurious products on a grad-school-friendly budget. Seriously—you’ll be shocked at their prices if you haven’t seen them yet! Quince is the perfect small business to shop for workwear if you’re on a budget.

I personally love their cashmere (read my Quince cashmere sweater review—I love both the $50 style and the luxe baby sweater) but also own the baby alpaca-wool sweater and a tencel jersey swing dress and love those, too. I’ve tried a pair of their ponte pants but found them to run small compared to other brands. Everything else I’ve tried has been TTS!

In addition, Quince also offers machine-washable silk garments that make the perfect base for any smart casual work outfit. Plus, Quince also makes business casual clothing for men!

Here are a few workwear staples to check out at Quince:

Universal Standard

Universal Standard is the most size-inclusive clothing brand I know that also happens to offer workwear: their sizing follows the bell curve, so the average size woman (size 18-20) corresponds to a size medium, and they offer down to 4XS (size 00-0) and up to size 4XL (size 38-40). Genius, right?! It’s a little tricky to get used to at first!

The first item I ordered from Universal Standard was a pair of ponte pants (seen here). I’m typically a size small, and I ordered these pants in size 3XS (2-4). They have quite the selection of items for a smart casual wardrobe—for women at any size! There’s even a whole selection for petite women. Plus, the prices are reasonable. Win/win!

Check out all of the work-to-weekend wear offered by Universal Standard.

Want more? See how I would style the Universal Standard ponte pants for a virtual interview!

Vetta Capsule

Vetta Capsule (or just Vetta? I’m not entirely sure) is a small businesses that offers curated capsules of 5 items that make over 30 outfits. You can purchase the entire capsule, or you can pick and choose the items you like! I’ve only purchased a couple of items from Vetta (including this beautiful white lace blouse that happens to work two ways—with the buttons in the front or the back) and love how their products are the epitome of basics with a twist.

Many of the capsules are made up entirely of items that work in an office setting. There’s a capsule style for everyone! (And you can even create your own capsule if you prefer!) I love the capsule idea if you’re looking for a quick and easy workwear wardrobe foundation. Once you have the basics, it’s much easier to start building your work wardrobe from there.

Shop all of Vetta’s 5-item capsules or browse all of Vetta’s garments!

Why You Should Shop Small for Workwear

I love the big box stores like everyone else, but sometimes it’s fun to shop small businesses for workwear, especially if you’re looking for items that are more unique and less likely to be worn by everyone else (including your colleagues!). I also love shopping small because it helps to redistribute wealth (particularly if the business you’re shopping is minority-owned), support your local economy (especially if you’re shopping a boutique in your community), and it just feels more personal in general. I’ve found some of my very favorite business casual clothes at small businesses!

What are your favorite small businesses to shop for workwear? Drop ‘em in the comments! I’d love discovering new brands.