Aiken’s fourth outpost — following two locations in Berkeley and one in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley — is just shy of 1,800 square feet, making it the largest to date. “We had so many customers coming into our other stores saying, ‘Please open down here,’” says Brewer of the Peninsula shop. (A Santana Row venue debuting next year will be even bigger.)
“We used the 30 years that I’ve been doing this — including the past 10 with our own stores — to know what mix we want to carry, what works and what doesn’t,” says Brewer, who, prior to starting the business did stints at Villains and Rolo.
The minimalist Palo Alto space includes white beams overhead and polished concrete underfoot. The cold-rolled steel racks lining the white walls hold apparel by the likes of Sebastopol’s Indigenous. “Every single one of their pieces is organic cotton, alpaca or Tencel,” says Brewer. “The fits are phenomenal; when you get these things on, they look elegant and sophisticated.”
Aiken also carries the ready-to-wear collection of San Francisco designer Amy Kuschel, who is well-known for her wedding gowns. A vintage cabinet holds jewelry by Rebecca Scott, made in San Francisco, too.
A handful of tables displays jeans by socially conscious brand Able along with Fidelity Denim, J Brand and more, ranging from $160 to $260; graphic T-shirts by Headline, printed in California using nontoxic inks, $28; super-soft sneakers, $95 to $110, by Suavs, based in Austin, Texas; women’s shoes by Bird of Flight, $120, designed by San Francisco’s Naomi Reid; and small accessories, among them a silk scarf, $120, with a nature motif — acorns, leaves and squirrels — that is an exclusive collaboration with Centinelle out of Marin.
The back corner is devoted to Graf Lantz, which crafts its merino wool felt, leather and canvas bags in Los Angeles. The stylish creations sit atop recycled cardboard shelves that Brewer saved from the Convert shoe store that closed two years ago.
In total, about 40 brands are stocked, including Aiken’s recently introduced private label, which debuted with button-down woven shirts for men and will expand to organic cotton T-shirts in the spring.
When Brewer and Whitefield launched in 2009, “it was a lot harder to find things,” Brewer recalls. Back then, “my goal was to go to companies that I liked and try to get them to do something sustainable, because that’s how bad it was.
“If I could get them to do something, I could put it in my store: Make your T-shirts in the U.S. or use organic cotton for your T-shirts. Do something to go in the right direction,” he continues. “Now it’s not as hard. There are a lot more people doing interesting things that are sustainable and fashionable.”
Anh-Minh Le is a Peninsula freelance writer. Email: style@sfchronicle.com.
Town & Country Village, 855 El Camino Real, Suite 20, Palo Alto; (650) 325-3266. https://aikenclothing.com.
Editor’s Note
Aiken, just changed its name from Convert. The store specializes in Made in America clothing that is also eco-friendly and sustainable. Is that not what we should all be desiring?
clothingmadeinusablog 