It’s hard to believe that in2green started with two young moms and their dream to bring sustainable, USA-made textiles to the world. Lori Slater and Stefanie Zeldin actually met through their husbands who were college roommates. By 2006, they put their heads and experience together to create a company with the idea that sustainability could be modern and design-forward.
In the beginning, Lori and Stef were obsessed with making products from recycled cotton yarns, something no one else was doing. These were yarns that were made using the fall out from the t-shirt manufacturing process (1/3 of a t-shirt is left over during the manufacturing process and that scrap is refiberized into colored cotton).
At first, they made apparel -- eco t-shirts, sweatshirts and even aprons. They committed to exclusively manufacturing textile products in the USA. Their small team was ahead of the curve, as this was before everyone else “went green”. The duo often recognizes potential in concepts early, so they established their warehouse in Yonkers, which has since become a thriving community, the "new Brooklyn".
With a growing team, a priority has always been to support fellow women juggling kids and careers to find that elusive work-life balance — the in2green staff schedule reflects that commitment with flexible work. Thinking back to their first trade show, Stefanie, Lori and Jill were juggling 9 children under the age of 16.
Long days at trade shows led to fruitful relationships. In2green leveraged it's extensive archive of modern designs to luxury hotels and resorts, creating beautiful guest rooms that now span the US, and the world. We’ve had the pleasure of working with Marriott, Canyon Ranch, the Montage Resorts, Ocean House and more.
Eventually, Corporate & Event Gifting became an official part of the business, serving customers ranging from Fortune 500 clients to our longtime retail partners. In2green has enjoyed custom projects with companies like Quickbooks, Facebook and even a garden party with "throws as lawn art" for Oprah.
The in2green team is proud of a few significant accolades— in 2018, Lori and Stefanie received the Icon Honor Award in Innovation for the first collection of sun-resistant knit textiles made exclusively from plastic bottles. Each throw is made of 78+ recycled plastic bottles.
But nothing beats getting through 2020! A COVID silver lining is that in2green was able to pivot within days of the pandemic by starting a ground breaking Green Mask Initiative, making sustainable face coverings. This project helped to donate thousands of masks to first responders and essential workers. In2green’s new brick and mortar store based in Hastings-on-Hudson is also flourishing despite a brief hiatus.
As a capstone to our design mission, our Saturday Green collaboration has allowed in2green to double down on its original purpose: creating meaningful design partnership with some of the most inspirational US designers. The Saturday Green modern art feel lends itself to creating sanctuary spaces for our friends, families and customers to enjoy.
"We never dreamed what in2green would become - a journey in adventurous nesting. We have our amazing team to thank for helping to move us forward. Our eco-conscious ideals make us more relevant than ever, as we're constantly thinking about how our product development can impact the future." -Lori and Stefanie
