Shopping local is a good idea all the time, but when it comes to choosing accessories for keeping warm in wintertime, it makes a heck of a lot of sense to buy Minnesota-made. Here on the frozen prairie, products like scarves, hats, mittens and leg warmers seem as indigenous to our state as wild rice or lefse. Now, I doubt you would buy lefse shipped in from Taiwan, so don’t buy foreign-made winter accessories when the warmest and most stylish gear is made in Minnesota by folks who know what winter is all about – local designers! Their coziest creations are found at Minneapolis’ newest local boutique, Shoppe Local, at 50th and Bryant in south Minneapolis. Here’s just a sample of the products they’re offering to their winter-hardened comrades, along with professional advice on how to stay warm but stylish all winter.

FOAT Designs
FOAT Design, run by sisters Kaja and Zoe Foat, specializes in accessories made from recycled cashmere. The sisters made leg and arm warmers out of repurposed cashmere sweaters and then utilize the scraps to make colorful patchwork scarves and sweater skirts perfect for layering in winter (arm warmer: $35, leg warmer: $45, scarves: $80-90, skirts: $70.) Kaja said learning how to layer is key to surviving the Minnesota winter in style. The secret, she says, is to “ask yourself if what you have under your layers would still be cute if you take your layers off.” The sisters are “sticklers about waste,” says Kaja. Not only are scraps from their accessories put to use, but part of their business, which includes couture and wedding dress lines, also involves reworking vintage wedding dresses to create personalized designs for modern brides.

Sassy Knitwear
Sassy Knitwear is another Twin Cities company that produces warm-up essentials while remaining dedicated to sustainability. Run by friends Sarah Grudem and Molly O’Brien Black, Sassy makes clothes and accessories out of recycled materials (e.g. gently used sweaters) and organic cotton that the women dye themselves. In addition to a full line of yoga wear, dresses and children’s clothing, the designers also dabble in winter accessories. Their popular winter hat designs mix style, comfort and sustainability. The “cappy cap” is a newsboy-style hat and while the “beehive” design is a tiered stocking cap (both $32.) Both designs are made from recycled sweaters with an inner lining of soft organic cotton. Pairing a snappy-yet-warm accessory, such as a Sassy hat, with your winter essentials makes the season instantly more stylish.

Ms. Stitch
A former snowboarder, local fiber artist Rachel Schroder knows a thing or two about staying warm in the frigid Minnesota outdoors. Her accessory company, Ms. Stitch, offers urban-inspired scarves and hats designed to spice up the winter wardrobe. Her unusual scarves resemble oversized chain-link necklaces, yet they are crocheted in yarn. Schroder says the chains are representative of hip-hop influences that guide her design. She’s striving to integrate such “grandmotherly” crafts as knitting and crocheting into urban fashion and culture. Her latest fashion obsession is the cowl scarf – a thick chunky circle scarf that she plans to include in her winter line. But perhaps her best-seller is her line of hats with the letters MPLS crocheted into the front ($28.) She says choosing bright-colored accessories is the way to add flair to your winter staples.

Fennel Studio
Rochester-based Fennel Studio produces beautiful crocheted pieces with a modern edge. Designer Michele XXX likes to create winter items that “go with anything but are striking at the same time.”  Her “scarflets” are shortened scarves embellished with vintage buttons that the wearer can use to adjust the fit of the scarf ($30-40.) She also makes “wrist warmers,” which are fingerless gloves that are great for wearing inside to keep hands toasty while still being able to type or text ($20). Her philosophy for looking good all winter long involves pairing warm basics, such as a thick coat, with a bright hat or scarf accent. “I try to add something to set myself apart from the downy masses,” she says.

Find it and more at:

Shoppe Local
813 W. 50th St., Mpls.
612.827.3071