made to order with four week lead time

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Our Story

Life fluctuates. Your clothing doesn't have to.

Sotela is a clothing company based out of Los Angeles that creates wardrobe staples for humans. The heart of Sotela is to restore your relationship with clothing and to celebrate the strength and resilience of your body.

Our Mission

An inclusive clothing brand and community that celebrates humans in all their forms.  

Sotela's pieces are forgiving. Our sizing focuses on fit instead of labeling; we never use the words small, medium, or large. We champion body appreciation and celebrate strength and resilience through our For All Community. 

We use eco-friendly fabrics that have minimal environmental impacts such as tencel, modal, and linen. The versatility of our pieces allow for prolonged use and all of our packaging, stationery, and marketing materials are printed on recycled paper. We hand-make every piece from start to finish in our California studio. 

Our Values

Body Positivity | Inspiring you to feel good about yourself. inclusivity is a driving force in what we do.

Positive Impact | we are dreamers and campaigners. Change markers and advocates. Movers and shakers that are at our best when we are helping the world.

Humanity | We are not willing to compromise people for things. We're an ethically made brand without sweatshop labor, and treat our team as equal partners and collaborators.

Environment | Promoting ethical brands is not only a fashion decision, it's a lifestyle decision. We believe there's a responsible way to create products that doesn't harm the planet.

Our Vision

Our vision is a world where you are celebrated, just as you are. 

Our Story

My name is Hanna and I'm the founder and designer of Sotela. I started Sotela in 2016 after dreaming of an ethical clothing line that would fit my changing body. The majority of my clothing was too tight and made me feel uncomfortable and I woke up every day dreading my morning routine of staring at my closet with nothing to wear.

That made me think about how often other's experience the same frustrating routine of trying to something that fits. Our bodies change all the time— we get bloated, pregnant, lose weight, gain weight— but the fit of our clothes doesn't often reflect that physical reality. 

This is why I created Sotela. I believe you should reach into your closets and have multiple pieces that will always fit, and better yet, make you feel confident.

At the same time, I believe clothing should be ethically designed, sourced, and made. "Sotela" comes from the Spanish word "tela" which means "fabric". Spanish is my first language and I wanted to tie my heritage into our name. The "so" comes from "sew" and combined "Sew Fabric" speaks into our handmade, ethical design process.

Designed for human by human, Sotela's main goal is to empower you to develop a positive relationship with your clothing.

 

Sizing

 Sotela's approach to sizing is a little different. Instead of using the conventional small, medium and large, we've decided to change our wording because why not! We want to keep things simple and offer the most out of your clothing. 

 

 

Here's a step by step of how to choose your Sotela size:

  1. Measure yourself – This one is very important if you shop online, which as of now, I think we all are! Check out our tutorial to measure yourself because we use low hip measurements with our clothing. 
  2. Once you have your measurements, go to the product page for the garment you are interested in and click on the “Sizing and fit” tab or “Garment Measurements for Petite, etc.”
  3. The garment measurements on the product page will tell you the actual width and length of the garment. For example: the Ryan Trouser measures 26″ with an unstretched waistband and 42″ in the hip for the size 1.
  4. Based on your measurements, choose a size that is about 2″ more than your largest measurement. For example: I have a 39″ hip. The size 1 hip measures 42″ which gives me about 3″ of ease. The size 0 measures 40″ in the hip making it too small for me.
  5. Make sure to use your largest measurement when choosing a size, especially if you are looking at a jumpsuit or dress. If your bust is larger than your hip, I’d recommend choosing a size based on your bust because that ensures it will give sufficient ease for the rest of your body.
  6. Lastly, if you are still unsure, email us hello (at) sotela.co with your measurements! We are happy to recommend a size.

The video below can give you a better idea of how to measure yourself!