Conscious Costume: Renting with Purpose & Sourcing with Care
Conscious Costume, a Chicago-based organization founded by designer Kristen P Ahern, is a growing community of artists and stewards looking to make environmentally and socially friendlier decisions. They host a low-cost, accessible, and easily available costume rental program for theatres and performers, with emphasis on community membership and collaboration. There are communities of theatre artists across the country involved in these reuse programs. Consider reaching out to your local cohorts to discover what is being done!
Conscious Costume also hosts their own resources, including the Sustainable and Ethical Source List, described as a "free current working document of ethically conscious, environmentally, and BIPOC-owned sources that costume professionals may find useful". This list will be a great guide for sourcing new, responsible materials.