Shopper's Diary: Slow Textiles from GDS Cloth Goods

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Textile industry veteran Geana Sieburger founded GDS Cloth Goods as a source of environmentally sustainable, ethically made sewn goods for people who appreciate good design. Sieburger makes aprons and more in her Oakland, California, studio, plus a reusable coffee filter that’s an alternative to the single-use pour-over filter.

More broadly, Sieburger is on a mission to reconnect consumers of cloth with the source of their products, just like the farm-to-table movement has rekindled a connection between people and the source of their food. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Sieburger developed her reverence for textiles growing up in her native Brazil, where, in the eighties, she says, “bakeries and their bakers could be found every few blocks, and skilled seamstresses still sewed a good portion of people’s everyday wardrobes.” She’s hoping to re-create some version of that in the US by offering workshops, textile care guides, and a glimpse into the process of making cloth from seed. Let’s take a closer look at the GDS offerings.

Photography courtesy of GDS Cloth Goods.

gds cloth goods ebb coffee filter 2 — Above: Ebb Coffee Filters are compatible with several kinds of pour-over coffee makers, including the Chemex and V60. All materials are grown and made entirely in the US and are wholly organic: “Our goal is to make great-tasting coffee at no one’s expense,” says Sieburger.

Ebb filters work just like paper, but will last for up to four months of daily use if properly stored. “Like all things not-single-use,” says GDS, they will change over their life cycle: Water will drip through most quickly when the filter is new, and more slowly when the filter is nearing time for replacement.

gds cloth goods ebb coffee filter 3 — Above: Ebb filters should be rinsed with water after each use, and never washed with soap. For the most consistent brew, GDS recommends storing the filter in water inside the refrigerator.

In March, GDS raised more than $18,000 on Kickstarter to purchase fabric Sieburger designed specifically for the Ebb. She’s documenting the process—from a West Texas cotton farm to a South Carolina weaving mill to the Oakland, California, sewing studio—on Instagram. The company’s first fully “seed to cup” filters will ship in July.

gds cloth goods ebb coffee filter 1 — Above: The Ebb Coffee Filter for Chemex is $16.

Each filter includes brewing and care instructions. For more, read the company’s detailed online Brewing Guides.

gds cloth goods ebb coffee filter 5 — Above: The Ebb Filter #2 fits a standard #2 size, cone-shaped coffee filter; $16.

gds cloth goods ebb coffee filter 4 — Above: Ebb filters arrive in packaging that’s completely biodegradable.

gds cloth wood coffee drip — Above: GDS also makes a Walnut Base ($56) for the Hario V60 Glass Dripper. “We’ve always liked the V60,” says GDS, “but that plastic attachment that keeps it propped on a cup, not so much.” The company’s own base design is made of solid walnut wood by San Francisco artist Hannah Beatrice Quinn.

gds cloth goods denim apron 1 — Above: The GDS Minas Gerais Apron is made of 100 percent organic cotton denim, cut and sewn by hand in Oakland. It has a cotton rope tie (available in ivory or gray) that makes the apron adjustable for all sizes; $108.

GDS calls its denim, woven in North Carolina, a “dreamy organic cotton cloth—a medium blue selvage denim with white selvage stripe.” The company reports that its aprons look as beautiful on the inside as on the outside—there are no cut edges finished by serger; instead, all are carefully sewn.

gds cloth goods denim apron 2 — Above: The Porto Alegre Apron has an adjustable rope tie, meant for flexibility in wearing the apron high or low on the neck. Unlike the Minas apron, this one comes in two sizes. Bonus points: It’s a zero-waste design; the fabric cut from the main apron body becomes the hip pockets; $124.

GDS designers are experts in the care and feeding of textiles. “Long Live Cloth—A Care Manual”is an 18-page “zine” with detailed information on caring for cloth. It’s meant “to get you excited about extending the life of your clothes,” says the company; $9.