I’ve tried a jumpsuit from Ilana Kohn before (Ilana Kohn Harry jumpsuit review here) but I ended up selling it because it was just a bit too small (after some pandemic weight gain) and I found I never wore it. Plus it was made from a heavy denim material so it was a little too hot for everyday wear. But I was impressed with the quality and knew if I saw something from them again I’d try it out. Well I found this Eleanor top on the RealReal and snapped it up right away. (Side note: the RealReal is one of my favorite ways to buy Ilana Kohn stuff because I can usually find their items for a reasonable price there. Current selection of Ilana Kohn on the RealReal here.)
As I mentioned in my last Ilana Kohn review, all items are made in NYC and tend to be on the pricier side. But unfortunately there’s not a whole lot more information or transparency about them. So I contacted the brand for more information and got a reply from Ilana herself:
Re our workers, as you said, we produce all of our clothes in NYC and they are all indeed on the up & up with NY state and federal regulations and OSHA certified. Quite a few of our vendors we've worked with for close to a decade now, we know them quite well and have built a great relationship with them. Often we know their workers and families personally as well. We've actually had conversations with some of our vendors as to how their employees are compensated and it's been amazing to have it confirmed that these folks indeed make a living wage. It's very much a mom & pop family affair with many of the businesses in the nyc garment industry.
As for our fabrics, we source them from all over the place - Japan, China, Mexico, US. We work with Mills and distributors who we strongly feel we can trust to work with ethical mills and place our faith in them.
Regarding sustainability practices, as a small business we're unfortunately limited in what we can do, but we are always making changes and improvements whenever we can! We're always on the hunt for ways to reduce the amount of plastic we use and to reduce fabric waste as best we can. The business itself is in the midst of a pivot of sorts, which we think will definitely reduce the amount of excess product we put out into the world. So stay tuned for more on that. :)
I really appreciate when an owner of the brand takes the time to answer my questions, especially since I can relay some extra information to you guys!
So in terms of sizing, I got this in an XS and was worried it wouldn’t fit. But it’s an oversized blouse so the it fit just right (I’m usually a size 4-6 on top). I love the billowy sleeves but the fitted body. So even though it looks like it might be a tad bulky, it is not (though if you have broad shoulders, it might make them look a tad broader). It’s also a slightly cropped length so it works well with my 5’4” frame.
The linen quality is quite good. Not as good as the linen from slow fashion brands (like Two Days Off or Only Child), but close to the linen from the Lithuanian slow fashion brands (like Linenfox or notPerfectLinen). I’ve added it to my Ethical Linen Comparison Guide here.
Overall I’m very happy with my second purchase from Ilana Kohn. The Ilana Kohn website has this Eleanor top on sale for half the original price and if you’ve been looking to try something from them or a top with fun flutter sleeves like this one, I highly recommend it!