CWEnder Sarah Riley is photographed with her Riley & Sons’ partners, son Forrest, and Harlowe, their male Cavapoo, a King Charles Cavalier and Poodle mix. Sarah has created an eco-friendly garden glove that’s available online and at several locations in the area, including Bowood Farms, as shown below.
Sarah’s career has mainly been in product development for the fashion industry. However, she spent 3 years at Bowood Farms where she focused on developing a social media presence, updating their website, and launching an e-com site. “It was also a gateway for me,” she said. “As a life-long gardener, I got to see an entirely new side of that industry, and that really deepened my love for gardening.” Over the past 5 years she worked for Summersalt, a St. Louis-based swimwear brand, where she focused on sustainable supply chain management and got to dig into responsible manufacturing practices.
When asked how she came up with the idea of creating an eco-friendly garden glove, she explained: “Every January., I allow myself to start daydreaming about my cut-flower garden. I pull out seed catalogs and start planning. That was when I thought I would like to find a garden glove that was more sustainable. I had only ever had the synthetic, off the shelf type gloves from a big box store. So I started searching for an “eco-friendly” option. What I found were products marketed to consumers as “eco-friendly,” but they actually were not. Gloves made from recycled plastics are a total “feel good” story, but at the end of their life they are still plastic and are polluting our earth. Gloves made from bamboo fibers, which are regenerative, are in most cases broken down into fibers by highly toxic chemical processing. It’s not earth friendly at all. What I wanted was a glove that was made from natural materials and would quietly go away at the end of its lifecycle, instead of sitting in a landfill for the rest of time. To me, this was an ‘ah ha’ moment. I knew this could be made, so I set out to do just that.”
Sarah found a third-generation family manufacturer in Sri-Lanka to make her gloves. “They are the definition of responsible manufacturing, from utilizing solar panels for electricity, rain water preservation to supplement their manufacturing processes, even converting production waste to bio-mass energy. They also manage the rubber plantations, so they have complete control over the quality of the the raw materials. I feel incredibly lucky to have found a partner that not only understands the need for a product like this, but is pushing the industry standards forward in responsible manufacturing.”
For Sarah, Riley & Sons has felt like a convergence of her career path and her love of gardening in the best and most meaningful way.
The following information may go deeper into the weeds than you may want to know, but when someone is as passionate as Sarah about the environment, I think it’s important to learn as much as we can from her research and creation.
Riley & Sons’ gloves are made from GOTS Certified organic cotton and FSC Certified natural rubber latex, with the exception of 2.5% synthetics (which is responsible for stretch and recovery). The entire glove is made from natural materials that will go back into the earth at the end of its life. Sarah can back these claims up scientifically. She said that the gloves have been tested through 3rd party testing certification standards. In a landfill setting, her gloves will bio-degrade 57% within 6 months of discarding.
Sarah is currently developing a version made with a bio-based spandex that would replace the conventional spandex. It is a new and exciting fiber that won’t be commercially available until the end of the year, so will likely not be ready for market until mid-2026. She also said: “We are not perfect, but we are constantly making strides to be the best that we can possibly be.” That universal “we” she refers to, is as you may have guessed, just Sarah.
When I stopped by for an interview and photo, Forrest was more interested in demonstrating the merits of the garden hose, and Harlowe was dozing on the cool tile porch.
photo courtesy of Claire Forrest
I purchased a pair of Riley & Sons gloves at Bowood Farms and have found them really comfortable. Sarah said they went through numerous rounds of fit to get them right. She continued: “I love how soft the cotton is against your skin, and I wanted them to be fitted so that there was more dexterity and control with the fingers. This is really important for detailed tasks like weeding and potting seedlings. We added an elongated cuff so that it would fit nicely over a watch, and there would be less opportunity for soil to enter the gloves at the cuff. The cotton provides really great breathability in the hot and humid Midwest summers! I think that people are most pleased with the natural latex rubber. It is incredibly thick and provides an excellent grip.”
What’s next for Riley & Sons? “Gardeners are often overlooked when it comes to sustainability, but they’re arguably the group most in tune with it. As far as additional product development, right now, we’re working on leaf mats and garden debris bags made from high-quality, heavy-weight, certified organic cotton duck.”
“All our materials are certified, and I have full transparency from the farms where the fibers are grown through the entire manufacturing process. This visibility ensures top-notch quality, but it also gives me a strategic advantage in entering EU markets, where strict regulations are already in place.”
Locally, Riley & Sons gloves can be found at Bowood Farms, Dharma+Dwell, and Long Row Lavender ($14.99). Sarah’s goal for the brand has always been to focus on wholesale, and she is working on growing that part of the business. “I strongly believe that sustainable options should be available to the masses, so I have my sights on garden centers and big-box retailers. We are also trialing the gloves with several local institutions that have large garden and horticulture staff. In addition, the gloves are also available on our website and amazon.com.” You’ll find Riley & Sons on Instagram too.
Finally, this is what Sarah had to say about living in the Central West End:
“I don’t even know where to begin! Initially the walk-ability and the history of the neighborhood drew us here 13 years ago. Rob and I were moving to the area by way to Chicago and really wanted to find an urban neighborhood setting like we had there. Forest Park quickly became a part of our daily routine—for exercise and for entertainment, and we fell in love with everything it had to offer. But what has kept us here all these years is the incredible sense of community in the Central West End. We have met so many amazing people and made life-long friendships because of this neighborhood. The support of neighbors and friends—whether it’s raising kiddos, the journey of restoring our home, or launching a small business, has been remarkable.”
Great article and way to go Sarah!