MATE the Label
Quick verdict: MATE the Label makes organic cotton basics in Los Angeles, inside a radius its founder puts at 17 miles, and it’s a B Corp with Climate Neutral certification going back to 2021. It’s founder-owned, which is getting rare. What it doesn’t have is a product-level certification behind the word organic, and at $68 for a tee that’s worth knowing before you buy. Our rating: 3.8 out of 5.
Who they are
Kayti O’Connell Carr started MATE in Los Angeles in 2013 and still runs it. The company describes itself as founded by women and run by women, and we found no parent company, no acquisition, and no outside owner in the picture. That alone puts it in a small group: of the first fifty-odd profiles we wrote, eight turned out to have conglomerate parents their marketing never mentioned.
The brand pivoted in 2018 to what it calls Dress Clean, which meant dropping synthetics entirely and committing to organic, non-toxic fabrics. Production stays local by design. Carr talks about keeping the whole chain inside roughly 17 miles of the office to cut transport emissions, and in 2024 the brand added a Climate Beneficial cotton collection through Fibershed.
What they get right
- B Corp certification since April 2023, scoring 84.4.
- Climate Neutral certification since 2021, now issued under the name Climate Label. It requires measuring Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions annually and publishing a reduction plan, so it’s a measurement commitment rather than an offset receipt.
- Founder-owned, with the founder still running it. Score criterion two the way we score it and this is the top of the band.
- The supply chain is short enough to check. A 17-mile radius is an unusually specific claim, and specific claims are the ones you can hold a brand to later.
- No synthetics. Not reduced synthetics or recycled polyester blends. The line is cotton, which also means it isn’t shedding microplastics in your wash.
Where they fall short
The organic claim rests on the brand’s word. B Corp certifies how the company operates and Climate Neutral certifies its emissions accounting, and neither one verifies that the cotton is organic. There’s no GOTS certification we could find, and GOTS is the mark that would settle it. For a brand whose entire pitch is “clean from seed to skin,” that’s the gap, and it’s why the certification score here is 0.6 rather than 0.9.
The price is steep. A classic tee is $68, the organic Pima long sleeve $78, sweatpants $138 to $148, sweatshirts up to $158. Made-in-LA labor is a real cost and some of that money is going somewhere honest. It’s still a lot for a t-shirt. Pact will dress you in organic cotton for a third of it.
The range is narrow, too. Tees, tanks, sweats, some underwear and a small activewear line. If you’re rebuilding a wardrobe, this covers a corner of it.
What they sell and what it costs
Basics, essentially. Tees $58 to $78, tanks $58, underwear $28 to $67, activewear $58 to $108, sweatpants $138 to $148, sweatshirts $138 to $158. Free shipping over $200, and there’s a standing discount for buying three or more tees.
Who it’s actually for
Somebody who wants US-made organic basics and cares where they were sewn more than what they cost. The local production story is real and it’s the reason to pick MATE over an imported organic tee at half the price.
If the budget is the deciding factor, Pact covers the same ground for much less. If you want the organic claim third-party certified, Kotn and Subset both hold marks that MATE doesn’t.
Deals and discounts
No affiliate program on our side, so nothing on this page earns us anything.
Related reading
- The Best Sustainable Underwear and Basics
- Sustainable Fashion: The Honest Guide
- GOTS vs OEKO-TEX: What Each One Covers
Frequently asked questions
Is MATE the Label actually made in Los Angeles?
Yes, and the brand goes further than the usual “designed in LA” phrasing by putting a radius on it. Carr describes keeping production within about 17 miles of the office to cut transport emissions. That’s a specific, checkable claim rather than a vague one.
Does MATE the Label have GOTS certification?
Not that we could find, and this is the honest weak point. The company holds B Corp and Climate Neutral certification, which cover how it operates and how it accounts for emissions. Neither verifies the organic cotton itself, so the organic claim is self-reported.
Why is MATE the Label so expensive?
Cut-and-sew labor in California costs several times what it costs offshore, and that shows up in a $68 tee. Some of the price is buying real things: local production, organic fabric, a founder-owned business that isn’t squeezing a factory. Whether that’s worth quadruple the price of a Pact tee is a call only you can make.
Is MATE the Label independent?
Yes. Kayti O’Connell Carr founded it in 2013 and is still CEO, and we found no parent company and no acquisition behind it. Worth checking again in a year, because ownership is the field most likely to move.