BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT:

NEWPORT BEACH — Toward the back of the Stevie Lins boutique, there’s a small display of handbags sewn by poor Indonesian women. A rack nearby shows a series of garments made in India. But in this recently launched store in one of Orange County’s wealthiest areas, there is one phrase that’s nowhere to be found: “Made in China.”

Stevie Lins, which opened two weeks ago, offers women’s and children’s clothes and accessories made from soy, bamboo, cotton and other sustainable materials. Owner Moureen Allard, however, has a mission beyond protecting the environment. Proceeds from a number of Stevie Lins’ sales go to benefit Third World charities, and when Allard and her staff go about selecting clothes for their shelves, they keep an eye out for the garments’ places of origin.

“We try to be very conscious of the work conditions where these products come from,” said Allard, who worked as a stylist for years before starting her first retail venture. “We do have clothes made in Indonesia and India, but they’re small companies, so they don’t use sweatshops.”

Stevie Lins, named after the daughter of one of Allard’s friends, caters mostly to a wealthy crowd, but the staff has no intention of pocketing all the proceeds. Sixty percent of the revenues from the Indonesian bags go to tsunami victims, while other sales go to benefit women and children in Third World countries.

The boutique carries about 50 clothing brands, many of them produced in Southern California. Some of the clothes are recycled out of old crinolines, aprons and other materials; one line, imported from San Francisco, features cotton garments designed by low-income children who receive a share of the profits.

In terms of its services, though, Stevie Lins hardly looks like an alternative retailer. The store offers deliveries with gift wrap and champagne for up to $50 as well as at-home personal styling for $295 a session. Customers looking to spend $1,000 or more can arrange the “Duchess Package,” in which a personal stylist consults with them for up to 90 minutes, or the “Princess Package,” in which the store closes for up to two hours.

Kiffany Hoover, a stylist at Stevie Lins, said the store gets its biggest flux of customers just before the weekend.

“A lot of our clients get their nails done, then get a tan, then stop in here and get an outfit, and then they’re off for the weekend,” she said. “Thursday, Friday, Saturday, we’re usually slammed.”

SPECIALTY: Environmentally friendly clothing and accessories

LOCATION: 3711 E. Coast Hwy., Newport Beach

HOURS: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday

CONTACT: (949) 675-3424

MICHAEL MILLER may be reached at (714) 966-4617 or at [email protected].