April 5, 2012

Each week we explore celebrities and how they give back to the environment. This week, in honor of Earth Day and our celebration all month long, we will list a few out of the many celebs who give back to our planet. Each week, we’ll focus on a particular factor affecting the environment and this week we recognize stars that wear or produce sustainable fashion.

1. Sheryl Crow

In addition to being a Grammy-winning singer, Sheryl Crow doesn’t mess around when it comes to fashion and the environment. She has her own eco-fashion line called Bootheel Trading Company. The denim-based collection offers organic T-shirts, jeans, vests and is only offered at select stores. Crow is constantly active in the environment and says even the little things count, “. . . whether it’s changing light bulbs, driving an eco-friendly car, not running the hot water, trying not to use your dryer at full-blast heat. Just small, simple things that can make a difference if everybody does them.”

2. Missi Pyle

Missi Pyle recently took home an Oscar when “The Artist” won Best Motion Picture of the Year, and while in attendance at the 2012 Academy Awards she wore a stunning sustainable dress. “It is an incredible honor for me to walk the most glamorous red carpet in the world in such a stunning and meaningful dress,” Pyle said. Designed by Valentina Delfino – winner of the Red Carpet Green Dress contest hosted by Suzy Amis Cameron – the dress was made from silk peace chiffon, recycled polyester and natural mineral dye.

3. Michael Fassbender

Yes, Michael Fassbender can be seen completely nude in his film “Shame,” but while attending the BAFTA awards, he came fully dressed in an eco-friendly Armani suit crafted out of ethical wool and recycled fabrics. He strutted down the red carpet as a participant of Livia Firth’s Green Carpet Challenge that gathers celebs and A-list designers to design eco-couture.

4. Emma Watson

We’ve seen her grow up onscreen as Hermione Granger in the “Harry Potter” films, and now 21-year-old Emma Watson is making a name for herself in the eco-fashion world. In 2011, the actress debuted a sustainable fashion line with Alberta Ferretti called “Pure Threads.” The five-piece collection contains two dresses, a shirt, a skirt and shorts. All the clothing is made out of Global Organic Textiles Standard-certified organic cotton.

5. Kenneth Branagh

The very talented Kenneth Branagh can be seen in fabulous movies like “My Week with Marilyn,” where he portrays Sir Laurence Olivier and was nominated for a 2012 Oscar, and younger crowds might recognize him as Professor Gilderoy Lockhart from “Harry Potter.” But, did you know he supported the environment this past year by walking the red carpet in eco-friendly threads? At the 84th Academy Awards he joined the Green Carpet Challenge and wore an Ermenegildo Zegna tux designed from non-mulesed merino wool.

Stay tuned all month long and see how Hollywood embraces and respects the environment through fashion, animals, climate change and sustainable building materials.

-Allyson Koerner

Photo Credit: Flickr/Kevin Burkett, Missi Pyle’s Twitter, Flickr/Gage Skidmore, Flickr/916vince, Wikimedia Commons/Giorgia Meschini

We hope these eco-fashion suggestions help transform your wardrobe and style into a new you!

-Allyson Koerner

Photo Credit: Hoopla

Well ladies it’s that time of year again. Clean out your closets, put the summer clothes away and get out those sweaters, because fall is approaching faster each and every day. To help you decide what to wear this season we have found some of the coolest (and warmest) eco-fall fashion apparel and accessories to spice up your outfits! 

Get Smitten With Cute Mittens: Of course with cold weather you need to keep those hands warm! Vs. Mittens provides a fun and cute way to keep your paws cold-free. They are hand crocheted and sweatshop free from a strictly-regulated farm in Australia, meaning sheep are not treated poorly. In addition, they come in opposing animal vs. predator pairs, so no way will your hands get bored!

Photo Credit: Sarah Brooke Photography

Strut Your Stuff With an Eco-Chic Bag: Need a colorful, yet reusable and eco-friendly bag to act as a grocery bag, purse or backpack? Then, you definitely need to try the Saky Sacks! Manufactured from DuPont© Tyvek®, a durable and washable material, is recyclable, repurposed and not to mention styled into beautiful designs. Also, if you want to get rid of the Saky Sacks, you can recycle it and then it will be repurposed for other materials like park benches or playground equipment! 

Photo Credit: Craghoppers World Travel Clothing

Feel Like a World Traveler With Innovative “Green” Apparel: Want to look and feel like a world traveler, but also remain faithful to the environment? Craghoppers is the place to be then! Not yet featured in stores, but soon will be, the online store is the UK’s largest outdoor apparel brand and has just arrived in the United States and Canada. It is the first outdoor company to be confirmed as CarbonNeutral and provides adventure lifestyle wear, city-travel apparel and fashion friendly pieces!

Photo Credit: Heather Hawksford

Keep Kids Warm With Eco-Fleece Ponchos: Let your kids have fun, stay warm and be mini-fashionista’s with these eco-fleece ponchos by Peri Ponchos. The line is handcrafted from post consumer 2-liter plastic soda bottles, so your child can be styling and eco-friendly all at once! The ponchos are even educational, since you can teach your child about what they are wearing and why taking care of the environment is so important! 

Photo Credit: Punk.com

Put a Little Vegan in Your Step: Like they say, shoes are a girl’s best friend. So, when dressing up your feet why not help out the environment as well. Iron Fist produces vegan-friendly shoes that come in every color and style you can imagine. Focused on an eco-friendly and vegan lifestyle, the company is cruelty-free, do not use animal bi-products, animal glue, leather or test on animals. What a fun way to look stylish and help out Mother Earth! 

We hope you will check out these eco-chic fall fashion ideas and contribute to your wardrobe in an eco-friendly way! Stay tuned for our eco-fall fashion styles for men and check back to see what your dad, brother or man can sport this fall!

-Allyson Koerner

Credit: Nancy's Gone Green

Nancy’s Gone Green Adds to Your Spring Wardrobe with Eco-Friendly Fashions 

This spring, brighten up your style with bold, eye-catching colors. Eco-boutique Nancy’s Gone Green has a fabulous selection of eco-friendly and ethically made pieces that will give you the pops of color your wardrobe needs.

 Fun, statement jewelry is one easy way to spruce up your look this season. The Andean Collection Polished Tagua Bracelet in Pacific Blue ($24) will help you stand out in one of spring’s trendiest colors while supporting Ecuadorian artisans. The bracelet is made from the tagua nut harvested from the rainforest, providing a profitable and low-impact use of rainforest resources. 

Another easy way to accessorize with color is a fun scarf, like the Global Girlfriend Bombay Breeze Scarf ($22). Throw it on with jeans and a white tee, and you’re ready to go! By wearing the scarf, you’ll also be supporting female artisans – Global Girlfriend products are made by women in Mumbai who are paid a fair wage and given training, savings, medical allowances and loan options. 

Another chic option from Nancy’s Gone Green is the Jenny Krauss Wool Embroidered Geometric Belt ($70). The funky design will liven up any basic outfit, and you will be supporting yet another great cause by wearing it. Jenny Krauss belts are handmade by women’s cooperatives in Peru. The entire production process is ethical and completed according to fair trade guidelines. 

If you’re interested in making a statement with what you wear, choose to buy ethically-traded pieces that are sustainable or recycled. Research the companies you buy from to see how they treat their employees, which materials they are using and how sustainable their manufacturing processes are.

The beads hold their color in salt water so they make super beach jewelry. You no longer have to pack a bunch of bracelets, necklaces, or hair ties in your suitcase because Zulugrass allows you to get several looks from a few lightweight strands.

Because they are sold individually or in multi-strand groups, you get precisely the color, depth and weight of the jewelry that you want. They have an organic look and feel with a modern flair. Get dozens of styles and color combinations with just a couple twists or some added strands.

The Leakey Collection designs also support a great cause. The company is dedicated to creating employment opportunities for rural Kenyans. It also designs new ways of working with natural materials while maintaining environmental and cultural integrity. Most of the contemporary jewelry, beauty products and home goods sold by Zulugrass are handmade by the Maasai women and men of Kenya from environmentally sustainable materials.

The Leakey Collection is available online and in more than 1200 stores nationwide.

If you’re getting ready for a fun night on the town, you’re probably stressing over finding that perfect outfit. Mixing and matching certain pieces can be a challenge and who has the time to travel from store to store hunting for the perfect look? Boy, have you lucked out! We’ve put together a list of fantastic fashion-forward stores that make shopping a breeze. Even better, all offer eco-friendly fashion products. Now you can look good while helping the environment!

Women and men vary in styles so we’ve broken down outfits by gender and category. Feel free to browse through both lists!

For Women:
Tops
Frank & Faith: Add personality to your outfit with these fashionable tops made from 100 percent bamboo! Frank & Faith also uses 100 percent organic cotton and sustainable yarns and fabrics including hemp, wool and linen.

Bottoms
Ailin: Try on these eccentric functional capris made from downcycled polyester and bamboo charcoal. Ailin integrates eco-friendly fabrics in the manufacturing, packaging, and distribution of all its consumer products.

Ailin’s Functional Capris Photo Credit: www.ailin.com

reco® jeans: Every girl loves a perfect fitting pair of jeans! reco® jeans offers eco-friendly women’s jeans made of a new recycled fabric that uses fewer materials and eliminates more waste.

Shoes
Beyond Skin: Slip into Beyond Skin’s vegan shoe line! This ethical footwear label produces two lines of shoes — Beyond Skin Sole and Beyond Skin Collection. The Beyond Skin Sole line features flat ballet pumps handmade in India while the Beyond Skin Collection includes handmade shoes from Spain made from materials such as sumptuous satins and soft faux suede.

Beyond Skin’s Jenna Wedge Photo Credit: www.beyondskin.co.uk

Jewelry
Smart Glass Jewelry: Nothing accents an outfit like elegant jewelry! Smart Glass Jewelry provides earrings, bracelets and necklaces made from recycled beer, Coca-Cola and wine bottles.

Hair Accessories
A Alicia: Dress your hair up with these eco-friendly accessories from A Alicia! Each item is made from organic cotton, ethically produced or repurposed materials. Any printed item utilizes Permaset, which are eco-friendly fabric printing inks.

Bags/Purses
GreenOne Ventures: An outfit isn’t complete without the perfect handbag! GreenOne Ventures designs certified organic cotton canvas bags. Each bag is unique with colorful designs and is roomy enough to fit your entire world!

GreenOne’s Firenze Surplus Cotton Canvas Bag Photo Credit: www.greenoneventures.com

For Men:
Tops
Frank & Faith: Once again, Frank & Faith provides 100 percent organic cotton jumpers for men. Casual but classy, these shirts will dress up any outfit! Truly dedicated to the planet, Frank & Faith donates one percent of all sales to environmental organizations worldwide.

Bottoms
Untouched World: A New Zealand-based store, Untouched World is the first fashion company in the world to place the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UNESCO) on its labeling. The company designs natural and organic apparel including stylish pants made from natural and organic materials. They’re sure to spice up any outfit!

reco® jeans: reco® jeans also offer men’s jeans made from its unique eco-friendly system that saves leftover jean material and turns it into quality yarn that eventually is created into a comfortable fitting pair of jeans!

Encino of Hinton Jeans by reco® jeans Photo Credit: http://shop.recojeans.com

Accessories
Elwood: Men need accessories just like women! Belts, hats, and wallets can add punch to any outfit. Elwood provides organic and sustainable accessories designed from organic cotton, bamboo, hemp and recycled yarns.

Elwood’s High Roller Belt Photo Credit: www.elwoodclothing.com

Shoes
Simple Shoes: Any outfit is complete after you slip on your favorite pair of shoes! Simple Shoes designs unique and comfortable shoes made from sustainable materials such as hemp, recycled wool, recycled car tires, organic cotton and eco-certified suede and leather.

Sno Tire Sneaker by Simple Shoes Photo Credit: www.simpleshoes.com

We hope these tips help you put together the perfect eco-friendly outfit! If you’re looking for other ideas, click here for more eco-friendly brands and stores. Also, be sure to check out Eco Fashion World, a guide to green fashion.

New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study hosted its first annual “Eco-Fashion Week” last week to highlight the emergent trends throughout the world of eco-fashion. The event featured work by members of Gallatin’s fashion community–from notable designers to renowned scholars.

Over the course of three days, participants in Gallatin’s Eco-Fashion Week gathered for workshops, lectures and panel discussions regarding environmentally and socially responsible clothing.

“Let’s make stuff from stuff we already own” were the words of the opening act–two Gallatin students boasting a ukulele and a microphone whose melodic message engaged a tightly-packed audience addressing the night’s fashion concept, recycling and reusing.

The series–organized and produced by a diverse committee of students, alumni, faculty and administrators–culminated the “Haute Eco-uture” runway show featuring designs by Gallatin students and alumni held at NYU’s LEED Certified Jerry H. Labowitz Theatre for the Performing Arts.

Introducing themselves, amateur and professional designers took the stage explaining the ways in which their pieces were sustainable or “green.”  Each line was shown off by NYU student models who strutted fabulous duds made out of a variety of materials including bed sheets, curtains, gift-wrapping ribbons, and black, purple, and multi-colored umbrellas gathered from the sidewalks, streets, and garbage cans of New York City.

NYU Gallatin freshman, Alex Chernow says, “Hemp pants are not the only option!”  Chernow’s dresses were sewn together from the curtains and bed sheets of friends and thrift stores.

Designs by Alex Chernow

Chernow’s classmate, Ben Fainlight, agreed saying, “One doesn’t need to wear hemp to be eco-friendly,” citing ‘hippies and hemp’ as no longer the conventional concept of green fashion.  Ben used organic cotton as a base for the dresses featured on the runway, accented by ribbons recovered from household gifts and zippers from garments he’d made in the past.

Designs by Ben Fainlight

Eco-fashion often lends itself to cruelty-free fashion, which made Amia Yokoyama’s leather-based designs controversial.  But Yokoyama, a senior at Gallatin, defended her use of the once-living material, saying that every piece of leather was salvaged and reused, collected from vintage or thrift shops, or “dusty corners of friends’ closets.”

Amia Yokoyama

Inspired by philosophies learned while living on the South Dakota Crow Creed Indian Reservation at age 15, she says, “I like the idea of giving forgotten clothes a second life – a chance to be reincarnated.  Next time you are about to throw out your old circa 1992 leather jacket, hand it over to me and let me give it another life.”

Amia Yokoyama--Leather Collar, Shorts

Amia Yokoyama--Leather Short Dress with Leather Strands

Amia Yokoyama--Leather Vest

Seanna Sharpe, another Gallatin Senior, decided to make dresses out of used umbrellas that she found on the streets of New York City. Attributing the diversity of color in the dresses to a recent rainstorm, Seanna introduced her “umbrella dresses” and even took to the runway herself.

Designs by Seanna Sharpe

“When making these dresses, I tried to work with the shape of the umbrella as much as possible. I cut without drawn lines or patterns, instead following the lines of the material and allowing the shapes of the clothing to emerge.”

Sharpe added, “There is an incredible inspiration in poverty. In a time when the world’s resources are running short, perhaps we must reconsider what is precious.”

Designs by Seanna Sharpe

Kate Goldwater, a 2006 NYU graduate, presented dresses and skirt outfits from her AuH2O brand and “eco-friendly and socially-conscious clothing store” in New York City’s East Village.  Goldwater said that at NYU she combined her sewing hobby with a passion for feminism, activism, and the environment to create her own major, which she aptly titled Art and Clothing for Social Justice.

AuH20 by Kate Goldwater

“I make all of AuH2O clothing from recycled materials, such as old t-shirts, sweaters, ties, vintage slips and dresses, costumes, curtains, and other unwanted fabric. I sew everything myself at my store, so there is no sweatshop labor, mass production, or carbon dioxide emitting shipments,” Kate said.

Designs by Kate Goldwater

Kate Goldwater--Leopard Top, Skirt

Kate Goldwater--Multi-Layer Night Dress

Also showing off eco-designs was the trio from Posture Magnetic.  Straying just slightly from the “re-use” concept, Posture Magnetic utilizes organic cotton for outer space and cosmic patterns in leggings and t-shirts, which the designers said stemmed from “sacred geometry and occult symbolism.”

Posture Magnetic--Women's

Photo credit: Bagir (from Treehugger.com)

As I said mentioned yesterday in From Head to Toe: Eco-Fabulous Goes to a Holiday Party, I’m outfitting the men for the first time!

I’ve been ignoring wardrobe for men in my Eco-Fabulous posts, but I am such a HUGE fan of a man in a suit so today is all about you fellas!

I was very surprised to have found much in the way of eco-friendly suits for men, so I’m giving you a few choices.

See the sport coat shown above? Looks pretty dapper huh? Guess what? It’s from Sears under the Covington label and the price tag is $59.99!  Treehugger.com’s article poses the question, “How Many Plastic Bottles Did it Take To Make This Suit.”  The answer is thirty! The lining and the outer part of the jacket are made from 100 percent discarded PET bottles. How old is the model wearing the suit, you ask? So not 30!

If that’s just too inexpensive for you or you have an aversion to shopping at Sears, I’ve got an an organic hemp dress jacket from Rawganique for $329 with matching trousers for $109 with your name all over it. Still too reasonable?

A third option is a gorgeous hemp suit from Hempworld for around $700. Check out the images of all three options below . . . I like the 2nd one myself, but I got fired from the Sears men’s department when I was 16 and I’m still a bit bitter and the 3rd one seems pretty similar to the 2nd, but twice the price. It does have a nice drape though. I hope I haven’t confused you! I know I’ve confused me.

Covington Jacket from Sears, $59.99

Jacket, $329 and Trousers, $109 from Rawganique

Hempworld Black Suit, $699

The dress shirt. I love a man in a crisp white dress shirt, but I realize that some of you may want a little color underneath your jacket to celebrate the holidays so once again, I’m giving you a few choices! I’m trying to make up for how badly I’ve neglected you in the past . . . that stops right now!

Nordstrom Traditional Fit Organic Cotton Dress Shirt, $59.50

Culturata, Organic Cotton Dress Shirt from Juno & Jove, $96

Culturata Organic Cotton Dress Shirt from Juno & Jove, $96

I’m showing two options for shoes. They’re both beautiful and earth-friendly. I personally prefer the slip-on, but then again, I don’t have to wear them!

Mercury Black Dress shoes from Terra Plana on Juno & Jove, $220

Galactic Black Dress Shoes from Terra Plana on Juno & Jove, $203

Polish off the look with a stunner of an overcoat from Linda Loudermilk:

Urban Linda Loudermilk Trench Coat at Zappos.com, $882

Why does a martini sound so good right now? Have fun at your party!

It’s here! December! Maybe some of you have already attended your first post-Thanksgiving holiday party. Tis the season! I haven’t, but I’m starting to figure out my game plan in terms of the most important aspect of attending holiday parties . . . looking eco-fabulous!

Below is your head-to-toe, can’t miss holiday ensemble. Stay tuned tomorrow because I’m doing something crazy this time — I’m outfitting the menfolk! I’ve been ignoring wardrobe for men in my Eco-Fabulous posts, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE a man in a suit or a sports jacket so this time of year, they get my full attention! But not today. Today is for the gals. Tomorrow . . . it’s all about you fellas!

The cocktail dress. Talk about not trying too hard, but pulling off a fashion miracle.

Beau Soleil Beau Blanket, $295

The “I want to look amazing, but not to the point of freezing my you-know-what off” vintage faux fur stole shawl:

Etsy.com - Vintage 50s-60s FAUX fur stole shawl, $40

I’m showing two options for shoes. The first pair is the safe and pretty choice that will create the longest, leanest, most flattering silhouette. (Wear with grey sheer hosiery). The second pair is edgy and HOT HOT HOT! If you can get away with it, I say go for it!

Neuaura Kiwi in Mist from Nimli.com, $77

Neuaura Arinos Booty at Nimli.com, $109

Polish off the look with a pair of gorgeous and unique earrings and a punk and pretty cuff made from recycled materials:

From greenwithglamour.com: Black leather feather earrings by fahmina, $70

From greenwithglamour.com: Black recycled croc cuff by Monica Macha $136

You’ll need a festive clutch to stash your lipstick and cell phone. The flower detail on the one shown below ties in beautifully with the edgy cuff shown above.

Black Clutch with Roses on Etsy.com, $70

Come back tomorrow to see what your hot date should be wearing!

To avoid any greenwashing, let’s get the scoop on organic cotton and denim dyes. I get my facts from “How Eco Is Organic Cotton? The Facts on 7 Questions” from the gaiamlife.com. If you want the long version, check out the complete article and prepare to be educated by Victoria Everman. Here’s the condensed version:

On Growing Methods:
Cotton grown using conventional methods accounts for “10 percent of all agricultural chemicals and 25 percent of the world’s insecticides. In the U.S., one-third of a pound of chemicals are needed just to grow enough conventional cotton for a regular T-shirt.” On the contrary, cotton grown using organic methods is, “Arguably the most popular sustainable fabric available,” and is, “grown without pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers.”

On Water Use:
Organic cotton is often thought to require more water for cultivating. Apparently, this changes from country to country depending on the health of the surrounding environment and during the first few seasons of an organic crop, more water may be required. Once the fields have been transitioned from conventional to certified organic and the soil becomes healthy again, water usage becomes less and less due to the plants being able to use water more efficiently. Let’s not forget how important water is for drinking too. Those chemicals, pesticides, and herbicides seep into local water systems from nearby conventional farms. Here’s a mindblower . . . the Organic Consumers Association says that “In 1995, pesticide-contaminated runoff from cotton fields in Alabama killed 240,000 fish.”

On Genetically-Modified Organisms:
We may not have to worry much about the widespread use of genetically-modified cotton seeds because they’re not allowed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and they don’t produce as much as their non-GMO counterpart anyway. Michael Gross of Lotus Organics said, “In a recent [independent] study of 100 cotton farms in India, yields of the non-Bt cotton outproduced the genetically modified Bt cotton crop by around 16 percent,” and that, “the best methods work with nature rather than against it, understanding the natural systems and predators that keep problem pests and pathogens in balance.”

On Dyes and Washes:
The dye used to make your jeans the perfect color of blue may be the biggest unresolved problem.  As of now, no labeling is required to indicate if chemical dyes or low-impact dyes were used. The gaiamlife.com article says the only to find out is to ask. Do a little research. As I said before — manufacturers tend to brag about such things and rightly so! James Jeans (one of my favorite jeans, shown below) approaches eco a little differently. They don’t use organic cotton, but their washes are as green as they come in designer denim circles. According to whiteapricot.com, ”the process that they go through to achieve the different washes is green. Rather than using potassium promagnate and a washing machine to “age” the jeans, the company hand brushes a mix of tea leaves, coffee and other natural “reactants” on each pair and then dries them in the open air and sunshine.”

On Paying a Premium for Eco Denim:
The monetary cost of organic cotton clothing will likely cost you 10-45 percent more than clothing made from conventionally-grown cotton. Just like with food, organic tends to cost more.  But, as Everman reminds us, “conventional cotton prices don’t take into account the impact that its production has on the planet and the many people involved in its manufacture, including sweatshops and global poverty.”

The Bottom Line:
So what’s the verdict? I say, when forced to buy new, let’s all make an effort to replace old jeans and clothing items with ones made from organic cotton and low-impact dyes that are manufactured as close to home as possible. A better idea is to not replace old things. Take good care of your things and keep them for as long as possible.  Something I’ve been practicing for a very long time is buying resale or vintage clothing and household décor items so nothing new needs to be manufactured in order for me to look stylie or for my home to look put together. Buffalo Exchange, My Sister’s Closet and hundreds of other resale stores are cropping up all over the country. Not replacing things and not constantly buying new stuff works for cars, computers, and plenty of other consumer goods.

If you are in the market for a new pair of jeans, here are my five eco-friendly favorites:

Aoki Jeans — Billy Rinse, $174 (98% organic cotton)

Del Forte Dahlia, $190 (sale price $95, 99% organic cotton)

James Jeans, Hunter w/ Troy, $167 (natural washes, air-dried)

Linda Loudermilk Liverpool, $149.50 (75% cotton and 25% bamboo)

Loomstate Harmony, $128 (98% organic cotton)