Jonäno ecoKashmere gets Material Acclaim

Jonäno announced the inclusion of their signature ecoKashmere bamboo fabrics into the collections at Material ConneXion’s four libraries in New York, Bangkok, Cologne and Milan. Material ConneXion is the world’s leading knowledge base for information about new and innovative materials.

Apparently there is more to bamboo than what meets the eye. The material was chosen as an addition to their libraries Natural Collections because of its innovative nature. Bamboo is said to have fared well in testing against germs and bacteria earning it the honored title - antimicrobial - naturally.

The fabrics do feel quite lovely and I was impressed by their softness. EcoKashmere bamboo blends are easycare with the tactile texture and breathability of cashmere or silk. Jonäno is releasing a new Spring/Summer line that promises to be multifunctional and streamlined in natural fiber basics that meld sustainability with design.

Harmonizing with the jonäno mission to merge boutique fashion design with environmental awareness, the ecoKashmere™ Line displays passion for ecological sustainability.

Project Lu

China is one of the planets biggest polluters and has the potential to effect the greatest change environmentally. That's why I toast Project Lu as we transition into this new season of reflect on the past year.

Lu mean's Green in Chinese. This new rag will showcase green products, and speak to sustainable lifestyles and fair wage living conditions. Bravo in a land emerging into capitalism so rapidly!

Fashion designers like Kenneth Cole, Carlos Miele, and Betsey Johnson have been invited to climb on board. Green architects, musicians, artists, poets... Wendy Brawer of Green Maps, Sara Shannon, Wendy Tremayne, Bena Burda, Jonano, Delia Montgomery of Chic Eco, models from the Ben Barry Agency. Art directors, stylists and photographers will incorporate environmental themes into their shoots.

Reportedly, Lu is not planning on play it safe. Some of the most controversial writers in the zine scene are working on exclusive interviews and articles that bring attention to serious issues.

Flower Power for a Cure

Jonäno Daffodil Tees for Breast Cancer Research

Jonäno debuts the Daffodil Line in an uplifting show of support for the fight against breast cancer. During October’s National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM), you can show your own support for breast cancer research while adding a designer touch to your wardrobe. Inspired by the American Cancer Society’s Daffodil Days®, Jonäno Daffodil Tees are both stylish and inspired with a positive message: to create a “A World Without Cancer.” Wear your daffodil flower tee to honor someone special, or give one as a gift to brighten the day of someone touched by the disease – all while helping to make the jonäno mission possible.

Breast cancer is the second most common kind of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women in the United States. During the month of October, we renew our commitment to making progress in the fight to prevent, detect, treat, and cure this deadly disease.

America leads the world in medical research, and Jonäno is committed to support continuing progress in the search for a cure for breast cancer.
One of the first flowers to bloom in the spring, the daffodil is a symbol of hope. Each year during Daffodil Days, fresh daffodils are available to purchase from The American Cancer Society, either in memory of a loved one, to celebrate a cancer survivor, or to promote the hope of a cancer-free future.

Now you can show your support year round!

These limited edition organic cotton tees with artist created daffodil images are available in both black and nude. The price is just as nice, with each tee going for just $29.95, $10 of which goes to the cancer charity of your choice!

By purchasing one of these organic cotton tees, not only will you be supporting a fantastic cause, but you will also be looking good and feeling positively uplifted.

Here is how it works:
Purchase a Daffodil Line shirt from jonäno.com, select the cancer research foundation of your choice, and indicate for whom your donation is in honor. Jonäno will donate $10.00 from each shirt purchased to the charity you choose. Current charity organizations that you may choose between are:

Breast Cancer Research Foundation
Prevention and a cure in our lifetime www.bcrfcure.org
The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, founded in 1993 by Evelyn H. Lauder, works to achieve prevention and a cure for breast cancer in our lifetime by providing critical funding for innovative clinical and genetic research at leading medical centers worldwide, and increasing public awareness about good breast health. Since its inception, the Foundation has raised more than $125 million to support clinical research at cancer centers across the globe conducting the most advanced and promising breast cancer research into new therapies and genetic links that will help lead to prevention and a cure. In October 2005, the Foundation awarded over $22 million in new grants to more than 110 researchers across the United States and in Canada, Europe, Latin America, and Israel.

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
A research and educational institution www.cshl.edu
Since 1890, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory has been a private, basic research and educational institution internationally recognized for its educational activities, including an extensive program of scientific meetings and courses that attracts more than 8,000 scientists to the campus each year. Under the leadership of Dr. Bruce Stillman, a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a Fellow of the Royal Society (London), more than 330 scientists at the Laboratory conduct groundbreaking research in cancer, neurobiology, plant genetics, and bioinformatics. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory is one of eight National Cancer Institute-designated basic research centers in the U.S. and the only such center in the tri-state area.

CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation
Collaboration, compassion, research. . .life www.curesearch.org
CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation (NCCF) and Children's Oncology Group (COG) are partners in the search to cure childhood cancer, each with vital responsibilities concerning research, care, public awareness and fundraising. Our mission is to cure and prevent childhood and adolescent caner through scientific discovery and compassionate care. At more than 200 COG member institutions worldwide, our dedicated physicians, nurses and scientists are conducting clinical trials and performing research to identify cancer causes and pioneer treatments and cures. CureSearch NCCF supports this lifesaving research by raising public awareness and funds through awareness, legislative and fundraising programs, which directly contribute to increasing survival rates.

All Hail Fluevogs

Celebs have know for years – the best in handmade eco shoes are totally Vog

In her movie, "Truth Or Dare", HRH Madonna opens a box of hot pink platform Fluevogs, slips them daintily on, clumps down the hall toward the camera and croaks,"Ya like 'em?". Exhibiting good taste. Madonna. Who'da thunk it?Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth has been spotted regularly, loitering in Fluevog’s New York outpost, as has Perry Farrell, of Jane's Addiction and cofounder of Lollapalooza. Evidently Jane's addicted to Fluevogs.

John Fluevog original designs are said to come to him in dreams, and he credits God for sending him celestial visions of what shoes look like in heaven. Divinely inspired, elf created, Vogs are definitely not your average shoe. Reportedly, Fleuvog Angels are Satan-proof. I purchased a pair years ago with great results.
The ultimate in sustainable footwear, Fluevogs are sweatshop-free and totally refurbishable. Created in the EU, factory workers are paid generally above their countries minimum wage, work 8 hour days and have 1 1/2 hr lunches, and no mandatory overtime, though if they work overtime, they are compensated appropriately for it. A small number of limited edition Couture Vogs are handmade by Master Shoemaker Ken Rice of Granville Island, Vancouver.

Fleuvog just released their newest vegetarian line called the Veggie Vogs. “When customers take the time to talk to us, we listen and try to accommodate - Veggie Fluevogs is something that has been coming up more and more lately”, comments John. For the initial kick at the animal-friendly, un-leather can, John Fluevog tried planting a couple of classic Fluevog designs from the familiar Angel Line, added some T’L’C and grew the uppers in Hemp. The JF Design Team was adamant about using a memory foam insole, mainly for comfort but also to make up for any short-term memory loss. Additionally, they used recycled nylon lining, 100% natural gum rubber soles, and water-based biodegradable adhesive to develop these animal-pleasin’, super stylin’, waste reducin’, naturally funky VeggieVogs.
John Fleuvog hopes that the success of this line will lead to more vegetarian styles in the future.

Eco Design Fair and Fashion Show - Paris

The 13th edition of the Ethical Fashion Show commences the 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th of October at th Tapis Rouge, 67 avenue du Faubourg, Saint Martin 75010 PARIS.

While the salon is "réservé aux professionnelles." (that is for the business crowd only), the general public is welcome on October 15th to get a sneak peak into the world of Paris eco fashion.

The designers involved with Ethical Fashion Show® compete for the grand prize: to be be decreed the most ethical designer by a jury of their peers. Last year, SEYES was recognized and awarded this honor with prize given by eco designer, Katharine Hamnett.

If you are an eco designer who wishes to take part in the next edition of Ethical Fashion Show, send photographs of your lastest collection as well as a small page about ethical fashion to:

Ethical Fashion Show
4, rue Trousseau 75011 PARIS
unilove@wanadoo.fr

EU Eco-Madness

Environmentally-friendly fashion is spreading like wildfire across the pond.

Fashion designers, boutiques and clothing companies all over Europe are the latest to ride the green wave. Ethical, environmentally-friendly and sustainable products currently account for a massive £24 billion (over 45 billion US dollars) of the UK market alone.

The European Union itself has established an "EU Eco-label" in the shape of a flower logo which is awarded to companies that have been checked and certified by independent experts. The Soil Association in Britain has an accredited list of organic textile suppliers including growers of hemp - perhaps the most environmentally friendly and under-used of crops.

Kate Goldsworthy lectures on sustainable textiles and fashion at Chelsea College of Art in London, one of the only art colleges in Europe to offer a course on sustainability and fashion. She has noticed a "massive" rise in the number of students wanting to apply for the course: "There is now a much more ingrained ethos about sustainability. People are beginning to react against the speed and profligacy of the fashion cycle". Instead of worrying about quick-change fashion's next season, eco-designers are concerned about creating clothing that won't be thrown away, that are easy care and durable.

We may see a greener british invasion on the horizon.

Shoes Reincarnate

These are the funkiest reworked footwear I've seen. Forget Birks with their flipper shape...Terra Plana combined style with sustainablitity in their newest release online at terraplana.com. Inspired by movement and sport such as yoga and surfing, their Aqua for men (pictured left) is created with waterbased adhesives and recycled foam footbeds...and the looks say it all! India-inspired Doll (pictured right) boasts a timeless shape and vegetable-tanned nubuck leather kitten heel (not vegan). If you visit their site, check out their Raddisshme Design House...cool.

Del Forte Denim Jeans with Eco Chic Appeal

Del Forte Denim is designed for eco-chic warriors who long for style, durability and sustainability all at the same time. Made in the USA with 100 percent organic cotton, their premium denim is part of a growing trend towards eco luxury.

Their Dahlia jean is universally flattering jean with a low-rise and a slightly flared leg. The contoured yoke and curved pocket seams make the most of your curves and the 18” leg opening looks perfect with everything from stilettos to sneakers.

Best of all, Del Forte has partnered with The Sustainable Cotton Project, which has been building bridges between farmers, manufacturers and consumers to pioneer markets for certified organically grown and sustainable cotton since 1994. A portion of Del Forte Denim’s proceeds will go to support The SCP. Check out the Dahlia jean at Del Forte.

Herman Miller gets its teeth into Kira corn textiles

Corn is the new actor on the scene in eco fibers. Kira corn fabric represents a beautiful, long-lasting, 100% renewable textile made entirely from corn. Created by the quintessential design innovators at Herman Miller, Kira is available in six earthen colors.

Like all Herman Miller fabrics, Kira can be used with Herman Miller GREENGUARD-certified products, ensuring chemical-free standards. Sustainable production of Kira, fueled with hydroelectric power, results in significantly less greenhouse gases - sustainable and stylish!

As Herman Miller continues on its "Journey toward Sustainability," we can expect more products designed with consideration for their environmental impact. “We contribute to a better world by pursuing sustainability and environmental wisdom. Environmental advocacy is part of our heritage and a responsibility we gladly bear for future generations." -Excerpted from Herman Miller's Corporate Values Statement

T-post publishes a rag on cotton

The Stockholm, Sweden designers at T-Post are creating newsworthy t-shirts that will keep your wardrobe up to date on current events. Like subscribing to a magazine, a subscription to T-post will reap you monthly news updates. The difference with T-post Subscription is that each issue is screenprinted on cotton t-shirts (only conventional cotton available at this time).

Every six weeks the T-post designs depict a timely news story. You may not always read about your T-shirt's story in the papers but in the T-post crew's opinion, you should have.

Subscriptions are available worldwide and cost about USD $32.00, including shipping. www.t-post.se.

Eco Petal 2006 highlights greener runway trends

Eco-Petal Fashion Show 2006

West Hollywood is always the place to see the latest in couture, but this year eco chic is heating up the runways. Eco-Petal 2006, held August 4th, 2006 at the House of Petals, sparks a fresh new look at fashion and couture design, celebrating the freedom, passion, and environmental responsibility embraced by sustainable designers.

Top sustainable fashion gurus including Deborah Lindquist, Tara Lynn Scheidet, and Stewart and Brown collaborated with young on the scene designers to create runway ranging from leisure to evening.

Eco-Petal 2006 kicks off a 10-day celebration of designer organic clothing. As sustainable style continues to grow in popularity, perhaps the next decade will herald in a New Green Generation.

Eco Couture is in Fashion

Embracing the idea of eco Couture is a natural step towards encorporating eco-friendly principles into everyday living. Margaret Mead once said, "Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world –For indeed that's all who ever have." Recognizing the need to balance quality fashion with eco-conscious living, sustainable designers create beautiful timeless apparel pieces using certified organic and recycled materials.

Look for classic lines that will be versatile avoiding transient fads. Those favorite pieces you reach for in your wardrobe time and time again have proven their value in style and comfort. By selecting high quality garments that will complement many looks, wash well and coordinate with many colors, you will have the elements to ensemble great looks that stand the test of time.

Consider purchasing chemical free clothing. Cotton, for example, is often processed using toxic formaldehyde finishes. Organically grown, ecologically processed organic fabrics are better for you and the environment. Undyed fabrics are often hypoallergenic and cut down on the amount of bleach and dye leaching into groundwater and waterways during production. Organic fibers are grown without the heavy use of potentially toxic synthetic insecticides, herbicides and fertilizers.

When choosing your next wardrobe addition, keep your eye on care and washing instructions. ‘Dry Clean Only’ not only will cost more in the long run, but the chemicals involved in this process are potentially toxic. “Perc” overexposure, a standard cleaning chemical used by drycleaners, can lead to birth defects, organ failure and even death. Perc has been found in waterways and drinking supplies in small quantities, leading the EPA to issue new health and environmental warnings.

Investigate alternative fibers such as renewable bamboo, hemp, tencel and soy.
Hemp can be grown organically and can be woven into linen that resists wrinkling, Bamboo and tencel are woody plantation crops that produce fibers that when woven have a butter-soft silk or cashmere feel. Soy fiber fabrics have sleek feel and drape. They are made from the residue of soybeans during the Tofu manufacturing process.

In educating yourself and your loved ones about sustainable living choices that you have adopted, you will feel better, look great and feel proud to know that you are choosing to make a difference.

– Metta,

Ecobabe

The Brits Go Green

Why the in-crowd are wearing

Eco Chic

Britains Daily Mail has the dirt on the clothing industry, tauting it as one of the worst offenders in terms of environmental damage.

According to the UN, enough cotton for one jeans requires 10,850 litres of water and an unhealthy dose of some of the world's most hazardous pesticides and carcinogenic chemicals.

Cotton cultivation accounts for 24 per cent of global insecticide use and is suspected to contribute to one million cases of poisoning and as many as 20,000 deaths a year. The end result is just as bad, as in Britain alone, 500,000 tons of unwanted clothing end up in landfill sites each year.

As awareness increases so does the demand for organic and fair trade fashion. It doesn't hurt that stylish A-listers such as Jade Jagger, Gwyneth Paltrow and Naomi Campbell have all been seen wearing the latest ethical labels - Ciel and People Tree are favourites. Meanwhile Bono's wife Ali Hewson has launched Edun, the socially conscious designer clothing line now stocked by Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and Harrods. Helena Christensen is a fan and Cameron Diaz particularly loves the jeans.

And they are not alone. New designer fabrics like ecoKashmere bamboo by Jonäno offer cashmere fans an organically grown, no dry cleaning needed option.

"People want clothes that they can feel good about, as well as feel good in," says Ali. "When I buy clothes for my children, I don't want them to have been made by other people's children. And I don't want to be wearing clothes that were made from someone else's despair.

Check out more on this article: Why the in-croud are wearing eco chic, The Daily Mail

Daffodil Days All Year Round

Doing your part for charity has never been more fashionable or eco chic. Jonäno has introduced a unique opportunity to add a designer touch to your wardrobe while supporting a really fantastic cause. Their mission: to create “A World without Cancer.”

The jonano.com debut of the Daffodil Line was inspired by the American Cancer Society’s Daffodil Days® and designed by artist Bonnie Siefers. The result is limited edition collection of uplifting daffodil tees screenprinted on 100% certified organic cotton.

Wear your daffodil tee to honor someone special, or give one as a gift to brighten the day of someone touched by the disease – all while helping to make the jonäno mission possible.

One of the first flowers to bloom in the spring, the daffodil is a symbol of hope. Each year during Daffodil Days, fresh daffodils are available to purchase from The American Cancer Society in memory of a loved one, to celebrate a cancer survivor, and to promote the hope of a cancer-free future.

Now you can show your support year round!

These limited edition tees are available in black and wet sand organic cotton. The price is just as nice, with each tee going for just $29.95; $10 of which goes to the cancer charity of your choice. That's 35% of the total sale!

By purchasing one of these organic cotton tees, not only will you be supporting a fantastic cause, but you will also be looking good and feeling positively uplifted. They are available for a limited time only at jonano.com.

Detox Your Wardrobe

Detox Your Wardrobe

Known for its buttery soft cashmere feel without the cashmere cost, the ecoKashmere™ Collection by jonano.com is purely delicious in nature-inspired fabric hues. The bamboo ecoKashmere™ Collection features bamboo jersey tees, tanks and light sweater tops as well as thermal weight fabrics for Fall and Winter.

The natural antibacterial properties of bamboo fabric come from an inherent quality of bamboo commonly called “bamboo kun.” Bamboo cultivation does not require the use of pesticides, making it a natural choice for organic farming techniques.It is rarely attacked by pests or infected by pathogen.

The same natural substance that protects bamboo growing in the field functions in ecoKashmere™, killing germs that cause odor.

Its benefits go even further as easy-care ecoKashmere™ does not need chemical dry cleaning. Healthier for you and the environment, pesticide and chemical-free bamboo fabrics by jonano.com are the new earth’s cashmere.

Harmonizing with the jonäno mission to merge boutique fashion design with environmental awareness, the ecoKashmere™ Line displays passion for ecological sustainability.

gorgeous lingerie from Enamore

Wow! via Treehugger, a spotlight on some very feminine, very classy lingerie from the designers at Enamore.

Now available at The Natural Store is a collection of vintage-inspired lingerie made exclusively from environmentally-friendly textiles. Unfortunately you have to make "special arrangements" to deliver outside the UK, and a 3-week wait applies to each handmade piece...but here's hope that the trend catches on. This stuff is way cuter than what I've seen in Victoria's Secret lately, too--no cheesy rhinestone appliques here. Phew.

Check out the Treehugger article for more info.

Ajne organic perfumes

Discovered via Now Smell This, one of my favorite new blogs: Ajne, a California-based perfumerie, which uses only organic and natural scents.

Inexpensive aroma-chemicals were first developed in the late 19th century. Due to their inexpensive and easily reproducible nature, they eventually replaced naturals altogether. These synthetic fragrance chemicals are chemical compounds developed from petroleum derived materials that are chemically manipulated to mimic the smells of plants. Yet even today, science remains unable to replicate the sophisticated fragrance and therapeutic properties of true rare and precious materials.

The interesting thing about Ajne, besides ridding themselves of petroleum waste, is their method of both creating signature Pret-A-Porter scents and also developing Couture perfumes, personalized for each customer's preferences and skin type.

The fiber debate; eco-reporter Lucy Siegle

Lucy Siegle of the Observer wrote a brief but illuminating article about the increasing popularity of organic textiles back in February.

Fur is also less polluting than fake fur (although this argument presupposes that we're all desperate to wear any kind of fur, fake or otherwise). However, 85 per cent of fur products come from farmed animals and although, according to America's Fur Commission, it takes one gallon of oil to make three fake-fur jackets, the amount of energy needed to make a real fur coat from these farmed animals is 66 times greater than that needed for a fake fur coat.

Do a search from the Observer website for Lucy and you will find similarly interesting articles, from topics ranging from the eco-friendliness of your barbeque to how to make an ecologically sound wedding registry.

Skirts

A canoe skirt via we make money not art! Designed by Yael Mer at the Royal College of Art.

More umbrella couture: How to make an umbrella skirt with Tiffany Tomato, via treehugger. Her portfolio is full of fun, youthful designs.

Madrid toxic-free fashions

A recent post from Greenpeace News announced a new Spanish fashion campaign & show between 16 designers dedicated to toxin-free textiles. Ecosensitive high fashion is finally joining forces because of an upcoming EU law decision on chemical uses.

The full article can be found on Greenpeace.

Pomed

Check out the (surprisingly poorly designed) website for Pomed, a recent green couture event (and I'm talking couture here) in New York City. Pomed, via online and physical auctions, raised money for various great organizations like Habitat for Humanity. Featured were a wide range of fashions and beauty products from ethical and/or eco-friendly businesses. A lot of under-breath murmuring about the reality of various business' practices have been floating around on the internet, but I can't help but to be excited that organizations like these are now desirable, and not dismissed as leftist hippie nonsense.

Anyway, a list of the participants can be seen on Pomed's website. Definitely check them out.

Eve Gravel

Eve Gravel is a fantastic young fashion designer based in Montreal who puts out consistently gorgeous pieces every season. Her style is innovative, funky, but totally wearable. The prices are a little much for me as a college student, but they are certainly not astronomical. Rumor has it that she uses organic fabrics, too.
Pictured is one of my favorite looks from her Fall-Winter 06-07 line, "Borderline" top and "Two-up" pants. This seasons line features rich chocolate browns and neutrals.

Eve explains her primary philosophy...

For me, fashion is a way of expressing a full range of emotions.

umbrellas

Fabulous! I've stumbled (thanks to inhabitat) some fabulous dresses from fellow sustainable fashion blogger Jill Danyelle made of blown out and discarded umbrellas.

Apparently she has tried to make unique reused & refreshed products into dresses all year! How cool.

Hemp kilts!

Not exactly "haute couture," really.

As member of the craft community, Etsy, WhatsUnderYourKilt makes all sorts of men's kilts. Particularly interesting, though, is the inclusion of this hemp kilt...a sign that organic fibers are permeating lots of sides of fashion as we know it.

WhatsUnderYourKilt's hemp textiles were a joint effort with fellow Etsy'er NearSeaNaturals.

The infamous candybar bags

Ecoist has ridiculously cute and high quality handbags worthy of everyday occasions. My favorite, the silver clutches, are even classy enough for a formal occasion.

The idea behind these bags is...well, I'll let Ecoist explain:

We believe that style comes first. When designing our accessories, it is our basic assumption that no consumer will purchase our products because we are nice, eco-friendly treehuggers.

Exactly.

Spotlight: Novica

My first post here as ecoFashion hunter has lead me to NOVICA, a company in association with National Geographic, to bring fair trade practices to craftspeople all around the world. NOVICA has an alarming amount of variety, and beautiful apparel and jewelry. Check out their handmade jewelry for some gorgeous pieces from Bali, Thailand, Brazil, and more.

NOVICA: We want to give artists and artisans around the world a global platform to express their true artistic talents and to spur their creativity. And, we want to provide you with access to unique, hard-to-find items at great values that only the Internet infrastructure can allow.

an introduction

Greetings! Before I start posting, I will introduce myself. I'm a 20 year old design student in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At my university, a lot of focus has been brought to designing sustainable spaces and systems, but no focus has gone into how we can bring the philosophies behind green design and fair trade to haute couture, or even everyday clothing.

I've been scouring the net for great stores, organizations, and articles about organic design in fashion for a couple months now, thanks to huge blogs like treehugger.

However, I've found that many blogs are a deluge of such diverse--and interesting!--information that it is difficult to find the middle ground between expensive interior decor or scientific-minded discussions of alternative fuels.

So here goes. I hope I can share some fashion that helps push the green design movement to more consumers and keep us looking fabulous.

- Caitlin