Tuesday, April 20th, 2010
Jamie Lim loved the skyscrapers and bamboo scaffolding that she observed in Hong Kong during her teens. The beauty of the architecture provided her with the impetus to start her own sunglass line and her first collection was entirely based around bamboo. KAYU, which means “wood” in Malay was such a hit that the collection now includes a range of bags inspired by nature, which are intricately handcrafted and composed of straw and shell.
The eyewear is not only made of bamboo but fast-growing grass and other sustainable material. Women’s cooperatives and female entrepreneurs are responsible for the creation of the bags and glasses. KAYU donates all the funds for every pair of glasswear purchased to one-sight restoring surgery in the developing world. Now, that’s vision.
Check out our Green Giveaway this week, it is a pair of Kayu Sunglasses:Style, Rawa!
Thursday, April 15th, 2010
Trendy and timeless describes the bags created by Vancouver designer Ashley Watson. Coveting all things thrift, Watson handcrafts her one-of-a-kind products from soft pre-worn leather jackets. Her recycled leather MO allows her to assemble eco-chic bags and wallets that retain some of the original jackets characteristics. For instance, pockets and seams are often integrated into the construction of the earth-tone colored bags. With a background in art studio, Watson’s wares are equally functional and artistic. Her designs are often comprised of hemp cotton twill and never include dyed leather. The sophisticated and sustainable Spring collection includes a range of styles from satchels to messenger bags. Watson’s bags are sold across North America and selectively in Europe. Her Spring 2010 collection can be viewed online at: http://www.ashleywatson.net/
Thursday, March 25th, 2010
Eco clothing is gaining lots of momentum in the mainstream, but Sarah Ratty took the trend to the bedroom with her line of sweet, soft and sultry line of lingerie. Ratty, who also designed Conscious Earthwear (her first label) has worked with the likes of Cate Blanchett and Sienna Miller and been featured in style bibles Vogue and Elle. She stirred up a sexy storm with her organic cotton panties, bras and boyshorts when she created a luscious lingerie line for Ciel.
Fine French lace adds a feminine touch to many of the pieces in the Ciel collection and all the undergarments are created with environmentally friendly Oeko-tex dyes and 100% organic cotton. The looks in the collection are comfortable, cute and classic with 3% of the company’s profits going to animal and environmentally-oriented charities. In addition, the company uses a small family owned factory in Portugal to produce the line. Lingerie often denotes love and Ciel definitely has a heart.
A gorgeous Ciel bra and pants set is our green giveaway this week!
Saturday, January 23rd, 2010
The world of style and glossy-glam has always been reserved for those magazines with a passion for thick pages, an abundance of ads and little interest in saving the planet (or preserving paper). But with the rise of the environmental movement and support from stand-out stars like Alicia Silverstone, Leonardo Dicaprio and Cameron Diaz, the green scene has exploded in popularity and Coco Eco Magazine has found its niche in the world of eco-editorial.
Created by Anna Griffin (who also acts as Editor-in-Chief) in September 2008, the magazine strives to be a unique hybrid of environmental proponent and traditional ‘sexified’ newsstand beauty and fashion magazine. The online only publication is available in a fun-flip through design and applauds healthy living, organic products, recycling and fair trade. Yet, this glossy takes on a new slant with striving to be as appealing as Allure, as exciting as Elle and as vibrant as Vogue. The magazine has a unique way of stylizing eco-fashion and sending it into the mainstream, all the while promoting lifestyle messages about green living.
Fashion is a means of communicating exciting, energizing and enticing ideas, and Griffin has capitalized on her knowledge of the beauty and modeling worlds to create a green lifestyle message within a series of ultra-attractive and glamorous images. The pages pounce on people’s attention and draw more interest to the magazine and thus, the world of conservation. She understands the power of fashion and fully capitalizes on it.
Coco Eco’s issues are not light on content, for instance, the première issue was 71-pages and Griffin sees the importance in creating ad content conducive to the magazine’s message. There are ads for organic beauty brands, eco-clothing labels and lots of fashionable spreads celebrating sustainability and beauty all in one potent package. And if you’re especially observant you’ll notice slinky green dresses, swimsuit features in crystal clear waters and breathtaking beach back-drops, all serving as subtle reminders of the green movement and the ultimate goal, a harmonious and healthy planet.
By: Amy Spagnola
Contributing Writer
Tuesday, December 15th, 2009
The fashion industry is undergoing an eco-makeover as more and more celebrities, designers and professional stylists, seek to be fashion-forward and environmentally conscious. There are no style-sacrifices when dressing in earth-friendly fashions as many designers have migrated away from the mainstream and into working with sustainable fabrics and materials.
Organic lines are fashion forward with the look involving contemporary wrap dresses, skirts and other flowing and flattering styles. There are soft blouses and hip jackets. Fun prints and rich colors. Interesting cuts and cute details. There is no more frump in eco-fashion unless you want it.
Green fabrics have just as much eye-catching currency in terms of aesthetic appeal, and many of these sustainable styles are multi-taskers and have more than one benefit.
The Best Fabrics for Earth-Friendly Fashion
- Organic cotton is renewable, biodegradable, and non-toxic. Conventional cotton is pesticide-ridden and the chemicals that leach into the soil or water get emitted as toxic gas and can actually remain trapped in the clothing and on the wearer.
- Bamboo fabric has antibacterial properties and wicks away sweat from the wearer; bamboo is an abundant material and is made using the pulp of the fast-growing bamboo plant. It can be woven into fabric that is soft and silky as well as breathable. Bamboo creates luxurious fabric and it works well in dressier apparel.
- Organic wool is biodegradable and renewable.
- Wood pulp is a popular material, lightweight and wrinkle-resistant and is harvested from cellulose.
- Corn, another eco-fair fabric is durable and biodegrable, its corn sugars are fermented into polymers and then woven into a fiber known as Ingeo; used in everything from T-shirts to carpets.
- Soy, a byproduct of soybean oil, has proteins, which are woven into a light jersey-like material that is drapes over the body and offers a flattering stretch.
- Recycled polyester is environmentally sound and lowers demand for oil and causes less waste. Traditional polyester is a polymer-a plastic and plastic does not easily decompose in landfills and the manufacturing of polyester contributes to the exhaustion of the world petroleum supply and the dyeing process adversely impacts groundwater and wildlife.
Other green fabrics include, hemp, Jute and modal.
Eco-fashions can be just as glamorous, striking and beautiful as traditional fashion, and offers a plethora of environmental benefits. Green clothing is typically created sans pesticides and petroleum and is traditionally manufactured with energy saving production methods. Green clothing has made super-strides style-wise and the growing demand for green has created a surge in eco-friendly fashions. Eco-fashion labels are important to look for when shopping green.
Clearly, as more and more people become aware of the long-lasting ramifications of clothing creation disregarding green materials and production methods, there will be a greater desire for the greater good; thus, more and more modern fashionistas will choose green designers and green apparel, and the end result will be a much prettier planet.
Eco-Fashion Buzz Terms
- Fair-Trade: Promotes the payment of a fair price to workers and higher environmental and social standards
- Earth-friendly: Constructed from sustainable or biodegradable materials.
- Cruelty-free: No animal testing or unjust labor practices.
- Organic: Clothing created from organic and pesticide free materials.
- Reborn: Created with recycled, reclaimed or re-purposed materials.
