Smokin’ Threads: Hemp Makes Fashion Sense
By Jenn Breckenridge
Filed Under Sustainable Style | Leave a Comment
Due to numerous stigmas surrounding the herb marijuana, hemp fabric has been a tough sell in the fashion market until just recently. Though “industrial hemp” is legal to use in the US, growing it is not. Hemp fabric is generally imported to the US by China, Hungary, Thailand, Romania and Chile. The farming of hemp requires no pesticides or herbicides, requires little water, and actually helps clear soil of toxins by a process called “phytoremediation,” making it far superior to cotton production. As sustainability struts to the forefront of fashion, designers have started taking note of this fiber, once thought of as the type of material found in flour sacks, not Sak’s Fifth Avenue.
During the California Gold Rush of the 1850’s, this extremely durable fabric was used for the very first pair of jeans by Levi Strauss. Even with all the cultivation challenges, hemp still makes its way into plenty of American closets today. Simple, Adidas, and New Balance are using this strong, biodegradable material for their super fly sneaker styles. Eco fashion lines like Habitude and Mountains Of The Moon have sexy, sophisticated dresses and tops of hemp and silk blends. Recent collections by fashion giants Armani and Dolce & Gabbana have featured fiercely taylored hemp suits. Green bag designers Helen E. Riegle and GreenOne utilize this fabric for their handbags and totes, and emerging brands like Hoodlamb are using uber warm hemp-based fake fur in their urban wear.
Continue reading Smokin’ Threads: Hemp Makes Fashion Sense at In The Loop…
Posted on June 30, 2008 |
Threadheads: Shytown Green Fest
By Jenn Breckenridge
Filed Under eCo TV | Leave a Comment
eCo Times likes to keep it light on “Hump Day” (why is it called that) with a little dose of eCo TV. Today’s edutainment is from the darlings of DIY, Rob Czar and Corinne Leigh of Threadheads. Why do we love Threadheads? Because they show us that not all goods have to come from a factory; we can actually make things ourselves with recycled and locally sourced materials.
In this episode, Threadheads takes us on a spin through Green Festival in Chicago. They talk to some of our favorite people like Kevin Danaher and our friends at Green Guru Gear. After the tour of Green Fest, Threadheads will show you how to make something artful and edgy. Remember kids, DIY keeps manufacturing locool. Okaaay, let’s leave the questionable humor to Rob and Corinne-take it away Threadheads…
Posted on June 25, 2008 |
Great Green Father’s Day Gifts
By Jenn Breckenridge
Filed Under Green Living, Sustainable Style | Leave a Comment
Father’s Day 2008 is indeed upon us. Yes, again. Why not get your Dad something this year that’s better for the planet than say, another set of golf tees or that three-dimensional trout plaque that your Mom will make him hang in the garage anyway? (Disclaimer: An eco-friendly Father’s Day gift is a simply a suggestion and absolutely not intended to offend any child who’s purchased that trout plaque for Father’s Day in the past or plans to in the near future.) Anywho, here are the top eco gifts for Dad from eConscious Market… Continue reading Great Green Father’s Day Gifts…
Posted on June 10, 2008 |
The Ultimate Eco Laptop Bag
By Jenn Breckenridge
Filed Under Sustainable Style | 1 Comment
This chic recycled wool felt laptop bag by Carga is biodegradable, highly durable, and a slammin’ choice for the meetings that matter. These fairly traded bags are designed by Mauro Bianucci and handmade in his native Argentina. They can be found at various shops around the world or online at Refinery 29. Continue reading The Ultimate Eco Laptop Bag…
Posted on June 8, 2008 |
American Apparel Finally Comes Clean(er)
By Jenn Breckenridge
Filed Under Sustainable Style | 2 Comments
American Apparel, a company well known for sexual harassment suits, scandalous barely-legal marketing imagery, and de rigeur retro basics, is quietly known among environmentalists for something different…setting the bar for fair wages in manufacturing and incorporating solid steps towards environmental sustainability. Yes, that American Apparel.
Now clearly, a manufacturing behemoth is going to have a tough time calling itself “sustainable,” but American Apparel doesn’t even try. They do. Since 2006, 20% of their electricity for their factory in downtown LA is produced by solar energy, there’s recycled content in their shopping bags, and a majority of their manufacturing scraps get reclaimed for the making of their smaller items, like thongs and such. They launched their 100% organic Sustainable Edition in 2003 and now they’re trying to get the rest of their line in check. American Apparel recently announced its purchase of 30,000 lbs. of Cleaner Cotton to incorporate into their non-organic line. “Cleaner Cotton” also called B.A.S.I.C., uses approximately one-third the amount of pesticides of conventional cotton. The Cleaner Cotton Campaign was started by Sustainable Cotton Project (SCP), which is a farmer-based, non-profit organization that reeducates farmers on how to reduce their toxic chemical usage without genetically-modified seeds, while maintaining profitability. An ongoing partnership with American Apparel is certainly a great way to do just that. Continue reading American Apparel Finally Comes Clean(er)…
Posted on May 12, 2008 |
Threadheads: LA Hipsters And DIY Stencils
By Jenn Breckenridge
Filed Under Sustainable Style, eCo TV | Leave a Comment
What do an exacto knife, a can of spraypaint, and Batboy have to do with transforming your most banal garment into your most prized possession? Find out in this episode of Threadheads, when Corinne Leigh and Rob Czar get a lesson in stenciling and explore the dicey world of the LA hipster. Reduce, reuse, recycle, revamp!
Posted on May 7, 2008 |
Conscious Living TV: Spring 2008 Style File
By Jenn Breckenridge
Filed Under Sustainable Style, eCo TV | Leave a Comment
Design-savvy diva Bianca Alexander takes you on a tour of eco-fashion for Spring 2008 with Conscious Living TV. They capture both front and backstage footage from LA Fashion Week, interview Green Girls Productions, and give you a thorough tour of the chiccest eco boutique in Los Angeles, Avita Co-op.
Posted on April 25, 2008 |
Fashion Conscious
By Pippa Sorley
Filed Under Sustainable Style | Leave a Comment
I admit it. I’m a sucker when it comes to fashion. I pride myself on biking to work, buying organic food, and voting with my dollar whenever possible…but I love clothes. So what’s an eco-conscious girl to do? Most conventional retailers like Gap or Banana Republic are agonizingly limited in their eco-friendly choices. Who knows how many pounds of pesticides were used to make this cotton T-shirt or how little that Vietnamese worker was paid to sew that incredible skirt.
Until recently, when the words “eco-friendly” and “fashion” were used in the same sentence, it would conjure up images of frumpy frocks made out of hemp, or Birkenstock-clad festival goers. Environmentally and socially responsible clothes – that were also fashionable - were hard to come by, and came in limited styles, sizes and fabrics.
Today, supply has caught up with demand, and hip, urban, funky clothes – that are also consciously made – are more accessible than ever before. Businesses such as Nike and Patagonia have learned that their customers really do care about the social conditions of their manufacturing facilities, or the environmental effects of their operation. According to the LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) Report on sustainable economy, one-third of U.S. consumers are willing to pay 20% more for environmentally or socially responsible products. That translates to a $226.8 billion market worldwide.
This “Conscious Consumer” market segment is driving a new economic paradigm. Mainstream, global corporations are starting to realize that unless they adopt a triple bottom line philosophy of economic, social, and environmental sustainability, they may lose their ‘loyal’ customer base. Even Walmart – the global behemoth we love to hate – has jumped on the bandwagon by preserving an acre of wildlife habitat for every developed acre of their footprint.
But I digress. Back to the most important issue at hand - fashion. Here’s a quick list of hip, functional, trend-setting clothes that will make you look fabulous while you’re “walking your talk.”
Same Underneath is an uber cool fashion company that specializes in hip clothing made out of bamboo, wool, hemp, organic cotton and recycled polyester. All of their fabrications are composed of sustainable and/or organic blends. The company’s mission is to “change the way people look at each other,” and, in line with their name, their objective is to “unite those who don’t judge others by religion, race, hobbies, color, creed, and/or sex.”
When it comes to seeding the growth in the supply and variety of sustainable fabrics, Patagonia is the true pioneer. Back when organic cotton was unfathomably expensive, the company made a bold decision: to convert their entire sportswear line to 100% organically grown cotton. Within three years, Beneficial T’s became one of the biggest users of organic cotton in the United States. They now convert roughly 500,000 pounds of organic cotton into T-shirts, tote bags and hats each year. They were also the first outdoor clothing manufacturer to use fleece made from post consumer recycled plastic soda bottles, saving some 86 million soda bottles from the trash heap.
Everybody loves funk. Thanks to Funk Divine, we can now buy hemp tees and jumpsuits that are funky, retro and ‘sweatshop-free.’ The company’s mission is clear: to use only the finest hemp and organic cotton fabrics to be found. The limited edition line evokes a modern day Egyptian glamour, the scarab logo representing ‘life’.
Sadly, Made In The USA and sweatshop-free garments are few and far between; over 93% of clothing in America is made in foreign countries. Companies like Funk Divine are breaking this paradigm. With more than a hundred boutique clothing designers based in the U.S., the awakening of the American-made fashion movement is poised for success.
Co-designed by U2 frontman Bono’s wife, Ali Hewson, and fashion designer Rogan Gregory, Edun (“nude” spelled backwards) is founded on four respects: respect for what your clothes are made of, respect for who is making them, respect for where they are made, and respect for the people who are going to put them on. The result is a fabulous, funky new line of apparel made in developing countries with environmentally friendly materials.
Posted on April 15, 2008 |
Threadheads: DIY Utili-Pocket & The SF Bizarre Bazaar
By Jenn Breckenridge
Filed Under eCo TV | Leave a Comment
Rob and Corinne rock! They’re the excellent hosts of Threadheads, the weekly show by Threadbanger.com, that’s all about the hottest (and most affordable) fashion designer of your dreams…you!
Threadbanger’s motto says it all: “LIVE AND DIE DIY!”
If you love this show and want to discuss you own projects, join the forums at Threadbanger.com.
Posted on April 2, 2008 |
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