Feelgood Style

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Rocking the world of traditional eco-apparel, Linda Loudermilk forgoes hemp for high fashion.  Referred to as the “Green Queen” and self-proclaimed “Earth Warrior”, she leads the high-end “green” fashion movement with her  meticulously created runway looks. This year her Fall collection is a mix of rocker chic and refined classics.   

With stringent fair trade practices and extensively researched textiles she trademarked the term “Luxury Eco” to describe her line before the concept was known to the masses.  Her pieces are created in Los Angeles with fabrics like seacell (seaweed bonded to wood pulp), sasawashi (Japanese leaves), bamboo and organic cotton.

Introducing her denim line last Spring, she was the first to bring sasawashi denim to the fashion marketplace.  Linda indicates that it takes one pound of pesticides to make one traditional pair of jeans and she was determined to introduce a better alternative.  

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A tagua nut sure has a lot of names. Like The Rain Forest Ivory or Vegetable Ivory. Other titles are Corozo (also spelled Corrozzo), Binroji Nut (Japanese), Steinnuss (German), and Coquilla Nut. A tagua nut is the fruit of a palm tree, primarily Phytelephas macrocarpa, which flourishes in tropical rain forests from Paraguay to Panama.

Natives replant palm trees for their seeds instead of logging them, which saves a bit of the rain forests. They polish the shell of the seeds and typically carve them into the shape of a button, living creature, or beautiful jewelry. Just think: an object much like a gem with all the qualities of ivory, but without harming wildlife.

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The most exciting fashion aspect of recycling is art. Wearing art as jewelry is common, but not so true when it comes to clothing. It takes a special talent to make stylish clothes from recycled materials, — an artistic talent.

Hence, I am honored to introduce you to Thai designer Nunthirat “Koi” Suwannagate, who approaches her work through the prism of art. Each piece she designs is a completely unique, one-of-a-kind handmade garment, and reflects her own personal vision.

Koi has a thing for vintage cashmere and incorporates the recycled material into her collections. Her signature style is to hand-sculpt the cashmere into fabulous rosette appliques. She also designs with organic cotton and silk. The combination is a richness and superior softness that Koi says is the epitome of luxury and pure indulgence.

Koi’s talent to enhance and beautify the natural contours of the female body are obvious, but less emphasized in the press. I think it’s because each admirer is hypnotized over the construction details, and speak less of the drape that allows fluid movement and ultimate comfort. Yet the press is dishing loads of favorable reviews from the pages of W and WWD, Vogue, Bazaar, and much more. Read the rest of this entry »

In the green market, the interior design world is about healthy settings with visual appeal. The goal is to create rooms for physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual benefits. That means avoiding things like VOCs, chemicals, and clutter.

You can see that earth and human-friendly designers and decorators are increasingly riding the green wave. And we now know that natural wool, hemp, silk, seagrass, bamboo, cork, and other organic fibers are here for us. Ancient craft techniques are reviving and some know how to blend it all so well into the present. Recycling is one method that seems to create new artistic magic.

One such conscious professional creator is Marla Henderson. She identifies herself as more an artist/producer of interiors than a traditional designer. Marla frequently works with artisans to develop unique spaces. Her course of life leads us to the Babik rug collection she offers today.

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I often think about how ‘feel good’ a one-stop shop online would be if it could really answer my call for style. Just imagine…..eco-friendly cosmetics, jewelery, clothing, all the things every girl looks for, under a single cyber roof. Folks I have good news: Eco Zen Boutique, a socially conscious, Arizona based green fashion boutique owned and operated by eco-preneur Tandy Stepp, has recently opened a new online store at ecozenboutique.com.

This eco-friendly shopping site offers eco chic clothing, organic cosmetics, recycled handbags, earth friendly jewelry and green gifts and goodies at competitive prices. What’s more, in light of a new environmentally conscious business trend, Eco Zen Boutique has aligned itself with two different environmental organizations: it is offsetting its carbon footprint through Carbonfund.org, one of the country’s leading carbon offset organizations and through its alliance with 1% For The Planet, Eco Zen boutique contributes 1% of company sales to environmental organizations. Read the rest of this entry »

Continuum Textiles is a sales agency in Vancouver representing textiles and garments from environmentally responsible supply chains. Their partners have decades of experience in organic cotton, merino wool and the textile business.

i-merino is about three years old, but a recent discovery to many. It may be the most sustainable performance activewear fabric on the planet. i-merino is the brainchild of a fourth-generation merino wool grower and first-generation snow boarder, Australian cofounder Stuart Adams. As a devotee of numerous sport and physical activities, Stuart experienced first hand the superior performance characteristics and comfort of merino wool. Merino is a renewable resource where a new fleece grows on the sheep’s back every year. The wool is obtained without harm to the animal. From farm to fabric, the process is fully tracked and certified, so you are guaranteed the wool passes stringent environmental, social and quality controls.

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Getting the basics for natural and organic living includes earth-friendly fabrics and yarns. Goods from suppliers are expanding almost as fast as organic foods, yet nay sayers ask, “why bother?”

There are many reasons to overcome fashion’s destructive downside. Dye and mordant toxins, polluted waste water, and cheap sweatshop labor for production are a few examples. Fortunately, positive and innovative changes make 2009 fabric choices exciting.

This time of year the rag biz is normally showing retailers winter collections. For obvious reasons, fabric mills are more time-advanced. So while you feel the summer heat now, vision cool sustainable fabrics for next year. You can simultaneously be ahead of the game, and be an educated fashion critic!

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The bamboo species for textile production is Phyllostachys heterocycla pubescens, commonly known as Moso bamboo. It is primarily grown in China where there are the most textile mills. Moso bamboo is the largest of the temperate zone bamboo species, is grown on family-owned farms, provides edible shoots, but is not what beloved panda bears eat. All sounds good until the manufacturing process is investigated.

Common production from plant to fabric is not as green as eco-minded people would like. Michael Lackman of LotusOrganics.com contributes to an impressive blog his family originated. He shares some interesting facts from extensive research.

Scrutiny is gaining attention because heavy and toxic chemicals are typically utilized to process bamboo into fabric. The alternative to chemical is mechanical processing. The mechanical method means crushing the woody parts of the bamboo plant followed by natural enzymes to break the walls into a mushy mass so that the natural fibers can be combed out and spun into yarn. This is essentially the same eco-friendly manufacturing method used to develop flax or hemp linen.

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Carry Eco bags are an environmentally-friendly alternative to paper and plastic ones, the bags are offered in many pattern and color schemes, and made of 100% recycled bottles as strong as water-repellent canvas. Not only are the Carry Eco bags manufactured using sustainable materials and procedures, they are also ethically audited.

A chic tote that is durable, replaces disposable bags, looks good, and lasts. The carry-all fold-up totes are under thirteen dollars and come in a variety of designs. For the price and look of this line I’d say these make a great gift for creative kids with art supplies, Moms with babies, beach combers, farmers market and flea market fanatics and anyone who loves bright colors. The large capacity bag nicely folds into its own interior pocket. It easily goes from beach to town, for anything like picnics, shopping, laundry, or as a colorful accessory to that hot summer sun dress.

More about Reusable Shopping Bags:

• Life Goggles: Envirosax
• Nordstrom Bags Go Green
• Daily Tip: Just Say “No” to the Plastic Bag
• More Cities and Stores Banning Plastic Bags

Image courtesy of Tokyo Bay Inc.

You can’t beat hemp for practicality, and this number, simply and logically titled 100% Hemp Dress White, is that and more. Pictured is offered from The Hemptest in Boston, whose been in biz since 1995.

Owner Mitch Rosenfield also has Massachusetts stores in Cambridge and Northampton. Add neighboring Burlington, Vermont for a total of four stores. His impressive web store appeases those beyond the northeast communities. Gee, that makes five stores. I think he’s on to something good.

Mich says he’s committed to ethically and ecologically manufactured apparel. First glance of the inventory proves sourcing and production expertise, with an artful eye to combine a broad variety of styles. What really stands out is that there are no hippie, sloppy, burlap sack-type fashions. Even long-time diehard supporters can gain a new and refreshing perspective of hemp clothing at The Hempest.

Now back to this great sun dress, know that there are three convenient and functional pockets. How does a woman treasure the gift of multiple pockets and flatter her figure at the same time? The answer is bias cut.

A bias cut requires more fabric and typically cost more, but this is reasonable at $98. I love the fact that it can be a throw-on casual or dancing dress, — and probably everything in between.

This wouldn’t be true if it weren’t for quality detail. The side zipper is hidden, for example. That minor stylemark supports the elegant mode. Then the tie-off shoulder straps can be adjusted for another look. Oh, and 100% Hemp Dress Black is an option too.

What Mitch doesn’t say is that he’s literally changing the public fashion image of earth’s most versatile and beneficial Cannabis Hemp plant. He deserves your blessing!