July 13, 2009

New Balance’s new eco-sneak

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July saw the launch of the New Balance 070 shoe line – made from 75% “environmentally-preferred” materials including recycled synthetics.

But more than just sourcing recycled and eco-friendly materials, they really thought through the design of the shoe: there are rice husks in the sole so that less rubber is required, and all of the pieces are cut to fit together like a puzzle so less fabric goes to waste. With so many eco shoes out there falling flat from a design perspective, New Balance has created a damn fine looking shoe to boot! The sneaks run at about $80 a pop.  Bravo to this Boston-based ethical company who makes their footwear 100% in the USofA.

 

July 9, 2009

Etsy Spotlight

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Electrical Fan Ring

BrassBallChain

Cock and Tree Branch

Great find: Delightful DIY jewelry we love from Bangkok-based Labyrinth Vintage on Etsy.

Affordable too: the Electrical Fan Ring is only $16 + shipping. Though, it’s coming from Bangkok so unless you live there be prepared for a through-the-roof carbon footprint on your jewelry! Might be worth it…this stuff is handmade and really creative and weird, in a good way.

 

July 9, 2009

Eco Fashion or Die…

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Swaledale-Coffin-2-721500

…or both. If you can forgive us what might be a post in poor taste, we’d like to gather together here today to celebrate biodegradable, eco wool and organic cotton coffins by Hainsworth of the UK. With a frame made from recycled cardboard and a soft and sweetly-designed inner and outer shell from Yorkshire wool or organic cotton, these coffins and mini caskets for cremated remains allow truly eco people to continue to make that statement, even in the afterlife. Most coffins are made from old-growth forest wood and use environmentally unfriendly toxic lacquers and varnishes so that they can shimmer and shine. While you do have other brands out there, like Environmental Coffins, who build coffins out of woven willow and recycled cardboard (below), we prefer the delicate craftsmanship and singular look of Hainsworth.

willow recycled cardboard

via Liam via BoingBoing

 

July 7, 2009

Summer Sandals (and Mandals!)

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We thought a picture of pink vegan sandals by Athenas would be the perfect image for a post about the destruction of the Amazon and the laundering of beef product by the Brazilian government and beef exporters. We just got hold of Greenpeace’s investigative report on the razing of the Rainforest for cattle farming, which is not only hurting our chances at beating global warming, but also spawning fun things like slavery and corruption on a global scale. Fun!

The report, charmingly titled “Slaughtering the Amazon”, is downloadable on Greenpeace’s site… all 4 parts. It’s a doozie.

In the meantime, one of our favorite anti-cow-product blogs, Vegan at Heart, has done a great roundup of the summers best and most affordable vegan sandals. While they may not be the most eco of the eco sandals out there, at least they are 100% cruelty (cow) free. There are some really great looks to peruse…check it out here.

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July 7, 2009

Bikini rundown…yes it’s time

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You may not know this, but old bikinis can be bad for your health! It’s true…we won’t get into the details, but shameless consumerism is actually a good thing in these types of scenarios: buy a new bikini every season. Here are some eco fashion options for you as you take the plunge and trash that J.Crew number from last year that got it’s share or wear and tear.

DeuxFM

Designer: DeuxFM. Bikini: Lulu. Price: $96. Fun fact: DeuxFM is renowned for unique uses of recycled remnant fabric. This bikini is made from soy, recycled linen and organic cotton.

ecopanda

Designer: EcoPanda. Bikini: Pixel Perfect. Price: $54.95 Fun fact: EcoPanda bikinis are made from recycled bottles!

Loyaleanna

LEFT Designer: Loyale. Bikini: Barstow. Price: $120. Fun fact: This 100% organic cotton bikini is probably the healthiest for you: breathable and free of harsh chemicals from pesticides and dyes.

RIGHT Designer: Anna Cohen. Bikini: Factory Surplus String Bikini: Price: $164 on Greenloop. Fun Fact: It’s made from scrap fabric used to make Olympic skating uniforms!

via Fast Company

 

July 7, 2009

A Simple sale

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CARat-hemp

Topaz-hemp

Entire-silk

We got word that Simple is having a knockout clearance sale on shoes for men and women, like the hemp CARat and Topaz, or the foxy little red Entire in sustainable silk with peek-a-boo toes.  From $19.99 and $29.99 these well-made and eco-friendly shoes are definitely worth the click on our banner ad to the right to take you right there…enjoy!

 

July 2, 2009

Dress up your dog (not yourself) for the 4th

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Dress up your pet (not yourself) for whatever awesomely patriotic 4th of July events you have planned with some cute and affordable little doggy bandannas from Etsy

. Why? Because it’s funny? Because it looks a lot better on them than it does on you? Seriously people, your dog loves to be dressed up and paraded around – much more than your partner or your children do. Have a heart.

Bandannas from : Pawsitively Precious, Blue Eye Creations and Canine Design

 

July 1, 2009

Recyclable Tims: the Earthkeeper 2.0

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Earthkeepers 2.0

Behold the new recyclable boot that Timberland has launched onto the eco fashion stage: the Earthkeeper 2.0

is the newest innovation in a long line of ever-increasinly sustainable footwear from the Timberland Earthkeepers collection.

Some cool things about this boot for men (which we imagine is the germ of a whole plethora of iterations):

1. The boot is constructed to be strippable of its parts and each can be recycled independently

2. When you tally up its parts they represent a 15% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions and a 15% increase in recycled materials used

3. The soles are constructed out of recycled rubber tire waste from Timberland’s sourcing partner, Green Rubber Inc of Malaysia

The Earthkeeper 2.0 will launch with the Fall 2009 collection – just in time for butt-kicking boots of this size and caliber to be a seasonal necessity once again!

via EL

 

June 30, 2009

Introducing the PickPunch

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upcycling-credit-cards

World Famous Design Junkies uncovered this ingenious little machine, the PickPunch. And it does exactly what it says: upcycles guitar picks from credit cards and other plastic materials, opening the doors to creative and eco-friendly DIY guitarmanship. It’s a stretch for an eco fashion blog, but we do remember punching holes in guitar picks and wearing them around our necks in high school because we had crushes on certain people who used those guitar picks, or just to seem cool, etc…. Ok, we still think it’s cool.

via PSFK

 

June 30, 2009

Recycled sunglasses for guys

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Rowan

emerson

Did you ever wonder if there were any other kinds of sunglasses in the world other than Ray-Bans? That’s right. You can be the only guy at the BBQ who is not wearing Wayfarers. Sadly, it’s true! These Blue Planet recycled plastic sunglasses are not only eco, but they’ll make you stand out in a crowd. At $18 a pop it’s worth it because you’ll probably get drunk at the beer garden and forget them or drop them out of your back pocket when you’re riding your bike anyhow. Check these glasses out on
Amazon.com.

 

June 24, 2009

The Uniform Project

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uniform_project

The Uniform Project is a hybrid campaign that combines fashion and fund raising, namely for the Akanksha Project for education in India.

Essentially, a young activist named Sheena Matheiken wears the “same dress” every day for a year in different combinations with different accessories to raise money for the project.

This is great, but it’s not an original. Sheena has clearly seen and adapted (to be more fashion forward) the 2006 Brown Dress Project by artist Alex Martin, in which she wore the same brown dress for a year to make a statement about sustainability, consumption and our consumerist culture. Sheena actually has 7 dresses, one for each day of the week… a more sanitary solution, but perhaps a bit diluted?

We applaud The Uniform Project, an we hope that it does raise a ton of money for Indian school children. But if this is an exercise in sustainable fashion, as the site claims, we’d love a bit more conversation about the sustainable side of things.

 

June 24, 2009

Vegan Oxfords by Rachel Comey

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vegan oxfords

These Spiller Vegan Oxfords by Rachel Comey are the toast of the town in the vegan world at the moment.

The ridiculously cute shoes are available online at Asos.com, in Pounds, so beware. Bet you they’re worth it though…

 

June 19, 2009

Father’s Day Reconstructed Tie Special

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Pops might like something different to show off to his friends this Father’s Day – how about a vintage reconstructed tie from Red Hook’s newest eco fashion boutique, Tiburon?

These delightful ties are just one of the many eco items shop owners Amy and Anne have assembled in their boutique, formerly their favorite Bodega of the same name. Anne makes dresses out of re-purposed vintage mens shirts, they have reused/recycled jewelry and take a stand on offing the most locally-made stuff that they can. Now go and give dad something to brag about to his buds.

 

June 17, 2009

Stars Without Makeup

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starswithoutmakeup starswithoutmakeup2

Ok, we know it’s not eco fashion per se, and probably a cheap excuse to show off Ms. Mendes‘ very pretty face, but we just wanted to pause for a moment and applaud People Magazine for their 2009 spread “Stars Without Makeup” because these ladies are even more flawless without makeup than with, and the world should know that. There’s nothing more important when it comes to beauty and fashion today to be real to ourselves, and help lift young women out of unrealistic body image issues. When you think about the Dove Real Beauty campaign, and the countless youtubes on how phony and false the commercial world makes stars (who are actually, gasp, people) out to be- you have to take a step back sometimes and breathe, and remember you are beautiful!  Stars without makeup is a good thing – not an embarrasing paparazzi shot on TMZ.  Thank you, thank you.

 

June 17, 2009

Melissa Joy Manning

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Picture 3

Worn by the likes of Sheryl Crow, Angelina Jolie and Christina Applegate, the jewelry of Oakland-based Melissa Joy Manning seems to have been born right out of the center of the earth.

In essence, it almost is. Manning’s commitment to sustainable sourcing and production of her jewelry, from the purchase of 100% recycled metal, to the use of only US-sourced diamonds to ensure an even more stringent conflict-free status, down to the lighbulbs and water usage at her headquarters, she’s thought it though.

A quick nod to Manning on the Kimberly Process – so many diamond vendors simply state that their diamonds are conflict-free or have been Kimberly certified (as are most diamonds sold today) but Melissa has the rocks to lay out the gaps and inconsistencies with the Kimberly Process on her site, and goes above and beyond the simple hands-off approach that other diamond vendors use. Bravo! We love you, MJM, and your engagement rings are among the most beautiful, unique and simply elegant we’ve ever seen. Gentlemen, take note!

OFK391_front ring1 OFK401_front

 

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