On Fashion Monday, we highlight a hip, green fashion item. Got a stylish
eco-friendly product to recommend? Tell
us about it and look for it in an upcoming blog post.
Need a gift for that rugged outdoorsman or woman in your life? How about this no-nonsense T-shirt from Mountain Khakis? The company known for making a great pair of pants now sells tees made from recycled cotton woven with recycled plastic from spent water bottles. And they offer just the kind of understated style that the hard-to-shop-for person appreciates. Available online. $25.
If you've read our post on becoming a bike commuter or our tips for female cyclists, you're got plenty of practical knowledge about how to incorporate cycling into your daily life. But bikes can be more than just an ecofriendly form of transportation--the two-wheeled wonders are rapidly becoming a must-have fashion accessory and clothing designers have taken notice. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, cyclists need clothing that "moves with them when they ride, protects them from the elements, and doesn't get caught in any of their machine's moving parts."
Beyond those basic requirements, bike messengers and road bikers have always sported signature styles, but now the fashion industry is embracing bike culture too. In U.S. cites like New York, Portland, San Francisco, and even Salt Lake City, models are pedaling or pushing bikes onto the runway to compliment their hip, bike-centric clothing.
OnFashion Monday, we highlight a hip, green fashion item. Got a stylish
eco-friendly product to recommend? Tell
us about it and look for it in an upcoming blog post.
Winter is upon us, so bundle up! This cozy hooded sweater by Hempest is made of hemp, organic cotton, and soy, and is thin enough that you can wear a coat over it. We like the bold, festive snowflake print and the front kangaroo pocket. It's perfect for hiding your hands in on a cold day. $68.
Calculating your carbon footprint can be complicated, since the stuff you buy usually doesn't tell you its environmental impact. But one sportswear manufacturer has designed an interactive site to allow people to see the full eco-cost of a T-shirt, from cotton seed to consumer.
Anvil Knitwear, in an effort to become more responsible, created TrackMyT.com, which tracks their kid's tees, allowingvisitors to learn about how cotton is grown, processed, and distributed. Just type in the tracking number on the shirt, and you get an inside look at its environmental impact. You'll also learn about the differences between organic and conventional cotton farming (and their respective carbon footprints), and get energy- and water-conservation tips to help you with your laundry habits.
OnFashion Monday, we highlight a hip, green fashion item. Got a stylish
eco-friendly product to recommend? Tell
us about it and look for it in an upcoming blog post.
These thick, comfy mittens are perfect for winter days when the snow is falling, the wind is brisk, and all you want to do is bundle up. They’re handmade from recycled sweaters by a mother-daughter team, so each pair is unique. The fleece liner is luxuriously soft, and there's an array of styles to choose from for women and men. Available at Olive Green Apparel; $65 per pair.
OnFashion Monday, we highlight a hip, green fashion item. Got a stylish
eco-friendly product to recommend? Tell
us about it and look for it in an upcoming blog post.
This durable, well-fitting hoodie ($55), by a new, Brooklyn-based eco-fashion company called Playback, was made using leftover cotton scraps from bigger brands like Quiksilver and Levi’s. The company also makes T-shirts ($22) out of old soda bottles and long-sleeve shirts from X-ray film. Already, big-name bands including Dave Matthews and U2 have signed on to use Playback’s recycled-fabric products for their fan merchandise. The company’s founder, textile engineer Adam Siskind, started the business after being inspired by watching Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth.
OnFashion Monday, we highlight a hip, green fashion item. Got a stylish
eco-friendly product to recommend? Tell
us about it and look for it in an upcoming blog post.
T-shirts are a wardrobe staple, so it makes sense to buy environmentally responsible ones. Recycleatee makes men's and women's organic-cotton tees printed with graphics submitted by artists from around the world. Some of the designs are nature-inspired, a few have eco-messages (like "Don't Talk Trash"), and others just feature cool designs like this Star Wars-inspired one. All are made in the U.S. and are printed with water-based inks. When you're done with your shirt, you can send it back to Recycleatee (in any condition!), and the company will recycle the shirt and give you 25 percent off your next purchase. Recycleatree is also a member of 1% For the Planet, so they donate 1% of their sales to environmental nonprofits. The shirts cost around $29.
Sex sells. While people all over the world last Saturday submitted photos of themselves spreading the word during 350.org’s International Day of Climate Action, a handful of fashion models drew attention to the cause in their own way: by taking off their clothes.
At the beginning of this video, the models are dressed in heavy layers to represent 387 parts per million, the current harmful level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. How on earth do we possibly escape the life-altering effects of this warmer climate and get down to the ideal limit of 350 ppm? The models creatively demonstrate the importance of reaching this goal by undressing to almost the bare minimum as the numbers tick down.
The ad is certainly intriguing, but it raises some questions. The ladies are marketed as "supermodels" but it's unlikely that anyone reading this knows any of their names (post 'em in the space for comments if you do). Also, it occurs to us that the video almost encourages global warming; as it gets hotter, will hot girls be taking their clothes off more?
As we approach Copenhagen, innovative methods to convey messages about global warming are surely welcome. But while this video might leave some wanting to watch it again, that desire may not be out of concern for the environment.
With all the ghouls and goblins that come out for Halloween, the scariest thing by far is still the looming threat of an unsustainable world. This week’s tips are about how to slay your eco-demons on All Hallows’ Eve.
Tip #2: Get Used
Instead of buying one of those cheaply made, plastic-packaged costumes at the Halloween store, hit Goodwill or another vintage shop equally rife with clever items and ideas. Renting retro garb is also green. Or swap costumes with someone whose getup you admired last year. Tell us: What’s your Halloween costume this year?
OnFashion Monday, we highlight a hip, green fashion item. Got a stylish
eco-friendly product to recommend? Tell
us about it and look for it in an upcoming blog post.
When greening your wardrobe, start with what's closest to your skin: your undies. Pact’s men’s and women’s underwear are made of 95% organic cotton, crafted under fair-labor conditions, and arrive in a reusable fabric bag. We love this cool, blue abstract design reminiscent of Japanese woodblock prints. Best of all, 10% of the proceeds from these skivvies go toward ocean conservation. $18 to $25.
