Green Options

Like this post? Subscribe to our RSS feed and stay up to date.

I am in LOVE with this company, Speesees, which provides fun and stylish children’s things from beautiful kimono onesies to au natural baby hat. Here are the other reasons to love this Eco-conscious and green company.

• It’s manufactured under fair trade practices in India and the owner has developed a close relationship with the farmers who live bio-dynamically and receive health care.
• Everything is made from handpicked organic cotton, and knit and dyed with low impact dyes. All the products are made sweatshop free. “Natural light floods the premises and our energetic team, including disabled members, work decent hours for fair living wages. An organic garden surrounds the premises.”
• They give back to the community by donating $1 to every $100 earned from online retail orders. The company has also implemented a recycling program.

As my friend, Sustainable Lifestyle Guru and Karmakonsum founder Christoph Harrach states, the Green Fashion movement is a web2.0 movement. He calls it “Eco2.0″. Weather it’s true or not globally, in Germany most cool green fashion labels available are sold online.

Some labels go even further and let their customers be part of their communities deciding over styles, models, and where the money spent for charity goes to. Fair Trade clothing sold over music labels, online design contests, innovative ideas are getting so normal that we don’t even react. But isn’t it great to not only decide for wearing great clothes with a conscious feel, but also being able to connect to your clothing labels within social communities? In the end social fashion is starting to mean more than organic cotton, it can meanwhile mean that you as a costumer decide how the new collection looks!

One of my German favorites here are Armed Angels, who have a radical community approach combined with high ecological and social standards of their production and Fairliebt (”Fairly in love”), who sell simple Fair Trade shirts with a strong feeling for a new community of young, conscious buyers with a dedication to great style.

No matter what your personal sense of style or fashion preferences might be, I believe everyone can work toward a smarter wardrobe.

This is one reason I opened Pivot, a boutique devoted to organic and sustainable fashion in Chicago, last September. Prior to starting Pivot, I was working as a journalist with a fashion focus.

Through my research and reporting I discovered the developing and intriguing world of eco-fashion. I became fascinated with the fabrics and designers who were choosing to create collections that were not only beautiful, but also conscious of the environment. To me, this was simply smart. If you can have both fashion and regard for the earth, then why wouldn’t you?

So, while usually descriptors such as “green,” “eco-friendly,” or “earth-friendly” are used to refer to fabrics such as organic cotton, lyocell, peace silk or bamboo, I prefer to point out that they are just smarter alternatives.

Editor’s note: Please join us in welcoming Jason Phillip to the Green Options writing team! A freelance writer and editor based in Chicago, Jason will be focusing on the "green scene" in the Windy City for us. Mayor Richard Daly has committed to making Chicago the greenest city in the country, so we’re looking forward to Jason’s reports on these efforts.

My idea of sustainable fashion has always been making sure the clothing

[…]

Off the Mat, Into the WorldIn just the past 30 years, yoga has grown from being seen as a hippy-like hobby for bored housewives to a widely prescribed, physically and spiritually taxing experience that helps people of all background balance their lives. Embracing the specific yogic concept of ahimsa, or non-harming, Yoga, Tribe and Culture has created a clothing company that inspires others to

[…]

Expressing the importance of eco-fashion to the general public is no easy task. The entire clothing industry is often seen as flagrant and a secondary part of life - something that we have to be a part of in our society, but many would rather do without.

For the fourth episode of their Big Ideas For A Small Planet series, the Sundance Channel takes on the challenging topic

[…]

Most people might not think that jewelry is a necessary accessory like, say, a bag. On the other hand, it is a wonderful way to express your personality and passions, adding another unique dimension to your daily wardrobe. Particularly, those with active lifestyles, such as surfing, rock climbing, hiking, biking, canoeing, running, snowboarding, and yoga, tend to shy away from jewelry since there is an increased risk of losing your favorite pieces while […]

One of the most common things you will hear about green living is that the little changes can make all the difference, such as switching your light bulbs or learning to compost. This simple and direct concept can easily be applied to eco-fashion as well, all at an affordable price.

Sustainable underwear is a branch of the green style market that is still developing, but

[…]

The concept of consumer conservation has been debated to death; we all know that spending money won't solve all of the world's problems. However, do not discount the power of a dollar and how every penny you spend can and should go to companies and organizations that are doing more than just selling sustainable goods.

"I think perhaps the most unique thing about our business is that it was envisioned, designed,

[…]

There are some fashion traditions that just aren't comfortable (i.e. corsets), but one classic Argentinian-style shoe is helping to reshape the future for thousands of kids. With all the press out there on Toms Shoes, I'm pretty sure you have heard of them before. If not, here's the gist: buy a pair of affordable, comfortable Toms Shoes and a child in South America no only gets a free pair of […]

Bamboo is arguably one of the world’s best sustainable resources. With a growth rate of up to a meter or more per day, bamboo holds the world record as the fastest growing plant. And, bamboo is actually not a wood but a grass, continuously sending up new shoots after harvesting without a need for replanting. Bamboo can be utilized in just 4-5 years unlike traditional hardwoods that not only take 25-70 years to mature, but […]