Green Options » tencel

Eco Camp Shirt In Time For Summer

John Simonetta — Thu, 21 May 2009 22:51:06 +0000

This is a guest post by John Simonetta, owner of Proforma Simonetta Freelance, an eco-friendly promotional items consultancy (see proformagreen.com). John’s blogs are designed to keep us up to date on the “greening” of his industry.

The list of new styles and materials in eco-friendly fashion from the promotional items industry continues to grow. Bodek & Rhodes has now introduced a sporty camp shirt made from Tencel.

Never heard of Tencel? Well neither had I. When asked, Bodek & Rhodes sent this statement on the material:

“Tencel is made from cellulose in wood pulp, which is harvested from tree-farmed trees. Cellulose is the natural polymer that makes up the living cells of all vegetation. The tree farms have been established on land unsuitable for food crops or grazing. The fiber is produced via an advanced ‘closed loop’ solvent spinning process, with minimal impact on the environment and economical use of energy and water. The solvent used in the process is toxic but 99% is recovered and continually recycled.”

So these are shirts from trees? Interesting.

The specific shirt in question is the UltraClub Adult Short-Sleeve Tencel Pattern Camp Shirt. These 4.6 oz 100% Tencel shirts are very soft with a hex pattern in the weave. They also have an “enzyme-washed finish” for softness. The shirts are currently available in Blue, Ivory, and Black in sizes S-3XL.

As you can see from the image the shirts are a traditional camp cut, very relaxed, very casual but formal enough for uniforms or casual wear for ecopreneurists or their businesses. It is certainly a different look than the many polo cuts on the market.

These shirts EQP at around $33. For most promotional product distributors that price will include the standard 7,000 stitches of custom embroidery for name or logo. Like many of the other eco-friendly shirts on the market they are designed to compete against traditional top shelf apparel. The UltraClub Adult Short-Sleeve Tencel Pattern Camp Shirt certainly holds its own in this category.

To learn more about Tencel and the process of making it Marc Seiler is the ASI contact to talk to at Bodek & Rhodes. If you are interested in these items to promote your own business contact your local promotional items vendor or email info@proformagreen.com for information and pricing.

ecoSkin: High fashion as comfy as your pj’s

Terri Bly — Sat, 16 May 2009 20:43:20 +0000

When I first heard about the new trend in clothing made from bamboo, I thought, Wow, bamboo, that sounds comfortable. I pictured pandas chomping on stiff little hollow branches and could not visualize how one could transform that into something I would want to wear (the bamboo, not the panda).

Sandy Skinner, creator of ecoSkin, did not have that problem.

Read more of this story »

The Edie Dress from Mountains of the Moon, Delivers Eco Minded Sexy Sophistication and Simplicity for Fall.

Lucille Chi — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:24:39 +0000

Alright, when your organization name sounds like poetry about nature you’ve caught my attention, and fall never sounded so lovely:

“Mountains of the Moon clothing is created with the conscious fashionista in mind - those of us who care about the environment and fair labor practices who also want to look good in what we wear. From start to finish, our garments are designed, patterned, manufactured, dyed and tagged (using eco-friendly materials) in the USA in small, 100% sweatshop-free facilities that are family owned and operated. We choose to use eco-friendly materials like hemp, tencel and organic cotton that are known for durability and long-life..”

How do they accomplish such eco-style and sophistication?

Read more of this story »

Indigenous Design Winner with Artisan Network

Delia Montgomery — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 05:43:31 +0000

Indigenous Designs minimizes the impact to our environment through the development and use of the finest natural fiber blends, yarns and dyes to produce children’s, women’s and men’s clothing. Expect alpaca, organic cotton, silk, Tencel®, and wool materials. Also find accessories, — like totes and caps.

Read more of this story »

Women’s Hot Design Innovation from an Entrepreneur

Delia Montgomery — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 06:07:17 +0000

What do you get a kick out of in the fashion world? All who look at fashion as art sense an endocrine rush out of admiring a design they treasure. Some turned on by this, some that.

I confess that I get my kicks out of discovering “green” innovative design talent that I’m convinced has a bright future. Some friends tell me about their similar intuitions, such as predicting the fame of upcoming actors and actresses. Then others about musicians and singers. You get the idea.

Read more of this story »

Yearn Worthy Yarn: Sea Silk

Kelly Rand — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 17:30:34 +0000

Yarn is such an amazingly versatile material. It can be made out of practically anything. I am still amazed at what yarn can be made from, and even more amazed that it can be a fine looking, soft feeling yarn to boot.

Sea Silk yarn is one such yarn that rocks my socks off. This yarn has been around a while, but is making its way around again. It is a blend of Sea Cell and cotton, silk, wool, or a blend of silk and wool. Sea Cell is a plant fiber created from seaweed and tencel or Lyocell. The yarn comes in several blends and can come in a 70-30 blend or an 80-20 blend, with Sea Cell always the lesser number.

Read more of this story »

How to Make Green Fashion an Everyday Choice

Paul Smith — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:04:41 +0000

What do you do if you’re a marine biologist with an entrepreneurial streak who wants to indulge it by opening a business, but you want it to be part of the solution, rather than adding to the problem? Open an online eco fashion site, of course.

That’s what Adrian Desbarats, up in Prince Edward Island, on the far east edge of Canada, decided to do. Far from being yet another boutique green fashion site in an obscure location, Desbarats is about to launch a site with high ambitions: To make the buying of sustainable fashions an affordable, quick, painless experience, at great prices.

It’s easy to find expensive green fashion like Natalie Portman’s vegan shoe line and other such boutique items, or on the other side, hippy skewed hempwear. But what if you want fashion for the more everyday, that looks good, wears well, and is reasonably priced? This is where Fashion & Earth aims to fit.

Now the question that came to my mind is, isn’t there other sites out there that do just that? Desbarats was on the case, with a well thought out response:

Read more of this story »

Yearn Worthy Yarn: Tencel

Kelly Rand — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 17:00:47 +0000

Don’t forget! The next Carnival of Green Crafts will be August 9th at BlogHer. Send in your submissions now.

It’s not often that you come across a different type of fiber found in your yarn. There are only so many animal (alpaca, bison, musk ox, etc.) and plant (linen, cotton, etc.) based yarns. So I was pleasantly surprised when I happened upon tencel.

Tencel is made from wood pulp that is spun down to make the fiber. The process boasts environmental claims as the pulp that is harvested comes from tree farms that are continuously replanted and the spinning process uses non-toxic solvents.

Read more of this story »

Green Style Spotlight: MEWV

Victoria Everman — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 17:37:41 +0000

For the next week (beginning tomorrow), I will be in Portland, Oregon for their Fashion Week. Though Portland may not be a big fashion hub like New York or Paris, they do have one thing covered much better than most cities - sustainability. This year’s Portland Fashion Week is going to be the most sustainable fashion week ever, with every effort put in to make all elements of the events green. The largest collection of sustainable designers on the runway is another title that Portland Fashion Week will have claimed this year, featuring nearly 15 eco-style brands.

Among the variety of green fashion brands, Portland-based MEWV (pronounced "move") is one of the few that offers their creations in the widest range of sizes - Extra Small to 4X. Unlike other brands that simply expand the measurements of their smaller sizes to fit larger women, MEWV’s plus-size line was designed independently from their smaller collection, styled especially to fit bigger women and their unique shapes. The assortment of sustainable fabrics used in MEWV’s line is also worth noting: organic cotton, bamboo, soy, tencel, and hemp; all infused with just a bit of lycra to add comfort and extend the life of the garments.

Other than their commendable size range, MEWV also boasts another feature in its line that I haven’t seen before - no buttons, zippers, or hooks. Why? The metals and plastics used to make these common fasteners are not sustainable (at least not yet). Personally, I think this also enhances the fit of the dresses, you know, because you don’t have a zipper poking you in the spine. MEWV’s latest collection will be on the runway at Portland Fashion Week tomorrow night, and I’ll be wrapping up every evening’s events on my blog, in cooperation with Portland’s #1 eco-fashion store Greenloop, so make sure to tune in.