Green Options

Clare Bare has some lovely new holiday intimate items over at the Öko Box.

Leslie of  the Öko Box explains:

“Clare Bare is a one girl force based in a studio in Brooklyn. Promptly after graduating from Parsons School of Design, she began designing one of a kind and limited edition pieces made from eco-friendly materials. She uses vintage fabric and trimmings for most of her garments, and any new materials that she uses are made from organic cotton. Clare Bare makes garments that accentuate the body, rather than cover it up, push it up, or transform it in an unnatural way. She doesn’t believe in clothing that is created to solve a problem, because the flaw doesn’t exist until you design something for it. Clare Bare lingerie is simple and flattering, designed with every body type in mind.  “

We think this set would make a great gift for the holidays! Here is another angle:

Last season I interviewed Leslie Richard and found out all about the Öko Box,

and she shared her love of Enamore lingerie. Now they’re a main feature for fall in the intimate section of the Öko Box!

She explains:

“Enamore sets out to bring classic and vintage styles to her designs, like the classic pin-up, which is a sustainable approach to the usual throw away fashion world.”

Enamore was founded by Jenny Ambrose, after discovering

1. MAS Holdings, Sri Lanka’s biggest apparel company, has a new lingerie factory backed by Marks & Spencer (M&S), who is one of their best clients. The undergarment factory uses 40% less energy than a factory of the same size and the electricity is from renewable sources like 10% from on-site solar panels and the other 90% from hydro-power plant energy. MAS is reported to be the world’s first carbon-neutral clothes factory.

This week I interviewed Leslie Richard who writes for our sister site Crafting a Green World and runs an amazing online eco-boutique called the Öko Box, featuring eco-styles like these:

Here is our Q & A:

1. Tell us more about how you came up with the name for your organization? I also dig your blog. Which one came first the blog or the company?

I have been deeply involved with the organic movement since the first day I walked into a health food store as a teen growing up in New Orleans. I naturally knew any business I would run would have to be related to health and preserving nature. So when my childhood best friend moved to Germany and began bragging about his “oko box” of affordable organic goods delivered from the farmers each week, his excitement really stuck with me. “Oko” is german for organic, and his descriptive stories of what arrived in his “oko box” left me feeling inspired- I knew I wanted to be part of a movement that made organic more accessible and affordable in the US with the ease he was experiencing in Europe.

Being that I have chemical sensitivities and some health probs I quickly became conscious of the connection that not only did our food need to be ecological & organic, but that every purchase we made, every product we used, every consideration must be done with the earth in mind. When I saw that there was plenty of organic baby products out there, but eco minded adults were being left behind by the organic fashion industry I decided to start “The Oko Box”. The catch for me, was it had to be affordable and break certain style barriers. I think I have a little something for everyone now, whether classy, hippy, punk, or suburban there’s a garment to love. The blog was born after the store and fairly recently, but has gained a huge following already which is a lot of fun for me! I really love to interact with customers and readers, your opinions totally matter to me.

2. The Öko Box mission is wonderful and we love that- “The Öko Box donates monthly to the National Wildlife Federation, in support of their Backyard Wildlife Habitat Program,” Please tell us more about your wonderful connection to these organizations and nature.