Green Options » vogue

Hot Off The Press :: Organic Beauty Mag To Hit Newsstands Before Year End {Plus Exclusive Interview With The Editor-In-Chief}

Stancie Wilson — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 01:56:23 +0000

The time has come. The wait is over. The brand-new, highly anticipated, hottest beauty glossy to hit newsstands is green and it’s gorgeous!

Natural and organic beauty is no longer a niche industry. It has and continues to flood conventional markets as consumers ask more questions than ever about product safety and purity. The rapid increase in organic beauty sales is due, in part, to consumer awareness of hazards in their synthetic and toxic counterparts. Higher standards have become prevalent even for the average consumer thanks to mainstream media spotlights on lead in lipstick, estrogen-mimicking parabens and BPA in plastics.

Though it may not seem like an ideal time to launch anything in our current economic state, there may not be a more perfect time than now for Organic Beauty.

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Sophie Rieu Designs Eco-creative Winning Couture

Delia Montgomery — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 04:18:46 +0000

Unicorn is an award-winning women’s designer wear label with great character, founded by Ireland-based French designer Sophie Rieu. Collections are made from the finest locally-sourced organic and natural fabrics. Her garments are elegantly understated, and flatter the female form with particular emphasis on detailing and finish.
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Eco-centric Luxury Fashion

Delia Montgomery — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 01:54:37 +0000

November 2008 dates the launch of the Moksa Surya brand and collection in London. Uganda born designer Farah Damji of Moksa handmade in London offers us a sneak preview of her Spring/Summer 2009 ready-to-wear assemblage of fourteen pieces.

Pictured is a Freedom Tee fondly titled Tree of Life. The black applique flowers are from a roll of vintage silk found in a charity shop in Cape Town. The beads, sequins and crystals are a combo of new and recycled.
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Cradle to Grave Certified Fashion

Delia Montgomery — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 08:22:18 +0000

Announcement of Chic Eco’s poll for the Most Creative Women’s Apparel Designer honored London designer Nina Morgan-Jones as the first runner-up on September 2008. Nominations were submitted by email and most didn’t include much more than the designer’s name. Wow, that was not the case with Nina’s positive support. Below are a few quotations:

• The hottest organic couture fashion designer.
• Innovative high fashion shoe designs with a firm footing in ecological benefit.
• Her designs with exclusive organic fabrics and leathers are fashion-industry leading.
• She creates fantasy clothing and shoes while maintaining an earth-goddess Gaia quality.
• For those that think organic is just a bunch of hippies wearing tie-dyes, look at Nina’s designs.

The style is timeless, Bohemian-exotic. To sum the quotes up, Nina creates sustainable apparel and accessories that are beautiful, sexy and fun.
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Celebrity Makeup Artist To Gisele Bündchen, Chanel Iman, Stephanie Seymour And Kim Cattral To Launch Organic Cosmetics Line

Stancie Wilson — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 13:27:58 +0000

Top celeb NY makeup artist, Rose-Marie Swift works in the fashion industry on photo shoots for VOGUE, W Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar and most recently at LaCoste RTW Spring ‘09 Fashion Show where she used her own, absolutely brand new line of organic cosmetics. She knows beauty and the dangers of toxic beauty products and how they can greatly effect health. After years of exposure to conventional products, her health began to drastically decline. She started to lose her hair and memory and begun having panic attacks. After having lab tests done she was asked “Do you work in the cosmetics industry?” She had toxic levels of heavy metals, lead, cadmium, aluminum, barium and mercury; along with high levels of pesticides and other chemicals. The lab technician said “I can’t believe you’re even walking around!”

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Newsflash :: Antipodes Certified Organic Skincare Lands In The U.S.

Stancie Wilson — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:15:04 +0000

Landing in the U.S. just last month, Antipodes (pronounced an-tip-a-teez) is a high-end certified organic skincare range from New Zealand that’s hailed as “pure New Zealand nature in a bottle”. It’s coveted in Europe and featured in Harper’s Bazaar, VOGUE and Marie Claire to name a few. The new Sephora store in Hong Kong that opened last Friday is offering the line amongst their natural/organic selection indicating they are “impressed by the beautifully fragrant range and the exquisite green wallpaper patterning of the packaging”. Three Antipodes Concept Stores also opened within the last few months in Korea and the company is in talks with some big retailers and spas here, which if any indication means the craze is likely to hit the states soon.

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Designer Mariouche Turns Controversial Fur Green

Delia Montgomery — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 03:59:40 +0000

Time for fall/winter fashions and when it comes to staying warm in freezing temperatures, the eco-minded public feels left in the cold by more than the weather. There aren’t many choices beyond synthetics. So what’s the solution?

The answer lies in one’s moral perspective on what constitutes a sustainably made garment. Some find it strange when a petroleum-based synthetic is praised while natural materials like fur and wool are condemned.
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Couture Designer Recycles Cashmere Into Art

Delia Montgomery — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 01:56:30 +0000

The most exciting fashion aspect of recycling is art. Wearing art as jewelry is common, but not so true when it comes to clothing. It takes a special talent to make stylish clothes from recycled materials, — an artistic talent.

Hence, I am honored to introduce you to Thai designer Nunthirat “Koi” Suwannagate, who approaches her work through the prism of art. Each piece she designs is a completely unique, one-of-a-kind handmade garment, and reflects her own personal vision.

Koi has a thing for vintage cashmere and incorporates the recycled material into her collections. Her signature style is to hand-sculpt the cashmere into fabulous rosette appliques. She also designs with organic cotton and silk. The combination is a richness and superior softness that Koi says is the epitome of luxury and pure indulgence.

Koi’s talent to enhance and beautify the natural contours of the female body are obvious, but less emphasized in the press. I think it’s because each admirer is hypnotized over the construction details, and speak less of the drape that allows fluid movement and ultimate comfort. Yet the press is dishing loads of favorable reviews from the pages of W and WWD, Vogue, Bazaar, and much more.
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Sustainable Designer Fabric Innovation

Delia Montgomery — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 03:42:52 +0000

Getting the basics for natural and organic living includes earth-friendly fabrics and yarns. Goods from suppliers are expanding almost as fast as organic foods, yet nay sayers ask, “why bother?”

There are many reasons to overcome fashion’s destructive downside. Dye and mordant toxins, polluted waste water, and cheap sweatshop labor for production are a few examples. Fortunately, positive and innovative changes make 2009 fabric choices exciting.

This time of year the rag biz is normally showing retailers winter collections. For obvious reasons, fabric mills are more time-advanced. So while you feel the summer heat now, vision cool sustainable fabrics for next year. You can simultaneously be ahead of the game, and be an educated fashion critic!

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Out of the Box Rubber Sun Dressing

Delia Montgomery — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 02:48:39 +0000

Well if I was to honor a rubber tube design award, the winner would be the Pieces Goddess, Christa De Leeuw Van Weenen for Zuss Fashion Design in The Netherlands. This freaky, fashionable, wearable art is not only cool, it’s fashionable recycling at it’s best!

Sorry, this Strapless Adventure sun dress is SOLD. But you get the idea. Check out the site. All items could be appropriately displayed in an art gallery or museum, and in the ranks of haute couture, stage costume, and for the young at heart. The materials are used rubber tubes from bicycles and mopeds, sometimes decorated with beads and stuff.

Everything is handcrafted, including every hole, every lace, every knot. There are no machines involved. Just hands, scissors, a pincer, and imagination. To wear a Zuss is not only a fashion statement, it’s a physical delight. You see the wearer is very conscious of it, especially if worn skin-tight. That’s because it feels cool when it first hits your flesh, but becomes warm by your body heat and then becomes soft; — termed the Zuss Sensation, which is wearable in all climates.

Actually, from 1997 until autumn 2007, Zuss was two sisters turning old inner tubes into eye-catching hot couture for those intent on making a BOLD fashion statement. Since elder Virgo Goddess Krijnie, retired, Christa is taking Zuss to the future with established global fans, — solo style.

Yet neither of the two sisters ever went to art or design school. Christa’s inspiration started in 1997 at a symposium about art and rubber. She made a top and skirt. Then Krijnie got creative with hats. That same year the sisters had their first fashion show. Hence, they traveled the road to fame and appreciation. They drew the attention of American TV and domestic press, BIG-time!

“Beautiful artwork from wasteland,” says Christa. “It feels more like sculpturing than sewing. Recycling is our tribute, and the way mother earth teaches us about evolving. Every piece of art is made with love and is original and unique. Even when we tried to make a copy, the tubes wouldn’t allow it because every piece of waste is different. New materials may be consistent, but every tube-life follows different ways. And just as our life, isn’t it?”

Out of the Box Sun Dressing

Delia Montgomery — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 19:35:38 +0000

Oh how I get my kicks discovering unique designers with eco style! Just in time for the Summer Solstice, I share admiration for Enamore, founded by designer Jenny Ambrose 20004 in the seaside city of Brighton, UK.

This striking empire-line Jeanie Halter Dress is made from a blend of hemp and Tencel®. It has delicate strawberry shaped organic cotton lace detail and ruby-red satin bow detail.

Know that Tencel® is a cellulosic fiber made from wood pulp and is the brand name for Lyocell by Lenzing Fibers. Designers love the desirable properties, such as drape.

Jenny’s Enamore UK fashion label consists of a variation of garments made from the finest organic and sustainable fabrics. Additional examples are bamboo, soya, and silk sourced from accredited suppliers. The brand is a diverse collection of dresses, separates, and an exciting range of organic lingerie with a new twist on modern Pinups.

The Jeanie Halter Dress is made to order, so step on it for the summer heat! If interested in seeing more Enamore collections, restricted travelers and American homebodies have no fear. Ready-made designs can be found in worldwide cities such as London, Milan, Paris, Munich, Washington DC, and of course on the web.

Jenny moved her biz to the picturesque city of Bath, where the brand continues to grow and flourish. She works with fashion and textile students and graduates from all over the UK, offering unique opportunities for work experience with a creative young business.
Love you Jenny!