Skin is important. It insulates us, protects us from pathogens, provides sensation and holds together all our muscles, organs and other icky bits, which — let’s face it — are called our innards for a reason. So, let’s honor our skin and caress it with the finest organics fabrics available.
Here’s one way to do that. Drape yourself in ecoSkin, an LA-based high fashion label that launched in spring 2008.
Designer Sandy Skinner’s vision is “to continually raise women’s awareness of their options. We can combine eco-friendly fabrics with a high design aesthetic.”
Having worked in the fashion industry for many years, Skinner jumped at the chance to make a difference in the world with her profession. Her debut collection was aimed at “fashion-forward sophisticated women who want to look great but care about the world and the environment they live in”.
In my never ending quest to be the hottest darkest green bitch in London, I find myself seeking out the under exposed G/Fashion brands and stores. This is how I came to learn about Ekovaruhuset (House of Organic). After a night of clubbing and one too many organic vodka on ice with a twist of lime, I curled up on my sofa, cracked open my macbook and started to search. My closet was screaming for something new, something fresh. My exact search was, organic fashion for women with balls, but nothing came up. I decided to checkout one of my semi favorite stops online New York Magazine and with my slight buzz I had some difficulty focusing my eyes on the screen. But within a few clicks I had landed on a screen which said, Ekovaruhuset, House of Organic NYC. A gem of a shop, which was not only in New York City but also, had locations in Stockhom and Paris. No London, so popping in for a look is off the table, but from the description this is feeling like a true fashion house. My heart started pounding and my sweaty organic cotton tights were getting uncomfortable from all this excitement.
Un-able to contain my enthusiasm, I shot an email off to G Monkie, to get his darknesses take on this place. I stroked his ego a little, and promised him some banana cake, if he would allow me to cover this designer and her shops. Lucky for all of us, he was in a better mood than usual and sent a series of questions to me and Johanna Hofring, the owner / designer. His questions where the same dull Monkie dribble he is always asking, so I altered them a bit, to fit, what we women really want to know. You know how dull that freaking Monkie can be. “Yes we know you have an electric bike, you told us.”
Before we start with the questions, let me tell you a little about this little gem of a green fashion house/ shop. First, this isn’t your typical web online based green womens store. They actually have three physical locations, which I stated earlier. They almost cover all the fashion capitals, New York, Paris and Stockholm. I know, Stockholm doesn’t count as a fashion capital and no G Monkie, L.A. doesn’t need to be on the list. They do need a london store, which I am sure will be coming soon, (hint). At Ekovaruhuset all the clothes you will find are made the natural way, using all organic materials. This means the fibers that the fabrics are made of have been grown without the use of chemical fertilizers or pesticides and made into fabric, then dyed in facilities that are environmentally responsible. Johanna likes to say ” It’s all about having fun and looking fabulous while saving the world”. That is something I can totally get down with. Lets do another round of organic shots, and get into this interview.
Julia Ocean: You have chosen to open your stores in very international cities like New York Stockholm, and Paris, why is that?
Johanna: The first one I opened in Stockholm because that is where I was living at the time, the second one in New York because we believed it to be the best place to spread eco-fashion awareness internationally and the third one is opened by a wonderful french woman named Helene Sananikone on a franchise basis. So we chare our concept and collaborate in many ways but it is her store.
Another young fashion designer / ex-wall streeter, has tossed her self into the sustainable / organic fashion market. Christine Marchuska, A few weeks back we received an email tip about a new start-up designer looking to break into the Organic Green Fashion market, joining the established designs such as Stewart+Brown.
Fashion Designer Christine Marchuska seems to be having fun, as she shows off her new organic clothing line to her friends in New York.
Listen up, fashion conscious women with a conscience: if you want to be as well dressed as A-listers Cate Blanchett and Sienna Miller, check out Ciel, the new label from British designer Sarah Ratty.
Hip, luxurious and special are words that come to mind, style-wise, when perusing the latest collection from the designer who brought you Conscious Earthwear. Smart and aware also come to mind. Created with green fabrics and practices, Ciel’s signature pieces make a more ethical and environmental choice available to stylish women.
I am a handbag enthusiast. As far back as I can remember, I’ve always walked around with one. My look had to be just right and the handbag was the final touch. As I became older and more green, my handbag choices seemed to unfairly dwindle. The early organic handbags were always boring colors and unstylish.
Designers are now taking that into consideration and creating great looking bags that adhere to green standards. They’re coming up with ideas on how to use recycled materials to create products that are not only stylish, but functional and durable.
Dutch designer, Doreen Westphal received a bag full of inner tubes as a joke for Christmas. Instead of getting rid of them, she decided to play around and came up with an inner tube handbag.
Photography by Stefan Arni and his directing partner SIggi Kinski
This week we are lucky to have an exclusive interview with the founders of the fashion house SUST. With the seeds of their company planted in California, these two women, Marion McKee and Tristan Gribbin, have set out to make a mainstream fashion brand, with a green core. They are committed to designing desirable clothing, which looks and feels great, using only the finest 100% organicly grown cottons. They have even committed to having all their garments made in Northern California to ensure all workers are fairly treated, while receiving sustainable wages. Not your typical fashion company business model by a long shot. I guess they didn’t get the insiders handbook to creating a global brand on the cheap. You know the standard chemical / near slave labor production cycle. Isn’t that the right path to creating a main stream brand?
G Monkie: Tristan / Marion, your company is fairly new, only starting in 2008. When you jumped in to create this new fashion brand, what previous experience did you and how did you know what you wanted. to create?
Marion McKee, Co-Founder: I have fourteen years experience as an accessory designer with my own line Marion McKee Designs, which sells in specialty stores and boutiques across the nation. I also owned a skateboard/snowboard shop of street wear trends in the 1990’s in the heart of San Francisco’s Haight Street District. All my experience has stemmed from my love of fashion when I was in school and the merchandising and design classes I took in college.
Tristan Gribbin, Co-Founder: I have a background in theater and entertainment and have seen eye to eye with Marion on style since we’ve been friends in the seventh grade. When we were in junior high we were always sketching punk and new wave designs and passing them around in class! And then, when we were in high school we were Mods and that is still a heavy influence in our style and our designs for SUST today.
Seeing a model posing for “G” a.k.a. eco-jeans or walking the runway for Ethical Fashion Show is admirable and sexy, but Summer Rayne Oakes is more than just a pretty face making commendable fashion statements. She’s a smart beauty who has figured out how to combine her image with her real interests and has become an earnest activist and entrepreneur. Heading up SRO (after her initials), a consulting company focused on sustainable business strategies, Oakes is using her background in science and her cause related modeling, and now travels the world helping companies tie in style with sustainability.
It’s one thing to read that Oakes graduated from Cornell University with a B.S. in Natural Resources and Entomology, but it’s another to hear her speak her mind on environmental issues. She is, of course, still a pretty face, but the beauty falls to the wayside and you’re left listening to a confident, comfortable, and very intelligent female communicate with passion on a subject that has been close to her heart since youth the environment.
I don’t have a green angle to talk about Bjørg Jewellery, but I wanted to include this amazing line on G Living because of the spirit behind the jewellery is very “G”. I don’t know how jewellery is green or not, except for when it comes to the mining process. Most of that is very destructive, but how much metal could be in a ring. Your average so called green bike uses more metal than it would take to make hundreds of rings.
Bjørg was born on a dark winter-night in December 1966. She grew up in the arctic nature where the wild mountains meet the North Ice Ocean. With bright summer nights and winter days with darkness and colors of the Nordic light.
Bjørg was gifted with an energetic family with open minds, and was the youngest of four children. She was always encouraged to enjoy her creativity and she had an endless line of projects like the rest of her family.
“At one stage I think my parents felt we were too much with all our activities, all happening in the tiny living-room. They converted a small bedroom into a timeout zone, for themselves. My big brother had a tiny room where he developed photos. I was always fascinated with the magic of a blank paper turning into a piece of art.”
This year shopping for green fashion is a mixed bag. Yes there are way more shops online and in your local neighborhoods, but the actual brand choices seem to be pretty limited still. Some of the brands, which tried to come out big, ended up failing and other brands have had to stay small as the economy takes a downward turn.
One of the big hopeful brands was NAU. Twenty some million later, the company all but closed down, as it ran out of capital to keep the doors open. Lucky for us and them, the brand quickly re-emerged as a small lighter company with a full online store. Since they have closed all physical locations, the best place to find NAU at the best price is on their site, nau.com. The NAU style fits the urban athletic type, who is looking for clothing which performs and will look at home on the streets of New York. Colors are classic and the cuts are all modern.
Big NAU shopping tip. Get on their mailing list, since they email out sale announcements directly to existing customers first. You can really score great deals, up to 50% if you get in there fast.
Stewartbrown.com | My next favorite green fashion store has to be Stewar+Browns own online store at stewartbrown.com. Stewart+Brown are one of those small fashion labels, who care about every aspect of the business. They spend a lot of time and care in sourcing and designing the fabrics which they use in their designs. Also, Stewart+Browns designs are just so pretty and well made. The only real issue, is finding their full line of clothing in any single store. This is why going direct to their own store is your best bet, if you really want to find exactly what you want. The down side is less sells. But you can always shop around.
BTCelements.com | The best part of BTC Elements has to be the founder herself, Summer Bowen. Summer has been a friend to G Living from day one. You can see her in many of our early shows and the Elizabeth Kucinich Eco-Make-over show. Summer loves green fashion and has a great eye. Her online store is a fresh place to find the hot upcoming designers.
Here is what Summer has to say about BTC Elements:Modern, eye-catching, uniquely crafted, BTC Elements combines smart style with sustainability. We hand-select each item in our boutique collection of fashion, gifts, and accessories with an eye to the environment and social justice. The result: Fresh, inspiring designs that are both earth friendly and ethically sourced.
Because we work closely with small designers and artists who share our passion, our online boutique carries many one-of-a-kind items you won’t find anywhere else. Our goal is to delight you with our distinctive collection of mindful products while providing value and excellent service.
Thegreenloop.com | As ethical clothing gains popularity and visibility, the all important question is where can you buy them? The internet is a great option for those who don’t live in urban centers, as well as those of us who are too lazy to leave our laptops. So, here are some suggestions on where to make some socially conscious sartorial purchases:
Greenloop offers the most complete selection of progressive, sustainable apparel as well as accessories, footwear and beauty products. Owner Aysia Wright constantly scans the market for new innovations and creative talent. From EDUN to Loomstate to Perfectly Imperfect, the result is a mix of big names and new designers, and the no nonsense layout is easy to navigate. What’s more, Greenloop gives 1% of profits to environmental causes and is striving to become ‘carbon neutral’ by offsetting shipping generated carbon.
Beklina.com | Beklina has a sweet, graphic layout that is instantly appealing. I like that the brand isn’t immediately evident. It’s not until you the click thru that you find out which designer you’ve been drawn to. On top of apparel and accessories, paper products and other “nest” items like ceramics are available. I especially like the supercute jewelry by Malin.
Cocosshoppe.com | Coco’s Shoppe.com may resemble a more traditional on-line boutique, but closer examination reveals cutting-edge ethical brands like Bahar Shapar and Spring and Clifton. They also carry items like innovative hemp and silk lingerie by Enamore. What sets Coco’s apart, however, are their organic beauty products like ginger soymilk wash by Hamadi and exquisitely packaged cosmetics by Rosie Jane.
Shopmodify.com | Modify is “founded upon a lifestyle that has proven one does not have to sacrifice great style and exquisite taste to go green”. Which is welcome news to any socially aware fashionista, especially one looking to drop $2,950 on a turquoise Beverlywood Regency Chair made from organic cotton and FSC certified wood. The site also features a vintage section with some breathtaking handbags.
greenwithglamour.com | Green with Glamour is founded by two Chicago-bred friends, Kathleen Rowan and Deana Bracken. GWG looks more magazine than website, featuring quotes from Walt Whitman and Coco Chanel as well as a personal shopper service. The sustainable clothing range is small but selective and is complemented by a beautiful homewares and gift ideas, which you can wrap up in recycled wrapping paper. And I definitely approve of glamour spelt with a u.
Everyone knows that while the “G” Fashion movement has been ramping up, high style offerings are still a bit on the thin side. At best there are a hand full of good designers bringing stylish well made garments to market.
This should be changing rapidly, since almost everywhere you look now you see a new Green Magazine Issue, or a sign on a bus, saying the world is going green. So we are more hopeful than we have ever been. With the new interest in green living, and new consumers coming to this market, the prices of all the new clothing collections, that are sure to emerge, should be coming down as well. I don’t think I know any guys like my self, who would run out to buy a $200 pair of jeans.
G / Design It’s amazing how easy it is to now go completely leather free, with amazing leather like fabrics by Joseph Noble. They make a range of fabrics with feel better than leather and last longer
G / Food The Ultimate Sausage and Pepper Pizza – RAW It’s Rawfully Tempting!
G / Food Chocolate Fruit and Almond Bark – D E C A D E N T and H E A L T H Y! Sooo Rawfully Tempting!
G / Food The edible cups are made entirely out of agar agar (a gelatin substitute).
G / Design a solar-powered collapsible lamp lights up when unfolded.
G / Food The Ultimate Sausage & Pepper Pizza by Rawfully Tempting
G / Food Creamy Mocha Mousse Cake
G / Video A visual poem by Tanya Davis. How To Be Alone
G / Food Killer Chocolate Fudge Mousse & Banana Parfait.
This is one DECADENT dessert and not for the feint of heart.
G / Style Well, this o so stylish hat called Double Crown O’Thorns, is definitely a bold look, especially if you wear the entire black head to toe suggestive accompanying outfit.
Julia Ocean: You have chosen to open your stores in very international cities like New York Stockholm, and Paris, why is that?
Johanna: The first one I opened in Stockholm because that is where I was living at the time, the second one in New York because we believed it to be the best place to spread eco-fashion awareness internationally and the third one is opened by a wonderful french woman named Helene Sananikone on a franchise basis. So we chare our concept and collaborate in many ways but it is her store.
