Ecouterre is a website devoted to the future of sustainable fashion design. We’re dedicated to showcasing and supporting designers who not only contemplate cut, form, and drape, but also a garment’s social and environmental impact, from the cultivation of its fibers to its use and disposal. Our mission: To follow the evolution of the apparel industry toward a more environmentally sound future, as well as facilitate a conversation about why sustainable fashion matters.
In September 2009, Jill Fehrenbacher, founder of sustainable-design website Inhabitat.com, launched Ecouterre to dispel any disparaging stereotypes that still cling to the concept of eco-fashion (hemp ponchos, anyone?), while highlighting innovations in fiber technology that will help pave the way for designers and manufacturers to embrace sustainable materials and processes.
Her goal with Ecouterre: To get both designers and consumers to start taking the issue of sustainability in clothing design more seriously. Frustrated by constant criticism for her fashion-design coverage from hardcore greenies and eco-snobs who dismiss the impact that clothing design has on our planet, Jill was compelled to launch a site dedicated exclusively to eco-fashion, to raise awareness of these issues.
THE ECOUTERRE TEAM
JILL FEHRENBACHER (FOUNDER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF)
Jill is the founder of Ecouterre, and the whole Inhabitat family of Web sites, as well as a freelance designer and green-design consultant. Educated at Brown University, where she received a B.A. in art semiotics, and Columbia University, where she worked on a master’s in architecture, she currently resides in New York City, which so far has been good for her obsession with rooftop gardens and vegan junk-food restaurants.
Jill loves eco-fashion and hates it when people dismiss clothing design as trivial matter, unworthy of serious conversation (people, you do wear clothes, right?) She’s been profiled in Vogue, Domino and Paper, as well as the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.
Follow Jill on Twitter @jillfehr.
JASMIN MALIK CHUA (MANAGING EDITOR)
A 12-year veteran of the publishing industry, Jasmin joins Ecouterre from TreeHugger, where she wrote about sustainable fashion and beauty. She has an M.S. in biomedical journalism from New York University and a B.S. in animal biology from the National University of Singapore.
In addition to stories published in online and print publications like Alive, Plenty, The Huffington Post, and Sprig, Jasmin has been quoted as a green expert by such publications as The New York Times, BBC Radio, BusinessWeek, Newsweek, and People. Jasmin was previously a copy editor for Computer Shopper and PRINT. (She still reads style guides for fun.)
Follow Jasmin on Twitter @jasminchua.
YUKA YONEDA (SENIOR EDITOR)
Yuka is a writer and designer from Queens, New York. She received her bachelor’s in business management from Stony Brook University, and holds a degree in exhibition design from the Fashion Institute of Technology. In 2008, Yuka looked in the mirror and didn’t like what she saw. Always feeling like there was something missing from her life, she had turned to excess, amassing a mountain of clothes, shoes, bags, and random tchotchkes to fill the void.
In an act of desperation, she founded Swyyne.com as a guide for urbanites wanting to change their piggish ways and has been learning and smiling more ever since. When she isn’t writing about sustainable design, Yuka amuses herself by making trash into treasure, hunting for goodies at her favorite thrift shop, The Family Jewels, and trying to eat every type of food in the world.
Follow Yuka on Twitter @yukayoneda.
ABIGAIL DOAN (TEXTILES EDITOR)
Abigail Doan is an eco-textile artist and writer based in NYC, Sofia, Bulgaria, and rural Italy. Educated at Princeton University and at The School of the Arts at Purchase College, she is a regular contributor to Eco Fashion World, The Ethical Fashion Forum, Goodlifer, and Inhabitat, as well as her own art and fashion blog, Ecco*Eco.
Abigail’s fiber installation work has been exhibited in conjunction with the United Nations Environment Programme, Conflux, The LAND/an art site in New Mexico, as well as with Greenmuseum.org and other international venues.
When not writing about sustainability and textiles, she is busy restoring a 14th century farmhouse in Tuscany with her husband, twin toddlers, and extended family. In 2009, Abigail exhibited her recycled fiber forms in Finland, the American Southwest, and at the Hunterdon Museum of Art in Clinton, NJ. Her work is also featured in the new book, Green Guide For Artists. During 2010 she will exhibit in ‘What Matters Most’ in conjunction with ecoartspace at Exit Art and also curate an exhibit entitled, ‘(Re)Fashioning Fiber’.
Follow Abigail on Twitter @abidoan.
REBECCA PAUL (CONTRIBUTING WRITER)
Rebecca is a designer, portrait painter, installation artist and writer. After receiving her B.F.A. from the Savannah College of Art and Design, Rebecca moved to Los Angeles, where she worked as a resident artist for The Hive Gallery and Studios in the emerging downtown art scene.
During her time on the West Coast, she also acted as a freelance curator, producing several art shows converting raw spaces throughout the city into dynamic backdrops for a variety of mediums. Uninspired by the contemporary art market, Rebecca is currently living in Brooklyn and has shifted her career path to focus on sustainable design and architecture. She plans to pursue her master’s degree in industrial design, so she can further her contribution to the field.
Follow Rebecca on Twitter @skit123.
BRIDGETTE STEFFEN (CONTRIBUTING WRITER)
Bridgette is a LEED-accredited sustainability consultant based in Park City, UT and helps individuals and companies reduce their environmental impact. With degrees in mechanical and environmental engineering, she has experience in renewable energy, energy efficiency, green building, and sustainable development. She is also a contributing writer for LowImpactLiving.com.
When she’s not calculating carbon footprints, recycling materials into new things, or writing blog posts, she spends her time with her new puppy hiking in the woods, writing, and painting. She recently got married to the man of her dreams, a handsome firefighter/paramedic. And she is currently trying to talk herself into writing her first novel, which will most definitely have something to do with sustainability.
Follow Bridgette on Twitter @lilbridge.
BETH SHEA (CONTRIBUTING WRITER)
Beth is a chameleon of a writer who found her true color in the “green” niche. After she earned her B.A. in creative writing from the University of Arizona, Beth spent several years exploring the world and reporting for multiple publications as a travel and spa writer. Once her daughter was born, Beth wholeheartedly joined the eco-movement and founded Petite Planet, a blog which educates families on simple ways to adopt an eco-friendly lifestyle.
Beth is also the managing editor of Inhabitots, where she unearths the latest sustainable design news and products for the next generation. Having previously split her time between New York City and Los Angeles, Beth moved to Portland, OR, the “greenest city in America,” where she’s constantly on the lookout for up and coming eco-fashion designers and groundbreaking green trends.
Follow Beth on Twitter @PetitePlanet.
DANIEL MENDES (CONTRIBUTING WRITER)
Currently pursuing a business degree with a minor in studio art from Stony Brook University, Dan is looking forward to his prospects in environmentally friendly and socially responsible business. He spends his time working on his art and music while planning to start an organic apparel company focused on men’s apparel in the future.
Dan’s four-plus years at a lighting store has endowed him with the knowledge of sustainable lighting options and the idea that there are ways to better our planet without compromise or sacrifice. In 2009, he started Saints and Sounds, a blog about music, art, and our environment and has been struggling with his passions ever since. A newcomer to the Inhabitat and Ecouterre team, Dan is eager to find his footing in the world of eco-friendly design and can’t wait to see what tomorrow will bring.
JENNIFER SMITH (CONTRIBUTING WRITER)
Jennifer is a freelance writer and apparel designer. In 2004 she received her BFA in Fashion from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Shortly after graduation, Jennifer moved to Los Angeles, where she worked as senior designer for TULLE, a small boutique line with mass-market appeal.
After years of experience dealing in overseas production and pumping out 30-plus designs per season, Jennifer decided it was important to shift her focus towards slow fashion and sustainable design. Jennifer is currently working as an intern for ARAKS, and is actively pursuing a new career path in eco-friendly apparel.
BRIT LIGGETT (CONTRIBUTING WRITER)
Brit is a video producer and writer out of Brooklyn, New York. She has a degree in Television and Documentary Production from the Dodge College at Chapman University and has been working in the green web world for three years. She was most recently the video producer at the Washington Post.Newsweek Interactive green site Sprig.com, which was shut down in January of 2009. After Sprig’s closing Brit decided that Inhabitat and Ecouterre would be the perfect new home and she took up residency making videos and writing articles.
When she’s not behind the lens of an HD camera or the keys of her MacBook she’s knitting, cooking organic gourmet meals from Alice Waters cookbooks, writing music on her Gibson guitar and dreaming up new ideas for documentaries. She currently has one hair-brained art-doc idea in the oven and in the few free hours she can find she’s researching and developing the film.
