Ecouterre

Who needs to keep their cubicle stocked with analog paraphernalia now that we’ve all moved to paperless offices? Well, if you’re Margarita Mileva, obsolete office supplies make the perfect components for vibrant jewelry, such as twisty necklaces made from multicolored rubber bands, chokers pieced together from wire binding, and pendants fashioned from circular paper clips.

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For Montreal-based designer Valerie Lamontagne, the spark of creativity can come from the most unlikely of sources. In the case of her climate-reactive dresses, Lamontagne found inspiration in “Peau d’Âne,” a French fairy tale that begins with a king’s vow to remarry only when he finds a woman who equals his late queen’s beauty and virtue. Pressed to find a new wife, he concludes that his daughter alone qualifies. (Quel scandale!) The princess delays the wedding by demanding impossible prenuptial gifts, including three dresses made from moonbeams, sunlight, and the sky. Lamontagne recreates these fantastic gowns but with a high-tech twist: Each dress reacts—in real time—to changing weather conditions.

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Elvis & Kresse’s bags and accessories are so hot they might as well be on fire. Luckily, the U.K.-based company had the foresight to craft them from decommissioned fire hoses, which it scrubs clean of 25 years worth of soot, grease, and built-up gunk before reincarnating them into luxe-looking totes, toiletry bags, belts, and wallets.

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Have you ever had a sweater you loved, but the fit just wasn’t right and the style was all wrong? A new eco-service by graphic designer Haik Avanian will transform your old sweater into something new. (Avanian’s mom does the actual reknitting grunt work.) Each month, Reknit will choose a different upcycled eco-knitting project, whether it’s socks, cut-off gloves, a beanie, or even an iPod case. For January, it’s scarves.

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You wear your heart on your sleeve, and you just happen to love your Mac, so why not express yourself with these blingtastic rings and necklaces made from upcycled laptop computer keys? Crafted by metalsmith Lauren Anabela Beaudoin, founder of Creative Dexterity, this line of upcycled jewelry is sure to win the heart of any self-professed Mac addict.

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‘Tis the season for the flu, and if the regular strain wasn’t bad enough, we have a new, porcine terror to contend with. These brightly patterned medical face masks, however, may ward off H1N1 and its brethren simply by virtue of being stylish—looking like Wacko Jacko in his latter days notwithstanding. Designed by Marjan Kooroshnia, a Swedish textile-design student, these face masks have a bonus feature: They’re printed with thermochromic ink that changes color with any uptick in breathing temperature.

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Handmade from recycled inner tubes, the hardcore-looking Pangolin Backpack by Cyclus derives its unconventional appearance from an insect-munching mammal with protective scales on its back,. The pangolin—the animal, not the backpack—is native to the tropical regions of Africa and Asia. When threatened, it curls up into a ball to expose its razor-sharp spines. Maybe that’s what the Colombian bag maker was going for when it designed the backpack: Something that was strong, sturdy, and capable of warding off would-be predators.

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Think you have the bombest sneakers around? Next to these sneakers by junk-metal artist Gabriel Dishaw, your crazy, neon high-tops don’t even compare. Dishaw creates detailed shoe replicas out of metal and electronic scraps, using only glue and bending techniques to hold them together. So far, he’s created five shoe sculptures inspired by some of his favorite kicks, and although you probably wouldn’t want to wear them, they’re the ultimate statement shoe.

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When clothing is restrictive or otherwise uncomfortable, you pull, pinch, and generally exert more energy than the act of wearing it alone requires. But what if you wore uncomfortable and restrictive clothing on purpose? “Captain Electric and Battery Boy,” developed by XS Labs, is a collection of three dresses that use energy from movement to generate electricity in the form of lights or sound. Instead of camouflaging the power-generating mechanisms, however, the Captain Electric dresses integrate those features in a visible way, with a deeper, almost philosophic motive.

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You don’t have to a be celebrity, a fashion designer or the editor of an eco fashion magazine to be able to rock eco-chic fashions. Green and cutting edge is in your grasp even if you’re working with a less than rockstar budget. While there certainly are a lot of labels out there that are priced above what the average person can afford, have no fear, there are plenty of clever ways to get that chic green look you’re going for. Read on for 5 easy and supercheap ways to make your wardrobe more sustainable without throwing away all your green.

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Fashion is often inspired by the natural world: flowers, animals, metal, the ocean. But the new eco-fashion collection by Leila Hafzi is something different. Her stunning collection was inspired by NASA photography of far-off galaxies, unbelievable formations, stars and the distant light that emanates from them. Hafzi’s designs are beyond worldly and speak of a future in fashion that transcends this earthly realm.

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ATTENTION TOUT ECO-FASHIONISTAS FRANCAIS!
Although eco-fashion is fairly ubiquitous by now, surprisingly little can be found in the birthplace of fashion and couture: Paris. But now Paris, the city where high fashion and eclairs somehow manage to coexist in harmony, has a new eco-boutique! Ekovaruhuset just had their grand opening, and we were there to parler français!

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A dangerous amount of money can be spent at Target if you’re not careful. Design-worthy home accessories, food, electronics and high fashion – it’s all there at budget prices, so it’s hard to resist. So we’re ecstatic that Target partnered with eco-fashion designer Loomstate! They’re known for their casual couture clothes for men and women and now they’ll produce a line of green and affordable clothes for Target. Loomstate for Target definitely won’t break the bank but it will help you support the green fashion movement.

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Fashion is like trying to catch a wave upon the sand—it’s always changing, morphing, and emerging into something new. Whether that change is the trend of the moment or toward more-sustainable business practices, fashion is a powerful force in today’s age. Not only are we, as the consumer, affected by what is currently available on the racks, but we’re also influenced by the decisions that companies make. Like Edit’d, designed by Australian designer Helene Ang, which takes vintage and reclaimed fabrics to create brand-new, one-of-a-kind pieces. It’s this kind of upcycled fashion that is becoming the item to have, because each item is unique and made with an ethical consciousness. With fashion as profound as this, you never need worry about wearing the same dress to a party again.

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