Ecouterre » Victoria Klein

Hetty Rose Launches Ready-to-Wear Versions of Its Vintage-Kimono Shoes

Victoria Klein — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 13:00:57 +0000

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Klik Klik’s Magnetic Jewelry Kit Offers Endless Design Possibilities

Victoria Klein — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 18:00:16 +0000

A silent yet infinitely powerful force of nature, magnets are driving a new kind of fashion revolution. Leading the charge (pun intended) is Brooklyn designer Kellar Williams, whose Klik Klik Jewelry collection lets your inner designer toy with thousands of possibilities. Each kit consists of 300 nickel-plated neodymium magnets—the most powerful magnets in the known world—that snap together like magic, allowing you to create whatever you fancy in an instant.

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Jewelry Designer Casts Vintage Lace in Recycled Gold, Silver

Victoria Klein — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 13:00:10 +0000

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Recycled Sock-Monkey Mittens, Scarf, Hat Offer Cruelty-Free Warmth

Victoria Klein — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 20:00:55 +0000

Calling all my fellow ’80s kids: The cool-as-a-cucumber sock monkey we’ve loved for decades is back and radder than ever. Fairly made in Binghamton, New York, Green 3′s sock-monkey-themed scarves, hats, and mittens are perfect for the crisp weather ahead. Each cozy accessory, comprising 75 percent pre-consumer recycled cotton, is available in red/white or red/pink versions of our favorite sock-sewn friend. With a new eco-conscious mindset and mission to keep our extremities warm, it looks like this cuddly primate’s still got it going on.

+ Recycled Sock-Monkey Scarf $25; Hat $20; Mittens $18 at Fair Indigo

+ Green 3

British Designer Makes Elegant Jewelry From Recycled Plastic Bottles

Victoria Klein — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 13:00:59 +0000

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Alienina Repurposes Everyday Scraps Into Extraordinary Jewelry

Victoria Klein — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 18:00:30 +0000

From trash to treasure; it may be a hip eco-conscious idea, but can garbage be chic? Milan-based Alienina does a damn good job of proving it that thesis. Founded in 2008 by designer Eliana Venier, Alienina (Italian for “alien life on Earth”) comprises eye-catching necklaces from industrial scraps. Its Spring/Summer 2011 collection features rubber tubing, fabric cord, and sun shades—all salvaged in one form or another. The goal? To “inspire people to discover that items can have an extra life and new functions,” says Venier.

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“Oil Spill” Jewelry by Golfo Collection Reflects Price of Human Greed

Victoria Klein — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 17:00:54 +0000

Have oil spills gone hip? First, Italian Vogue recreated the devastation for an artsy photo spread. Then, Bed Stü launched a line of oil-splotched shoes that called attention to Gulf Coast cleanup efforts. Now, Deepwater Horizon chic is coming to your neck, wrist, and décolletage with the BP spill-inspired Golfo Collection, a shortlisted entry in the 2010 Incheon International Design Awards from Designboom.

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Creative Recreation’s 3-in-1 Boot Goes From Bootie to Over-the-Knee

Victoria Klein — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 17:00:58 +0000

From short to tall, tall to Redwood proportions, Creative Recreation’s new three-in-one boot design is customizable eco-chic. Available later this month, the Moretina Hi fetches a pricey $450, but if you break it down, you’re really getting three boots (a bootie, a knee-high, and an over-the-knee) for $150 each. The downside: It’s made from snakeskin and suede. After watching Skin Trade, animal fur and skin products have zero luster. Kudos to Creative Recreation for making versatile footwear that helps conserve resources, but brickbats for the use of animal flesh for fashion.

+ Creative Recreation

[Via Slaves to Fashion]

Striped, Argyle Organic-Cotton Knee-High Socks by Zoe & Zac

Victoria Klein — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 17:00:12 +0000

News flash! Geek chic is now eco-friendly, too. Payless’ Zoe & Zac line (designed by eco-model extraordinaire Summer Rayne Oakes), features affordable, sustainable shoes and accessories. The latest addition: knee-high striped and argyle socks, made from planet-hugging organic cotton. Autumn’s right around the corner and boot season is sneaking up fast, so staying warm in sustainable socks is a must. (We can’t argue with the price tag, either.)

+ Argyle Knee Socks $4.99

+ Striped Knee Socks $4.99

+ Zoe & Zac

WithIntent Transforms Abandoned Tents Into Recycled Festival Fashion

Victoria Klein — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:00:09 +0000

Think “music festival” and you’ll either conjure up visions of crowds, drunks, and stinky port-a-loos or peace, love, and contraband baked goods. One thing that isn’t likely to cross your mind, however, is the multitude of broken and damaged tents that get left behind. Although concert organizers have few options other than the landfill, prop maker Kate Benton has a better alternative. Using her crafty skills, Benton gives these errant domiciles new life by turning them into chic and colorful clothing for festivalgoers. Bonus: they’re waterproof, so staying dry in inclement weather is a cinch.

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“Skin Trade” Documentary Reveals Horrifying Truth Behind Fur in Fashion

Victoria Klein — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:00:06 +0000

Suffering for fashion is one thing (think sky-high stilettos, rib-cracking corsets, and sprayed-on jeans), but getting some hapless animal to do it for you is quite another. Skin Trade is a new indie documentary that cuts to the bone of the issue, so to speak, by splicing interviews of prominent animal advocates with graphic—and we do mean graphic—footage of what goes into making a fur coat. Available next month on DVD, Skin Trade takes a no-holds-barred look at the business of killing animals for fashion, from the earliest days of fur trading to current-day claims about fur’s inherent sustainability.

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PocketFlops: Recycled Flip-Flops That Fold in Half For Portability

Victoria Klein — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 12:00:10 +0000

Heels can cause agony, packing for a trip is frustrating, and gym showers are anything but clean. What’s a gal to do? Los Angeles-based Floc Designs has a pair of space-saving flip-flops that will leave you footloose and icky-free. Made from recycled tires, PocketFlops fold in half—downward so the soles are enclosed—for easy toting in the accompanying 100 percent organic cotton bag. Another eco-feature: Any tags are made from recycled seed paper, which produce wildflowers when planted. At $22 a pop, you can have a pair for the gym, the airplane, the pedicurist…

+ PocketFlops

Much A.D.O. Over Herb-Dyed, Ayurvedic Clothing That Heals All Ailments

Victoria Klein — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 17:00:44 +0000

Can your dress reduce high blood pressure? Will your pants ease eczema or psoriasis? According to India’s Ayurvastra tradition—literally “life dress” in Sanskrit— fabric infused with medicinal plants and herbs can heal whatever ails you. Anjelika Krishna, originally from New Dehli, is one New Jersey-based designer who’s reviving the ancient craft. Her burgeoning label, A.D.O Clothing, marries 5,000-year-old Ayurvedic wisdom with eco-conscious production, resulting in simple yet chic organic-cotton pieces with supposed medicinal properties. (We want to believe.)

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KeoK’jay: Fair-Trade Eco-Fashion by HIV-Positive Women in Cambodia

Victoria Klein — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 17:00:34 +0000

In a country fraught with struggle and strife, hope has a new name: KeoK’jay. The socially conscious enterprise offers handmade, fair-trade designs with style to spare, while providing jobs for HIV-positive women in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. KeoK’jay’s woman-empowering business plan has room to grow, too. It’s one of 64—and counting—nominees for Nau’s 2nd Annual Grant for Change, which will award $10,000 to the next big thing in sustainable design.

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Recycled T-Shirt Couture by Angela Johnson Elevates the Humble Tee

Victoria Klein — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 12:00:10 +0000

What do Von Dutch, the U.S. Army, and the Phoenix Police Department all have in common? Their logos have all found their way onto Angela Johnson’s rags-to-riches couture creations. The Arizona designer creates visually dynamic clothing from thrift-store tees, much in the manner of conceptual artists like Gary Harvey and Walter Raes but eminently more ready-to-wear.

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Mother Maria Brings Eco-Fashion to Australia (By Way of Paris)

Victoria Klein — Sat, 15 May 2010 12:00:20 +0000

For Aussie label Mother Maria, baguettes met boomerangs to inspire one of the most charming collections of the season. Defined by chic shapes and feminine details, “Parisienne” brings springtime on the Champs-Élysées to the surf-friendly shores of Australia, sustainable fabrics included.

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Beautiful Soul’s Refashioned Kimonos Are Inspired by “Madame Butterfly”

Victoria Klein — Tue, 11 May 2010 12:00:27 +0000

Forget Memoirs of a Geisha; kimonos have migrated from the realm of the exotic to the wearable. Beautiful Soul, an eco-luxury label based in London, is refashioning vintage Japanese kimonos into modern, occidental silhouettes with an Asian twist. So it’s only fitting that the inspiration for spring is another classic East-meets-West mashup: Madame Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini.

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Design a Bag From Cat-Litter Packaging, Win Trip to Green Catwalk in NYC

Victoria Klein — Sun, 02 May 2010 12:00:16 +0000

Get ready for your debut on the catwalk—with a little help from your cat! To commemorate the launch of its 100 percent recyclable cat-littler bag, Yesterday’s News is asking planet-conscious cat lovers to design a one-of-a-kind handbag using elements from its new packaging. The Do-Gooder Design Challenge requires zero sewing skills, however. You can create your bag virtually using the online Bag Builder, which allows you to drag, drop, and edit your choice of patterns, colors, shapes, and embellishments.

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American Apparel’s “Creative Reuse” Initiative Leaves No Scrap Behind

Victoria Klein — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 12:00:27 +0000

There are only so many gold lamé bodysuits and high-waisted nylon-spandex panties you can snip from a bolt of fabric. For the scraps that tumble onto the cutting-room floor, there’s American Apparel’s “Creative Reuse” program, which launched on Earth Day. Made from excess and repurposed materials, the new collection of colorful basics is replete with scrunchies, headbands, neck ties, and the sexually charged underthings that the House of Dov Charney is known for.

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