G’day mate, is that a banana you’ve got down undah or are you just happy to see us? Cor blimey, maybe we should save our quips for the boys from Oz, specifically blokes who have traded their tightie-whities for AussieBum’s new range of eco-friendly briefs and boxers. (It just so happens that they’re made from that most well-endowed of tropical fruits.) Can we get a crikey?
Jitske Lundgren, founder of Studio JUX, really know his clothes. The Dutch designer’s men’s and women’s collections, which comprise organic and all-natural fabrics, feature utterly wearable items that focus on classic silhouettes with an unexpected twist. But Lundgren also knows the people whose hands have toiled over every stitch. With fair-trade principles at the forefront of JUX’s brand identity, each piece is finely crafted by Nepali tailors under fair labor conditions, monitored by the Fair Wear Foundation.
If you’re sad that the global camaraderie at the Olympics has come to an end, don’t fret: The World Cup is fast approaching. To add to the excitement, with about 100 days left until the first match, Nike has unveiled its 2010 World Cup kits—or uniforms, for those unfamiliar with soccer jargon. The best part: They’re made from discarded plastic bottles, harvested from landfills in Japan and Taiwan, that were melted down into yarn and then spun into fabric.
Christopher Raeburn was all over London Fashion Week’s’s HQ at Somerset House this year, with not one but three displays throughout the exhibition. Having admired Raeburn’s work since we first spotted his lightly crafted aesthetic back in 2008—remember his recycled hot-air-balloon garments for Worn Again?—Ecouterre was on the scene for an up-close-and-personal look at his Autumn/Winter 2010 collection, which focused on utilitarian traits such as functionality and practical layering.
Keeping tires out of landfills is a tough job considering how many they are. (Multiply the number of cars on the road by four or in the case of large trucks, as much as 18.) Still, tire recycling has evolved beyond roping one onto a tree and calling it a swing. For one Japanese eco-fashion label, scrap tires are also grist for some pretty spectacular sneakers and bags.
Like the Ming Dynasty furniture that inspired them, these eyeglass frames by Taiwan’s Yii Collection echo the clean, elegant lines of carved rosewood designs from that era. And true to the Ming philosophy of order and minimalism, the lightweight specs are a perfect marriage of aesthetics, craftsmanship, and function. How else would you expect design geeks to frame their peepers?
[Via Designboom]
Font freaks and bike geeks can flash the emblems of their allegiance—while keeping their pants up—with Steel Toe Studios’ hand-forged belt buckles. Made from repurposed letterpress blocks and bicycle gears, the steel and pewter pieces transmit …
For the shoemakers at Adidas, plain ol’ reality is a snooze-inducing yawnfest. Its Augmented Reality Shoe Game Pack, a collection of five “experiential” men’s sneakers due in select Champs Sports and Eastbay stores this month, is designed to kick things up a notch by placing a three-dimensional virtual world at your finger…uh…toe tips.
My, my, my, Hermione Granger! Judging from the sneak peeks of Emma Watson’s collaboration with People Tree, the Burberry- and Chanel-fronting starlet does cazh just as well as couture. Chockfull of breezy, youthful fare that is a far cry from her dour Hogwarts cloak, Watson’s “Love From Emma” line offers organic cotton jersey tees, sustainable knitwear, and recycled accessories designed to appeal to her teen demographic’s sense of cool and conscience.
Designed for the battlefield, these vintage military deadstock fabrics now see a different kind of action: as stylish, functional bags for dudes that won’t have folks questioning your manhood. The outfit responsible for these rough-and-tumble getups? Farm Tactics, a Los Angeles-based label that rescues rare military textiles from the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s and hews them into totes, satchels, backpacks, and hip bags by hand.
Vans has once again teamed up with Tony Alva, skateboard legend and the godfather of pool skating, in its newest rendition of his classic sneaker. The limited-edition shoes are constructed with eco-friendly materials, including water-based adhesives, recycled gum-rubber, and recycled PET. Look for the Mid Skool 77 Pro and the Era Pro at your local retailers in February for $60-$70.
We’re all for multifunctional, convertible pieces in our wardrobe, but H by Harris’ jacket/backpack hybrid—Jackpack? Backet?—totters between inspired and inane. The unisex H=Jacket, a quilted number with an attached rucksack, solves the problem of coordinating your outfit in one fell swoop. Then again, the fact that you have to shrug off the entire jacket just to …
Brooklyn Tailors is a prime example of how the fashion industry should operate: small, local, and people-focused. Run by Brenna Boyce and Daniel Lewis out of their label’s namesake borough, Brooklyn Tailors creates its custom and read-to-wear garb by hand one at a time. Each piece features quality materials, artisanal workmanship, and an impeccable fit and finish that will sharpen any man’s appearance.
Laura Skelton of Prix-Prix revamps boring old neckties into cool wallets, and at $28, they are both green and affordable. Along with several other recycled accessories, including the necktie necklace, Prix-Prix continues to bring us fresh ideas that feature simple and sophisticated design. Handmade in Pennsylvania, the dapper-looking wallets feature exteriors stitched from recycled silk ties and interiors pieced together from old pinstripe suits, resulting in one-of-a-kind creations that are far from cookie cutter. …
You were born to be wild, but cruising down the highway on your five-speed without looking like Dorkus maximus is no mean feat when you have an underwater missile perched on your noggin. (Helmet head still trumps brain damage any day, s’il vous plait.) The Danish designers at Yakkay make kickin’ it carbon- and concussion-free in style a cinch, with a helmet that can be fitted with a range of chic covers to transform it from a houndstooth peaked cap to a fuzzy faux-fur topper in seconds.
Worn Again is soaring to new heights not only with its recent foray as an independent company, but also with a new range of jackets, parkas, and bags made from decommissioned Virgin Balloon Flights hot-air balloons. The burgeoning ethical label, which broke away from the shoe-makers at Terra Plana to strike out on its own, has launched the Virgin Bon Voyage collection using material gleaned from G-TVBF “Tango,” a retired balloon that carried a total of 7,808 people on almost 500 flights over the rolling hills of Shropshire, England.
We admit there’s nothing ostensibly eco-friendly about Gradiate’s Counterfeit Outfit tees—they’re printed on neither organic cotton nor recycled soda bottles—but we do appreciate their understated subversiveness. Emblazoned with innocuous phrases like “faux fur coat” and “little black dress,” the short-sleeve crew necks gently take the mickey out of the “must-have” item or hot fashion trend of the moment. In fact, we’re inspired to grab a …
Gray, overcast skies at three in the afternoon are enough to sour the sunniest of dispositions. Turn that frown upside down by shifting your attention earthward to Osborn Design Studios’ brazenly styled, jazz-inspired oxfords, slip-ons, and booties. The Brooklyn-based twosome doesn’t shy away from color or pattern, working with statement-making textiles that range from crazy-quilt tribal designs to eyeball-yanking animal prints.
