Ecouterre » Eco-Fashion News

Could Your Pricey Designer Clothing Burn Your Skin or Give You Cancer?

Jasmin Malik Chua — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 22:11:16 +0000

If you cast a gimlet eye at made-in-China merch, you might need to append a few more places to your blacklist. In a random sampling of department stores and boutiques in the southeastern province of Zhejiang, Chinese inspectors discovered that a staggering 60 percent of clothes made outside of China suffered from poor colorfastness or high levels of acid or formaldehyde—including products from high-end fashion houses.

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A Tween Fashion Prodigy, “Green” Fur, Gabrielle Anwar’s Wombles

Jasmin Malik Chua — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:00:58 +0000

Photo by Andy Holzman/Lapresse

At the ripe old age of 10, Cecilia Cassini might be the youngest fashion designer in America…and perhaps the world. Many of her pieces are even made with repurposed fabrics plundered from the closets of her mother and older sister. Let’s just hope she asked them first. (TreeHugger)

Made-By is celebrating its fifth anniversary with a line of limited-edition line of tees from EDUN. (Marie Claire)

The runways were awash in fur this season. But are designers being duped by clever marketing ploys, including the dubious-sounding “Fur is Green” campaign? (New York Times and The Discerning Brute)

A new fashion boutique in California doesn’t want shoppers—just swappers. (Mother Nature News)

Burn Notice actress Gabrielle Anwar admits that she’s a “vintage fashion freak” and hates chemicals on her face. But what do Wombles have to do with her new low-impact lifestyle? (EcoStiletto)

Lady Gaga Turns Recycled Soda Cans, Phones into Haute Hair Accessories

Jasmin Malik Chua — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:30:16 +0000

If Lady Gaga has a passion for trashion, she’s managed to keep it on the down-low…until now, that is. The flamboyant chanteuse has “leaked” stills from her mucho anticipated “Telephone” video, which premieres Thursday and features the pipes of musical BFF Beyoncé. Tucked into her famous platinum-blonde locks: empty soda cans and the dismembered remains of a rotary phone. Think they’ll catch on?

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+ Lady Gaga

Karl Lagerfeld Ships 265 Ton Artic Iceberg to Paris for Fashion Show

Jasmin Malik Chua — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:00:55 +0000

Photo by Wallpaper

A political statement about climate change was the last thing on Karl Lagerfeld’s mind when he trotted Chanel’s Fall/Winter 2010 collection in front of a giant, 265-ton glacier in Paris on Tuesday. (He counts the Ice Hotel in Sweden, not drowning polar bears, as his inspiration.) But can an iceberg be just an iceberg in these post-COP15 times? “Have you felt any warming this winter?” Lagerfeld asked reporters after the show. “Maybe that’s all nonsense, who knows.” Et tu, Karl?

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Who Wore Green on the 2010 Academy Awards Red Carpet?

Jasmin Malik Chua — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:00:36 +0000

Photo by Richard Harbaugh/A.M.P.A.S.

As Hollywood’s biggest night unfolded, the only thing more anticipated than the parade of glittering gowns at the Kodak Theatre were the winners themselves. (And even that is debatable.) Here are three Oscar attendees who chose to wear their politics on their sleeves by going green on the red carpet at the 82nd Academy Awards.

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Energy-Producing Fibers, H&M’s Organic Skincare, Eco-Fashion Innovations

Jasmin Malik Chua — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:00:51 +0000

Photo by jemsweb

U.C. Berkeley researchers have developed energy-harvesting nanofibers that could be woven into clothing and used to power small electronics with a shake of your bon-bon. (GreenerDesign)

Is H&M trying to save face, literally? The beleaguered fast-fashion giant has just announced the launch of a line of certified-organic skincare products. (FocusOnStyle)

Get your vegan shoe on with this roundup of cruelty-free kicks, including some fetching foot adornments from Olsenhaus. (Refinery29)

Mena Trott, co-founder of Six Apart, plans to sew a dress a week—give or take—from vintage patterns, fabrics, and notions. (The Sew Weekly)

Sustainable clothing is much more than hempy and organic textiles. (Though we love those, too.) Check out these eight revolutionary developments that are changing the face of fashion. (TreeHugger)

ECOUTERRE ELSEWHERE

Green your wardrobe, indie-style, at Etsy with our guest-curatorial picks. (Etsy)

Tesco Launches Recycled Clothing Line With From Somewhere

Jasmin Malik Chua — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 20:00:39 +0000

Could picking up sustainable clothing be as easy as cruising the dairy aisle? Maybe if Tesco has something to do with it. The British grocery-and-retail giant has tapped designers Orsola de Castro and Filippo Ricci of From Somewhere to develop a limited line of recycled clothing for its Florence & Fred label.

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Nike Outfits World Cup Teams in Jerseys Made From Recycled PET Bottles

Brit Liggett — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:00:35 +0000

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.

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Ada Zanditon Goes Batty, SRO’s Creepy Crawlies, Your Eco-Fashion IQ

Jasmin Malik Chua — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 18:00:32 +0000

Busy bees will make way for vampy bats at Ada Zanditon’s first solo runway show at London Fashion Week on Tuesday. “Echolocation,” Zanditon tells British Vogue, will explore the mysterious inhabitants of this “sultry nocturnal world.” (Vogue)

Organic cotton production may have jumped 20 percent this past year, but it’s no reason to get cocky. The global economic downturn resulted in vast unsold stocks, with an estimated 17 to 22 percent of production still looking for forever homes. (Ecotextile News)

Fun fact about our fave eco-model Summer Rayne Oakes: The erstwhile entomologist keeps Madagascar hissing cockroaches, red-backed darkling beetles, and blue death-feigning beetles for pets. Names? “I always have a Hercules and an Attila the Hun around,” Oakes tells OnEarth. (OnEarth)

How green is your fashion sense, smartypants? Figure out your eco-fashion IQ with this quiz from the National Resources Defense Council. (Simple Steps)

Our love for Bodkin’s Eviana Hartman holds no bounds. This mini-film by Mercedes-Benz TV for New York Fashion Week captures our clotheshorse cutie’s spunk and wit to a T. (Mercedes-Benz TV)

SPOTTED: America’s Next Top Models in Deux FM Eco-Fashion Show

Jill Fehrenbacher — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:34:16 +0000

At the Deux FM runway show during New York Fashion Week’s the GreenShows, fans of the cheesy model reality show America’s Next Top Model were treated to a fun surprise as two finalists from Cycle 13 (the “petite” season) walked the runway: Laura Kirkpatrick and Jennifer An, who placed second and third, respectively. (Nicole Fox took the season’s top honor, in case you weren’t paying attention.)

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