Ecouterre

Looking for an eco-friendly dress that is cute, you can feel good about, and won’t break the bank? Look no further! We’ve recently discovered an inspiring company called Supezas, which works with rural tribal women to make customized silk dress designs in cute cuts and eye-popping spring colors, out of “peace-silk“. If you’re scratching your head and wondering what that is, “peace-silk” (also sometimes called “Ahimsa silk” or “Tasar Silk”) is a cruelty-free silk textile that is made without killing silkworms, unlike regular silk (read more about here.) Not only are Supezas’ garments kind to silkworms, but they’re kind to humans too — they bring fair wages and sustainable development to impoverished communities and are helping to revive the dying art of hand-weaving. Best yet, with Supezas, you’re able to get a custom-tailored, bespoke dress at a fraction of what a one-off garment would cost. Now Supezas has just launched a Kickstarter campaign to introduce their latest collection of personalized silk dresses. We encourage you to support them and get a custom dress, tie or chic scarf in the process!

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Photo by Samatoa

LOTUS FABRIC \lōtəs ˈfabrik\

n 1 a: Hand-woven Cambodian/Burmese textile derived from the discarded stems of the lotus plant (Nelumbo nucifera), an aquatic perennial with long filaments that is sacred in parts of Asia. b: Once used to make the robes of high-ranking Buddhist monks. c: Looks and feels like a blend of linen and raw silk. d: Naturally breathable, waterproof, wrinkle-free, and stain-resistant. 2: Virtually zero-waste: leftover components are used make lotus teas, infusions, and flour. 3 a: Popularized by Awen Delavel, a French fabric designer who established the Cambodian Lotus Center in Battamabang to streamline its production. b: Gained the interest of couture houses such as Loro Piana, which is looking to import lotus yarn to Italy to make suits.

[Via Source Intelligence]

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Peter Dinklage wants to see an end to cosmetics tests on animals in the United States. The Emmy- and Golden Globe Award-winning actor, who plays charismatic antihero Tyrion Lannister on HBO’s Game of Thrones, has teamed up with Cruelty-Free International to denounce the continued use of animals to develop everyday beauty and personal-care products. Dinklage joins fellow celebrities Joss Stone and Ricky Gervais in promoting humane, non-animal alternatives, such as human-cell and -tissue cultures and computer models.

PREVIOUSLY ON ECOUTERRE: Paul McCartney, Ke$ha Call for an End to Cosmetic Animal Testing

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Stephanie Watson’s wedding gown has something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue covered. The recent bride’s multicolored dress was made of 10,000 bread tags collected over the years by Watson, her husband Will Wapling, and countless family and friends who lent their hand at collecting the plastic tags. Ten year’s later, the tags were fashioned into a dress and the couple tied the knot.

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Is Walmart’s latest act of contrition a case of too little too late? Five months after labor groups linked the world’s No. 1 retailer with a devastating fire claimed the lives of at least 112 garment workers in Bangladesh, Walmart is donating $1.6 million to the Institute for Sustainable Communities to establish an Environmental Health and Safety Academy in the South Asian nation. Operated by the Vermont-based nonprofit in conjunction with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and Walmart’s own staff, the facility will provide apparel manufacturers in Bangladesh with “high-quality, affordable and comprehensive” training on fire safety and environment, health and workplace safety, according to the big-box store.

PREVIOUSLY ON ECOUTERRE: Walmart Adopts “Zero-Tolerance” Policy for Illegal Subcontractors

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Actress and fashion icon Halle Berry has teamed up with star designer Michael Kors in a battle against world hunger. The duo have designed a pair of watches for Kors’ campaign “Watch Hunger Stop.” Proceeds from each big-faced watch will provide 100 meals for children through the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).

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Depending on whom you ask, H&M is either the problem or the solution. The Swedish retailer isn’t just any apparel firm, after all. When it comes perpetuating our culture of “fast fashion”—low-quality, inexpensive garments, churned out at a dizzying pace—H&M, with its more than 2,800 stores in 49 markets, is second only to Zara in terms of reach. But while H&M’s global influence isn’t a matter of debate, the company’s recent campaign to reposition itself as a bulwark of sustainability is far more controversial. Equally polarizing? H&M’s new, self-appointed role as ecological thought leader, which it parlayed on Thursday into its first-ever “Conscious Talk” panel on the fashion industry’s role in creating a sustainable future.

PREVIOUSLY ON ECOUTERRE: 12 Things We Learned From H&M’s 2012 Sustainability Report

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Zara is under investigation by Argentinian authorities over its alleged use of slave labor. The South American nation’s Government Control Agency raided a series of factories associated with the world’s No. 1 apparel retailer after La Alameda, a local workers’ rights group, tipped it off to the “degrading” sweatshop conditions faced by the mostly Bolivian workforce, which reports say included children. Besides being held under virtual lock and key, employees told officials they were forced to toil for 16 hours a day, six days per week, without breaks.

PREVIOUSLY ON ECOUTERRE: High-Street Retailer Zara Accused of Alleged “Slave Labor” in Brazil

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