Posts with tag bamboo

We love all of the amazing independent designers out there. In order to find out more about just what makes all of these creative types tick, we present to you an ongoing segment called Indie Designer Interviews.

Today's interview is with Anisa Makhoul, a Michigan native who received a BFA from Minneapolis College of Art before moving to Portland, Oregon where she started producing her designs locally and founded Makool Clothing. For the past eight years Makool Clothing has been growing a cult following right at the cutting edge of the fashion scene. Makool has a loyal following online, as well as selling to items wholesale to boutiques.

Some women just have a "natural beauty" vibe. They look fantastic with their hair messy and undone, and loose, flowing dresses only enhance their radiance. These women wear earthy colors and natural fibers, and they look spectacular.

However, that look doesn't work for everybody. For those of you who would prefer gold and diamonds to wooden bangles, there is still a way for you to pull of a more natural look while flaunting your own flair.

By this point we've all heard how important it is to buy eco-friendly products, and that includes fashion. But is it all just hype? Just another marketing gimmick employed by corporate America to try and get us to spend more dollars but feel less guilty about doing it? Many companies have been accused of greenwashing, and it's certainly true that buy buy buy is not the way to help our environment.

No matter what though, people will always want to dress in a way that makes them feel good about the way they look. We shouldn't have to compromise style in our quest to save the planet. Sure, we need to adjust our habits, but that doesn't mean that we'll all end up looking like a bunch of dirty hippies. Here's our list of the top 5 ways to really green up your wardrobe.

Simply put, Simple brand shoes have always ruled, but their ecoSNEAKS and GreenToe (Green Piggies for the kiddies) lines are so fantastic that we feel a bit guilty wearing anything else.

Simple started out as a "stereotypical, anti-stereotype brand offering good shoes." They claim to have learned a few things along the way, and we are inclined to believe them. They say the biggest lesson thus far is this: "HOW we make our shoes is just as important as WHY we make them."

Want to save the Earth and still look good doing it? Check out Eco-Tobi's full range of styles for men & women, featuring earth-friendly clothing & accessory brands like Edun, Loomstate, Envirosax and more. Organic beauty products are also available, and all purchases are shipped in 100% recycled materials. They've also joined forces with Carbonfund.org to completely offset the emissions of their operation, so you don't have to feel too guilty about shopping here. Did we mention how much cute stuff they have? Just check out some of their offerings below:

Wild Dill was created by Jennifer who signs her bio "Wife and Mother of Wild Men." We love that. She created Wild Dill to reflect the "sense of curiosity and wonder for everything that is natural and wild." They "carry only natural, organic, fair trade, made in the USA/Europe, or recycled clothing, toys, bedding and furniture for babies and toddlers."

All of it is wonderful. See for yourself:

Inessah and Tara are two New York ladies who found each other through Craigslist as subletter and sublet-ee in college.

"Two years later, after having worked traditional careers, Tara and Inessah missed the spontaneous community, independence and creativity they felt when subletting. So over lunch one day, they decided they would create their own permanent sublet through Sublet Clothing."

--Subletclothing.com

I'm not sure how logical that is, but I don't care. Look at this dress! A sweet, curve-skimming cut with an unusual non-halter-style bow at the back. It's made of organic cotton, spandex, and bamboo. Sixty-seven percent bamboo!

In fact, all of their simple, elegant clothing is made with bamboo. How exotic! How perfect for the Retro Princess! You could slay a black and white party, a garden party, or even just a nice dinner in any of their items. The only place I wouldn't recommend wearing these clothes is the zoo. 'Cause, you know. Pandas.

(Carnage.)

Alright, folks -- for many of us, the rainy season is nigh, and that means breaking out the umbrella to protect the rest of your fabulous clothing. While I love the idea of having cutesy, happy ones, I have to tell you that I never remember to bring one inside with me unless it's already raining, so I don't generally end up spending too much on them.

However, for something that's reasonably cute and helps the planet, I might have to reconsider.

It's Spring, which means you have to do the roommate shuffle in just a few short months when you head back home for the summer. Finding someone to sublet your place is a real pain.

Unless you're Tara Eisenberg and Inessah Selditz, who found each other looking for apartments, and ended up creating Sublet, an eco-friendly clothing line.

The Alison Dress is made of 30% organic cotton, 67% bamboo, and
3% spandex. The Alison dress has a deep V-neckline with graceful pleating throughout the front and back and a contrast twill tape at the empire waist. Obviously, I love this dress because it has pockets.

The dress comes in natural, black, and olive, and is available at Sublet's website for $242.

Lauren told us last week that one of the trends for 2008 will be "green," so we're picking eco-friendly Beau Soleil's Beau Wrap Dress today.

The jersey fabric is made of 100% bamboo, a highly sustainable material. The scoop neck, rushing at shoulders and smocking on the back make this an easy, comfortable everyday dress. The dress features a leather wrap belt that ties in the front, but the thing we like best is the on-seam pockets.

Available from Shopbop for $185.50 (on sale from $290).

Nature is great, so don't get me wrong, but too many plants in the house drives me nuts. I hate feeling like I live in outdoors, I'm sure they're making me sneeze, and -- worst of all -- all the bland ceramic pots are an eye sore.

While I could just "forget" to water them while my girlfriend is at work, there may be a better solution.

Introducing Arrange.

It's a bamboo shelf from the wizards at Every Space Design, and is intended for the wall by the door that houses your keys, wallet, etc. Not only is this a great way to confine the nature in your house, it's a very pleasant introduction for any visitor who happens to stop by. Plus, you'll be part of a the growing trend of living art/furniture that's sweeping the independent design world.

The shelf costs $600 (not including shipping), but I bet with a quick trip to the hardware store you could make your own for much cheaper. I'm tempted to try it -- maybe with Spring flowers instead of bamboo in a nod to the changing seasons?

[via Notcot]

If the absolutely gorgeous look of this dress isn't enough to sell you, then can I mention that the dress is made of bamboo?

Thelight gray long-sleeve Starlett Dress by Lily McNeal is made of a cashmere blend fabric that is 85% bamboo, which makes it ultra soft. As we know, bamboo is the fabric of the earth's future since it is renewable. I love the deep v-neckline that lets a pretty little underthing (not included) show. The high waistline is accented with a little drawstring.

Lily McNeal's Starlett Dress is available from PinkMascara.com for $273.

So you told yourself that you'd try to "tread more lightly" on the earth this year. You put recycling bins in your kitchen for aluminum, glass and plastic, you bought a Prius, and you're buying locally-, sustainably-grown organic produce. Nice job.

In your home, you can also go a little more eco-friendly with bamboo bedding. Bamboo, as we have mentioned before, is considered eco-chic because it's a renewable source (it grows very very fast). Bamboo is also a bit of a luxury (is that an oxymoron?) because it's as soft as cashmere. Cuddledown has bedding made from 61% bamboo, 32 % cotton, 6 % cashmere that creates a very durable, highly absorbent and breathable set of sheets that also has a luscious, graceful drape. Do good, and sleep good!

The sheets and pillowcases are ivory with chainstitched embellishments in ivory, garnet, or gold.

Yes, of course we know that eco-chic is making a lot of progress in the fashion world. Being environmentally responsible doesn't mean you have to look like a hippie. We have beauitful bamboo "cashmere" sweaters and green jeans from the likes of Loomstate, but come on. That's like...the fashion equivalent of Gap.

Not until we came across the designs of Linda Loudermilk did we finally nod our heads enthusiatically and whisper "yes..." Loudermilk manufactures garmets from fabrics made from recycled plastics and self-sustaining plants like bamboo.

Just take a peek at the Fall 2006 collection. While I'm not exactly in love with the look of airy white dresses over black turtlenecks and tights, I like the individual pieces. The look pictured on the right is my favorite. The pant and coat are made from bamboo, and the shirt inside is made of soy silk.

Thanks to The Stylephile, the fashion and style blog-zine from Variety magazine, I have just found out that Max Studio uses ecologically-safe fabrics and environmentally sound practices in their manufacturing. It's always nice to make a conscious decision to buy from a designer or brand that publicly states their "green-ness," but it's even nicer to find out that a fairly big line like Max Studio is ecologically responsible. Their fall and winter lines feature soy cashmere sweaters and bamboo French terry hoodies. The wrap sweater pictured on the right is aprially made from bamboo. How awesome is that?

On a side note, it seems that The Stylephile is dedicating a chunk of time this Holiday season to "green," and we are all for it!

[via: The Stylephile]