Green Cotton

“Proud Mary” was born in 2006 in the heads of two young women who met in Brooklyn as a vision of fair trade, chic fashin. Molly was trying to find a way to utilize her liberal arts education and Harper wanted to see her fair trade and fashion ideas come to fruition.

The women soon found a way to reach both these goals by working alongside different artisan cooperatives on a trip to  Guatemala. The goods produced are designed as a collaboration between the two Brooklynites and artisans in Guatemala. This has resulted in products that are both modern, eco-chic, and high quality with just enough touches of traditional weaving patterns to make them feel truly Guatemalan, an aesthetic Proud Mary refers to as “Ethnic Modern.”

Proud Mary sells three product lines called “Diamante,” “Raya,” and “El Sol.” Through all their partnerships, Proud Mary ensures workers receive double the average compensation for consistent work, and have been able to connect a number of artisans to the micro-finance loan group, Nest.

Diamente is an artisan group based in Guatemala City who are known as the most accomplished foot loom weavers, and who have pioneered many types of brocade weaving.

This wonderful tote with gold straps in the “Diamante” style uses traditional Latin American designs.  Woven on a foot-loom. Available at Proud Mary.

Raya are a group of Cakchiquel-speaking Mayans living in the San Antonio Palopo region of Guatemala. They use traditional weaving techniques over a thousand years old to create belts, hair bands, and friendship bracelets on narrow looms called “telar de palitos,” as well as backstrap looms.

El Sol uses ikat fabric crafted by a master weaver from Totonicapan. This process involves a special dying technique, and then placing the fabric in the warp of a loom to produce unique patterns and images.

This pillow illustrates the design used for all products in the “El Sol” collection, a pattern created as a mistake originally but which has become highly demanded.  Find this and more from the El Sol collection on Proud Mary’s website.

Green Cotton applauds the goals and accomplishments of Proud Mary and we hope to see even more in the future. Check out their collections on their website.

Green Cotton’s devotion to eco-fashion and style includes a broader inclusion of sustainability. Sustainability to us means not only sustainable environmental practices and sourcing, but also attention to the people and communities that make up our environments (and our products and companies). To this end, we are interested in fair labor standards, empowerment of women worldwide, and social responsibility. One issue that has come into the news this week concerns Hershey’s chocolate.

Photosource: www.businessweek.com

You may be very familiar with the Hershey’s kiss,  and even love it, but this love does not appear be to trickling down to all levels of Hershey’s production and processing of their little kisses. Hershey’s is one of few large chocolate companies to have yet to establish fair trade certified and organic chocolates.

To help speed up the process, on June 23rd, Green America and partners at the International Labour Rights Forum (ILRF), the Organic Consumer’s Association, and Global Exchange announced a national day for action aimed at improving the lives of cocoa farmers all over the world, and stopping the abusive child labor that is prevalent within this industry.

Photosource: laborrightsblog.typepad.com

The partners ask all their members, supporters, and others interested to call on Hersey’s Food Corporation - one of the largest chocolate producers in America - to obtain third-party fair trade certification. And when I said “call on” Hersey’s, I mean literally make a 2 minute phone call to the corporation. A script and phone numbers of those who need to hear about the plight of cocoa farmers have been prepared for the caller, so all you need to do is pick up your phone!

Ultimately, the aim of this campaign is to get Hersey’s (one of the biggest producers of chocolate worldwide) to produce all fair trade and organic certified chocolate and sugar in all their products. With some recent advancements in the corporate chocolate world, such as Cadbury’s fair trade chocolate line, this goal seems not only a realistic, but a smart move to make. Fair Trade certification is a good competitive move in a market where consumers are increasingly demanding more eco and fair trade products. While this campaign started as a National Day of Action on Tuesday June 23rd, 2009, the lines are open until Hersey’s makes a move.

So next time you go to get a Hersey’s “Kiss” remember the children and other workers behind that to cocoa and step up to offer them a fair wage and in good working conditions. Fair trade certification is one of the best ways to ensure this. Be a part of the change:  take two minutes, go to www.organicconsumers.org and place a call.

By: Julia Rea

Photosource: Women’s Wear Daily

One night a year, the fashion industry’s most influential gather to fete the year’s stellar design achievements at the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Fashion Awards. This year’s ceremony took place on Monday, June 15, and honored both up-and-coming talent and contemporary legends.

The glamorous event, often called “the Oscars of Fashion,” attracted not only top designers but fashion-forward celebrities like Diane Kruger, Claire Danes and Blake Lively. Although it may not be the most eco-friendly of fashion events, the green fashion industry should still take note; like the seasonal runway shows, it’s vital for everyone in the industry to track cutting-edge trends and emerging talent. Honorees and winners alike are shaping fashion’s future—perhaps one day, even next year, some of your favorite eco-fashion designers will become CFDA award nominees. Whether you personally don these designers’ clothes or simply admire their skill and style from afar, the following artists are ones to watch:

Photosource: Women’s Wear Daily

Rodarte
Kate and Laura Mulleavy, sisters and design duo behind Rodarte, took home the coveted Womenswear Designer of the Year award. Relative newcomers on the scene (their line debuted in 2005), these girls from Pasadena have taken the runway, magazine pages and fashion blogs by storm. Their intricate knitwear, inspired by everything from ballerinas to Japanese horror films, has appeared on countless covers (including Vogue) and on icons like Michelle Obama (She wore Rodarte to meet Queen Rania of Jordan) and Natalie Portman (Her orchid-pink gown at this year’s Oscars? Rodarte). Expect upcoming designs to mirror Rodarte’s lookbook—their influence will be felt for years to come. Green Cotton mentioned Rodarte in last September’s New York Fall Fashion Week runway review, highlighting their edgy rock ‘n’ roll leather looks and funky shredded knits.
Official site:

Alexander Wang Spring 09 Collection. Photo source: lacouturiernyc

Alexander Wang
This young talent has come a long way since his intern days at Teen Vogue. Another Californian design star, this San Francisco native moved to New York at 18 and attended Parsons Design School; a short year later (in 2005), his eponymous collection was launched, and the fashion world took note. Fashion editors and fans swoon for his cashmere cardigans, distressed denim and oversized blazers and vests. This is the effortless, lived-in style Wang likes to call MOD: “Model-Off Duty.” Last year, Wang took home the Vogue/CFDA Fund; on Monday night, he became the CFDA Swarovski Womenswear Designer of the Year. Green Cotton discussed Alexander Wang’s Spring 2009 line during our fall runway review—we loved his boyfriend blazer paired with short-shorts and seriously sexy shoes.

Marc Jacobs
A worldwide fashion favorite, Marc Jacobs is known for revitalizing the Louis Vuitton brand—and for his own quirky lines, Marc Jacobs and Marc by Marc Jacobs. The brief story is that Marc became a fashion star in the ‘80s while still a student at Parsons. He launched Marc Jacobs in 1986, and in the following year won the CFDA’s Perry Ellis Award for New Fashion Talent, the youngest to ever do so. In 1992, the CFDA awarded him the Womenswear Designer of the Year award, and in 1997 Jacobs became Creative Director at Louis Vuitton. Jacobs has since put the luxury label on the tip of everyone’s lips, particularly thanks to his collaborations with the likes of Kanye West and Sofia Coppola. On Monday night, Jacobs snagged the International Award for his work at Louis Vuitton.

Anna Sui Spring 09 Collection. Photo source: www.whorange.net

Anna Sui
A fashion lover in Detroit who began crafting her own clothes at age four has grown to a design powerhouse with boutiques all over the world. The CFDA bestowed Anna Sui with the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement award. Her eccentric, rock ‘n’ roll and Victorian-inspired designs have earned rave reviews since her first runway show in 1991. Since then, Sui has become a star of the New York fashion scene and has gained a major cult following in Asia. Sui is another design favorite at Green Cotton—we reviewed her Spring 2009 collection, loving her bright, embellished “boho-chic” frocks that teetered on the edge of feminine sweetness and rockstar spunk.

Jason Wu
This former doll clothes designer didn’t come away as a big winner Monday night, but the young man who designed Michelle Obama’s now-famous inauguration gown can hardly complain. At 26 years old, he’s already launched a highly successful line that is carried by Bergdorf’s, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and more. And, oh yes, he can say he’s dressed the First Lady. Not too shabby, considering Wu debuted his eponymous line just three years ago. Wu may have lost the Swarovski Award to Alexander Wang, but his star is only just beginning to rise.

Photosource: Women’s Wear Daily

Michelle Obama
You know her, you love her, you just can’t get enough of her classy, all-American fashion sense. Neither can the CFDA. Our First Lady (Commander in Chic!) was awarded with the CFDA Board of Directors’ Special Tribute. Mrs. Obama could not attend the event but accepted the honor via video, which you can view on Style.com.  Obama expressed her gratitude and love for the CFDA community: “The ingenuity and craftsmanship of American designers contributes so much to our economy and to our culture.” She went on to say how honored she was to get to celebrate “the legends and future legends” and thanked American designers for “making fashion liberating, inspiring, but most of all, fun.”

To learn more about the CFDA, and for a full list of winners and nominees, visit www.cfda.com.

Green Cotton wants to hear from you! Who are your favorite American designers? And which eco-fashion designers would you like the CFDA to recognize?

By Erin Dale

Primary source: Women’s Wear Daily