Green Cotton

Ok, I am on the hunt for good uses of coconut. First there was Triko and the ingenious use of coconut fibers for buttons and other typically metal/plastic accessories on clothing. Now, IPATH is integrating coconut into skate shoe insoles. Excellent. This shoe in fact is quite the textile laboratory experiment. Not only does coconut line the insole, but hemp, ramie, bamboo and linen fibers also constitute its DNA. Positioned as a low environmental impact shoe, the IPATH has not only the genuine green-ness to lure any eco-minded skater, but also the marketing jazz of an apple product to really get the excitement rolling. I am not a skater, but if i were, I would certainly buy these shoes. Nice going IPATH.

clipped from www.treehugger.com IPATH shoes, which are currently only made for men (though don’t be shy ladies because plenty of these shoes would look fab on you too), are made of eco-materials like hemp and organic cotton. The leather is tanned without chromium. The insoles of the shoes are special and include coconut and natural fibers for odor absorption.

Who says fashion can’t be a vehicle for activism? Some might argue that fashion has run contrary to the efforts of many modern day environmentalists; however, looking at the trends of 2005 and onward, one would simply have to conclude otherwise.For the last three years consecutively, demand for organic cotton has nearly doubled annually, and the organic clothing industry is second only to the organic food industry for the fastest growing retail category today. Hector Estrada is a great example of someone who is combining the best of organic clothing materials, sourcing and production practices (100% sweatshop free) with a hip urban style that explicitly supports various environmental movements (saving the pandas for one). Hats off to Hector for being another pioneer making eco-fashion not only more intelligent and sustainable but also urban-relevant and hip. FYI Hector uses some cool materials such as coconut fiber for buttons and other sturdy clothing necessities and also a material called Tagua which is apparently made from vegetable fiber derived from the seeds of palm. How cool is that!

clipped from www.treehugger.com Streetwear designer Hector Estrada’s fashion line Triko not only gives good style, it gives back to the Earth. Organic cotton textiles and coconut shell and tagua hardware help Estrada craft his vision of fashion with a purpose. Says Estrada, “A lot of times as a designer, you’re reminded that this career isn’t rocket science and that nobody’s life depends on what you do. The more I thought about it, though, I thought, ‘This may not be huge, but I can use it as a vehicle to bring awareness to more important things.’ “

Hats off to the company Fair Indigo for taking a pioneering step in the right direction toward fair wages. Through some of my travels to Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Indonesia, I had the opportunity to witness aspects of the garment industry. Working with NGOs that teach HIV prevention education to young girls in factories, one quickly comes to experience the harsh reality of the workplace. While I can appreciate that “a” wage can be better than no wage, and that intense competition is driving the labor market, it is also evident that recognition of the health and well-being of a workforce can be a win-win situation, creating healthier, longer-living and more productive workers.

I am 100% in favor of globalization, but I also strongly believe that new jobs and opportunities should be accompanied by better access to housing, food and health care. Developing nations look to the US/Europe as role models in the global economy, so if we disregard or minimize human conditions and integrity in our business practices, then guess who will follow by example?

It is possible to be financially viable and ethically inclined, and Fair Indigo (FI) has proven this well.

clipped from www.fairindigo.com We are headquartered in the suburbs of Madison, Wisconsin and whether you shop with us through the catalog, at fairindigo.com or at our flagship store at Hilldale Mall in Madison, we are committed to providing you with great customer service.� Everything we sell is backed by an unconditional guarantee: if you are not completely satisfied with any item, at any time, for any reason, we will gladly exchange it for another or refund the purchase price. With years of experience working for major clothing brands, a small group of us left our jobs determined to pioneer a change in the apparel industry. We wanted to create stylish, high-quality clothes while paying a fair and meaningful wage to the people who produce them. It’s a concept known as “fair trade” We handpicked the best, most ethical factories around the globe and presented them with a new concept: paying workers a fair wage, not just a minimum one. We designed beautiful, well-made clothing and accessories for women and men.

Must read: new, accessible book on the intersection between high fashion and green industry: an insiders look at the practicalities of the shift toward greener products and processes and the impact on fashion, beauty and style. Has anyone read this book? Comments?

clipped from www.treehugger.com Tamsin Blanchard, the author of this new book on fashion and the environment, has written about style and the latest must-haves in all the major newspapers here. She loves serious designer fashions (and rationalises by saying that they have great staying power), she doesn’t scrimp, and she has useful, practical information. Did you realise that 85% of the time women wear only 15% of their wardrobe? From that starting point she has a good section on sorting and recycling clothes, how to turn old tee-shirts into halter tops and dresses and making your own, including sites to download designer styles from the web.

Demand is surging. In a country that has steadfastly relied upon wool production– with some 25% of Australia’s land mass occupied by sheep flock, organic wool is taking hold among herders with for the first time, the highest premium on the market (20% over conventional fleeces). Looks like those Australians will be herding more and more of the organic curly haired ruminants!

clipped from www.treehugger.com The incentive for graziers to embrace organic wool is the same as that attract food farmers. Better returns. Organic wool is fetching up to a 20% premium over conventional fleeces. Elders Wool Marketing Manager Michael Blake observed that organic wool needed to be treated as mainstream – such was the demand – rather than as a niche, one-off line. wool continues to represent about 6% of the gross value of agricultural production, and our sheep flock of about 107 million curly haired ruminants apparently occupy some 25% of Australia’s land mass. Yet organic wool seemingly only makes up 1% of this renewable fibre crop.