Green Cotton

Photosource: the little seed

What a cute name for this new eco-friendly baby clothing line.

Soleil Moon Frye (you probably remember Punky Brewster, the adorable little girl with bunches and her sneakers with all sorts of canvas) and Paige Goldberg Tolmach, the two co-founders have just opened their new eco-friendly baby boutique in L.A.

The idea came when Soleil and Paige were looking for organic products for their babies and they couldn’t find anything healthy for them and the planet.  So they decide to create their own organic-friendly space.

Everything you can purchase for your baby is eco-friendly, organic and non-toxic products such as: clothing made with 100% Organic cotton, bottles, skin care, baby carriers, handmade woven toys, furniture … shopping bags are also recycled. Even the store environment is non toxic, with no V.O.C (Volatile organic compounds) paint on the walls.

Check out on thelittleseed.com, the selection both on-line and in-store is amazing. Designers are Kate Quinn, Ecoland (made exclusively from the highest quality 100% organically grown cotton, which is GOT (Global Organic Textile) standard certified by Control Union World Group), Salvor Fauna, Under the Nile…For more information on GOTS, visit our latest post on this topic.

Under the Nile, manufacturer of organic toys and apparel, is doing more than just helping kids make a positive association with healthy foods. They are also proud participants of the 13-Villages-Project. The campaign is co-conducted by Under the Nile and its Farm in Egypt. It takes place in 13 rural villages in Sharkeya, Egypt. Through vocational training and infrastructural development, the project is improving the health, skills and overall well being of the village inhabitants.

Soleil and Paige also give us eco-baby tips to protect your chidren’s health: how to eat well by reducing exposure to synthetic pesticides, avoiding plastic bags, beware of radiation…

Happy mum, you can now shop safely and peacefully, the store provides a diaper changing station, a discreet nursing lounge as well as an arts & crafts area.

By: Julie Finkel

Photosource: Denimology

Famous singer Alanis Morissette and actor Woody Harrelson are the founders of this new denim brand that uses 50% of recycled denim.

Reco is currently the only denim company that is making the attempt to reclaim and recycle materials to make a more eco friendly fashion jeans. Denim is unfortunately is one of the most environmentally-intensive clothing items out there. Not only is the cotton used notorious for its exorbitant use of water and pesticides but the washing, dying and finishing are equally as detrimental. Reco is an attempt to mitigate the impact for one of fashion’s timeless staples. And Morisette and Harrelson just might be the right pair to bring successful to this endeavor.

On recojeans.com, learn how Reco jeans are made and why the jeans cannot be made of 100% recycled material, “we need to have fresh cotton regardless, to make it durable”. Reco is also the only company using solely denim product and being certified as an innovative new recycled fabric.

But the originality doesn’t stop here. Reco is auctioning off 300 limited edition Reco jeans boxed sets in a “dutch auction” to determine the prices of these very hot, eco jeans . The boxed sets include a reco i-pod case. Be one of the first bidders for these trend-setting pieces.

Photosource: http://pipeline.refinery29.com

Beth Ditto, favored mascot of the fashion world, has recently developed a clothing line for Arcadia Group devoted to plus size women such as herself. She is featured in the front page story of the “Style” section in the New York Times. The article focuses on how for the most part high fashion has left out larger women from their collections, but as the number of women in this group grow, this group of women cannot be avoided. About 17 percent of teenagers are overweight now, three times what it was only a generation ago according to the surgeon general’s office. So of course, smart designers are figuring out the best ways to tap into this market. But it seems that for the most part these women want the same styles that their thinner women friends wear, but just in sizes they will fit.

A few prominent women (such as Beth Ditto) want their voice to be heard and make great designs available in plus sizes. She was finally offered the opportunity to test out her own creativity with her latest collection for Evans, the plus size division of Arcadia Group.

Girls have learned to become comfortable in their own skin and want to accentuate those areas they are most proud of. More chic designers such as Karen Kane and Kiyonna have started a plus size line for sale at boutiques, as well as larger chains such as Forever 21, Target, and H & M. So our question of course remains, has this general trend in growing plus size clothing and styles transcended general fashion and reached the eco-fashion world?

We are glad to report the answer is yes, eco-fashion is increasingly inclusive of the plus size market as well! There are a number of companies who now supply plus size eco-friendly clothing. While some may not be as close to young high fashion as Karen Kane and Kiyonna, they are still styles I could love! BellaOnline’s Large & Lovely’s editor, M. E. Wood, has complied a list of plus size eco-designers that we can’t begin to cover.

One of our favorites was Diane Kennedy, who offers clothing up to 3X made from not only organic cotton, but also Soy, Bamboo, Tencel and natural Silk. As a bigger girl herself, Ms. Kennedy worked backwards starting as a plus size designer and just expanded to making normal small, medium and large sizes last year. Her designs are classy, beautiful and soft, and can make any woman feel comfortable in her own skin.

Photosource: www.splendicity.com

Another amazing eco-chic plus size designer is Blue Fish Barclay Studios. Blue Fish is based in Taos, New Mexico but is available for sale online. Blue Fish specializes in offering organic cotton and hemp clothing in free flowing design and earth loving colors to bring out everyone’s inner beauty. They offer regular and plus sizes up to 22.

Photosource: http://www.barclaystudio.com/

Last but definitely not least, Lundstrom offers eco-chic clothing up to sizes 18-24 that do have a younger high fashion feel. While all Lundstrom clothing is not eco, their bamboo line is a favorite for eco-fashionistas. This jacket, for example, is crafted from a recycled corn polyster blend, and is available in sizes up to 24.

Photosource: www.lundstrom.ca

So the first steps toward plus size eco-fashion have certainly been taken, but we can always do more!

For complete larger ist of eco-chic boutiques offering plus sizes, see M.E. Wood’s article on BellaOnline.

By: Julia Rea