Green Cotton

We found sometime to catch up with Jannae Knopse, the winner of our Green Cotton Earth Day Contest, for an interview to hear more about what she is doing to make the earth a greener place. We are so pleased to learn more about her ethics, goals, dreams, and just exactly what she did for Earth Day! Jannae turns out to be a fascinating artist, true to her morals and sure in her goals.

Read our interview to find out more about Jannae:

Green Cotton (GC): What motivated you to become a designer?

Jannae (J): “I think of myself as less of a designer and more of an artist (granted one who mostly does design work…).

“In any case I had this really amazing art history teacher at a young age that convinced me that I had a future in the arts if I wanted it. Through his class I learned about the power art had in the cultural, historical, and political realms I was particularly inspired by the connection through propaganda and from there on out all I wanted to do was be a part of the arts.”

“I was so fascinated by the relationship that when I got to college (RISD), I majored in printmaking because of its use in propaganda and distribution.

“Printmaking led me to screen printing which led me to shirts which led me to think about cultural and political implications of production. Shirts became my way to affect the world around me.”

GC: Tell us about Slug of the Sea. What inspired you to create designs of insects, bugs and other creatures?

J: “Propaganda and political art often use animals to show an intended meaning. These meanings come from both cultural identities we assign the animals and how the animal is portrayed in the design.

“I started with ants.

“Ants tend to have a military identity and at the time that was the type of propaganda I was most interested in. I wanted to make the way I displayed the ants more honest to their actual behaviors. I realized that it was the relationship of reality to decorative identities which I found most interesting.

“The rest of the insect line followed as an exercise in trying to attract people to things they have aversions to as a way (hopefully) to make them think about what they truly have a problem with… the insect or the way we culturally identify it. Though I’m more then okay with people just thinking they’re funny or cute!”

“Cockroaches hiding out of sight” Unisex sweatshirt from Jannae’s Slug of the Sea line

Photosource: http://shop.slugofthesea.com/

J: “And lucky for me my name ended up fitting into my new aesthetic.

“My first name, Jannae (JUH-nay), is generally considered a pretty name (at least I think so). It turns out that it is also the species name of a sea slug found in Northern California and the west coast of Canada. A pretty name with an adverse secondary meaning! I couldn’t be more meant to be!”

GC: What is your goal with Slug of the Sea (SOS)?

J: “Oh my, what isn’t my goal? I really would like to figure out how to make Slug of the Sea my full-time job, but not just by selling clothes. Over the last year or so I’ve gotten to experience ways I would love to expand it:

“I love doing freelance designing for companies whose mission statements I really respect like the Wildlife Conservation Society, Edun Live, and Malaria No More. This work allows me access to the cultural and political missions I’m interested in. I couldn’t think of a better full time job for me. Anyone with a good mission statement and the need for some design work let me know!

“I also really enjoyed giving a speech at my old college about green washing and fairly made goods in the imprinted apparel industry. The more artists/designers make informed and responsible decisions, the better for all of us. The only way to make things better is to have the most people possible working towards and spending their money on it. That is what will make a difference.

“I also love selling my shirts. The more successful they are the happier I will be. Not only are they a great way to create art, but it allows me to produced clothes the way I preach it should be done. I’ve worked in the imprinted apparel industry as an eco and fairly made consultant for my customers at my day job at a print shop for about two years, so I have the inside scoop on the production policies for many blank apparel companies.

“I only use clothes made by American Apparel (I know all the drama but they are USA made in good conditions and they have an eco line, and I judge the company based on their production standards not their sex lives) or Edun-Live.

“For those who don’t know, Edun-Live is a company created by Bono of U2 and his wife Ali Hewson. The idea of the line is to create sustainable economies in sub-Saharan Africa through fair production. They also have a 100% organic line and they work with the Wildlife Conservation Society to create the Cotton Conservation Society, which is dedicated to insuring the growth of their cotton is as environmentally friendly as possible.

I’m classically trained in Fine Art print making so that will always be my first love so my goal is to sell as much as I can so I can keep producing them.”

GC: Is SOS an eco-line? (and if so how so)?

J: “I wouldn’t call it an eco-line. I’m dedicated to making as many eco choices as possible, but to call it an eco line would imply that everything about it is ecologically friendly. As much as I try, it isn’t totally possible yet (I don’t want what to be a green-washer!). I do have to admit that my main concern is social justice. To me insuring as many eco choices as possible is a part of that. The chemicals and pesticides in question not only harm the earth but the people who come in contact with them. Farmers touch and breath it etc. the ginners, weavers, and sewers touch their fair share too I’m sure depending on the processing of the cotton. Those of us in print shops are breathing some fun stuff from the inks too…

I am eco because: When I can afford it, I use organic cotton tees (though I always buy as fairly made as possible). I will be posting a new organic style shortly– keep your eye out! My packaging for the tees are all printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper and made in the USA. For the prints, I back all of them with the old cardboard boxes from shirt shipments. The inks that I choose to use produce minimal waste.

I am not eco because: Not all of my shirts are organic, I still have to have the blanks shipped to and from me, I have to use plastic to protect the prints, though there is very little waste my inks are not water-based inks (water-based textile inks create a lot of waste so they aren’t really that eco friendly either…)”

GC: Green Cotton awarded you our Earth Day award for your Eco-work in the month of April with Edun-Live. Can you tell us about a little more about your experience working for Edun-live?

J: “Edun-Live quickly became a favorite vendor of mine at my day job in the print shop. They had both fairly made shirts and even some organic styles. Then last summer I started to do some freelance designing for them during which I developed an even bigger crush on Edun. This crush has lead me to want to dedicate more time to such a great cause/company, hence the work I did with them for earth day and throughout the month of April. This opportunity combined my passion and talent for art with my love and desire to make the world a better place!

While there I was able to build up my portfolio while doing things to support a company I respect. Throughout the month I worked on marketing materials, some web design, and designs to be reproduced on tee-shirts. The stuff I was most excited about working on was the printed marketing materials.”

“Year of the Gorilla” T-shirt designed by Jannae while at Edun-Live

Photosource: http://slugofthesea.com/scrapbook.jpg

J: “I also designed posters, hand outs and an earth-day newsletter while I was there. Design and advertising is the best way to inform others about what you are doing and inspiring them to help too; not doing so is the downfall of many a good mission. Maybe it’s just my love of propaganda talking but helping a company create an advertising campaign that informs the public and potential customers of what they are doing right is one of the best things I could do with my time and talent.”

GC: If you had any recommendations for the apparel industry what would they be?

J: “Be honest: this green-washing crap isn’t really going to help anything or anyone in the end.

“It’s great that the public is pressuring big companies to consider what they are doing but the companies turning around and tricking the public isn’t going to change what people want. Maybe you’ll make more money in the short term, but I’ve got to believe (even if it is just to make myself feel better) that this isn’t going away and eventually you’ll have to actually do what you say. And how about while you’re at it be a little preemptive and see that fairly made goods are coming up as the next big thing. Maybe you can be the first to coin the great catch phrase for it, too.”

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We loved becoming more familiar with Jannae’s devotion to her ethics, and honesty. Green washing can certainly be a step backwards. So once again, congratulations Jannae! Keep up the good work. We also hope more and more people will see the value in saving our environment everyday.

Please check out her own line, Slug of the Sea, at http://slugofthesea.com/index.html.

Photosource: Jill Fehrenbacher. www.inhabitat.com

Green Cotton is excited to announce one of the greatest “hot ticket” Eco-Fashion events this Earth Day: The 3^rd annual Runway Show and Student Competition which will take place at “Project Earth Day” in New York City on Thursday in Lower Manhattan April 23rd, at 6 pm. Project Earth Day was created originally to celebrate NYC-based leadership in the fashion, interiors, and green building industries, and is featuring some of the most talented budding Eco-Fashion Designers as well as the most innovative brands making sustainable design in the fashion world today.

Bahar Shahpar is playing the role of stylist and co-producer for this event in partnership with the US Green Building Council (USGBC) and the New York Restoration Project (NYRP), guaranteeing the event will be a success and on the frontier of Eco-Chic Fashion.

The theme this year is ‘Through the Looking Glass: An Exploration of Scale and Proportion,’ explained by the organizers as a metaphoric play on dimension: “Our Wonderland is present-day New York City, viewed through a distorted lens – where big is small, small is big, and the worlds of building and fashion collide through an exploration of scale.”

The student competition gives new designers an opportunity to get great media coverage, be voted on by a distinguished panel of guest judges, and generate buzz about their new label or collection. Another function of Project earth Day, therefore, is to help those in the established Eco-Fashion world identify new talent. Last year’s winners assure us that picking this year’s winners’ will be challenging. Previous winners include Amira Marion, Maritza Romo de Fusco, Judy Lee, Ashley Newsome, and Daphne Woo.

2008 Grand Prize Winner: Amira Marion. Photosource: www.inhabitat.com

2008 Second Place Winner: Maritza Romo de Fusco. Photosource: www.inhabitat.com

Project Earth Day’s broad group of contributing sponsors reflects the growing understanding of how important sustainability, as well as fashion, are in our modern world. This event has the potential to have a broad effect on the Eco-Fashion world, and imbue an urban Eco-Chic feel to the most modern of trends. A limited number of tickets are still available, so if you could somehow make it to this event on Thursday, you would probably be doing yourself a favor!

Stay tuned for Green Cotton’s recap of this event at a later date!

By: Julia Rea

Photosource: http://www.nylonmag.com

In the spirit of Earth Day, Target is going green with a collection from top eco-fashion line Loomstate by Rogan Gregory. The mega retailer and leading eco-conscious designer are embarking on a relatively new frontier: when sustainable design meets fast fashion. The unlikely pairing must have struck the right chord, since this is actually the second time Gregory has teamed up with the chain store— his Rogan for Target line was snapped up last April.

Loomstate for Target features beachy, casual-prep pieces, from bright tees and shorts to neutral skirts and plaid dresses. But eco-fashionistas everywhere are debating whether the clothes are truly eco-friendly, or even fashionable.

Anytime a major chain store like Target sells “organic” wares, a careful consumer has to question whether the items are produced with sustainable and fair trade practices. Considering the price of organic fabrics, especially cotton, it makes sense that many designer pieces from lines like Loomstate can cost $200; selling an organic cotton tee for, say, $15 seems a little far-fetched. Just how would a low-impact, good-for-the-earth item wind up retailing for so cheap? Eco-fashion lovers would agree: it’s a bit too good to be true.

But bringing eco-fashion to the mainstream and making it affordable was precisely the point of this collaboration. As Gregory’s business partner, Scott Hahn, explained to Teen Vogue, “We told Target that we wanted to find ways to keep bringing sustainable design to their stores…we’re hoping it will educate other big brands about organic farming.”

Let’s hope Loomstate’s mission is successful. In the meantime, the jury is still out on just how eco-chic their collection is. But if you’re on a budget and want to incorporate more eco-fashion into your wardrobe, Loomstate for Target must seem like a breath of fresh air. You can check out the new GO International collection beginning April 19.

What do you think of eco-cheap fashion? Are you more drawn to organic clothing when it’s affordable, or are fair trade regulations your top priority? Please comment. We’d love to know your thoughts!

By: Erin Dale