Green Cotton

Here it is folks– another fabulous round of news from our eco-blogging clan:

Eco-Chick
Eco-Chick gets Eairth-y with some Fabulous Phillipino Eco-Fashion

Fashion, Evolved
Fashion, evolved interviews Sara Suemae, the founder and designer of the eco-fabulous line SPUN.

Green Girls
The GreenGirls.tv tells us why knockoffs and fakes are a crime of fashion.

The Alternative Consumer
Natural Wrist Warmers- Tres chic and handmade, a yummy accessory for fall, winter and spring.

Green Grechen
No Leather Here! Chic Handbags for Vegans.

Victoria Everman

What Are You Tired Of? Tell the World and Make It Change! - An interview with I’m Tired Of co-founder Dan Hoffman

Natural Wrist Warmers
Tre chic and handmade, a yummy accessory for fall, winter and spring.

Green Cotton
Congrats to the D.C. Green Festivals for a terrific eco-fashion show and impressive recycling for 30,000+

DC Green Festivals came and went, and I must say that it held true to its reputation this year—of being a remarkably exciting and fun-filled weekend. With nearly 30,000 people in attendance the 2-day event was jam pac’d with organic and sustainable vendors, speakers, exhibits, food and more.

On the eco-fashion scene, I was duly impressed by the number of exhibitors at the event. Both new and old designers, I found the quality and range of products to be a significantly greater than last year—a positive indication that demand for organic clothing is one the rise (which is in line with Organic Exchange data as well).

A pleasant surprise for me over the weekend however, was how well Green Festivals managed their event recycling.

For any of you who have been to a large conference, you know how much waste is generated on an hourly basis. It can be rather disturbing. How does one get rid of all of it? Being the Green Fest, one can only imagine the pressure on the organizing committee to do an immaculate job at recycling. And guess what? They came through.

I have been to other supposedly “green” events and the recycling program was a disaster (not hard to do). So what did they do?

First, in several strategic areas of the conference hall they placed 4 clearly labeled bins with the following:
•    Compost (for food and biodegradable waste)
•    Paper products
•    Plastics & Glass
•    Landfill (items not recyclable)

Not only was each bin was labeled properly, but there were two workers standing nearby to answer any questions in each area!!  In addition, they had a water station for free water fill up (no need to buy a water bottle!). In fact I did not see any water bottles while there—I am sure there were some, but I did not see any.

Have you ever been to an event when recycling is SUPPOSEDLY in place, BUT the containers are not labeled and there is no one sanding nearby to guide what goes where—so what results is everyone throwing trash wherever they want…ending in total chaos? Well, I am sure a lot of us have, so it is really refreshing when someone finally gets it right—especially when it is for a really large crowd.

Recycling at events like these I believe is so important not only because the volume of waste generated is SO great (and DC Convention Center for example hosts large events every week), but also because it sets a precedent. By modeling behavior in this way, it encourages those of us who might not always recycle to think twice about it. The next time we go to an unlabeled bin we might even ask whoever is standing near: what goes where?

Three cheers for Green Fest (Coop America and Global Exchange) for putting on another extraordinary event.

Green Festivals hosted 5 times a year by Coop America and Global Exchange is one of the biggest eco events in America. Taking place in 5 select cities, the DC Fest will be this Saturday and Sunday at the Convention Center. Tens of thousands are expected to fill the venue, plus hundreds of exhibitors.

If you have never been, I highly recommend attending. It is a HUGE marketplace, community gathering and all around fun time. Featuring new and old companies (including at least 20 in eco-fashion alone), inspirational speakers, musical acts, innovative products, informative exhibits and DELICIOUS food (organic and vegetarian), including tons of samples, you will not be bored.

Last year I attended as my first Green Fest (as an attendee) and had a blast. Staying several more hours than expected, I ended up doing ALL my holiday shopping in one swoop- it was THAT good. Friends and family loved the gifts. What was great too is that I prevented the usual last minute rushes to the mall and other stores by getting it done early - and all gifts were eco-friendly.

TIME:
Saturday November 8th 10am- 7PM
Sunday November 9th 11am – 6pm

PLACE: DC Convention Center (801 Mount Vernon Place, NW, Washington, DC 20001

The Festival provides ample opportunity to mix, mingle and sample. You will undoubtedly walk away with new knowledge, new connections and new ideas. Entry fee is $15 per person for all day, including both days if you want.

DC speakers this year include Barbara Ehrenreich, William McDonough, Lester Brown , Herve Kempf as well as Madeline  Kunin among dozens of others.

We are excited to see what is new and hot in the eco-fashion world on behalf of Green Cotton at this event and will report back next week on the details. Stay tuned!

For more information on the Washington DC Green Festivals, visit www.greenfestivals.org/washington-dc-2008/

For information on purchasing tickets click here. Entry fee is $15 per person for all day, both days if desired.

Fresh and fabulous, this week’s round up brings to us breaking news in:

1) Recession-proofing: savvy shopping strategies from vintage to charity and more….

2) Beauty products: how to stay away from the green washing.

3) Designers & Agents (D&A) Show for “Green Market” LA.

4) Celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness Month

First and foremost, we are all slightly harried over the economy at the moment (are we not?), let alone the looming election which will undoubtedly change the course of history… so what better way to sweat of some that unwelcome stress than through retail therapy?

This week, Green Girls Global gives us some smart insights into “charity” shopping to get the most out of that experience Charity begins in the wardrobe… The golden rules of charity shopping for sustainable fashion.

Fashion, evolved takes a step further by offering some words of wisdom on buying vintage.

Meanwhile, Alternative Consumer does the dirty work for us by scouting out the best values in fall eco-coat in their Fall Coat Wrap Up. Featured top is zip up fleese jacket by NaturevsFuture.

Cul de Sac Handbag

Green Grechen also dug deep for us and found some of the coolest handbags made with recycled leather at this time of year in her post on Reclaimed Chic: The Best Recycled Leather Handbags

We also wrote about recession-proofing eco-finds last week here at Green Cotton. Check it out.

On Beauty -  Eco Chick reminds us that greenwashing of “natural” beauty products is alive and well…so BEWARE. I agree! Seems everywhere I go now I see “All Natural” and organic….but what does it really mean? Is there a certification? Thank you Eco-Chick for keeping us on our toes and asking the right questions.

Also, Victoria Everman writes about Clean Beauty and Conscience with Yes to Carrots + EXCLUSIVE GIVEAWAY! Victoria offers a good review of “Yes to Carrots” brand products.

On the very hot D&A scene GreenGirls.tv reports live from the first ever sustainable D&A event at Green Market in LA…looks like it was a ton of fun. Check out their post as well as some live coverage of the event (including live bands) on their site.

Last but not least, Hooray for Fig & Sage for celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness Month!  Fig+Sage Celebrates Breasts is giving away an Organic Breastfeeding Support Kit (worth $50). As someone who practices public (in my other job:), I am very excited to see their push for breastfeeding….we have known for a while now (thanks to dozens of studies) that breastfeeding is inordinately more beneficial than formula or complimentary feeding, especially in the first 6 months. So lets get on the bandwagon and support this noble cause for women worldwide!

Hope you enjoyed this week’s wrap up and stay tuned for next week as we unpack Halloween festivities from the eco-perspective and delve deeper into fall fashions.

Vera Wang Collection at NY Fashion Week, 2008

New York Fashion Week has come and gone, and Green Cotton has been tracking the trends. Last week we showed you how designers have embraced the haute hippie with earthy, sixties and seventies-inspired looks. This week we’re zeroing in on another hot runway look, but we’re not going to just discuss the trend— we’re also going to show you some awesome eco-friendly clothes and accessories that will help you rock the latest runway styles in greener, guilt-free fashion.

As evidenced in several collections, the boho-chic trend is still thriving this coming spring season, but some fashion experts think “boho-rock” is this trend’s second life. Fusing the bohemian free spirit with a heavy metal attitude, this tough-yet-girly look is a fun way to shake up an otherwise basic wardrobe.

Check out these looks from the following New York Fashion Week designers:

Rodarte Collection, NY Fashion Week

Rodarte displayed classic rock-and-roll style with short leather jackets and skinny black pants, a major standout from their funky shredded sweater dresses.

Rag and Bone, NY Fashion Week, 2008

Rag & Bone’s blazer, skinny pants, studded belt and shiny flats gave rock star glam a little preppy polish.

DKNY Collection, NY Fashion Week, 2008

DKNY also paired a blazer with punky accessories: a pink rock t-shirt dress, chains and high-top sneakers.

If you want to flip-flop the pink and black color combo, try this look from Alexander Wang (featured below): a sparkly black top with gauzy black shorts, an oversized pink blazer, and some of the coolest shoes from all of Fashion Week.

Vera Wang (collection featured top), who favors gothic romance, sent a gorgeous glammed-up rocker look down her runway: a silver silk tunic with a long black vest, black cigarette pants, chains and crystalline embellishments.

If you think you can’t rock this look with eco-friendly wares, think again. Eco-fashion tends to be branded as anything but on-trend, but eco-fashionistas know that “organic” and “sustainable” doesn’t have to mean crunchy or boring! So grab your favorite vintage band t-shirt and try these on for size:

Edun’s “Sage” straight leg jeans in “Raven” (featured above) deserve star status in any eco-conscious closet! Founded by Bono, his wife Ali Hewson and designer Rogan Gregory, Edun is a socially conscious clothing company that specializes in organic style. These jeans are perfect for a night out with a vintage bomber jacket.

Try teaming them with a pair of wedge heels from Mohop (featured above). The black ribbons on these add a touch of gothic glamour. These shoes would also look hot with a frayed denim mini and black sweater tights, or these studded bamboo leggings by Covet (featured below):

Of course, no rock star outfit would be complete without awesome accessories. This sterling silver filigree butterfly necklace by Catherine Weitzman echoes the gothic romance-esque jewelry seen on Vera Wang’s models. It’s available from the Brooklyn boutique Sodafine, which features vintage, handmade and eco-friendly clothing and accessories.

Finish your look with Matt & Nat’s Tate (featured above) tote in grey. It’s made from recycled materials but has the look of leather, sure to please nature-loving and vegan fashionistas alike!

And have fun searching for your own eco-fashion finds, whether you want to follow the trends or express your unique style. Please let us know what you think of this trend and others from New York Fashion Week. And be sure to check back at Green Cotton as we track London looks from their Fashion Week!

All pictures in this post are from NYmag.com

Post By Erin Dale