A girl can never have too many summer dresses – they’re chic, easy to throw on in no time, and help you beat the heat. EcoSkin has helped add ‘smart’ to the list of the benefits of wearing dresses – designer Sandy Skinner crafts garments using Tencel and bamboo, both sustainable. EcoSkin’s is Tencel is 100% organic and biodegradable, extracted from wood pulp taken from tree farms that only practice sustainability. The brand’s bamboo is 100% naturally grown, requiring no pesticides, insecticides or fertilizers.

Skinner names the Italian Riviera and the women who work and play there as her influences, which explains the elegant drapery and high design aesthetic of each dress. The Brasenia dress, with its asymmetrical strap and bubble hem, gives off a playful, flirtatious vibe that’s perfect for summer barbecues and rooftop shindigs. Plus, it pairs well with both heels and flats, so you can take it with you to the beach or dress it up for a night on the town. Click here to read more

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Daily Greenz #145

New eco-designer Kate D’Arcy knows the way into a woman’s heart is through her wardrobe – or more specifically, through beautifully designed, absolutely comfortable clothing.  Her company Toggery uses 100% organic cotton and bamboo fibers for all her pieces and combines a classic design with vibrant colors, which are made from low-impact reactive dyes that use less energy and chemicals than natural or vegetable dyes.  Whether dressed up or dressed down, her collection of breathable, stretchy shirts, dresses, and leggings exudes a sense of luxury without the discomfort.  Best of all, it’s all produced locally in Pennsylvania by a certified socially compliant apparel manufacturer.  Toggery makes sustainable fashion available to budget-conscious consumers for $29 – $115 – a very reasonable price for these classic pieces.  View the summer collection at www.shopmodify.com or find a local retailer near you at www.toggerycollection.com.

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Daily Greenz #137

Want to see your old shirts repurposed as part of an exclusive Loomstate t-shirt collection?  Between April 13th to 27th, bring your old duds to Barneys New York, receive 20% off all Loomstate clothing, and look forward to seeing your shirts “re-fashioned” in the Barneys for Holiday 2008 collection!

The Sundance Channel recently partnered up with Barneys New York and Loomstate to promote Season 2 of THE GREEN by launching this new eco-fashion idea of recycled shirts.  The show’s purpose is to inspire viewers to make changes in their lives to positively impact the environment, without sacrificing style or quality.  The t-shirt campaign is their way of demonstrating that such a change is possible.  Loomstate is a fitting designer for the t-shirt recycling program, as they normally use 100% certified organic materials to make eco-luxe clothing.

As an added incentive, proceeds from the t-shirt recycling program will go to 1% for the Planet, which is a growing network of businesses that donate 1% of their sales to help environmental organizations worldwide.  If you’re looking to do a little spring cleaning, now’s the time!  Find a Barneys store near you at www.sundancechannel.com/ecommunity.

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Daily Greenz #134

Fashion giant Banana Republic has finally gone green.  They’re launching their eco-collection of 50 stylish pieces to coincide with Earth Day and will be donating 1% of all in-store sales from April 22nd to 27th to Trust for Public Lands.  Their eco-pieces, which are identified by a green elephant icon, are made from a mix of sustainable materials, such as bamboo, organic cotton, and linen.  They’re also making efforts to green all their packaging by using recycled material whenever possible (their shoe boxes and price tags contain at least 50% recycled material) and switching store lighting to energy-efficient halogen bulbs to reduce carbon emissions.

They’re not stopping there.  Having partnered up with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Leaders program, they’re serious about doing their part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 11% by the end of the year.  In addition to the lighting switch, they’re also incorporating temperature control and other energy-saving practices in their stores – changes which have already resulted in an overall energy savings of 41% this year.  Their stores are getting an attractive makeover, too, with floors made of certified wood from sustainable forests and restroom tiles made of 15% recycled material.

So the next time you see a Banana Republic billboard, don’t turn your nose up at it.  They’re also being recycled and re-used as roofing material for homes.  While they still have a ways to go before they can be considered bona fide green, we still want to tip our hats to them for taking a step in the right direction.  Check out their new collection at www.bananarepublic.com.

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Daily Greenz #121

Model and founder Julia Grieve knows a thing or two about fashion, so it’s no surprise that her designs are a hot commodity in Canada and abroad.  Based on a trendy deconstructive aesthetic, every unique piece is made from several different repurposed garments and then carefully hand-stitched together to suit even the most creative personality.  All vintage garments are procured from local, to-the-trade warehouses and handmade in Toronto.  Their seasonal collections have been known to recycle up to 30,000 sweaters, thousands of shirts, and hundreds of jeans.  Celebs like Alanis Morissette can’t seem to get enough of preloved’s creations.  With retail stores throughout the U.S., it shouldn’t be too hard to find your unique preloved garb at www.preloved.ca.

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Daily Greenz #104

The Ramona Coat, Delano Collection’s debut piece in sustainable apparel, is drawing lots of attention these days.  Its princess-cut design, made of 100% organic wool and lined with bamboo fabric, is a perfect synchronization of style and sustainability that has fashion tongues wagging.  We love the style, but we also love the fact that bamboo has great environmental benefits, such as its ability to grow quickly during peak season (thereby making it easy to replace resources) and its ability to clean the soil and air around it.

Delano is committed to creating sustainable luxury brands, so they design and manufacture all their fabrics and apparel in New York City and Philadelphia.  Although winter may be winding down, we think the Ramona Coat’s classic style will stick around for another season or two.  Make a statement for $425 at www.delanocollection.com.

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Daily Greenz #97

We’ve all seen movies in which women will casually slip money into their brassieres, using them as a temporary holding station for small objects.  And we’ve envied them because sometimes, we’re tired of always having to lug a purse around.  Someone at Triumph International must have felt the same way because they took the idea one step further and created a bra for Japanese consumers that actually converts into a shopping bag.  The NO! Reji-Bukuro Bra (literally, NO! Shopping Bag Bra) has padding that folds out into a bag and is hooked together by the underwire.  The padding itself is made from recycled plastic bottles.

The Hong Kong-based Triumph International, who’s known for designing eco-themed bras, created the hybrid bra to reduce plastic bag consumption among Japanese consumers, who use an estimated 30 billion plastic bags a year.  Available in an array of colors, it may find its way to the U.S. if it becomes popular in Japan.  Check out the collection at www.triumph.com/uk.

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Daily Greenz #78

Nau, which means “welcome” in Maori, is fashioning
a whole new philosophy of eco-friendly style with its clothes and stores, both of which
are made entirely of recycled materials. We’re talking full-cycle
sustainability: from growth to distribution, their
practical yet trendy clothing is created from organic materials (who knew
polyester could be recycled?), which they develop directly with suppliers to
ensure quality control. They’re then
sold in tiny “webfronts,” which are about half the size of conventional
clothing
stores and built out of recycled aluminum and reclaimed hardwood to
ensure energy efficiency. To encourage
even greater eco-friendliness, they offer a 10% discount to customers who buy
directly from webfronts and will also donate 5% of all profits to a nonprofit
organization. Their credo to “Do well by
doing good” is clear in the way they fund carbon-reduction projects and buy
natural power to sustain business operations. So look good and feel good by making your next clothing purchase (like
the burr sweater pictured here for $123.50) at nau.com .

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Daily Greenz #64

If you think you can pull off the beach-y hipster dude look, check out Christys’ Crown Series Acapulco Gold hat. It’s handmade out of water-resistant raffia braid, a renewable resource. This durable, non-shrinkable hat comes from palm tree leaves in Madagascar, in case you need a fun fact to throw out there when you’re picking up girls. You can own this cool hat for just $38; visit hatsinthebelfry.com for more information.

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