Peligrosa Knits

Peligrosa Knits produces some fine basics for the econista who loves cashmere long or short sleeved sweaters. Some of their more styled designs, like the ruffle boatneck shown above, are made from 100% organic cotton. The company is dedicated to sustainability throughout the production of it's collection. Beyond using organic cottons, they use natural organic dyes and natural mordants that are derived from roots, herbs, fruits and vegetables. Naturally fermented indigo is a signature garment dye which you can find on some of their fine cashmere sweater coats. To take it a step farther, the company uses all recycled paper printed with soy dyes for their packaging and their shipping bags are 100% biodegradable. You can find this LA based company's wares at fine boutiques nationwide.

Viridis Luxe

The Viridis Luxe mission is to provide sustainable luxurious clothing to those who are making the choice to tread lightly on our planet while continuing to enjoy fashion, luxury, and style.

Their signature organic fabric is a blend of the fine cashmere with long-fiber hemp. The Viridis Luxe line also includes exotic bamboo t-shirts and exclusive sheer silk~hemp collection of jersey tops. You can even buy their wares online at nordstroms.

Tees for Change

The world can be a heavy place full of stress and mundane routine. Tees for Change to the rescue with a healthy dose of positive reminders about living a full life. With messages like "choose happiness", "today matters", and "live mindfully" wearing them can be as much community service as it is therapy. Beyond tees made from organic cotton or bamboo, the company is further dedicated to sustainability by partnering with American Forests Global Relief who will plant a tree for every shirt you purchase! Now there's real world positivity. There's really no reason not to get one.

A Book About Beauty Products

"Lead in lipstick? 1,4 dioxane in baby shampoo? How is this possible? Simple. The $35 billion cosmetics industry is so powerful they’ve kept themselves unregulated for decades. Stacy Malkan’s new book, Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry (New Society Publishers, Oct. 2007), chronicles the quest that led a group of health and environmental activists to the world’s largest cosmetics companies to ask some tough questions:

Why do companies market themselves as pink ribbon leaders in the fight against breast cancer, yet use hormone-disrupting and carcinognic chemicals that may contribute to that very disease?

Why do they put chemicals linked to reproductive harm into products used daily by men and women of childbearing age?

As doors slammed in their faces and the beauty myth peeled away, the industry’s toxic secrets began to emerge. The good news is that while the multinational corporations fight for their right to use hazardous chemicals, scientists and entrepreneurs are developing safer non-toxic technologies and building businesses on the values of health, justice and personal empowerment."

This is a very important read that's going to the top of my reading list. After discovering this spring that the strange nagging raspiness of my respiratory system was caused by Bare Minerals, I was slapped awake and realized that the makeups and beauty products I was using might not be good for me. The realization lead me to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and subsequent research made me throw away my collection of products to start from scratch with all natural ones. But the issue still nags me, especially after years of using acne products which use a lot of chemicals and considering I've been trying to conceive for a year now, perhaps this book will have some answers. I'll do a post after reading the book.

Beauty Product Dbase

The database is awesome and terrifying. Above are the top selling sunscreens. The higher the number, the more toxic it is. They have ranked hundreds of brands and to no surprise, the most main stream brands are the most toxic. Anti-aging products seem to have the largest effect on reproductive organs.

Every woman should check this out. They are killing us girls, we need to be empowered!

No Commitment Consumption

Ok, so I'm torn about the sustainability of this concept. Like so many things in this complicated world, there are trade offs, one good has an evil.

So Bag Borrow or Steal is a website that's kicking off an intriguing idea. You pay a monthly membership fee and you can borrow up to 3 items at a time from their website. A Prada bag, trendy diamond jewelery, and even vintage couture accessories. You can borrow items for as long as you want without late feels. Not a bad concept. You never really own the items, but your always in season. You can dress for success for meetings or events without spending the thousands of dollars it takes to look like a million. But, it's not cheap. For the Couture membership - $175 per month while the Trendsetter membership is $25. If you are a Trendsetter member, you can still choose from the couture collection, but you will be charged an extra weekly fee for that item.


This is an interesting alternative for econistas... at least i think it is (email me with your opinion on this one). By renting items, you're sharing the environmental impact of this item with others, you're not seriously perpetuating a low production high profit industry but you still get to keep up with Mrs. Jones. My only hesitation about full endorsement comes at carbon footprint issue - the shipping back and forth of goods. For women who work in sales or who are executives but who care about the environment, I could see this as a great alternative - put on the appearance without committing to the consumption. Take a look, maybe it makes sense with your lifestyle.

Davina Hawthorn

Davina Hawthorn's love of textile design is exposed in these full and fabulous jackets. Her fascination with fabric is shared with all those who view her hand crafted pieces (made of recycled fibers) through shape and texture. One of the original designers showing at Esthetica at London's Fashion week, Davina Hawthorn has seen success as a sustainable designer. She's been commissioned to design costumes for theatrical and television production and won awards for her visionary sensibility.

The Öko Box

I just stumbled across an exciting online shop called The Öko Box. They specialize in sustainable fashion providing nice bamboo dresses such as the elegant one above, organic cotton and hemp wares as well as free trade pieces to round out a satisfying eStore. Overall their style is a step above the yoga/hippie vibe. They even hold online auctions for fun pieces like the ruffle skirt bellow. Their commitment to providing sustainable alternatives is reinforced further through monthly donations to the National Wildlife Federation. The store is worth bookmarking.

Threadbanger.com

They rock, love their episodes. Subscribe at their site.