Polyester... friend of foe?

Lookin’ groovy in polyester man! Polyester isn’t traditionally a sustainable fabric. Your grandma might love her polyester pant suit (I know mine did) and your kids may cuddle up in their fleece hoodies, but polyester isn’t doing us any favors.

Polyester, like most plastics, is essentially made from CRUDE OIL. Yes, the ancient stuff under the Arabian sands that humankind goes to war over. By reacting two petroleum extracts, terephthalic acid with ethylene glycol (commonly known as antifreeze) under very high temperatures, you get the chemical polymer used to create polyester. As this cools, it becomes like a syrup and is forced through small holes to create tiny streams which dry and solidify into the yarn that is woven into fabric. In England, this polymer was called terylene. Du Pont secured exclusive U.S. rights to the polymer in 1946, calling it polyester, with the brand name Dacron.

The same polymer can be formed into other plastics like the one used for soda bottles. Because soda bottles and polyester have the same chemical makeup, some polyesters these days are made in part or whole by recycled bottles. Maybe polyester is sustainable after all… just read the labels!



Here are a couple pieces from Patagonia’s Hempton’s line which are made from a linen-like blend of recycled polyester, hemp and organic cotton. Nice! Patagonia has a bunch of options that contain recycled polyester including their staples of Synchilla® made from 8-oz double-faced polyester fleece (85% recycled fiber) which has saved numerous lives on the top of Everest or out camping on a cold night.

Thinking like an Econista:
I keep going back to certain themes and here again, is one. Irresponsible science has gotten us into this climate crisis. Because without all these scientists and patent-holding companies, we would be using naturally occurring fibers, grown with sun and water the way humankind was living for millenia. We wouldn’t be choking on pesticides, using crude oil to cloth ourselves or be breathing in chemical waste if some guy in a lab coat didn't come up with it. So Patagonia is a great example of how we can put science to work for us to solve our problems. Maybe there’s hope for our civilization after all.

Deborah Lindquist

Mini skirts and ski sweaters, what better icons of LA winters? Deborah Lindquest is an LA designer who has dressed famous trendsetters who care about the environment. Such stars as Gwen Stefani, Carlize Theron and Paris Hilton. Her creations are a mix of recycled cashmere, repurposed kimonos and saris, vintage silk scarves, and sustainable materials such as hemp, organic cotton, and organic wool. Her aesthetic is flirty with corset bodices and flounced skirts being eternally feminine. But then she'll add a strong graphic element from a tiki influence, a fleur de lys, skull and bones or native american patterns to make a modern and at times irreverent piece.

The Urban Forest Project

What comes to mind when you hear this phrase: The Urban Forest Project? Planting trees in the inner city? The creation of more green spaces in urban environments for our children to play in? Donation programs to save trees in non-urban areas? Those were my first thoughts when I saw this phrase. But that’s not the case…read on.

The Urban Forest Project was an outdoor exhibition of 185 designer’s vision of the tree, a form that, according to the project’s website, is a metaphor for sustainability. The designs were all made into massive banners and displayed throughout Times Square as a large scale public art installation that was like a graphic forest on an urban canvas. In the spirit of sustainability, all of the banners are being recycled into really cool tote bags (designed by Jack Spade) and sold to the public (for $120). The proceeds from the totes benefit graphic design scholarships and mentoring programs of AIGA to “sustain the next generation of design talent.”



So what the fuh? The name “Urban Forest Project” is a misnomer. They just used the tree to make artwork that would raise money for themselves. This project cares more about artificial representations of trees rather than actual trees. It was just an exploration of the form of the tree, an intellectual juxtaposition of a tree in the urban jungle, without any real benefit for the environment. The time for metaphors and simple alerts about the issues has past.

Thinking like an Econista:
This is a perfect example of why I started Econista. Humankind needs to look at the environment in a different way if we want to solve the climate crisis. Nature is not simply a muse that’s there to inspire art. In order to solve our problems we must make a cultural shift and those who define culture (like graphic designers) are responsible for influencing this shift.

We must make the tree MORE important than art. Or at least equal to art, 50/50 where the benefit to real trees equals the benefit to graphic design students. That would be a great start. We can no longer afford to simply let art imitate life and hope for the best. Especially when we have the capability to do more.

Mohop Shoes

Annie Mohaupt thinks outside the box. Her innovative shoes are handmade by her in a Chicago studio. Inspired by skateboards, the souls of her sandals are composed of recycled rubber soling, birch from Finland and then screen-printed with graphics designed by Annie. She uses environmentally-friendly woods, glues, sealers and inks.


But what’s most unique about her shoes is the strapping system (patent-pending) that enables the wearer to customize the look in an infinite number of ways by using ribbons tied in different configurations. Mohop sells vintage and embellished ribbons to help customize the look. So if you love sandals, you can have as many pairs as you can imagine with one pair of Mohops! Talk about the perfect resort shoe!

Mohop website...

Teens for Safe Cosmetics

The more immersed into the environmental movement I become, the more I see how surrounded by artificiality we are. Walking down the street has become a tour of plastic forms and smelly gases, a literal man-made maze. I was recently shopping and the “new” cloths smell was driving me nuts (what is that smell anyway?). Trusting my surroundings is more and more difficult… which is no way to live.

There are women out there who feel the same way. Here’s a movement out of the bay area that is working to clean up the beauty industry. In fact, members of Teens for Safe Cosmetics played a significant role in the passage of an unprecedented bill in California: The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2005.

This cause is not only bonding mothers and daughters, it’s also getting the word out to young women that they don’t need to sacrifice their health for beauty. Their goals include promoting truth in advertising, labeling standards and requiring that ingredients are thoroughly tested before they are brought to shelves.



Teens for Safe Cosmetics recently held a fun rally in San Francisco’s Union Square called “Project Prom” where participants wore their prom dresses while educating the public about their cause. They educated young girls about the 6,000+ chemicals found in many beauty products. Chemicals like Cocamide Dea/Lauramide Dea which is used in cosmetics as a foaming agent. It’s found in shampoo, body wash, facial cleansers, liquid hand soap, saving products, moisturizer, hair dye, hair spray and much more. There is insufficient toxicity data to determine safety, but some of the compounds are known cancer causing carcinogens.

For decades, American’s have trusted that companies and scientists have the consumer’s interests at heart and that the government would never jeopardize the public’s health, but as we have seen over the past generation, this is not true. It is up to the consumer to protect their own health in the face of tens of thousands of man-made chemicals floating around our lives, in our homes, and in our bodies!

Elle magazine (may 07) published an article about the chemicals in our blood. As compared to European levels, American’s have astronomically more chemicals floating around inside of them. I’ve started doing the Kitty Sniff Test… Otis and Tito (my kitties) don’t mind the smell of rotting food (which man finds gross and unhealthy… eek bacteria!), but they squint and grimace when they sniff antibacterial soap, moisturizer or window cleaner. Try the Kitty Sniff Test today, it's very telling.

Panda Snack

Bamboo all the way! Panda Snack is a fresh label that takes sustainability to heart. Not only are all of their cloths made out of beautiful bamboo, they are committed to working with manufacturing partners who are environmental. On top of it, they dedicate a portion of their profits to select environmental causes, now this is a company I can wear with pride!

Armour Sans Anguish

Go NorCal! This fresh label is the love child of Tawny Holt and Julie Edwards; two crafty gals who share a love of one-of-kind clothing. Each one of a kind piece is handmade, constructed of recycled and vintage clothing without the use of sweatshops! Zero carbon footprint here. Their style is young, fresh with a west coast twist for fun in the sun. Some pieces have Victorian influences, while others have girl next door charm. Check them out.