go green, part one

This weekend was the Designers and Agents event in Los Angeles.

For those of you who don’t know, and I was one of you until this weekend, upcoming fashion merchandise is put up for display in these large loft spaces. If you own a boutique, you can visit these “marketplaces”, see the upcoming collections and order stock for your store. The D&A marketplace focuses on cutting edge fashion and lifestyle. (If you are interested in learning more about them, and other events they may have, I highly recommend their site. You can go HERE.)

This year D&A launched their Green Market. This is a sustainable trade event encompassing the world of fashion and lifestyle. You can get the full details by clicking of the “greening” button on their site, however, I have included an excerpt of their mission:

“In addition to expanding fashion and lifestyle brands we will invite ecologically minded businesses, community based organizations and a selection of sustainable business models that we believe our audience of taste makers and influencers will find of interest.”

When I heard about, I decided to go and see what this was all about.

Let me tell you. I was impressed. There was space after space of merchandisers that were trying their darned hardest to blend the environment and great fashion; whether it was jewelry made out of reclaimed gold, or made from organic cotton, or vintage clothes cut and sewn together to be fresh and new. I was really in awe of every single person there. Each one was so passionate about their product and wanting to make a difference.

I am going to highlight a few of my favorites. (And, no the order does not imply preference… I loved them all equally). There are seven stores I want to mention, so this will be in two parts. Here are the first four.

SUST: An organic ethically made clothing line manufactured in San Francisco (yay local!). Essential pieces for a woman’s wardrobe, SUST pieces are meant to be kept as classics that can be dressed up or down.

They use 100% organically grown cotton, encouraging sustainable farming practices for the health of ecosystems, workers, our communities, and well let’s face it… the world.

OK. So this stuff is cute and holy cow is it soft. Without meaning any offense to the SUST crew, it reminded me of a much MUCH better American Apparel, especially in terms of the colors and the… energy… of the line. Fun and fresh. The quality of how it was made (stitching, design detailing) showed me that they are creating pieces that are durable and stylish, yet classic, that these are the pieces that will be in your closet forever. And, isn’t that what being sustainable is all about? This is about not having to throw out your clothes every year cause they have fallen apart or aren’t fashionable anymore.

And… oh! The mod dress. Seriously, my absolute favorite of the collection! But, I could see every piece competing with James Pearse, who isn’t sustainable or locally made. So given the choice… choose SUST!

Go HERE for their site. And, if you go to their site, click on collections… the green dress. The mod. Isn’t it adorable!

*I was able to take a picture from the catalog that I was given. Sorry for the poor quality, but at least you can see how adorable the line is…

SOY BEAM: environmentally friendly candle collection that blends sustainability, design, and craftsmanship to create a gratifying, aromatherapy experience.

Started by two friends that were concerned about what they were buying and its effect on the planet and people, they set out to create an environmentally friendly, yet luxurious and elegant, candle.

And, boy did they! The candles are made with organic and wild crafted essential oils, pure cotton wicks…and you know this is my favorite… NON GMO SOY!!!!!! They are poured into reclaimed glass, and once the candle is done, you can clean it out and have a wonderful glass container. They are packaged in 100% recycled biodegradable boxes, printed with soy ink, and to protect the wax until use they are covered with paper seals that are embedded with flower seeds. So, you can throw it into the earth and watch what sprouts. I mean that is a bang for your buck!

The scents are incredible and include Mandarin and Grapefruit, Geranium and Rosewood, and my favorite Clove bud and Cinnamon.

And if all that weren’t enough, I got to love them for the single fact that we share a logo… a golden spiral!

Check out their site HERE

TOPO RANCH: Named after the founders great great grandfather’s ranch, here in California, Topo Ranch clothing is 100% organic cotton.

“Topo Ranch believes that greener pastures lead to a brighter future. We don’t claim to be experts in going Green, but we do know that little things can add up and make a difference.”

This line is just so much fun. First off, it was one of two lines that carried good looking men’s clothing. I know we women tend to buy more and have more variety of clothing we think we “need”, but it is a shame that men don’t have the same eco-friendly clothing options that we do. So, moral of the story… go here!

The shirts are so soft. And the graphics are fun. I guess if I had to categorize the line reminds me of what a typical beach community might wear… fun tanks and tees, hoodies, button ups… I wish I knew more specific style names. But, the kind of clothing you would go to the beach on your cruiser, hang out all day, have a bonfire and some great times with friends.

The graphics were really unique and my favorites were a toss up between the “Organic Matters” and “Moth Deer” (which is exactly as it reads… a moth with antlers.) OOoh… and the Bandana Smock shirt that I have pictured… adorable!

So go HERE to check out there stuff. For Los Angelenos, they have a store in Venice, and what I was told is that the first Friday of every month all the stores stay open late, music blaring, appetizers and wine, and just a good old community hanging out.

HARVEY BAGS: These folks have been around a very long time. I have loved since I first saw them… ooh, I hate to say it… 10 years ago.

If you don’t know the Harvey bag is the “seatbelt bag”. Mine is red and I have had it for at least eight years… and it does not show it in the least! It is so durable. But, why wouldn’t it be, it is made of seatbelts… which are supposed to, you know, save our lives!

From what I understand, they didn’t used to be sustainable. But that’s okay. They saw the light. Apparently, when a seatbelt does not pass inspection, Harvey’s goes in and grabs what they want to make the bags out of. The lining is reclaimed material, as well.

Like I stated above, part of sustainability is that the product is so well made that it doesn’t have to be thrown out every year. These items have become classics, while also maintaining a sense of whimsy that we all love to have in our collections. They provide a splash of color to your wardrobe… and may get a cute buy talking to you about. They are real conversation starters.

I really have loved them since I first laid eyes on them. And, I love them even more that they are using reclaimed products and making less of an impact on our home!

Go HERE for their website.

I will have the last three later tonight or tomorrow. Don’t want to bombard you with too much information… this turned out longer than I thought. Whew!