The footwear line was brought jointly by well-known social activist and bold entrepreneur cum writer Summer Rayne Oakes and the well-known shoe company Payless. Also known as the Eco-Model, Summer Rayne Oakes helped payless in creating such wonderful footwear. Payless is appreciated globally for its sustainable stylish collection of shoes and other fashion accessories. The brand new shoe line, launched by Payless on Oakes, will be available on 1,000 outlets of Payless stores in entire United States. If you are staying outside, you can avail these striking shoes by browsing the official site of Payless, which is www.payless.com. Zoe & Zac is an authentic collection of green fashion accessories, which includes great eco friendly shoes, linen, hemp, recycled rubber, jute and water-based glues.

Technorati Tags: budget friendly, earth friendly, eco friendly, hemp, linen, recycled, sustainable shoes, Zoe & Zac

A note from a reader:

“Well, summer is finally upon us!  My favorite time of year.  But I gotta tell you, last summer did not go well for me. Do you know why? Let me tell you, if you do not have fitting summer dresses under your belt to give befitting replies to the scorching summer heat, you are gone! That’s exactly what had happened with me in the last summer. I was having a pair of good brown-colored Miranda tops, exclusively kept for my vacation. But the whole experience proved to be so terrifying, you know and consequently, I became horribly frustrated wearing it. I developed so many rashes on my skin! I don’t know from where the dress was purchased by my dad! I feel pity for him! I can’t blame him. He was actually not aware of the eco friendly clothes that are now days available to take care the young girls, like me!

After experiencing the disastrous dress disturbance, I, along with my father, was then searching for an accommodative eco friendly cloth for me. And then we found this lovely light-orange coloured Miranda Top I am wearing now. It is so nice, so fitting to me, always gives so much of pleasure and comfort that you can’t imagine wearing an ordinary top. And, believe me, after experiencing the beauty of an eco friendly cloth, I will never go back to my old wardrobe full of eco alarming dresses. I suggest you also should not!

The Miranda Top I purchased that day was not the only piece available in the store; but it was definitely a unique piece. Besides, the dress was available under different varied shades and textures. Each one of them was so demanding! I also purchased another piece for my sister. She too joined me in celebrating bringing eco friendly clothes in our household. The salesperson asked only $32.00 for my exquisite Miranda Top manufactured by Ideo, using 100% organic cotton fabric. I don’t think, I will ever get such an economically eco-friendly dress material for me! The dress is machine washable and needs no special care in order to maintain it’s eco friendly nature – what else you want! The top is not only an earth-friendly piece – it is stylish too! When I go out wearing the figure-flattering wrap style Miranda Top, I too look natural!

Thanks for bringing us all the great info about organic cotton and other eco-friendly clothing!!”

Technorati Tags: earth friendly, eco friendly, Ideo, Miranda top, organic cotton

Last summer Katharine Hamnett, one of Britain’s most popular style gurus, sold denim jeans with a difference. It wasn’t their style that was unique, nor their color. Instead, the uniqueness lay in the fabric – they are manufactured from organic cotton. They cost slightly more than the non-organic variety, but their cost in terms of environmental protection is phenomenal. People, from buyers to distributors alike, flocked to Hamnett’s fashion show, to get a sampling of the variety of environmentally responsible fashion offered by her – and they weren’t disappointed.

Hamnett is one of the first designers in Europe to explore the potential of organic cotton. She has produced an entire range of green fashion, employing un-bleached, un-dyed cotton. Katharine Hamnett is alarmed about the fabrics currently used in the fashion industry and has been keenly developing more environmentally friendly fabrics. She showcased her collection in the ‘Ethical Fashion Show’ in Paris, which offers a platform for environmentally friendly designers from around the world to showcase their clothing and accessories. Katharine Hamnett’s clothing line is made entirely out of cotton, untreated wool or linen, containing no pesticides or other harmful chemicals like conventional clothing does.

The first ‘Ethical Fashion Show’ was held in 2004. Now an annual event, up to 50 designers show to the increasing number of distributors who want to sell designs that are ethically produced and environmentally friendly. Due to such efforts, the textile industry, one of the largest manufacturing industries around, is looking greener these days. There are more and more options available for choosing sustainable clothing that is environmentally responsible. Where earth-friendly clothing was once mild in color and design, today’s designs incorporate bright bold colors with professional and trendy styles that blend in with the other garments strutting down the catwalk.

Clothing is a process that starts with either renewable or non-renewable feedstock, which is treated and woven, dyed, and sewn to produce a piece of clothing. The clothing may have started out as a fossil fuel, or a cotton plant, with many workers and manufacturing and transportation processes along the way. Most synthetic threads like polyester are made from petroleum, a non-renewable resource that even during the refining process produces contaminants.

A lot of fashion designers in the contemporary age are turning to green fashion. Edun, a company set up by Bono and Alison Hewson aims to offer a clothing line for people with a social conscience. They use organic fabrics, made up in environmentally friendly factories with ethical working conditions. Other environmentally conscious designers provide their customers a variety of options when it comes to buying and wearing responsible material.

Fashion magazines promote new styles for every season. Everybody needs clothes, but before you purchase that must-have sweater or perfect-fit pair of jeans, consider what goes into the manufacturing of those garments. Fashion can be a dirty business, but choosing clothes that are made with environmentally friendly materials ensures it doesn’t have to be that way.

Technorati Tags: Alison Hewson, Bono, earth friendly, Edun, environmentally friendly, environmentally responsible, ethical fashion show, green fashion, Katherine Hamnett, organic cotton denim, organic fabrics, renewable, unbleached, undyed cotton

Although somewhat more obscure, Proenza Schouler is another name to be reckoned with on the list of eco friendly designers. When talking about eco fashions, let’s not forget the behemoth Versace, whose clothing material Ingeo created by Cargill is used by other designers as well. Victoria’s Secret is getting into the action with their organic wireless bras and panties. And while we’re on on the topic of lingerie, if you are looking for high end organic clothing, look no further than the Edun line created by U2’s Bono. This company is very strict as to what their guidelines for organic clothing are and from where they accept their organic product.

Linda Loudermilk is a Los Angeles based designer that only uses fabrics such as bamboo, sea weed, soy and organic cotton in her designs. From suits to shifts and denims, she has a style all her own. Nike is also involved in the green clothing line. Stella McCartney, whom we mentioned earlier this week, is also a big name designer who uses eco friendly materials in order to create her clothing line. Other designers that are included in the eco line are Anna Cohen, Phillip Lim and Patagonia. While Patagonia is seldom heard in the same sentence as Bono or Versace, this is one arena where they all truly come together in an effort to provide their oh-so-diverse markets with a product has in common their passion for quality and concern for our environment. Patagonia has a HUGE footprint in the “outdoor” clothing market for both men and women.

So, hopping back to a lesser known play, we still must mention Elroy Apparel which is a designer of women’s clothing that is created with socially and sustainable materials. From dresses to blazers and coats, each of these items is eco friendly and organic for not only the best fit, but also not needing to worry about harmful chemicals or dies. John Patrick Organic is yet another on the list of big names that are going green and eco friendly. More and more people are seeking out this type of clothing due to many different reasons. Concern for the natural resources of the earth, wanting garments that are vegan and cruelty free, concerned about pesticides are just some of the reasons.

More and more big names are either introducing or expanding their eco friendly lines as demand grows for this particular kind of product. With more and more consumers becoming more eco friendly, the demand is growing for product of this sort. The names listed above and more from big high couture designers to unknown and fledgling designers are looking at how to make their lines more eco friendly with sustainable resources, and using other materials in order to create a line of very green clothes.   As demand grows, more and more lines from Armani to Target and everything in between will start selling and creating eco friendly line.

So join the fun. Paint YOUR closet Green! (And next thing you know, you may have something to talk about next time you run into Bono !!)

Technorati Tags: Armani, Bono, Diane von Furstenberg, earth friendly, eco fashion, ethical, Giorgio Armani, organic clothing, Oscar de la Renta, Patagonia, Proenza Schouler, sustainable clothing, U2, Versace

OK, so if you have read a fashion mag in the past 5 years or past 5 days, you know that one of the fastest growing sectors in the industry is “eco-fashion”. We like to keep it simple here and just call them “green clothes”, because frankly, everyone has a different definition. But in any event, while you’ve probably picked a few personal favorites, it’s possible that you’ve missed out on a few of those that got lost wandering among the herds in the world organic clothing. One of our goals here is to keep you posted when we see one we think you might be interested in.

The following are some of our favorite ones we chose to feature today:

1. Stella McCartney: While you know the name, and probably know that her collections have been animal-friendly since she began in 1997, you may not have known that she now has an Organic line as well. Her current collection features both dressy and casual pieces, constructed of both organic cotton and organic hemp. Her wares can be found in any of her 11 stores, including flagships in New York, London, Paris and LA as well as 600 other stores in over 50 countries.

We like: In 2007, McCartney introduced “CARE”, the first luxury organic skincare line, containing 100% organic active ingredients.

2. howies:  A family brand, selling one of the most comfortable green couture, howies is a UK-based Company, started with 4 Tshirts in 1995. While the company acknowledges that their clothing might seem to be over priced at the first glance, if the customer calculates their value on sustainability terms, it would prove its worth. We definitely recommend heading on over to their website for a fun read about their beliefs and their history.

We like: howies pledges to give 1% of their turnover or 10% of pre-tax profits (whichever is greater) to grass-root environmental and social projects.

3. Levis Eco : Huh? When all the big league players started jumping onto the green band wagon, how could the master of jeans stay behind? Yes we are talking about that Levis. They came into the industry with their certified organic cotton denim in the Fall of 2006 and how! With their outstanding collection, they proved themselves once again to be the toughest competitors in their league.

We like: Earth-friendly elements include the use of recycled buttons, rivets and zippers, and natural indigo was used to dye some styles of jeans. All external packaging will be made from organic fabric or recycled paper and printed with soy-based ink.

Technorati Tags: animal-friendly, certified organic cotton, earth friendly, earth-friendly brands, eco fashion, green clothes, hemp, howies, Levis, Levis Eco, natural indigo, organic clothing, organic cotton, organic fabric, organic hemp, recycled, recycled paper, soy-based ink, Stella McCartney, sustainable

While we may not always agree on what exactly constitutes earth-friendly, ethical, sustainable and responsible, we will always strive to provide wholesome and beautiful options for you in an effort to do our small part to preserve our wonderful resources.

Because after all, everyone looks better in green!

Technorati Tags: earth friendly, eco fashion, ethical, green, green clothes, sustainable