There are so many great things about t-shirts. You can wear them under a jacket (to leave any cheeky messaging to the imagination), over a long-sleeve for an always-beloved 90′s moment, you can wear them to bed, you can wear them on the red carpet. T-shirts are as American as blue jeans and just happen to look great with a pair of denims.
And like quite a bit of American clothing, tees are made from cotton, a crop that uses (literally) tons of pesticides and herbicides. The tees below don’t, because they’re either made with organic cotton or because they’re made of alternative materials (like recycled polyester).
OMunky is “creative eco-friendly apparel that is guaranteed to start the conversation” and there’s no doubt they showcase some cute and provocative designs (for both men and women). Look for new designs on a regular basis from this NY-based company.
Excentree makes limited-edition t-shirts, meaning “when you are wearing an Excentree top you will be one of fewer than 100 people in the world wearing it.” Made from organic cotton, a tree is also planted for each t-shirt (in a country of your choice), offsetting carbon now and in the future. Men’s and women’s shirts available (and you can win one here!)
Andira Rain Tees, available at The Greenloop, come in a variety of gorgeous prints- this is just one of several that are made in Peru by a family owned factory (workers are paid 25% than average) are all “100% certified organic cotton and handmade using only eco friendly inks and dyes. For every tee sold a child living in endangered rain forest land receives a tree to plant and learns about how they can protect their forests.”
The ‘Thank You’ t-shirt from Alabama Chanin is a hand-stitched organic cotton t-shirt with remnant fabric used for the design. Made in the southeastern USA by craftswomen making a fair wage, it is just one small part of the Alabama Chanin label, which also boasts handmade coats, skirts and blouses, home accessories and jewelry.
The A Lot to Say t-shirts are made from recycled PVC (plastic bottles) which keep them out of landfills. The somewhat saucy sayings on the front of the shirts are made with no-water printing. “These t-shirts not only reduce energy consumption by 80%, they eliminate the use of PVC products by 100%. (PVC is the highly carcinogenic plastic, which has the lifespan of hundreds of years and will be in our landfills long after we’re gone.)”
Ideologie t-shirts have fantastic prints both front and back, and their long length makes them perfect over skinny jeans or a short skit. The tees are “made out of 100% USDA certified organic cotton grown in Texas with the approval of the TDA (Texas Department of Agriculture) with PVC-free, recycled water-based inks.” The company dedicates 2% of all t-shirt sales to the Acumen Fund: “a non-profit organization that uses entrepreneurial approaches to solve the problems of global poverty.”
great site and good products, bookmarked for future reference!
02/06/10 » 12:13 pm »
Oh great post! I’ve been reading this post and it seems that it has relevant information were me and the other reader can gain through reading..and another thing the Graphic tee are very beautiful too! the design were very unique!!
05/26/10 » 3:18 am »
I like the idea of handmade goods but it does worry me a little that by not being mass produced they are less energy and materials efficient.
11/02/10 » 7:47 am »