Eco-Chick · The modern girl's guide to living green & fabulous.

Mission Savvy: An Eco Boutique Built on Passion for Animals and Sustainable Style (Video)

What’s not to love? Mission Savvy is an eco boutique with a heart of gold. Check out the video below to hear about founder Jennifer Miller’s love of sustainable fashion and animals, and how she uses one to benefit the other.

Be sure to check out Mission Savvy’s Fall/Winter 2011 offerings from some of our favorite eco fashion designers, including Kelly Lane, Feral Childe, and Carrie Parry.

Artful Undergarments: Rio Wrenn’s R.A.W. Eco Lingerie Collection

Portland, Oregon based textile designer Rio Wrenn has a unique vision for lingerie, combining modern eco friendly materials and dying techniques, antique constructions and ethical manufacturing to create her line, R.A.W. “I started R.A.W. in 2007, which is inspired by vintage undergarments ranging from the 1800′s to the 1950′s to modern day,” says Rio. Her collection of corsets, bras and undies has a special look, and with the Summer and Autumn 2010 trend of exposed undergarments, she’s right on target with perfect base layers for style mavens and lingerie fans alike.

And not only is Rio a conscious creator of unique pieces, she’s an advocate for women’s bodies and all the curves that go with them, and explained that her corsets aren’t meant to be restrictive or to reshape a body (she’s a fan of hips especially). “Corsets are actually very therapeutic, they make you stand up straight! I think people have a bad vision of corsets, but I don’t make them to be oppressive, they should be comfortable and supportive,” she says.

Each piece in R.A.W.’s collection is also a work of art and are handmade in Portland. Rio is a visual artist, but found that fine art was often out of reach to many people; fashion is a way to take a creative project and make it more accessible, wearable and affordable, she says.
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Top Seven Online Eco Boutiques

One of my favorite things to do while travelling around the world is to seek out the local eco boutique or sustainable store, as is inevitably includes a new designer I’m not yet familiar with and great local knowledge and resources.

Whether you live near one of these brick-n-mortar shops or live in the middle of nowhere (lucky you!), thanks to the internets, you too can dress in ethical style, even if the only one watching is you. Several of these stores are online-only, while some have ‘real life’ locations, but it hardly matters if you’re a savvy (and responsible) Web Citizen.

Kaight has New York City’s best curated selection of ethical and sustainable fashion, hands-down. I visit regularly, and not only do they carry some of the top eco labels out there, like Feral Childe and C. Marchuska, but there’s even a Melissa Plastic Dreams shoe pop-up shop within the store, so you’re always sure to find some cute kicks to go with your outfit.

Shift is the Hyannis, Cape Cod-based eco boutique owned by Amy DuFault, who runs her ship with a great eye and keen sense for detail, featuring designer-faves like Canada-based Frei and the easy to wear Kelly B. Amy is not only a sustainable fashion lover and purveyor, she is also the Fashion Editor at Ecosalon and is writing for an upcoming issue of CocoEco Magazine. 

LabelGazer offers eco friendly and fair trade clothing and accessories as well as those made through ‘social enterprise’ which means that items have been produced through a direct partnership between the designers and the creators. From the tribal-motif Osei Duro bag to the Samantha Pleet Osborn ankle boot everything here is of-the-moment fabulous.

Envi Boutique is located in the best shopping district in the city of Boston – Newbury Street. And it’s pretty indistinguishable from the other gorgeous stores that line the historic road, except that it’s unabashedly green (that is, ALL clothes and accessories are eco-friendly). Callie Smith, who owns and chooses the contents of the store, has a great eye for easy, but fashion-forward labels and I found plenty to love on my last visit.

The Greenloop is online-only, and has a huge selection of all the most popular ecodesigners working today like EcoSkin and Lara Miller. Run by the multitalented Aysia Wright, who also blogs and is the mastermind behind Project Green Search, this store offers men’s and kid’s clothes too.

Juno and Jove has what must be the complete collection of Karla Collatto’s bathing suits and beachwear, as well as dresses by Stewart + Brown, Bahar Shahpar and Linda Loudermilk. Carrying men’s and home stuff (and pet accoutrements!) too, the boutique offers free shipping for orders over $250.

Beklina has a very closely edited selection of dresses, outerwear and separates, as well as accessories and bathing suits. Mostly smaller, high-end labels are represented here with faves like Mociun, John Patrick Organic, Mr. Larkin and Ashley Watson represented. Only the coolest of the cool prints and cuts are found here, but all are as sustainable as can be. 

On the Run with Label Eco Fashion: Spring/Summer 2010

Elvira Dress • 91% Silk / 9% Spandex.

The first thing you’ll notice about Label, by Natalie Sydoruk and Shawna Robinson is the edginess of the design, then you’ll clue into the sustainable aspects. Or at least that was my reaction to this 80′s meets Blade Runner interpretation of day- and evening-wear.

Label’s latest collection “..tells the story of a couple on the run, hiding in a seedy motel room.” Love it! This spring, the collection features fabrics containing organic cotton, hemp, lyocell, bamboo and silk.

With all production based in Toronto, the designers oversee each step of the process to ensure the collection meets their desire for quality clothing and ethical practices. The Spring Summer collection is now available online at the See No Label boutique

Flasher Trench – 55% Hemp / 45% Recycled Polyester

Slasher Top • 93% Bamboo / 7% Spandex.