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

Free Trade? Give it to me Fair, Straight Up

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by Summer Rayne Oakes · 12/29/05

I must admit, after having come back from Hong Kong in the midst of World Trade talks and Fair Trade forays, I need to do a few posts dedicated to fair trade fashion. I came across equop, a fair trade cotton and indie artist fashion label while in Paris this past October. Agrocel, Skal and Eko….No, that’s not the first names of the tattooed-punks down the street that you secretively find attractive (could it be the nose rings, tight black jeans, and bad-ass attitude?), but the rigorous certification that they go through, ensuring that their clothes are

• Fair Trade
• Inspected by a third-party organization, and
• Organic

You’ll find other weird names like: Dangli, Droog79, and Mallalieu Nonot quite certification this time, but the names of the artists that have contributed designs to the tee-shirts…Who knows, maybe they have a nose ring. GOD I love personal expression.

Side Note: (I own Mallalieu, want Dangli’s Bird Shit shirt). Want to know how to get special savings for this line? Hit me up on my newsletter.

clothes, cotton, design, Fair Trade, Fashion, filter, fruit, jeans, News, Organic, party, produce, summer

Anna Sova Yummy

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by Starre Vartan · 11/21/05

I attended the Anna Sova launch last party last weekend in Manhattan. The self-titled line of ‘luxury organics’, which includes aromatherapy sprays, soy candles, sheets, duvets and bedruffles (I call it bedwear), towels and paint is truly gorgeous, and I was thrilled to see that someone finally realizes that just because you’re eco-conscious does not mean you want to live in earth tones. There were deep oriental reds, and bright mustard, green apple and fuschia silk linens, as well as variously colored and textured linens.

Anna Sova herself (the Amazonian blonde on the left) was dressed up for the evening. She said she much prefers to be in jeans and cowboy boots (yup, she’s Texan!) and told me all about how she got to the point where she was able to launch her own luxury organics line- and why.

“The paint was my passion,” said Anna, “My paint smells like food because it IS food!” The paint, which comes in a range of colors, can also be mixed to your specifications and is made of milk casein and food grade emulsifiers and preservatives. Truly, it smelled like cake batter, and you can even scent it with aromatherapy oils (though they’ll only last about 6 months). “If you had a store you could paint your dressing rooms with it, and it would smell great as people change,” suggested Anna.

Ms. Sova has been in business since she was 16, and has designed over 4000 products, so she’s the kind of person who’s perfect to bridge the gap between mainstream and eco. I’ll buy it.

Amazon, business, candles, design, dress, Food, jeans, mainstream, Manhattan, Milk, oil, oils, Organic, party, silk, soy, towels

Droolworthy Shoes

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by Starre Vartan · 10/05/05

These shoes are hot.

And animal free, as are their bretheren.

According to the MINK site, “MINK Shoes are custom designed and hand crafted from only the finest quality non-animal products. By non-animal MINK Shoes means it uses materials found in nature but not rendered from any living thing. Rather, natural or scientifically engineered alternatives such as cork, pleather, denim, linen, faux fur and other animal friendly substitutes are employed. Leather, suede, pelts and skins are never used.”

Hot, but not cheap. These puppies cost between $500-$600 a pair.

denim, design, fur, leather, shoes, skin

Graphic for Good

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by Starre Vartan · 10/04/05

I want to be Nicole Linton because not only did she travel to Peru, found some cool tapestry and then trekked alone through the Andes to find the artist who made it, but then started e bella, a company that sells completely gorgeous textiles (rugs, blankets, pillows) that are made by artisans in Peru who are provided a sustainable living by their work. These are not your hippie Peruvian blankets, either.

They are soft in texture and graphic enough for any modern home. So Nicole gets to travel, have a really sweet apartment decorated with this stuff, and help local Peruvians in a war-torn region. Excellent.

decor, design, Home, local, sustainable, travel

Welcome to Eco-Chick!

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by Starre Vartan · 10/04/05

Eco-chick is design and style’s eco-home on the web. We are dedicated to finding the stuff that makes life fun and has a minimum impact on our mother Earth. While we have a woman’s perspective, all are welcome to contribute. We hope that you will find accessible ways to make your home and self fabulous, from source to finish. It’s a simple principle; every object has a life cycle, whether it be a bar of soap, a take-out container, an energy bar, a pair of shoes or a loveseat. It was somewhere before you got it, and it will go somewhere else when you’re done 0r gone. Just because you can’t see it before or after you buy it/use it/eat it/love it doesn’t mean you’re not responsible for it. We’ll show you how.

design, Eco-Chick, Energy, Home, shoes, soap, style