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

Lara Miller: Eco Fashion’s Quick Change Artist

Eco Fashion designer Lara Miller is an Eco Chick fave; her supermodern, often convertible, sensuously romantic, yet travel-friendly designs are deceptively simple but always on point.

Lara says she didn’t plan her designs for the travelling types (though they suit us so well), but that her ideas come from a playful, fun place that happens to result in highly variable separates (think dresses that can be worn three ways, or trousers that have adjustable hems):

I graduated from a very conceptual design program at the School of the Art Institute where I researched Eadweard Muybridge images and architectual theory by Gregg Lynn. I was fascinated with the idea of animation and gestures in every day life, especially when getting dressed. I wanted to give the wearer a relationship to their pieces and allow them to be more individual. As my line and I have grown up, the functionality has really become key.

The Fern Flip wrap in recycled cotton
More »

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.
More »

Upcoming Exhibition: Fashion Conscious Designs that will change the world one garment at a time @ UC Davis

As part of their “Year of Eco-Exhibitions,” the UC Davis Design Museum & Design Collective in Davis, CA will host Fashion Conscious, an exhibition focused on sustainable fashion design from May 15th thru July 13, 2008.

This exhibition explores sustainability and how it relates to the current clothing market, from the environmental impact of eco-friendly textiles to the re-evaluation of industrial manufacturing.

The exhibiting designers and companies demonstrate a commitment towards developing clothing that provides viable alternatives to the imperfect traditions of the fashion industry. Changing a long standing paradigm will not happen overnight, but by choosing fabrics and methods of production conscientiously, designers have the power to change the way farms and factories operate. The key to success is diversity and compromise.

In conjunction with this exhibit will be the Designing with Conscience ::: A Sustainable Fashion Symposium on Sunday, May 18, 2008. This symposium is focused on “looking into the fashion industry and the move towards eco-consciousness,” and includes speakers from the fashion industry and 4 panelists from the exhibition. To register for the event go here. For more info on the exhibition & the exhibitors involved, and some great info on sustainable fashion, check out this blog.

Sweet Pepita Clothing

Shannon Kline is the creator of Sweet Pepita Clothing. Using recycled fabrics from old, funky tee’s and 100% organic cotton, Sweet Pepita blends sustainability with hip, retro style. You can send Shannon a favorite old tee-shirt that you don’t want to get rid of and she will give it new life as a baby-tee. I have requested she make duds for us adult folk also but for now its just for the wee ones.

I love to sew custom baby tees. Customers send me their old favorite adult sized t-shirts and I transform them into clothing for their babies. I just read that Americans throw away an unspeakable amount of clothing every year. And I know that we all have t-shirts we’re holding on to that we’re never going to wear again. Sewing them into baby tees feels really good! We’re recycling and giving a child a piece of her parent’s history.

Green Fashion from Mahalo Daily!

Check out all the pretty (recycled and sustainable) wares at LA’s Avita Co-op courtesy of Mahalo Daily!

• Advertising on Eco Chick
• Submission Guidelines for Products
• Online Resources for Ecofashion, Beauty and Green Goodness
• Ecofashion and Beauty Resource Guide: by City
• The Book! The Eco Chick Guide to Life: How to Be Fabulously Green
• About the Header Artist
• Who We Are
• Press
• Contact

©Gardenia Media. All rights reserved.