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

Liz Claiborne Loves Beaver!

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by Summer Rayne Oakes · 01/05/06

When a company is owned by a man named Beaver and wife of Beaver, you know it’s going to be good. This past November, PrAna, the fast-growing maker of apparel for climbing, yoga and outdoor activities, was acquired by women’s wear giant, Liz Claiborne Inc. PrAna (did we mention that the owner’s name is Beaver?) is known for being a rather environmentally- and socially-responsible company in ethics, production, and manufacturing. This is a significant acquisition considering that it is one of the first eco-oriented lines being bought out by a major fashion house.

The purchase price of $34.4 million consists of an initial payment of $32.5 million (representing 60 percent of Prana’s valuation) and the retirement of debt at closing of approximately $1.9 million. Prana’s owners will receive additional payments based upon a multiple of Prana’s earnings in the fiscal years 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Prana co-owners and founders Beaver and Pam Theodosakis, and Demian Kloer, will continue to run the company. Prana, based in Vista, CA, is expected to generate net sales of approximately $30 million in fiscal 2005. Christ! That’s A LOT of BEAVER lovers!!!

Beaver had this to say about the recent acquisition: “One of the primary reasons we selected Liz Claiborne was because of our ability to maintain a significant economic interest and independence in running Prana, which will allow us to preserve the quality and essence of the PrAna brand that our customers and retailers expect. This relationship goes far beyond the bottom line as we are highly impressed by Liz’s brand-building capabilities and corporate commitment to people, fair trade and the environment. We have a great opportunity to share best practices in these areas.”

Check out the PrAna site. There are a host of both guys and gals climbing that are mighty impressive, particularly to an acrophobe. Beaver lovers…women, men and children…

children, ethics, Fair Trade, Fashion, sales, women, women's, yoga

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

Attention Caffeine Junkies!

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by Starre Vartan · 12/28/05

If you drink coffee (about 50% of Americans drink it every day, and 80% quaff it sometimes) you should know where it comes from. (and hey, now it’s good for you, so go ahead!)

The exhaustively researched cover story for the Nov/Dec Issue of E/The Environmental Magazine, “Grounds For Change” covers the coffee industry, from small fair trade outfits to Starbucks.

There’s three labels to be concerned with if you care about people, birds and the health of the earth: organic, fair trade and song-bird friendly. To make your life easier, if your coffee is organic, chances are it’s fair-trade and good bird habitat, so you don’t need to go nuts looking for triple-certified brew. Besides the labelling, organic coffee just tastes better. For the last few weeks I’ve been sipping on Equal Exchange’s decaf and it is the best decaf I’ve ever had! (I know, I know, decaf, I ‘m a weenie).

This is why: “Coffee grows best in tropical highlands,” explains Chris Wille, the Costa Rica-based chief of the Rainforest Alliance’s Sustainable Agriculture Program. The bushy plants are maintained at a height of six to eight feet. After the seeds are dried and hulled, they become green coffee beans. A mature coffee plant generally yields about a pound of roasted beans per year. According to Connecticut-based roaster Coffee-Tea-Etc., “Every step in the process from climate and growing conditions, genetics of the tree, to the final brewing methods affect these natural chemicals. Each of these factors affects the distinct taste of the final brew.”

‘This is what shade-grown coffee looks like. Integrated with the forest, it makes a better tasting coffee.’

‘This is what coffee that\'s grown in the sun looks like. Monoculture alert!’

There are also some excellent sidebars to the article, including one on where to find this good-for-us-all brew.

agriculture, birds, Bush, car, coffee, Fair Trade, habitat, health, junk, magazine, Organic, Plants, rainforest, Starbucks, sustainable, Tea