Summer Rayne Oakes · Eco-Chick

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Ms. Green Jeans

Check out this interview (from Grist) of Tierra del Forte, the designer behind Del Forte Denim. The questions after the jump are a little more ‘fun’ than the first few shown here, so read on!

24 Jul 2006

What work do you do?

I’m a designer and the founder of Del Forte Denim.

How does it relate to the environment?

We design and manufacture a line of premium organic denim for women. We also strive to educate consumers about the dangers of conventional cotton agriculture and the restorative effect of organic farming. Non-organic cotton can cause permanent damage to the soil, the water, the air, and to farm workers. Our jeans are made entirely in the U.S., and we’ve chosen to use 100 percent organic cotton.

What are you working on at the moment? Any major projects?

I’m working on shipping our first round of production (very exciting!); on launching Project Rejeaneration, which will allow customers to return their used Del Forte jeans to us for inspired reuse; and on creating our website.

I’m also still buzzing from the excitement of two recent fashion events: Walk the Talk and Eco-Petal (Eco Chick Note: See Summer’s coverage of the event below). Walk the Talk, in June, was an eco-fashion gala in San Francisco that brought together social entrepreneurs, visionaries, and celebrities to encourage global leadership and a sustainable future for our planet. Eco-Petal, which just wrapped up, was a 10-day fashion show and boutique event in Los Angeles for a small group of eco-fashion designers like me. The main purpose of the event was to draw attention to the world of eco-fashion and to show people that caring about the environment doesn’t mean compromising your sense of style.

How do you get to work?

Most days, I work out of the studio in my home, so I have a very green commute! For meetings, I do have to drive because I carry around a huge suitcase full of samples of my jeans, jackets, and skirts. I can’t wait for the Saab hybrid convertible to make it to market (and to be able to afford a new car!).

What long and winding road led you to your current position?

I’ve been working in denim design since I graduated design school in 1999. After six years, the excitement was gone and all that was left was a lot of stress and the realization that I wasn’t contributing to the world in any way that I could feel good about. Fashion is glamorous and lighthearted, but there is definitely a dark side. Most of our clothing is made in overseas factories by people who are not protected by the kind of labor laws we have here. It is also produced with no regard for environmental impact. Although I never stopped enjoying the design process, I didn’t want to be involved in such an exploitative industry.

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POMED Party Pics!

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by Starre Vartan · 06/22/06

The POMED (Protect Our Mother Earth’s Daughters) party at Earth in NYC was a success!

Brian Howard of E/The Environmental Magazine and Lisabeth Weber of fundraisingpins.com. Yours truly with pink dress.

Danelle Brown of Verte (the organizer of the event) with speakers from Kids with Cameras, Architecture for Humanity, and Sanctuary for Families, the groups that benefitted from the POMED event. Danelle works the raffle at right.

Kyeann Sayer and Graham Hill of Treehugger. Brian Howard and Ben Jervey, author of The Big Green Apple guidebook.

Jill Danyelle of Fiftyrx3.com and Friend. Kelly with a great dress!

Our own Summer Rayne Oakes and Remy Chevalier of Lu Magazine.

Many thanks to Danelle and all her friends who put hours of time and effort into putting this all together. Great food, great folks, great time!

ADDED: See more great party pics at Remy C’s site!!

architecture, book, clothes, dress, Eco-Chick, Food, Home, kids, magazine, NYC, party, style, summer, Summer Rayne Oakes, treehugger

Vanity Fair's Green Issue Party

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by Starre Vartan · 04/20/06

Vanity Fair’s party for their green issue was so much fun that I was still recovering from it 24 hours later. (It was the green martinis the amazing bartenders whipped up, and the red ones…and the wine….and not enough of the delicious raw and vegan food from Pure Food and Wine).

But now (finally!) I can look back on the night with a clear head and declare that it was a success. A successful party that is. I’m not sure how much world-saving got done, but hell, we all need a good party sometimes!

After an hour of mingle, a few speakers came on, including Gov. Pataki, Graydon Carter, and Paulette Cole, who is the President of ABC’s Home and Planet Foundation. Paulette introduced Robert F. Kennedy, who went hoarse during a rousing speech that touched on the nastiness of the Bush Administration, pathetic press coverage of environmental issues, and the necessity for closing down Indian Point nuclear power plant. Having grown up upriver but still very near Indian Point, I had enough nightmares as a child to get fully behind that last point. My town had giant (like several stories tall) sirens that would go off ‘just in case’ we had to evacuate. Talk about terrifying.

I’d heard RFK was a passionate speaker, and that’s no lie:

[The environmental movement's] biggest problem is an indolent and negative press…which leads to a public that doesn’t understand the connections between things like coal-burning power plants and the fact that fresh-water fish shouldn’t be eaten by children and pregnant women…

This is the worst administration of any in history, with over 400 rollbacks of environmental rules, a deliberate eviceration of thirty plus years of environmental regulations, and who puts known polluters in charge of public offices.

RFK also cited a CDC report that says that 1/6 of American women’s children are at risk because of pollutants in their bodies. He told the crowd that they should all get their blood checked, and admitted that he has twice the recommended limits of certain toxins in his own blood.

Naturally, after that sobering speech, it was necessary to drink more. (And I’m sure I’m not the only organic vegetarian in the room that wondered if our veg-only choices meant our bodies were at least a little less toxified. But then swilled the alcohol, which was NOT (boo!) organic. Where’s Orange V when you need it?)

Talking to fellow bloggers and other green press helped me feel a little better; we’ve certainly not been ignoring the environment, and in 20 years the kids will look up at us as the only ones who were reporting the truth. It’s too bad that we’re consistently relegated to the independent press when everyone needs to hear the Earth’s message loud and clear: “Yes Virginia, there is global warming, and it’s your fault.” Though at least Time Magazine stepped up a few weeks ago with their global warming issue. But when the heck is a major magazine going to tackle the 100,000 chemicals in our lives (less than 10% of which have been tested). Doesn’t that bother anyone in the mainstream?

Though Vanity Fair did not print on recycled paper (double boo!!) props to them for covering the issue; there are some great articles in the magazine, which will reach a lot more people than any party could. You should pick it up just to see the fabulous photos of all your green heros.

Commentary on the party at E Magazine and at Grist, and opinions on the magazine at Treehugger here and here.

Photos, (l. to r.) VF Cover; Remy C. (Greenburbs) and Starre Vartan (Eco Chick); ~~green friend~~Olga Sasplugas, Brian Howard (E Magazine) and Nick Denton (Gawker); Robert F. Kennedy (Riverkeeper); Graham Hill (Treehugger) and ~~friend~~Randy Hayes (ED of the Int’l Forum on Globalization); group including Graydon Carter (editor of VF) and Paulette Cole (President of ABC Home and Planet Foundation), our fearless bartenders, Summer Rayne Oakes (Eco Chick) and Adam Black (SustainabiliTV)

Photos by Remy C. and Emily Gertz. See all the party pics by Remy C. here.