Sustainable Materials

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Puerto Rican Style Goes 70′s Fabulous: Auralis’ Spring 2010 Collection at The Greenshows

Check out my interview with Auralis designer Auralis Herrero Lugo, backstage at The Greenshows.

Auralis’ Spring/Summer 2011 collection is inspired by hot & steamy 70′s Puerto Rico, from whence the designer hails (though she now calls NYC home). Think fashions that would work beautifully in those pre-A/C days but still have plenty of tropical flair, and you’ll understand Auralis’ influences (a look back at her Fall/Winter 2010 collection reveals some strong similarities in style, drape and sexiness).

Every piece in this collection was very wearable, with fun, bright colors that weren’t ‘too much’ to really wear of an evening out. And something that’s a bit tougher to tell from the pix, but which I noticed as the models glided by, was that these are pretty comfortable clothes, overall, from the supereasy-sexy caftan to the roomy draped shorts and the simple jacket (all below). And a few men’s pieces to round out the line made it a very strong group of pieces overall. And way cool to boot.

Backstage after the Auralis show; Auralis Herrero Lugo, designer, in blue jumpsuit.

Ahimsa Peace Silk dress, in Naguabo Gold: This is a dress to go to town in.

If the front of this gorgeous caftan isn’t enough for you, check out the back, below!

No doubt. Now THAT’s a sexy caftan.

These harem pants are my favorite piece of the collection; I will be sporting them all next summer if I can get my hands on them….
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designer, eco fashion, Fashion, Organic, sustainable materials

Independent Handbag Design Awards

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by Starre Vartan · 06/19/08

Scarola’s bag of bags

I was so excited to see a sustainable bag win the Audience Fan Favorite prize at theIndependent Handbag Design Awards. Suzanne Scarola of Bellabags made her bag (above) by knitting plastic bags by hand.

This candy-wrapper bag by Ecoist won “Best Green Handbag”

Helen Marcoschamer of Ecoist detailed her bag’s winning eco-cred:

q: What is your bag made out of?
a: Recycled and Repurposed Candy Wrappers

q: What made you decide to create a “Green Bag”?
a: To merge design with social and environmental consciousness to provide stylish, functional, and durable products that people will love to own. All our products are made from recycled, organic, or earth-friendly materials, and are manufactured through our network of fair trade partnerships around the world. We wanted to reduce landfill waste and with every bag sold, we plant a tree.

q: Where are you bags made? Are they made by hand or manufactured?
a: They are made in Mexico and Peru. Once we get the discarded wrappers from factories, the wrappers are then cut, folded into straps, weaved, and sewn by skilled artisans. Each one is 100 % handmade. Ecoist is proud of its fair trade practices and contributions to social causes.

q: Where are bags sold?
a: Throughout the US, UK, Japan, Latin America, Canada, Saudi Arabia, and Europe.

Check out the finalists to see other great bags that didn’t win, but came close.

bags, purses, sustainable materials

Why Greenfest? Here's the Answer

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by Starre Vartan · 11/23/07

by Guest-blogger Katherine Cure

Katherine Cure sipping organic fair-trade coffee from one of the second-hand mugs that were available for use during Greenfest

“Greenfest? What’s that?” the tanned middle-aged East Bay native eating next to me asked, as I outlined to him my reasons for coming to San Francisco for the weekend. So I briefly cultured him on the green, before my mussels arrived. I explained what was about to happen: a three day festival that would display products, media representatives, fashion designers, energy producers and builders, all with green on their label. San Francisco, a known promoter of sustainable and environmentally safe practices (including bans to the use of plastic bags and Styrofoam takeout containers), was the chosen venue for what would be the last green fest of the year. “You should come,” I said, and indulged in my Italian dinner.

Little did I know, even after attending the same event the past month at the nation’s capital, what I was to encounter the next day. Multitudes of San Franciscan and East Bay residents invaded the premises, packed the aisles, and even had to be forced out (myself included…) from the organic beer and wine stand, at 8 o’clock, when it was time for closure. San Francisco’s Green Festival was a success. Good news for organizers Global Exchange and Co-Op America, who with this one, finished a series of four green festivals around America. Good to see the green spreading.

Zach the Poet

Be them hippies or more conservative looking types networking for their companies and local eco-initiatives, I was lucky to encounter a number of very interesting personages. One of my favourites, although I could not really see the environmental in his initiative, was Zach, a poet who sat with his blue antique typewriter and wrote poems about everything with the most beautiful smile. A poem about falling in love, he made for me. Green or not, his presence is the epitome of the immense variety that gathered at the festival.

The anti-plastic bag brigade

Products on display represented pretty much every possible marketable category: food, beauty products, baby diapers, accessories for pets, eco-fashion, building materials and even medicinal mushrooms! Tasty samples of organic farmed produce, fair trade coffee, tofu, multigrain crackers, chocolate, cheese and the powerful drink maca (intense stuff), guaranteed a healthy bite and a full tummy. Eatwell Farm a California-based organic lavender farm selling fresh lavender in bundles and in little cloth packages (that reminded me of my grandma’s closet) as well as oils and hydrosols, was one of my favourites. The extremely creative aisles of eco-fashion representatives clustered in the upper right level, was another one of my faves. Features included colourful displays of clothes and accessories with guaranteed sustainable materials and fair trade products whose profit will reach the communities that made them, instead of some retail store.

The Hippy Gourmet Team

Vibes were loving and energetic; people smiley, switched on and empowered. Puppet shows, reggae bands, live percussion and a couple of wanderers performing skits, culminated the green experience. Once you passed the front door, where I was stopped more than once having of course forgotten my badge somewhere, you were inevitably immersed in the environmental wave.

Jennifer Horning and Kirsten Muenster

The greatest acquaintance at the festival, (other than Coicoi and Ninka, my girlfriends from Berkeley), ends this tale. Jennifer Horning and Kirsten Muenster, the first one a lawyer and the second a jewellery designer, approached the E Magazine booth where I was volunteering, to talk to me about Ethical Metalsmiths, their initiative for delivering sustainable jewellery. A lot of issues are behind the rings we wear and that beautiful necklace we covet. We might be unaware, especially in underdeveloped countries, of the poor work the gold, emerald and silver mines that provide designers with raw material for their creations, under inhumane conditions. Not to mention the environmental impacts of mining. But rather than refuse jewellery (thank god!), supporting empowered women like Jen and Kirsten who wish to find fair and eco-friendly solutions to these issues, might be the answer. By recycling existing pieces, getting certification for the materials used, or just helping in making mining practices fair, these loving, knowledgable and fashionable ladies, to whom I give my ten, are striving to make a difference.

For more on Ethical Jewelry, see this E Magazine article.

accessories, Baby, bags, Beauty, beauty products, clothes, coffee, design, designer, designers, eating, Eco-Chick, Energy, environmentally safe, ethical, Fair Trade, fall, farm, Fashion, Food, health, Jewelry, Lavender, liver, local, magazine, media, News, oil, oils, Organic, pets, plastic, plastic bags, produce, Recycling, solutions, sustainable, sustainable materials, Tea, Wine, women

Eco-Paradise: Maho Bay in St. John, USVI

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by Kimberly Jordan Allen · 04/29/06

For an incredible vacation that is eco-friendly one should look no further than Maho Bay. This resort was created in 1976 by Stanley Selengut who is credited with being one of the forefathers of eco-tourism. Wanting to create a comfortable place for nature lovers, the founders built eco-tents from sustainable materials which utilized environmentally conscious construction that was sensitive to the surrounding eco-systems. Maho emphasizes education and they have art classes, yoga, and enviro-construction courses (among many others) to further their mission.

The resort has expanded into four different destinations on the island of St. John, each with a different eco-style that focuses on minimizing resource consumption. Concordia, one of the most recently completed destinations in the hills overlooking the Caribbean, is completely self-contained in its energy production and waste management. The tents at Concordia are airy and comfortable. Some have loft sleeping quarters, kitchenettes, and scenic decks.

The moon looks absolutely breathtaking from the elevated walkways and open decks, so check a lunar calendar when you head down! If you want to get away for a few days, this is one beautiful spot to do it. Prices are very reasonable, especially during the off-season.