Vogue · Eco-Chick

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Eco Friendly Designers Natalie Chanin and Monique Pean Are 2009 CFDA/Vogue Finalists!

Congratulations to Natalie Chanin and her line, Alabama Chanin and Monique Pean for being among the top ten finalists recognized by the Council of Fashion Designers of America and Vogue Magazine.

“The ten finalists we selected are a talented, diverse group, who are building healthy independent businesses in challenging times.” –Anna Wintour, Editor in Chief, Vogue

The winner (and two runners-up) will be announced at a gala dinner in NYC on November 16, 2009

Natalie Chanin wearing and holding her designs, which are hand-sewn by women from their homes in the American Southeast.

Here is the complete list of finalists:

ALABAMA CHANIN – Natalie Chanin

ESQUIVEL SHOES – George Esquivel

GARY GRAHAM – Gary Graham

HOUSE OF WARIS – Waris Ahluwalia

MONIQUE PEAN – Monique Péan

OHNE TITEL – Flora Gill and Alexa Adams

PATRIK ERVELL – Patrik Ervell

SOPHIE THEALLET – Sophie Theallet

SPURR – Simon Spurr

WAYNE – Wayne Lee

designer, Vogue

Cameron Diaz and Gisele Bundchen Being Ridiculously Hot (and Green!) in June Vogue

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by Starre Vartan · 06/01/09

The June issue of Vogue is packed with Green Goodness! I saved it for my flight to London last week and I was so pleased to find so many verdant gems among the regular great-as-usual Vogue content and reporting.

Gorgeous shoot, all sun-drenchy and summery. Here Cameron wears a Hessnatur silk and cotton tank, an Ecote belt and Del Forte organic cotton jeans.

First, Eco Chick Cameron Diaz not only graced the cover, but was featured in an eco fashion spread inside the mag, wearing some of my fave designers, including John Patrick Organic, Stella McCartney, Del Forte, Hessnatur and Olsenhaus, all of which have been featured on this site.

A 3.1 Philip Lim dress in eco-dyed natural silk with an Eco Emporia belt made from recycled fire hose.

Gisele Bundchen looks naturally gorgeous in this 100% organic cotton suit colored with low-impact dye from Loyale.

Though Gisele DID date Mr. Supergreenie Leo DiCaprio for some time, and she has a great green blog, she also seems to have no problem wearing fur or representing some pretty ungreen companies like True Religion jeans and Victoria’s Secret.

However, she is incredibly influential (and is the top-earning model in the world, according to a recent Forbes report) which is great news for Loyale’s Jenny Hwa, who designed the lovely greenblue bikini pictured above on The Body. I’ve been a big fan of Loyale (see Spring ’09 here) for years (featured the line in Plenty when I style edited there) and it’s so great to see a New York-based eco designer like Jenny getting her due in Vogue.

I was especially excited to see that in the travel special of this issue, Vogue highlighted get-in-shape getaways with a green bent (my preferred mode of vacation), including Charym, a local-to-me yoga/hiking/mountain biking spa in my home state of Connecticut. Is that a woman about to go river kayaking in VOGUE? (Not in those boots, though they are superfab, but anyway). Other vacays encourage surfing, organic massages, horseback riding and trail running. Hey, I trail run!

And the last page of Vogue’s June issue features the Fendi Abici bike (only a Benjamin under $6K! What recession?) But it IS Fendi, and this officially means city biking is in, which in an indirect (but important, I’d argue) way bodes well for bike lanes, pedestrian-focused cities, and pushing the car OUT.

ecofashion, magazines, models, Vogue

What's Wrong With This Picture?

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by Amanda Quraishi · 09/22/08

In a country with a population of 1 billion and the average individual income less than $500 USD per year, it might seem sort of perverse to parade around a group of impoverished people holding expensive designer accessories and then photograph them for a fashion magazine layout. In fact, that is exactly what Vogue India did for their August 2008 issue.

Over half of India’s population lives on less than $2.00 per day. Yet, here in the glossy pages of this so-called “fashion” magazine, are images of a toothless old woman in traditional Indian dress holding an infant in a $100 Fendi bib, and an old man with holes in his dirty shirt holding a $200 Burberry umbrella.

The editor of Vogue India, one Ms. Priya “let-them-eat-gulab-jamin” Tanna was quoted in a New York Times interview saying, “You have to remember with fashion, you can’t take it that seriously. We weren’t trying to make a political statement or save the world.”

Ms. Tanna, I respectfully disagree. Welcome to the new world of Sustainable Fashion. This is precisely the kind of exploitation that has managed to rile so many fashionable people and launch a movement toward fair labor practices, ethical manufacturing, fair trade, and ecologically sound products.

Not to put the blame entirely on Vogue India, however; it seems that luxury brands are clamoring to get at the top 1/10 of Indian households which hold the majority of the country’s wealth. While millions of people sleep in filth with no access to running water, billboards and magazines full of Western status symbols taunt them, and at the same time, entice the Indian elite to own all the right logos.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a socialist. I don’t think everyone on earth should have the same amount of money or property or Gucci. I’m saying that, if by chance, you have been lucky enough to receive more than your fair share of this world’s luxuries, try not to humiliate and exploit the less fortunate just for the sake of “fashion”. As they say in India, that’s just bad karma.

ecofashion, ethical, Fair Trade, India, labor, sustainable, Vogue

Eco Chick News Tweets!

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by Starre Vartan · 05/11/08

Tweet This!

How The Media Abandoned the Environment, at new techie-with-a-heart-of-green EcoTechDaily.

Check Chris Baskind’s op/ed on the lack of environmental coverage in mainstream media:

No, you’re not imagining things.
With U.S. gasoline prices edging toward $4.00 a gallon; oil prices at an all-time high, demand for materials such as copper outstripping demand; worldwide food shortages; major cities running short on water; Antarctic ice sheets crumbling into the Southern Ocean; and continued uncertainty over our climatological future, you’d think the environment would be front-and-center on the evening news. And you’d be wrong.

14 New Species Discovered in Brazil, from The Daily Green

Dan Shapely reports that there are indeed new things under the sun (at least to humans). Check the gorg flipbook!:

….at the top of the Serra Geral in Brazil’s Cerrado region, where 14 new species have been discovered during an expedition to the wooded savanna.

Another new Bike Chic page (I keep writing about this subject; check it here and here) and Carectomy has found another one!

If full body Spandex isn’t your speed, check out Cycle Chic, a London-based blog that offers tips on how to look devastatingly hot (wear designer pants from Stella McCartney, or your boyfriend’s t-shirt), stay sweat-free (don’t go too fast and sport a light, summery dress), and “cycle yourself slim,” all while biking to your intended destination.

arctic, bikes, book, Brazil, car, cars, cities, design, designer, dress, Eco-Chick, Food, gas, London, mainstream, media, new species, News, oil, Op/Ed, rum, skin, spa, sport, style, summer, t-shirt, Vogue, water, wood

Eco Luxury Gift Ideas (and Bikes!) in Vogue

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by Starre Vartan · 12/04/07

I was thrilled to see some seriously fun totally over-the-top delicious green stuff featured in Vogue’s December issue (it’s the one with the impossibly gorgeous Penelope Cruz, above, on the cover).

First up, there’s “Season’s Greenings” by William Norwich, who talks to three fabulous greenies. Sheherazade Goldsmith, author of A Slice of Organic Life, recommends bamboo salad tongs, the Linda Lee Hundred Trees Charm from Barney’s, recycled wallpaper from Lim and Handtryk, and vintage Louboutin mules. She’s also a fan of a cool site, re-found objects, and only buys wooden toys for her kids. (That’s her sitting pretty in a London nursery below). Elizabeth Wiatt, NRDC trustee and LA power-player, likes Dr. Hauschka products, soy candles from Lafco House and Home, and vintage banana-leaf envelope sets. Anna Carter, a trustee for the Natural Resources Defense Council and wife of Vanity Fair’s Graydon Carter suggests Paporganics hemp wrapping paper, hand-crafted cushions from Robert Kime, and is a fan of Behnaz Sarafpour’s Spring collection.

In addition to all the green gift-giving suggestions, there’s an article covering the hipness of riding bikes, entitled “Wheels on Fire” (which calls to mind the theme song for Patty and Edina’s misadventures on Absolutely Fabulous). Apparently model Agnyss Deyn arrived at fashion week on two wheels, and Helena Christensen calls riding a bike a “cozy habit”.

The piece points out what visitors to Europe have known for years: On the Continent it’s all about integrating pedaling into your life, so you can wear whatever you like, from ballgowns to heels with skinny jeans. Bikes are designed to carry both people and stuff (including beer!). My favorite quote? “It’s easy enough to wear a skirt on a bike. And guys love it,” says Christiansen. I can vouch for this, as I always ride my bike around in ‘non-sporting’ gear.

So next time you think you need a special outfit to ride your bike, think again (though it would behoove you to have fenders to keep the mud and moisture off). And if you need some tips on cool bikes, and what to wear while doing it, check out the full article.