Zara is in the business of fast fashion — and I think we can all agree that fast fashion sucks, fueling a culture of constant consumption that latches onto low price points rather than quality craftsmanship, classic style or supporting independent business. But… every once in a while, fast fashion can have its place. As I’ve [...]
Earlier this week I clicked on this article, devoured it, retweeted it — and haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since. Lecturer and former fashion editor Charty Durrant writes about the impact the fashion industry has had on not only the ecology and economy of countless developing countries, but also — even more [...]
We all love hearing about a new for-benefit company, where a business has built its concept around benefitting a social cause. Most for-benefits are based in Africa or other impoverished countries, which is completely awesome — but there’s something especially impactful about hearing about one in my own country. It hits closer to home, literally. [...]
First, a contest! From now through Earth Day, this Friday, Levi’s is running a contest that I thought some of you might be interested in. To enter, just tweet about how YOU combine style and sustainability, whether you’re wearing vintage or building a sustainable wardrobe or reviving old furniture, and include the hashtag #SWTC (as [...]
A couple weeks ago I published my latest piece on for-benefit companies at Commerce with a Conscience, With Benefits: Nau. For it, I got to learn a lot about the labor landscape from talking with Nau‘s product and textile guru: I get a little bit giddy every time I talk to someone like Jamie Bainbridge, [...]
Before Gretchen Jones was on Project Runway, she was a sustainable fashion designer in Portland, merchandising her slow-fashion line MothLove. But to take her work to the next level, for the sake of both finances and fame, she knew she needed some kind of jumpstart — so Season 8 it was. I got to chat [...]
Look – the inner-workings of a traditional clog factory in Sweden! I love seeing the craftspeople in action. (Especially the rivets guy.) I’ve always thought the price point of Swedish clogs were a bit high (No 6, Swedish Hasbeens), but now I get it — plus, Epaulet’s exclusive designs start significantly lower, at $185. Very nice! Via [...]
We love our indie brands, but oftentimes shopping at chains can be unavoidable. Last month Newsweek released its Green Rankings 2010, ranking hundreds of the world’s most environmentally sound companies, and I went through and grabbed just the Fashion & Beauty companies from their Top 500 US Companies list — so that when we do find ourselves at [...]
This shot from The Sartorialist is fantastic in the first place. But I also love the context in which Scott Schuman posted it: In the midst of New York fashion week, he snapped this and then asked the question, “So what is more important, fashion or style?” Referring to “fashion” as following the trends, and [...]
Lovely to see my new friends Jennine, founder of The Coveted and IFB, and Joslin, owner of EcoCitizen, featured in FASHIONmeGREEN’s San Francisco Project! In the video, Jennine mentions the influence that style bloggers can have in sharing great eco fashion with their audiences, and local designers (The Podolls, Feral Childe, Kayu and Juleselin) weigh in on the benefits of eco fashion. This video has [...]
If you have a minute right now, I would really appreciate your help. Please sign in and vote for my panel at South by Southwest Interactive in Austin next year! » Empowering Conscientious Consumers: Take the Power Back I’ll discuss case studies of brands/concepts that educate and empower responsible consumers through the web, along with: [...]
Did you miss me? About a week ago Jon and I took a short vacation to Disneyland! But it’s taken me a while to get the wind back in my sails since we got back. It’s just that time of year, I guess, for vacations and transitions and the like. Last week was my first time [...]
How crazy is it that current FDA laws concerning personal care products haven’t changed since 1938? Apparently cosmetics companies aren’t required to meet any standards or regulations with their products. Crazy. But there’s good news! Annie Leonard from The Story of Stuff has narrated this excellent video to educate us about what the heck we’re [...]
“It is shameful that we allow the people who make our clothes to live in extreme poverty.” My friend Mary at Social Alterations (in the pic above) is running a really inspired campaign right now that I am excited to help support. The background: As you’ve probably heard, Bangladeshi garment workers have been on strike [...]
Because I don’t have much of a shopping budget lately, I’m taking in more “inspiration” than “new things.” Right now I’m so inspired by these classic Saint James sailor shirts. I’ve admired this shirt style since it came out at American Apparel earlier this year — until I figured out that AA was just copying a [...]
After helping announce the launch of Bright Young Things earlier this month, I got to catch up with designer Eliza Starbuck for a quick email interview about how her fashion label is doing things its own way. FLP: I read on your blog that at the time you met Sheena of The Uniform Project, you [...]
Lalesso’s Spring Summer 2010 collection is as sweet as it is socially friendly. And with code “fashion loves people,” you can get 15% off in the Lalesso online store from now through June 30! In addition to dresses, this summer’s styles include two jumpers, two bikinis and even ballet flats. (The Mbari Playsuit, above, is [...]
How good is Pamela at Market Publique? I knew SATC wardrober Patricia Fields had a penchant for vintage, but Pamela’s post on how much vintage appeared throughout SATC2 really impressed me. Imagine all the hunting it took to find the right pieces for not one, but four looks, at a time. Check out all these [...]
Remember The Uniform Project? To raise money and awareness for the Akanksha Foundation, Sheena Matheiken wore the same little black dress every day for 365 days, styled as creatively as imaginable and photographed daily. Today, the designer of that little black dress is doing something truly disruptive in the fashion industry: Eliza Starbuck is releasing her [...]
Look familiar? The artwork from our our shirts made the cover of KC Magazine’s style issue this May! I just got my hands on the PDFs. For those of you just visiting the site for the first time, welcome, and I hope you’ll come back often. My goal is to help us all shop smarter [...]