Cashmere has long been associated with luxury, but that’s not the case anymore with affordably priced cashmere currently saturating markets. While you might consider this a gift, mid-priced chain stores like Banana Republic and Target (who are buying the fiber) are part of a larger sock in the gut to the Mongolese people and the place they call home.

In addition to consumer’s demand for cashmere, the biggest culprit of the Mongolian countryside desertification are the goats themselves – eating roughly 400 square miles of grass a year (including the grass roots).

Ecotextile News reports that this over grazing of the high plains goats, in some instances has resulted in a “desertification of the land,” from nomadic herders looking to make a buck.

“The ever increasing demand in the west for cheap cashmere has encouraged such growth in the goat population so that there are real fears over the ecological balance of the region,” says Ecotextile News.

In the same article, China’s Ministry of Nature and Environment estimated that “grassland is thinning out across 75 percent of this vast country, two thirds the size of Western Europe, while 7 percent is already desert.”

With the Cashmere World Trade Fair taking place November 23-25, a Cashmere Sustainability Conference will encourage attendees on industry and environmental threats – from the fiber to the overgrazing, scouring and dyeing.

Image: Left-Hand

Is there a hole in the heart of that beloved camel cashmere from your freshman year at Stanford?

Don’t become unraveled! The crafty set – people like Stefanie Girard, who wrote Sweater Surgery – take the green approach to spinning yarns, reconfiguring new objects d’smart from those ratty pullovers that once warmed our bones.

Handwash your old sweater (I like to use baby shampoo) and treat it for unsightly coffee or red wine stains. Then circumvent those Jarlsberg cheese holes in the wool and make something cool!

Here’s a look at 10 reclamations, from Ugly Dolls to pretty petal pins:

1. Stuffed Toys

A favorite project at Brandeis Hillel Day School in San Francisco, parents are asked to contribute old sweaters for the students to conjure their own, arty Ugly Dolls. My own 10-year-old, Lauren, made this creature in just a couple of days and they instantly became BBF’s.

2. Bitchen Boatneck

Deborah Lindquist makes her groovy dog wraps from recycled cashmere sweaters, and you can do it, too. Just find a square without holes and make two for the front legs. Then your pet can walk the walk!

3. Beaded Cuff

I love this upscale take on the 70s tennis sweat band. The beaded cuff woven by Olive Brown is simple to make, by cutting your own elongated rectangle from your rescued sweater, stitching the borders and embellishing with beads or other hot glue glam.

4. Pet Bed

Lately, my pug has taken to sleeping in the laundry basket. Why not take your old sweaters and other scraps and make a patchwork pet bed, like Apartment Therapy suggests? Gather an assortment of old sweaters and a pillow and get working on that soft place for your pooch to land.

5. Pullover Coasters

Olive Brown made these from a shrunken woman’s fair aisle v-neck pullover. The set of eight, sold at Etsy, is something you can also try to make by cutting the circles and top-stitching the front, leaving a zigzag stitch on the back. The edges are finished with an overlock stitch.

6. Snuggly Slippers

Follow the footsteps of Craft Stylish, and avoid booties made from yucky  synthetic materials. These old woolen slippers are stitched with love. All you need is paper, a pen, scissors, an old sweater, thread, a machine, a scarp of yarn and a crochet hook. Have fun padding around!

7. Doll Clothes

If you or your child can knit, this book from Amazon provides patterns and ideas. I always loved sewing my own Barbie clothes from discarded items that wound up in our rag box. Let your kids try their hand at Project Runway ensembles using old sweaters. Try some lederhosen for that Heidi doll!

8. Flower Brooch

Thick rose wool felt from a rescued cardigan is paired with a heavy vintage bronze shank button in this classic flower. Found at Etsy, you can arrange your own floral jewelry with scissors, glue and a pin from your neighborhood craft store. Add a center flourish and attach to blazer lapel. You grow, girl!

9. Cell Phone Cozy

Craftbits is calling! Pick up and read the steps for making your own, fetching felted mobile phone pouch with a key ring at the top for attaching to jeans or your purse.

10. Teapot Cozy

We adore these at EcoSalon and even touted the beauty of the pot sweater for Mother’s Day this year. This one from Etsy is ideal because the pretty blue yarn is washable. Accented by a handknit multicolored flower with a vintage button for the center, it’s about 19 inches around and stretches over a 4″-to-6″ teapot. Not handy with a needle? Ask a friend to help.

Main Image: Amazon

Have a bun in the oven? Maybe some friends who are expecting? Well, it’s never too early to get that baby started on the path to a green lifestyle. Kistner Supply recently launched three brand new eco-friendly product lines that are sure to make you the sustainable star at any upcoming showers (even your own)! Before that tiny bundle of love enters the world, apply your impeccable taste in decor to the nursery. From the pages of their 100th anniversary edition of Mother Stork’s Baby Book, their beautiful baby art includes seven charming prints and three Victorian frames to delicately adorn walls and tabletops. As safe as they are soft, the recycled cashmere chime balls and baby blankets make for 100% natural sleep and play time.

It’s early Sunday morning in late November and I don’t want to leave the cuddly warmth of my down duvet. If I had special powers I would wiggle my nose and a handsome prince would appear with a cup of hot coffee and the New YorkTimes. But since my nose doesn’t wiggle that way, I crawl out from under the covers and head toward the closet for a favorite pair of jeans, a tee and my heather grey sweater-coat.

Then I’m out the door and headed toward the Farmers’ Market. I can’t live without that sweater. Well, of course I can“¦but you know what I mean. It works with most outfits, dressed up or down, and keeps me toasty and looking presentable when I may not be (especially early Sunday mornings).

So if you’re in the market for the perfect fall to winter to spring cover up, the sweater-coat is the way to go. VivaTerra has two that tickle my fancy.

The Cashmere & Merino Wool Luxury Sweater Coat is versatile and tres chic. It has a large, sculpted collar – wear it open or use the kilt pin to close it and heighten the warm and cozy factor. Available in a gorgeous berry as well as black in sizes small through large. $339 at VivaTerra.

Also available to sharpen your wardrobe this winter is the eco-friendly Lambswool Sweater Jacket. Subtle and stylish in winter white with a fluffy collar, this piece is selling out fast and currently available in large and xtra large. It’s on sale at VivaTerra for $95.

I can’t help but feel more like a girly-girl when my ridges have ruffles. Maybe that’s why the layered trim look is so alluring for fall. The eye-catching Juicy Couture modal dress from S Sense proves y’all can be a Georgia peach and hot tomato at the same time. You grow, girl!

Now, you won’t catch me in lacy bloomers but I’d certainly don any one of these frilly dresses and separates. The reason? They’re frilly but not silly. Instead, they flaunt soft and sophisticated lines.

Demure meets knock-out in Kate Organic ‘s Julianne Dress ($150) at The Green Loop. And what could be more angelic than the ruffled sleeve of this choirgirl’s tunic from Camilla Noorback?

Keep warm and trendy in these ruffled wraps, including a Lilac cardi from Indigenous Designs, a fair trade and organic line; an elongated and ultra flowy red Alpaca Duster ($249) and Tweedy Wrap scarf ($59 from VivaTerra), and the White and Warren Ruffle Wrap in black or camel ($275).

 

The Ruffled Cloud Scarf ($89), also from VivaTerra (below) makes a soft, ethereal statement in a watercolored palette. The Lilac ruffled tank from Soul Flower ($18) is great for layering, as is the Stewart+Brown eco cashmere cami ($75) at The Green Loop.

Even if you’re preggers you can still crave ruffles. Slip on this two-tiered, Tutu dress by Nest by Swanky ($75) and it’s just like when you went to the prom with that guy with the afro in platforms (of course, now it’s okay to have a bun in that chiffon oven).

Luxury is elusive. We seek it, but it is never quite realized. It is a practice.

What better way to practice luxury than to drape yourself in ultra luxe fabrics like the trademark cashmere and long-fiber hemp blend of Viridis Luxe. The entire line is a tapestry of supple, revolutionary blends. Bamboo, hemp and silk weave through the collection like a slice of moonlight through the window, subtly luminescent in a gentle, sleepy way.

Luxury is confident yet understated, in contrast to glamour, which is hungry and loud. Viridis Luxe treads lightly in the world of eco-fashion, but carries a big (bamboo) stick.

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A girl can never have enough wraps, especially a girl who always finds herself chilled to the bone. To me, the wrap is a stylish and essential choice. When it comes to wraps, I like to think of myself as an equal opportunity shopper. As luxurious as a high-end eco cashmere wrap is, I value my vintage sidewalk purchase just as much. This Azuri Sparkle Wrap looks and feels indulgent in terms of quality, but it’s a steal right now in terms of price. They’re on sale for $80 from an original $240. The collection uses the finest natural fabrics including cashmere, wool, and silk – no petroleum-based synthetics or conventional fibers.

Image/purchase: Nimli

I was once dating a man who couldn’t believe his ears when he learned that I didn’t own cashmere. He was simply appalled that the fashionista and lover of luxury sitting in front of him had never splurged on the famously lavish wool. Lo and behold, for Christmas he bought me my very first cashmere sweater.

Of course, I was instantly hooked (on the cashmere). I now seek out the especially soft fiber – eco, of course. And right now, my eyes are on this short sleeve cardigan by Stewart + Brown. Made of 100% Mongolian cashmere, you can pair this sweater with a skirt, jeans, or even shorts to create many different looks. For a fresh yet ladylike look, you can even wear the sweater with the buttons in back. On sale for $183, it’s a cash-miracle!

Image: Pangaya

How could anyone resist that precious face and that stylish pink sweater? The hounds must be lining up for her number!

Truth be told, I am a cat person. But I am surrounded by dog people, especially tiny dog people. You know the ones – sparing no expense to dress up their miniature pups and tote them everywhere in chic dog carriers. (Mom, I’m referring, with love, to you. )

For you hopeless wee-dog people, the ingenious folks behind Remnant Clothing have spent time developing a clever and practical way to keep your Pug or Pomeranian fashionable and green. Their reclaimed cashmere dog sweaters are cheery, soft, sustainable, and artisan-crafted. 

Image: Remnant