Ikou-Tschüss is an indie brand that started as a hobby and has grown into a fully operating fashion business.

Ikou-Tschüss is Guya Marini and Carmen D’Apollonio, two friends who’ve coined their brand’s name on the fly: Ikou means ‘let’s go’ in Japanese and Tschüss means ‘bye’ in German. Since 2006 when the brand started, Marini and D’Apollonio have never gone anywhere but up in terms of how recognized the indie label has become within the greater fashion industry.

Their site says the label’s earliest beginnings began with the two designers meeting every summer in Zürich and exchanging ideas, but the lack of proximity kept their collaboration from coming immediately to fruition.

“Guya stayed active in Paris, doing her styling; Carmen, in Zürich and sometimes New York, was kept busy as the invaluable assistant to Swiss artist Urs Fischer. Then, meeting up again in the beginning of 2006, the two decided to focus exclusively on making handmade knitwear and croched silk foulards. Guya showed the pieces to her friend Livio and Stephan from the Parisian press office. Livio and Stephan were instantly taken with the knitwear and in their excitement planted the seeds for what was soon to become Ikou-Tschüss, demanding that Guya and Carmen formally create a label for the work they had brought in.”

When it comes to sustainability and still a strong fashion appeal, their main focus lies in sourcing quality materials. Most of their wool is either 100% cashmere or merino, and the silk comes from fair-trade locations in either South America or Tibet. They also incorporate recycled or vintage materials whenever possible and embrace the long-held tradition of knitting and crocheting which they themselves learned while growing up in the Swiss capital.

Their designs are made by hand and “the process of doing the work is vital to the form the design takes,” says the site, so production is staffed exclusively by grandmothers, who retain the old craftswomanly approach to handwork—skills that Guya and Carmen feel are disappearing today.

Kou Tschuss is located at 8 Centre Market Place in New York City and online.

Rebecca Mink’s vegan shoe line makes us yearn for spring.

Rebecca Mink’s eponymous vegan shoe line, Mink, is made from sustainable resources such as wood, rubber, cork and organic fabrics and engineered by Marco Gambassi, whose family has been crafting shoes for generations in Italy.

These platform wedges make us lust not only for spring, but for the simple, styled heel – a stand out feature from other wedges we’re seeing.

$187

Editor’s note: We are proud to bring you original columns and feature editorials at EcoSalon on a daily basis. But sometimes, nothing’s more pleasurable than admiring a beautiful, innovative or special sustainable product or idea. Throughout each week, look for “lustables” in the mix here at EcoSalon. And if you have a product you think readers should see, drop us a line at tips@ecosalon.com.

Style. It’s that ‘je ne sais quoi’ about someone or some place. You can’t put your finger on it, but you like it. Or you don’t.

It’s personal and evolves with time and maturity. And then it might change, again. Style is expressed through fashion, music, decor, tattoos. Our style communicates who we are, what we like, how we feel.

So what happens when one style meets another? Is it catastrophe waiting to happen or is there hope for harmony?

That’s why we created Style Clash. Some design styles are more flexible; others force us to stretch outside our comfort zone. Each week we will offer tips for mixing competing styles successfully.

What do we mean by “successful”, you ask? If nothing seems strange, jarring or just plain ugly, then I’m all for it regardless of time period, colorway or material. I call it a successful Style Clash.

Let’s warm up with an example of a winning mix, to get us acquainted. Can you name the three (yes, three) different design styles and corresponding pieces of furniture in this dining room (top image)?

The Neoclassical credenza under the mirror looks perfect with this Country dining table and chairs and Modern pendant lamps. Classical, comfortable and clever. Voilà! It’s sincerely that simple.

For our first Style Clash let’s marry Italian/Old-World with Contemporary and see where we land.

Italian style (image above and below) is mostly masculine with high ceilings, distressed walls and dark woods. The color palette ranges but the hues are rich, regal and muted with age; never pale or pastel. The look is comfortable, broken-in and distressed. Stone floors, wood beam ceilings and arched doorways are trademark elements (image below).

Contemporary style (image above and below) is graphic in nature with sleek, straight lines and splashes of color mixed in with muted whites and creams. Furniture sits low to the ground and often has metal frames and legs. White walls, lack of window treatments and concrete flooring are other key elements of Contemporary design.

Combining these opposing styles (images below) might sound scary, but actually the result is charming and full of old and new world potential. Let me show you how…

If the name Philippe Starck rings a bell, you probably know a thing or two about Contemporary design. And you should recognize his Ghost Chairs in the image above. Starck is the go-to guy for some of the sleekest, chicest designs around. And his see-through, sexy chairs seem perfectly placed in this Italian dining room (image above and below). Notice the key Italian elements: the arch over the doors, the distressed walls and high ceilings, as well as the stone floors.

The same can be said of this smaller, private eating area (image above). The chairs are Starck’s La Marie, but the effect is still comfortable and serene. These spaces, probably located somewhere in Tuscany, carry all the traditional charms of an Italian villa with a touch of today. Successful Style Clash.

Meet me here next week as we continue to cruise the spectrum of interior design styles, two at a time. Ciao for now!

Images: Interior Divine and AT Casa.

I’ve always been impressed at how much longer my husband’s shoes last than mine. Some pairs he has had for 20 years and has simply re-heeled and polished them to make them last. He even keeps the boxes.

But now that he is on the public transportation circuit – like so many other good green worker bees – it’s important to wear a comfort shoe that doesn’t pinch when you’re running for that bus or train.

The good news is vegan shoes have become much more stylish, from the old boxy Earth Shoe and hippie Birkenstocks of yore to the oxfords and buckle slips-on on the market that emulate many of the swank Italian shoes.

Sure, the vegan varieties have a softer appearance but that’s part of the allure. The greatest advantage is not just the material but the price. Most brands are reasonable (under $200) and are built to last.

Here are a few to take you through fall:

Princeton Vegan Shoes in Brown or Black, $58 at Alternative Outfitters.

The dapper yet durable Brouque wing-tipped from Moo Shoes, $150.

Handsome yet rugged Dennis Shoe from Novacas,  $140.

The Noharm Slip-On, $275 at Togged.

Noharm Lace-Up Ankle Boot, $299 at Togged.

Men’s Baker Brown Vegan Loafer, $55 at Alternative Outfitters.

New Hidalgo Camel Workboot, $68 at Regazzi Vega.

Main Image: Regazzi Vegan