I love when really pretty, sustainable design and fair price point meet. This is the perfect marriage when it comes to the newly debuted and Parisian inspired Amour Vert (translated, appropriately means green love).
When designer Linda Balti began designing in her Paris studio, she did so under the premise that sustainability should be a mass not elite movement.
“I created Amour Vert because I wasn’t able to find eco-conscious clothes that would be stylish enough to wear from day to night at an affordable price. We really didn’t want to do another exclusive eco line that would do crazy prices, there are enough out there. We are on a mission to make beautiful sustainable clothing affordable so that a maximum amount of people can wear it,” says Linda.
“Thank you,” says the every-consumer.
This line might have stayed in Paris proper had Linda’s life and business partner Christoph Frehsee not gotten into Stanford. Once settled in San Francisco, the two realized they had mutual concerns for the environment that loomed heavy on their horizon. Some couples would’ve started out recycling, bringing their own shopping bags to supermarkets or checking out a new hybrid car but a few months later, the Amour Vert label was born. The couple now works out of a studio in Palo Alto although most of the design process for their spring/summer2011 collection took place in Paris.
“I travel back and forth between Paris and California because my inspiration comes from Paris and most of my design ideas were born there. We manufacture all our garments in San Francisco. The factory we team with is a family business. They are having a very hard time since a lot of San Francisco’s successful designers are outsourcing their production in Asia. We want to do well for them as well because their future depends a lot on the local designer.”
This week’s giveaway is Amour Vert’s night-time slinky Angelique dress in black created out of a blend of bamboo and organic cotton, or the Angelique in slate (pictured above) created out of a blend of soy and organic cotton. Delish.
Are you feeling hmmm, je ne sais quoi, a yearning for this dress? I am. If you see comments from Madame D don’t report me.
Leave a comment below with your best French word for this dress. I’ll be ready with my French/English dictionary to translate.
Good luck!