If the key to personal style is knowing yourself, identifying with someone whose style you admire is a great way to figure out whether something is “you.” Even Princess Grace’s off-duty dog-walking style (above) captured in 1969 shows why she’ll always be one of the world’s fashion icons worth emulating.

Of course, style inspiration can – and should be – found anywhere and everywhere. Art, books, the colors of a sunset, even the innocence of a little girl’s hand-assembled school outfit that caught my eye recently is fodder for sartorial creativity. Her back-to school denim blue dress paired with red-wo0llen tights sparked an idea to revisit the fresh combination of color and textures as soon as the weather gets cooler. 

In light of the news that the industry’s most forward-thinking designers are deciding to opt out off the traditional fashion calendar this season, and that the best of the rest sent models down the catwalk in thousand-dollar crop tops, finding inspiration outside of traditional fashion media seems well, sane.

Choosing looks from icons from the hallowed halls of style history provides a solid reference for putting together outfits with balanced proportions or recreating an inspired use of a belt or scarf. Taking inspiration from the style greats is more than opting for vintage glamour, it’s identifying with an attitude that icon had towards getting dressed. Whether its classic, eclectic, bohemian or a minimalistic approach, choosing your style inspiration is all about making it your own.

Classic Style: Grace Kelly

Image: Wikipedia

Was anyone more appropriately named than Grace Kelly? Her perfectly cut clothing in demure pastel shades set the standard for graceful, ladylike style that remains an inspiration more than 50 years after she first burst on to the Hollywood scene in High Noon.

 Image: Beklina

If you want to emulate Kelly’s always-calm-and-collected demeanor, take a look at Rachel Comey’s nude Olto dress (above) available at Beklina. A classic staple, modeled after a timeless trench-coat silhouette, it’s sleeveless and fully lined and features a double button wrap front with panel flap detail, a collarless boat neckline and delicate pintucks at the waist. Worn with a long-sleeved turtleneck for season-proof style, it’s a solid investment in an enduring classic style.

Eclectic Style: Kate Moss

Image: Ecosalon

Mixing references is the genius of Kate Moss’ much-coveted cool-girl style. While a leopard print may intimidate most of us, Moss knows that introducing a slightly offbeat element punches up neutrals and turns basic skinny jeans and boots into a glamorous, but laid-back look.

Image: Amour Vert

Amour Vert’s Grace Peasant Top in leopard printed silk (above) is made in California and instantly creates an eclectic sense of style with simple separates—and if you fancy taking a walk on the wide side, it also pairs brilliantly with red and green.

Bohemian Style: Stevie Nicks

Image: Wikipedia

Along with her raspy voice, Stevie Nicks’ iconic bohemian style is part of her sultry allure. A free-spirited outsider, her signature hippie beads, fringe and billowing sleeves revealed an individualistic and romantic take on fashion.

Image: Beklina

For the dreamers among us, Ryan Roche’s stunning 100% cashmere cardigan sweater (above) injects some bohemian luxury into an everyday look. Warm and cozy, the cardigan doubles up as the perfect early fall coat. A detachable braided belt and hidden buttons secure the front.

Minimalist Style: Carolyn Bessette Kennedy

The 90s are fashion’s latest craving, and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy was the decade’s ultimate minimalist muse. A gift for taking avant-garde design and wearing in an effortless way endeared her to the era’s designers and style commentators. Her taste for wearing all-black outfits with clean lines and sleek styling means that photographs of her look as relevant now as they did then.

Maiyet’s Full Sleeve Short Jacket with hand hooked ari embroidered detail on the cuffs of the sleeves (above) is striking for its high concept and sophisticated cut. Made in New York, it’s a surprisingly versatile piece. Teamed with jeans or a pencil skirt, its understated simplicity doesn’t scream for attention, but rest assured, everyone will notice how you are inspired by fashion icons like these.

Related on Ecosalon: 

The Eye Has to Travel: Sustainable Style Lessons from Diana Vreeland

20 Best Quotes on Style

Top Image: Wikipedia

The post 4 Fall Looks Inspired by 4 Fashion Icons appeared first on EcoSalon.

Image: Vaunte 

Fall’s here and search for the perfect party dress (and work ensembles) begins. Online luxury consignment websites are easier to use than ever and mean clothes that are budget-friendly, lower-impact, and best of all, help you avoid the trudge through the mall.

There’s no denying it, we’ve transitioned from sunny summer to the darkening days of fall. If you looked at your calendar recently, you know that holiday parties and the need for glamorous looks are on their way. When it comes to finding the perfect dress for the party or blazer for work, there’s a lot to consider for those conscious consumers with an eye on getting the most out of our clothes. 

Buying gently used clothes and accessories from luxury consignment sites online guarantees us clothing that is less trend and season driven and more unique. Who wants to look like they are dressed from the latest brand catalog or department store window? The best advantage to shopping consigner? Your new piece won’t be found on any other of the guests at the party, thus avoiding a same-dress disaster to spoil your night.

Here are our favorite sites for finding a special look that’s all your own.

 Vaunte

Vaunte taps into our voyeuristic passion for discovering what items our favorite style insiders wear and makes it easy to snap them up ourselves by shopping directly from their covetable designer wardrobes.

The RealReal

An impressive selection of secondhand designer and luxury brands for men and women, the RealReal features Gilt Groupe-style 72-hour-long sales presented by brand and style in a relatable, but high fashion editorial voice.

Yoogi’s Closet

For buyer and sellers in the market for pre-owned designer handbags, shoes, accessories and jewelry, Yoogi’s Closet stands out for their dedication to authenticity. If you are ready to shell out big bucks for that Chanel, Louis Vuitton or Hermes bag of your dreams, this is the place to find it.

Decades

Divided into 20th century vintage and 21st century modern, Cameron Silver and Christos Garkinos’ Decades is a now legendary vintage consigner in Los Angeles, responsible for outfitting the Hollywood elite in vintage treasures since 1997.

Fashionphile

While the focus is on high-end handbags and accessories, it’s Fashionphile‘s top-notch customer service, down-to-earth design and discounted prices that appeals to their loyal customer base.

Related on Ecosalon:

Thrift Store Reconnaissance: You’re On An Eco-Fashion Mission!

Secondhand Fashion Gets A Digital Upgrade

The post Best Luxury Consignment Sites Online: Budget Fabulousness appeared first on EcoSalon.

“Tug on one part of nature and you find the whole world connected.” John Burroughs

The Permacouture Institute’s natural dyes expert Sasha Duerr picks her top pigment-producing summer flowers, and inspires us to look to nature to soothe and elevate our mood as the summer season ends.

September signals a month of change. As summer winds down, warm nights turn chilly and children return to school. All this multi-tasking means we need to make time for reflection and contemplation more than ever.

Sasha Duerr, founder of the Permacouture Institute and author of the Handbook of Natural Plant Dyes, takes the opportunity to connect with the here and now by collecting summer’s last blooms to make natural dyes, a sensory experience she describes as helping “to see beyond what is actually there.” 

We asked her to pick her five favorite summer flowers and show us the color bouquet they make as dyes on silk fiber. The results are gorgeous as you can see…

Natural Dyes made from Coreopsis Creates Orange with Alum Salts

Natural Dyes made from Red Roses Turn to Gray and Black with Iron added

Inspired? If you’d like to experiment making your own natural dyes, here are Sasha’s tips for extracting every drop of beauty from the last days of summer.

– The dyes are all heated to a boil and then brought to a simmer for 20 minutes to extract the color.

– Alum Salts can be purchased from textile supply sources like Dharma Trading Company. Alum helps with light and wash-fastness and helps the color to brighten or “bloom” in the dye bath.

– Iron powder can also be bought from textile suppliers or be made simply from iron scraps, like old rusty nails and water.

– After dyeing fabrics should be rinsed with a pH-neutral soap, such as Ecover Dish Soap and hung to dry in the shade.

Natural Dyes made from Sunflower (Hopi Black Dye) Creates Greens to Purples, Blues and Blacks with Alum Salts and Iron Added

Natural Dyes made from Hydrangeas Makes Green with Alum Salts

Natural Dyes made from Purple and Black Hollyhocks Creates Blues and Purples with Alum Salts

All Images: Sasha Duerr

Related on Ecosalon:

Permacouture’s Dinner to Dye For (London Style)

Say Yes To The Sustainable Eco Wedding Dress

The post Natural Dyes Master Class with Sasha Duerr: 5 Summer Flowers That Make Beautiful Natural Dyes appeared first on EcoSalon.

Industry innovator Natalia Allen takes a minimalist approach to designing her eponymous line, which is robot made, sustainable and completely original.

For every busy woman wrestling with the paradox of an overstuffed closet and yet still “nothing to wear,” a capsule wardrobe of essential items that fit and flatter is the style equivalent of Shangri-La.

As the founder of Design Futurist, a design consultancy that has created innovative and sustainable textiles and clothing lines for brands such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Calvin Klein and Donna Karan, designer Natalia Allen’s ultimate quest was to find design solutions to environmental challenges. Defined by her core philosophies of modernity, luxury, sustainability and function, her latest venture, an eponymous capsule collection, tackles this most elusive of conundrums: How does one narrow down a closet to create a dream wardrobe?

Natalia Allen 

Natalia’s solution?  One modern, lightweight dress in a high-performance stretch fiber designed for every shape and as Allen describes, “made seamlessly and sustainably by a robot in the USA.”

We caught up with Natalia recently to take a look at the collection, hear what she thinks about the future of fashion and find out a little more about those robots…

Rowena Ritchie: You received Parsons’ prestigious Designer of the Year award when you graduated, was chosen by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader and Fast Company named your consultancy one of the country’s 100 Most Creative Small Businesses. Clearly you’re inspired by what you do; what keeps you passionate about the fashion business?

Natalia Allen: I think design can be a beautiful process; I love its combination of art and science. I enjoy bringing a concept to life in a manner that is both intelligent and aesthetic. I’m curious by nature, so I love the constant discovery.

RR: Tell me, what was behind the decision to launch such a minimalist collection?

NA: I started with the question: “Are clothes modern?” I had a vision for oneness, wholeness and continuity by making the designs seamlessly. My goal was to design one dress that can be worn in a thousand ways, which I think is the perfect approach to dressing for modern women’s lives.

RR: What was most important part of trying to create sustainable clothing?

NA: We are a design company, first and foremost. We believe that great design is sustainable at its core. We focus on making beautiful products in a beautiful way. Our philosophy is to design the process, product and experience.

RR: I read this from stylist Anna Schiffel, “As a stylist I see so much fashion that I get fed up with it, and I just want to return to classics, like Levi’s 501s.” Do you think we’ve reached a point of saturation with fashion and that maybe people are ready for a simpler sense of dressing?

NA: In my opinion, fashion is no longer one directional. The industry is far too global and diverse. That said, I do think many women have busy lives, therefore their time is very valuable. As a result, they are interested in timeless, impeccably made and attractive pieces – rather than the fast-turning trend items.

RR: You describe the line as being made “seamlessly by a robot.” Can you tell us more about this and how the production of your line is different from others?

NA: We use robots to make our dresses, seamlessly. The robots are programmed by skilled technicians. They save a significant amount of textile waste, energy and fuel because they consolidate the manufacturing process into fewer steps. The robots also make it possible for me to manufacture high quality clothing close to home. Our factory looks a bit like a lab as opposed to a sweatshop, and we like that.

Related Stories

Sustainable Design Education: FIT’s Connecting The Dots Symposium And Insights From Guisy Bettoni

Author Interview: Elizabeth Cline of Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion

All Images: Natalia Allen

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Is this the world’s first example of street style?  A new exhibit at Chicago’s Art Institute takes a look at the painters of late 19th-century Paris responsible for capturing the beginnings of the fashion industry as we know it today. 

“The latest fashion . . . is absolutely necessary for a painting. It’s what matters most.” —Édouard Manet, 1881.

From Marc Jacobs and Stephen Sprouse to Elsa Schiaparelli’s work with the Surrealists, the crossover between the fashion and art worlds is a long-established source of inspiration for designers and artists alike. A stunning new exhibit, Impressionism, Fashion & Modernity at Chicago’s Art Institute dates the exact period in history when these worlds first collided, and shows how art and fashion go hand-in-hand in capturing the subtitles of modern life.

If you’ve ever wondered when the fashion media’s seductive hold over women began, the world’s first-ever street style was copied, or even the first supermodel pose struck, it’s all here in late 19th-century Paris as documented by the Impressionist masters like Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Georges Seurat and James Tissot.

The Parisienne by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Over 75 major works of art are on show alongside pristine examples of the rapidly changing fashion trends that inspired them. The immersive installation brings to life the story of Paris from the mid 1860s to the mid 1880s – then emerging as the world’s undisputed style capital –and how its new department stores, ready-to-wear clothing, fashion magazines, and burgeoning middle class inspired artists seeking a new way to define the times through their art.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir. The Loge, 1874

In addition to the selection of period dresses are delicate shoes, hats, fans, parasols, finely-boned corsets, photographs, and fashion plates that vividly illuminate the booming demand for affordable fashionable clothing, (which before the invention of the sewing machine in the 1850s was purely the prerogative of the very privileged).

Organized in collaboration with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the Musée d’Orsay, Paris, the exhibition broke attendance records in Paris and due to the enthusiastic response by visitors, the Art Institute of Chicago have extended the exhibit’s viewing through Sunday, September 29, 2013.

Example of period Roger formal dress

All Images: Chicago’s Art Institute

Related on Ecosalon:

Ecosalon at NYFW: Street Style

Now and Then: A History of Fashion Media

The post Street Style Origins Found: French Impressionists Connected Art and Fashion appeared first on EcoSalon.

Black history is celebrated at a Chicago fashion exhibit that celebrates the Ebony Fashion Fair, which for fifty years brought the world’s most exclusive fashions to black audiences nationwide, changing how African Americans viewed themselves in the process.

Fashion lovers visiting Chicago this summer are in for a treat. In addition to the city’s hit Impressionism, Fashion and Modernity show at the Art Institute of Chicago, they won’t want to miss the  Inspiring Beauty: 50 years of Ebony Fashion Fair exhibit a few train stops away at the Chicago History Museum. Featuring more than 60 garments by more than 50 designers, the curators show how one woman’s couture collection changed both fashion and how black America viewed itself.

The exhibit, which runs through January 5, 2014, features a stunning collection of significant late 20th and early 21st century fashion culled from thousands of items that appeared in the legendary Ebony Fashion Fair. Launched in 1958, the groundbreaking road show brought high fashion to African-American audiences, employing African-American designers, stylists and models like the legendary Pat Cleveland. At its peak, it traveled to more than 180 cities creating great excitement in local communities that rarely saw images of African-Americans as beautiful, accomplished and successful.

The Ebony Fashion Fair presented a powerful new vision for what was possible for African Americans

Despite civil rights victories during this era, images of black achievement were rare. John H. Johnson founded and published Ebony magazine with the intention of creating images that could testify to the possibilities of a new and different world. The best-selling magazine was an overnight success; its impact on black culture was stunning.  Johnson’s wife, Eunice Johnson, who oversaw the magazine’s fashion pages and was herself a deep-pocketed and intimidating patron of the world’s most exclusive couture houses, spearheaded the traveling fashion show.

The exhibit features garments from 50 designers including Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior and Valentino

Buying more than 7,000 items of clothing and accessories over her lifetime  (for the show and her personal collection), Eunice Johnson produced and directed the Ebony Fashion Fair for more than 50 years. Not only did she shatter barriers by bringing high fashion to a growing black market, and raise more than $55 million for various charitable causes along the way, she challenged fashion’s frivolous stereotype by asserting the vital importance of style and its ability to help create community.

Eunice Johnson pioneered the idea that “there was more to life than struggle, there’s beauty and glamor.”

The don’t-miss exhibition highlighting this corner of black history is presented in three sections modeling the traveling show’s format. The first part, Vision, explores Eunice Johnson’s role as the creative force behind the event and features more than 30 costumes including some of the most revered names in 20th century fashion such as Pierre Cardin, Emanuel Ungaro, Courreges, Givenchy, Christian Lacroix and Paco Rabanne. Twelve ensembles answer the question of what power, affluence and influence look like. Another grouping of eight costumes reflects the use of color as a means to express beauty and risk-taking. The exhibition concludes with six garments that celebrate the female body, accentuating curves and showcasing skin.

 All Images: Chicago Museum of History

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C.L.A.S.S. founder Giusy Bettoni is educating the next generation of sustainable designers and entrepreneurs this week in NYC with a packed program that includes workshops on the latest in sustainable fabrics and natural dyes, to an eco-scavenger hunt through New York City’s garment district.

Fashion Institute of Technology is hosting Connecting the Dots, a forward-thinking three-day symposium for business owners, industry workers and students to learn about the positive impacts of taking a more sustainable design approach to the fashion, beauty, and health industries.

Beginning Wednesday, July 10, the event includes 

workshops, demonstrations, panels, an eco-fashion show, and a sustainable fashion tour around Manhattan. “I am very excited that we are able to offer 3 days of events around sustainable fashion, health and beauty,” said Christine Helm, Director of the Enterprise Center at FIT, “We are building on the excitement, exchange of ideas and knowledge that we started with last year’s event.”

In addition to running a textile, fashion, home and design business, Bettoni (left) is also the Green Carpet Challenge’s (founded by Livia Firth, right) go-to woman. (Image: FIT )

Milan-based Giusy Bettoni, cofounder of C.L.A.S.S., an international eco-platform that promotes environmentally friendly products and Livia Firth’s co-collaborator on the Green Carpet Challenge, will provide the keynote address entitled, “Welcome to the Third Dimension, Where Design and Innovation Meet Responsibility.”

We caught up with Bettoni to learn more about sustainable design:

Rowena Ritchie: What do you want people to know about the fashion, home and design products they currently buy? 

Giusy Bettoni: I believe it would be absolutely great for them to discover the majority of products they desire are not just performing from a design and functional perspective, but also from an environmental level which is incredibly low.

RR: Can you tell us about what led you to set up C.L.A.S.S. and how your organization creates more environmentally friendly products for the fashion, home and design industries? 

GB: I have a 30 year-long background in raw materials, fibers, yarns and fabrics. My goal was to turn them into something beautiful, precious, innovative and most importantly, eco-friendly. I founded C.L.A.S.S. to concretely prove that these new horizons of sustainable fashion textiles are not just possible, but actually represent a new step in the value chain. We have now created  “ecolibraries“ where brands and designers can source new, high-tech and responsible materials coming from natural, organic, recycled and renewable resources—each fabric meets our criteria of design, innovation and responsible certification.

The missing ingredient in today’s design world is products that are designed responsibly. There’s real added value and competitive market advantage available to us by promoting these qualities to the consumers; that’s the other dimension I’ll be discussing at the symposium.

RR: Why are educational events like FIT’s symposium so important?

GB: Sharing information and experiences is key to this new way of working with textiles. Education is so important. It’s what C.L.A.S.S. is really all about. We are really pleased and honored to be invited by FIT to be part of this symposium, and will do our best to disseminate what we have learned in the last years. I truly believe sharing and networking is the key to this movement’s success.

RR: Do you think there is a difference in the way eco-friendly fashion is received by consumers in Europe versus the U.S?

GB: Each country has his own lifestyle and culture, but I have to admit that the perception of eco-friendly fashion is quite the same everywhere and the perception is not as good, unfortunately. That is why a symposium like this one is so vital.  We need to show that responsible innovation in fashion creates a competitive business advantage, and not just a nice story.

RR: Tell us about your latest project with Livia Firth’s Green Carpet Challenge?

GB: The Green Carpet Challenge is a fantastic exercise, and we are always working at something special… I cannot go into detail now as it is early days, but I can say we are preparing something amazing for the next London Fashion Week!

 To learn more about Connecting the Dots: A Sustainable Fashion, Health and Beauty Symposium or to register for the event, click here, or call (212) 217-4000. 



Top Image: courtesy C.L.A.S.S.

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Today, yoga is a rapidly evolving and varied discipline practiced by more than 20 million Americans and coming this fall, the yoga community will welcome a deeper examination of this ancient art during a groundbreaking exhibit.

The Smithsonian has recently announced that the world’s first exhibition devoted to the art of yoga will be set to go on display October 19^th through Jan 26^th 2014 at the museums’ Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.  “Yoga: The Art of Transformation” showcase’s a vast collection of temple sculptures, devotional icons, illustrated manuscripts, court paintings, photographs, books and films that aim to trace yoga’s journey from an ancient art and philosophy reaching back to 500 BCE to today’s modern physical practice and booming yoga community.

For dedicated practitioners and teachers like John Hayden, Board President of the Iyengar Yoga Association of Northern California, it’s a welcomed perspective. “The beauty of this exhibition is that it shows a broader audience there’s so much more to yoga than a yoga butt or stretchy pants,” Hayden said.  “It opens their eyes to the practiced art form Mr. Iyengar has long spoken of and that the Iyengar community understands and embraces.”

In a new twist, the exhibit also marks the Smithsonian’s foray into crowdfunding to support the extensive schedule that includes a family festival, free programs, videos, pamphlets and yoga classes during the exhibition. “Putting together an exhibit this large, showing more that 135 works from around the world, is a huge undertaking,” said Allison Peck, Head of Public Affairs & Marketing for the Smithsonian’s Freer and Sackler Galleries.  “We’d done some focus groups within the yoga community and it was their idea,” said Peck. “So far more than 100 ‘Yoga Messengers’ have committed to take the materials we’ve provided into their community to spread the word and raise funds. It’s a very supportive community and they turned out to be our best advocates.”

One of the campaigns enthusiastic yoga messengers is Heather Haxo Phillips, owner of Adeline Yoga, a yoga studio in Berkeley, CA. “It’s such a rich and deep cultural art form that it’s important to share its history and traditions,” Haxo Phillips said. “Our modern yoga practice is constantly evolving, but it’s critical for American yogi’s to understand the roots of their own practice.” John Hayden agrees, “We look at yoga as a ‘work out,’ but classically, yoga is a ‘work in’, it’s a process of involution, a journey inward.”

The show will travel to the San Francisco Asian Art Museum and the Cleveland Museum of Art in 2014. For more information and to learn how you can support the exhibit watch the video below.

All Images: Smithsonian

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As the founder of the ethical men’s lifestyle blog, The Discerning Brute and online men’s fashion shop The Brave Gentleman, which offers stylish sustainable and vegan products, Joshua Katcher is an accomplished and inspiring champion for the rights of animals, a bold voice at the forefront of the rapidly changing and innovative ethical fashion and food scenes.

It’s no mistake that all this sounds rather heroic. The beloved hero archetype is an idea Katcher explores a lot on his blog along with the themes of male identity in relationship to a more sustainable consumer approach. “As far as menswear is concerned, guys want to feel like they are protectors and defenders and heroes, and this is such the perfect opportunity for that,” says Katcher.

As yet another film version of the Superman story opened at box offices this week, its clear that America is a country that wants to be saved. Katcher himself prefers another superhero savior with slightly more sartorial flair for the job: “When you invest in menswear that is made ethically, you are becoming a James Bond because you’re gonna look great and you’re gonna save the world. What guy wouldn’t want to be James Bond?”

It’s an idea he hopes will win over the mainstream and make inroads towards an altogether more modern male consumer and men’s fashion. We caught up with Joshua recently to learn more, here’s what he had to say:

Rowena Ritchie: Why did you start The Discerning Brute?

Joshua Katcher: I started the blog in 2008 because I saw there was a really big void in the market. There wasn’t really anyone talking about ethics and sustainability in relation to lifestyle for men. Everything was geared towards women. I saw that as a problem, because caring about other people, about animals and the environment gets overlooked by a lot of mainstream men because they think it’s feminine or weak – which is a very sexist idea. I wanted to make it more appealing for guys to feel proud for considering these issues.

Image: The Brave GentleMan

RR: Tell us about your journey as a vegan?

JK: I grew up eating the typical American diet. We ate steak and chicken, going to McDonald’s and Burger King once in a while. Eating just like every middle class family did, I never really questioned where my food came from. And when I did start to, I was appalled at what happened to the animals.

I was always an animal lover – I think most people are. They would be shocked if they really knew what goes on in the fashion and food industries.  Most people would be surprised to know that trying out a vegan lifestyle is in line with principles they already have, that they’re just not acting upon.

RR: So many of us know instinctively when we’re children that eating meat is out of sync with our deepest beliefs.  What do you think it is that happens to us culturally so that we grow up going along with the meat industry?

JK: This is one of the issues that we deal with a lot on The Discerning Brute – mainstream masculinity and what that means when it comes to both sustainability and ethics. Often the way that most men express themselves to be considered masculine is to shut down and cut off all those characteristics that would be considered weak, like compassion, empathy and emotion. It’s advocated for men to be very rational and not consider others’ feelings, and that’s just not what human animals are. We’re not robots, we’re not a computer program, we’re emotional animals where feelings are indeed facts.

The fact that we don’t have to prevent our young children from eating the pets in the house should be a sign we’re not natural carnivores. Most carnivores would go after and kill their prey if left alone in a room with them. We are taught to do that, and that’s a very different thing.

RR: From everything I’ve read there isn’t a biological imperative to eat meat at all, and yet this is where the discussion tends to get stuck a lot.

JK: The funny thing is there are so many masculine athletes that are vegan now. Mixed martial artists, boxers and weight trainers, cross fitters, ultra runners and marathoners — all these guys are really strong and powerful and are eating a diet that is the opposite of what we’re taught — that you have to eat muscle to become muscle. It’s such a strange idea… I mean you don’t eat brains to become smarter. And you don’t need to eat another animal’s flesh to become stronger. But so many guys believe that they have to eat meat if they want to be strong.

It ties into the idea as prehistoric man as the hunter and this is where our male identity comes from. A lot of recent anthropological evidence shows that prehistoric humans ate a lot more plant foods than they did meat, unless they we’re in an arctic climate. Survival is a different context that civilization and that’s what’s amazing about being a human animal is that we can make that choice. And if we find out that our sources, our status quo are harmful, dangerous, cruel and unnecessary then why shouldn’t we try to do things differently and try to solve those problems?

Image: The Brave GentleMan

RR: It’s a political position. When you start to get people to reexamine what they know to be true, then you’ve got this source of power and potential to make a real difference in a world where there’s this incredible apathy about being able to do that.

JK: It’s no coincidence that the most exciting innovations in textiles and cuisine are happening in the vegan realm. Plant-based, organic foods and high tech recycled synthetics are our future, and the necessary future. We know the systems we have in place right now are inefficient – our whole civilization is run on animals – and we don’t have enough resources to make it last.  It’s inevitable that this is going to happen.

The best and most exciting cuisine in the world right now is vegan.  The fashion industry that is based on the leather, fur and wool industries is stuck. There’s not really anything they can do to change so much. But what is changing is technology. We are developing plant-based biodegradable polyesters and we’re turning recycled soda bottles into beautiful fabrics that are being woven in heritage mills.  We have 3D printing and bioprinting; we have scientists growing cellulose-based leather on kombucha cultures. There are so many exciting developments happening, but traditional brands aren’t really getting it. They’re stuck in a rut and slow to change to keep up, and that’s going to be their downfall.

RR: You’ve witnessed some exciting changes in the space in just the past few years, is there still a sticking point in your opinion?

JK: It’s a marketing battle really. The people that decide what defines quality in fashion have millions of dollars invested in fur, leather and wool and it’s difficult to fight that when you’re a small startup company. Only through your reputation and your products can you prove that these products are not only replaceable but also in fact better. People assume that the shoes in my shoe collection, Brave Gentleman x Novacas, are going to fall apart quicker or they’re going to be crappy. The material I use I call Future Leather because I don’t like connotations that fake or faux leather is inferior to real leather. They’re better, they last longer, they break in, they breathe and the amount of resources they take to make is shockingly less than regular leather shoes.

There have been some really big victories like Puma, a huge international company, who announced that they’re phasing out leather use in many of their shoes. They realize it’s not sustainable and recognize the toll it’s taking on the animals and the environment and the people working in the tanneries. At this point we know too much and even big global conglomerates realize its inexcusable not to do anything about it.

RR: It’s really an exciting time for innovative entrepreneurs, isn’t it?

JK: The vegan and sustainable designers have to prove ourselves now more than ever, we have to make fashion that is not just as beautiful but better than what already exists. People are realizing they’ll enjoy their clothes even more, when they know exactly where everything comes from. You should be proud of your manufacturing process, not hiding it behind your marketing campaign.

RR: Transparency is the new luxury!

JK: Absolutely. I’m proud of what I do. I want people to know where every thing in my line from my shoulder pads to my thread comes from. This is the future and it’s exciting to be among a new order of ethical brands and manufacturers.

Top Image: Melissa Schwartz

The post The Promising Future of Men’s Fashion: An Interview with The Discerning Brute’s Joshua Katcher appeared first on EcoSalon.

The sustainable fashion industry is catering to the growing trend for unique eco wedding dress options as brides recognize the environmental impact of the choices they make on their big day.

It’s all about the dress. The wedding industry knows it’s the focus of every wedding day, and the lethal dose of catnip to every pre-bridezilla.

Like the fashion industry, the bridal business is sophisticated and fast-moving, its microtrends reflect the zeitgeist and are available for every budget. But for every Great Gatsby or Downton Abbey-inspired gown you spot during this year’s wedding season, there is another trend emerging – that of the sustainable bride looking to step out of the hoopla and into an all together different kind of wedding dress.

“In my generation people got married in a big old white dress that was then boxed up and stored. You hoped your daughters would wear it for their weddings. Today’s brides are looking for something truly unique.” says Kathy Hattori, president of natural dye company, Botanical Colors. Hattori teaches her natural dye techniques to independent eco wedding dress designers and has noticed a heightened interest over the last 5 years in her specialized color combinations. “Incorporating color is huge. They want to make a statement by using natural dyes.” According to Hattori, brides are using the words ‘custom’ and ‘bespoke’ when describing the kind of dress they’re looking for now. “People are hungry for a certain quality. It’s the escence of being made-by-hand, they want it to be beautiful and masterfully-made in the reflection of me.”

Cory Gunter Brown is one of the designers who took Hatori’s class. Her Oakland-based label, The Moon  is in the process of creating a one-of-a-kind bridal line. Alongside partner Cassidy Wright, their designs focus entirely on social and environmental sustainability using natural fibers, vintage lace and buttons and natural plant dyes in partnership with the 25th Street Collective, Oakland’s innovative slow fashion hub.

“We find many brides are frustrated at the thought of buying a beautiful dress they will only get to wear once,” says Gunter Brown. Their custom-made eco wedding dresses are designed to be worn for a succession of special occasions. “Our gowns are simple elegant pieces in ethereal knit silk that can be returned to us to be dyed another color after the wedding. We dye all the pieces ourselves in our outdoor dye studio.”

More and more brides aware of the transitory nature of the wedding day are turning to the internet to find a secondhand dress. Susan Shapiro, the owner of BravoBride, an online market for newlyweds looking to buy or sell pre-owned wedding items, thinks brides are less squeamish about wearing a pre-worn dress than they used to be. “It’s been the trend lately to have different dress for the ceremony and for the reception, so in many cases these dresses have only been worn for a couple of hours.”

Shapiro sees that today’s slightly older bride is more motivated to keep costs down and her wedding’s carbon footprint lighter. “They start looking at all the things they need and realize just how many resources and waste goes into just that one day. Buying a gently-worn wedding dress is a great way to lessen some of that impact. And we’ve had lots of customers who have added a belt or a sash to make the dresses their own.”

With a wealth of new resources for brides looking for environmentally-friendly alternatives to traditional wedding gowns, the dress taking center stage at the end of the aisle is making more of a statement than ever before. As a longtime industry watcher, Kathy Hattori feels hopeful for what that one special day now means for all our futures, “Instead of walking into Wal-Mart, we are finally standing up for the things that matter.”

 All Images: Cory Gunter Brown

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