Stylish cycling gear that will keep you feeling safe and looking chic all summer long.

We’re all about alternative transportation here at EcoSalon, and summer is the perfect time to get out that bike and start pedaling around the streets. To help you do that in style, we’ve gathered some cycling gear that will keep you safe while still looking tres chic.

Nessa Dress by Edith A. Miller
There’s no reason you shouldn’t wear a dress just because you’re biking. Just make sure to choose a loose-fitting short one, so it’s comfortable and doesn’t run the risk of getting stuck in the gears. This classic striped dress by Edith A. Miller is ethically made in the USA, and we think it goes great with a bicycle.
$198, Juno & Jove

The Madera Helmet by Coyle
Based on a contemporary, skate-inspired helmet design, the Madera provides a great balance of coverage and visibility. Coyle helmets are made using patented technology that takes advantage of  the inherent structural properties that allow wood to absorb significant energy in the event of a significant impact, adding protective redundancy to the EPS foam or low density cork system that lies beneath. The all-natural materials resist the UV degradation that synthetic helmet materials are vulnerable to, which means you won’t need to replace a weather-worn and sunburned helmet every few years.
$375, Coyle

Blink Steady Rear Light
A good light is a must, especially when long summer days on the road turn into spontaneous picnics under the stars. Made from solid aluminum, the Blink Steady bike light turns on automatically and shuts off when you’re not riding. And you don’t have to remove it when you lock up because it’s secured by your seatpost.
$95, Blink Steady

Bike Strap-Downs by Walnut Studiolo
Let’s face it, we often end up carrying more stuff than we thought. When you’re on a bike, this can be a problem, unless you carry the right accessories with you. This set of bike strap-downs is a key tool for MacGyvering stuff onto your bike. Two buckling leather straps with eyelets running the length of it helps you strap down items of varying sizes to your bike rack. All of Studiolo’s beautiful bike accessories are made, by a couple, in their workshop in Portland, Oregon.
$38, Walnut Studiolo

Green Guru Cruiser Cooler Recycled Bike Tube Handlebar Bag
Think of the Cruiser Handlebar Bag as the missing glove compartment for your cruiser or commuter bike. It has room for all those essentials, like a just-in-case rainjacket, sunglasses and sunscreen for a hot spin to the beach, or cold beverages for a warm evening cruise. You can also take it off the bike and use it as a cooler. Made in the US from recycled or upcycled bike tubes and upcycled reflective mylar from compostable cup packaging
$44.95, Green Guru

Portland Design Works Sodapop Fenders
Made from 97% post-consumer recycled beverage bottles, these bike fenders will keep you clean and dry in any weather. They are designed to pop off your bike easily, should you want to remove them when the sun comes out. Thanks to clever hardware they fit most city and mountain bikes that have a hole in the fork crown.
$25, Portland Design Works

Recycled Innertube Stringer Cuff
The lightweight stringer cuff by Beatrice Holiday is made from soft recycled bike inner tubes, lightly sprinkled with metallic gold spray paint. Designer Holiday wants you to feel good knowing that this bracelet was made from heap of inner tubes that lay discarded outside a bike shop in Venice, CA. Now they can ride again, only on your arm instead.
$28, Etsy/Beatrice Holiday

Eastlake Recycled Tablet Sleeve
If you bring your reading tablet along for the ride, make sure it’s protected, in true biker style. This stylish, protective sleeve is constructed from recycled bicycle inner tubes, which gives it a durable, highly water-resistant exterior. It’s sized to be compatible with the iPad, but will fit other roughly 10” tablets as well.
$34, Alchemy Goods

AB Designs Leaf Earrings
You would never know at first glance, but these delicate leaf earrings are actually made from upcycled bike tubes. They’re carved by hand in Portland (by EcoSalon’s very own resident foodie Anna Brones) and look really great worn under a bike helmet!
$20, Etsy/AB Designs

The post Cycle Chic: Stylish Bike Gear to Get You Pedaling in Style appeared first on EcoSalon.

10 stylish bags for your everyday lifestyle.

You’ve got tons of them in your car, looped around your bike handles and hanging from closet doors ready to be filled with farmer’s market produce and flea market finds. Come to think of it, you’ve got more than you ever use but when it comes to that special bag that stays close at hand, you want something stand out that says you can be stylish picking up groceries wherever you roam.

Our top 10 most fashionable and reusable bags will have you reconsidering your image and the fact that worldwide 1 million plastic bags are used every minute.

Artecnica

Made from 100% colorful advertising campaign billboards and a clever die cut, this no-stitch shoulder bag is inspired by the strength and symmetry found in nature. The minimal 2-D design stretches into 3-D to form the biggest bag with the smallest amount of waste. Stretch Bag can support up to 33lbs. It’s available in different colors of recycled billboard or in natural brown leather.

Baggu

Baggu’s collaboration with sustainable fashion brand Mociun is a graphically pleasing testament to eco fashion and reusable bag. Send back your expired Baggu and the company will recycle your old bag and give you a $1 credit towards a new one. Not likely you’ll be getting rid of this one for how great it is.

Flip & Tumble

Flip & Tumble’s wide-banded shoulder design feels a little softer than regular reusable bags and with stretch compacting, will fit lots of whatever you want to throw in it.

ECOBAGS

Made from certified organic cotton, this produce bag from ECOBAGS is a shopping necessity to shake the dirt from fresh from the field produce. Stuff away as this bag can hold up to 40 pounds. We love the sexy netting and the fact that it’s black.

PaisleyMagic

How can you not love this graphic from PaisleyMagic? Made from 100% Cotton, this durable, multipurpose canvas tote is great for hauling books, groceries or a change of clothes.

RuMe

Denver, Colorado-based RuMe was launched on Earth Day 2008 to meet the growing need of environmentally conscious consumers who don’t want to sacrifice style and functionality. The flat-bottomed bag stands easily for even the most inept supermarket baggers and with the metallic sheen, makes you the star of the check-out. We love this bag so much we’ll use it for anything really.

Alchemy Goods

Constructed from reinforced vinyl mesh, seatbelt, and inner tube, the Ad Bag is a strong and lightweight carryall. Durable and easy to wash, this bag just might last forever. Try figuring out what the billboard ad once was while you sit on the subway to occupy your travel time.

Envirosax

Envirosax is a pretty recognized name in reusable bags. These colorful, ethnic prints reminiscent of exploring bazaars and spice markets make us want to order more so we look fully sophisticated in a sea of people choosing plastic. That these bags fold up tight and can fit in your purse makes them all the more accessible and easy to carry around.

Sleeping Bags

Founded by social entrepreneur Andy Marks, Sleeping Bags takes retired hotel bed linen and makes beautiful yet practical bags, adorned with artwork from leading individuals in the arts and creative industries. We love.

Gecko Traders

Made from 100% recycled rice bags and handmade in small batches by a women’s co-op in Cambodia, these stylish bags are all one of a kind. The graphics will make you imagine shopping at a Cambodian floating fish market, picking up a sack of rice along the way and spices to create a culinary treat. At the very least, you can come and go from the gym in style.

The post 10 Reusable Bags That Will Keep Shopping Stylish appeared first on EcoSalon.

Get on the road in style with a laptop bag made from upcycled bike tubes.

How do you carry your laptop around? You might want to consider the Westlake by Alchemy Goods. The case cradles your laptop inside layers of upcycled bike inner tube and foam, and features a shoulder strap and briefcase handle for two carrying styles. Elastic straps inside and a wraparound zipper allow you to quickly open the case and your laptop at the same time.

$74

Look for Lustables daily at EcoSalon. 100% gorgeous green finds, and never sponsored. Submit your favorite to tips@ecosalon.com

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Sustainable style news from EcoSalon’s West Coast fashion correspondent.

You’re Beautiful – Don’t miss the Beauty Culture exhibit at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles which opens on May 21. Over 600 images by the world’s most renowned fashion photographers, including Herb Ritts, David LaChapelle and  Ellen Von Unwerth, document the evolution of the definition of beauty throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. The thought-provoking exhibit illustrates the power of the still image in our lives and its ability to inform cultural ideals and expectations of feminine beauty. The exhibition will run through November 27.

True Summer –  Doing their best to forget the rain, the Bay Area’s most stylish fashion lovers are excited to swap their cool weather styles for the latest arrivals at EcoCitizen this week. Shop your summer essentials from new sustainable brands such as A Peace Treaty, Edith A. Miller, H. Fredriksson and Lina Rennell. A visit to the Polk Street store, the unofficial San Francisco headquarters of the local green fashion scene, is essential to those ready to gear up to the next sartorial season. Owner, Joslin Van Arsdale has a stylist’s eye for helping you create a number of looks from a few sound picks from her skillfully curated racks. On my list is a nautically striped boatneck t-shirt from Edith A. Miller, Bodkin’s ultra flattering and lightweight skort, and a pair of trendy, laced up boots from Penelope+Coco, handmade in L.A. in distressed grey leather.

Green Scene – After wrapping up dates in San Francisco and Chicago, the Green Festival will be returning to Seattle’s Qwest Event Center on May 21st and 22nd for its 10^th year anniversary. Festivities include presentations by more than 125 renowned authors, leaders and visionaries, informative how-to workshops, cutting-edge films, kid’s activities, organic beer and wine, organic vegan and vegetarian cuisine, diverse live music and over 350 green local and national businesses and organizations. Guaranteed to be a green weekend of family fun, make sure to catch AJ Snapper, Alchemy Goods and Seattle Goodwill for some sustainable fashion inspiration.

The post Eco Style West Vol.10 appeared first on EcoSalon.

According to the Holstee website, “Holstee designs and curates with a conscience.”

Once you go to the site and peruse their collection of interesting as well as fashionable goods from the likes of Alchemy Goods, Garbage of Eden and of course Holstee’s own line of products, you can see that many of their conscious offerings also give back to worthwhile organizations, hence that conscience.

Founded during the recession in 2009, brothers, Mike and Dave left their full-time jobs to pursue their passion for a sustainable lifestyle through innovative design. Over the course of the first year of business the team “designed and produced half a dozen new products including The Recycled Wallet, made of newspapers and plastic bags collected off the streets of India, The People Pendant, made of recycled acrylic scraps from a Chicago-area sign maker and their Upcycled line of t-shirts which highlight the lasting value of apparel.”

The brothers are doing some really great work as you can see on their Ecology page, by using 10 percent of all their sales to fund micro loans, recycling all their packaging in creative ways and by partnering with Carbonfund.org to offset shipping.

This week, the Holstee brothers are offering their grey Holstee Recycled Wallet that came about as a solution to solve their own wallet needs. Each is one-of-a-kind and may include anything from colored ads, cartoons, headline news or classifieds ads.

You like? Well then leave a comment below to win. Of course, if you don’t feel like waiting, you can always go here and buy it outright.

Good luck!

(Legalese: contest rules and FTC compliance.)

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