Collaborations for environment and sustainability abound this summer.

Despite contributing to a whole lot of fast fashion, the fashion collaboration phenomenon is far from losing any steam. Teaming designers with retailers like Missoni for Target and the hot off-the-press announcement of Versace for H&M, has even hardened ethical fashion editors like us tempted. Seems like everyone is getting in on the hard-to-resist concept. Happily, that also includes a new wave of partnerships between high profile brands and environmental causes.

Cult beauty brand, Crème de la Mer lined up with ocean saving charity Oceana to raise awareness for World’s Ocean Day on June 8th. In conjunction with a special launch of a blue line limited edition jar of their celebrated algae rich moisturizing cream, the company contributed $200,000 to the charity and produced a mesmerizing film, The Seven Seas Sound Mix. Described as “an ambient journey showing seven remarkable people muse about their love for the sea in a sensory compilation that focuses on sustainability, ocean awareness and the infinite beauty of the sea,” the film is an effective appeal to preserve the world’s endangered oceans.

Outspoken and visionary, Dame Vivienne Westwood has long looked out for the environment as part of her personal manifesto. Announcing last week a second collaboration with the International Trade Center and their Ethical Fashion Africa Project, her latest range of brightly colored bags and accessories will now be widely available on the YOOX site. A short film directed by Juergen Teller that premiered in Florence showed Vivienne teaching her skills to locals in Nairobi. In her inimitable way, she announced that the sales from these bags go towards helping impoverished Africans, but the making of them provides work “not charity.”

Asos, the online fashion brand that is slowly but surely establishing itself as the web’s most expansive fashion presence announces their second Asos Africa collection this month. The first, launched earlier this year was made by small producer groups in Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa and is dedicated to creating jobs in underprivileged communities there. Sure to be a hit after Michelle Obama was spotted this week wearing a sleeveless print cotton shirt from the line, if you don’t believe in the “Obama effect” just ask J.Crew.

Emerging style icon, Kate Middleton is well known for her love of mass market retailers or what the British call “high street” chains. One of her favorites, Whistles, has just has launched its first capsule eco collection in conjunction with Ciel, the award-winning, sustainable label. The collection is comprised of eight beach wear pieces in prints inspired by heritage brand Liberty. Whether you like her style or not, she is fast becoming one of the worlds most photographed women.  If she were to decide to wear one of those pieces during her visit to Los Angeles next week, she’d be having an ethical “effect” all her own.

Image: viviennewestwood.co.uk, Kate Middleton in The Telegraph

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I remember Andrea Linett as Lucky Magazine’s last page caricature that I wanted to emulate – admittedly, as much as I yearned to be Jo, the motorcycle mechanic, feathered hair babe from Facts Of Life or Kim White of Kim White Handbag glory. Put all three of these women in the same room and you get the vibe I love most.

Let it be known these women of inspiration are far and few between so I was relieved to find the temporarily MIA Andrea Linett on her blog, I Want To Be Her! which she runs with longtime friend, coveted Martin designer and illustrator Anne Johnston Albert, who made the caricatures of her on the last page of Lucky every month.

With I Want To Be Her! The two capture fashion forward women on the streets of the city and dissect their outfits into the caricature cool images we love.

Now in charge of curating the over 20 million fashion listings that pop up daily on eBay, we hope to see the Linett touch resurface. And here’s what I love about eBay. What’s more green than clothes already made and swimming in the waste stream? eBay Fashion is not only filled with choice picks of indie and high end designer duds, there’s also vintage and deadstock that needs to move. But unlike a trip to a massive warehouse shopping experience like Marshalls or TJ Maxx – eBay Fashion makes it more boutiqey and easy to navigate.

I recently caught up Andrea to understand how eBay fashion will evolve and learn about some of her own favorite eBay purchases. Here’s what she had to say:

Andrea Linett

With all the amazing clothing, shoes and accessories on eBay, how to you even begin revamping items into more curated collections? The eBay fashion team has always done a fantastic job identifying trends and finding great pieces and presenting them to its audience in a really cohesive manner. We’ll just do a lot more of this by introducing even more editorials (like profiles of cool women, showing their shopping picks), and making shopping on eBay Fashion an even more fun and interactive experience. We also have Fashion Vault, which offers amazing deals on designer pieces, and exclusives like the Derek Lam + eBay crowd-sourced collection which we’re all really excited about.

Do you think people realize how cool eBay is for finding wardrobe fillers? Or do you think there’s a misconception that it’s just a lot of junk (and too much of it?). Maybe there’s an age group that uses it more than others?
The eBay fanatic knows that she can find everything she needs and wants here. Maybe she’s seen a red shirt in a magazine or on a cute girl at a party and she’s just got to have one. She can type “red shirt” in the search engine and literally thousands of options will come up. You can’t say that about any other shopping site! eBay is endless – there are new listings every day. That’s why it’s so addictive. eBay is so big that it’s hard to pin-point an age group. It’s like if you go to a huge mall, maybe there’s a core group of trendsetters hanging out who are young, but there is every age group walking around and shopping. I think there are just different searches for different ages.

I got the eBay Fashion app on my phone and just started exploring it but am already impressed by how organized everything is (and that I have so many pairs of Anthropologie boots in my “closet”). Do you think the app will make eBay even more addictive but to a new wave of eBay babes?
That eBay app is a lifesaver! I was always rushing to computers before to check on my watched lists. It will for sure keep people more engaged in the experience.

What are some other ways you see the site evolving?

We’re planning on introducing more aspirational imagery, including profiling chic women (right now there are mostly still lifes),  generating more fashion editorials, adding styling tips and just more of a voice in general.

What are some of your favorite sites?
Aside from eBay (seriously, the fact that I now work there is akin to a little girl getting a job at American Girl!), I love Asos, Forward by Revolve for its tightly curated stock, Need Supply (lots of good price points) and Ssense.

Have you always been a fan of shopping on eBay? Can you remember the first item you purchased on it? I can’t remember when I discovered eBay, but it was definitely years ago and the beginning of a long love affair. I have no idea what the first thing I bought was, but I have everything from an incredible old mine cut diamond ring and an Hermes watch to a discontinued Tiffany necklace and my all-time favorite oil painting of a horse.

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