If you’ve spent any time on BuzzFeed, you know you need a calculator to tally up the number of amazing kitty videos and celebrities with sexy abs on any given day. (It’s a lot!)

The articles with lists, better known as listicles, are paramount to the success of sites like BuzzFeed (and, yes, even EcoSalon). But why? Why are there so many numbers in our articles? And why are they so compelling and frustrating at the same time?

MediaBistro reported that BuzzFeed’s editorial director Jack Shepherd said, “At their best, lists are just scaffolding for stories: The list format grabs the attention because it’s an easy way for people to process information and for readers to know what they’re getting, but that’s not even close to half the battle. A great list that people share everywhere has to be an experience.”

Right. “An experience.” Well then, what about the rest of it? Why are we so hooked on numbers?

1. According to news syndication company Mobiles Republic, we’re on a steady diet of “news snacking”, which is just what it sounds like. You may bookmark that 10,000 word article in The Atlantic, but chances are you’d rather read 20 shorter articles in the same time period. It’s easier for us to digest smaller bits of information, and a listicle guarantees us just that. We know we’re getting 3, 11 or 311 pieces of information, which just seems more doable in the modern world.

But who likes being labeled a “news snacker?” Erudite or not, many people still want to digest real news as if having a real meal in France where savoring and enjoying are the real stars of the meal. Fast food day in and day out isn’t very appetizing, even for the frequent consumers. In the same sense, the lure of the list robs us of that holistic experience. Instead of reading the New Yorker cover to cover, you just read another one of Cosmo’s “10 Ways to Keep your Man Satisfied.” Chances are, one of those ways is to be well-read. Makes you feel kind of icky.

2. Lists are practical, sort of. If looking for the hottest trends or best recipes, sometimes seeing our options can be really helpful. Aggregation beats endless searching. Except, there’s an arrogance there, too. Who decided on the 19 best smoothies in the world? Was there a panel of judges? Were they taste-tested? Who was in charge of quality control?

3. We’re also genuinely curious creatures. Forty-six Beyoncé hairdos? Well we’ve got to see which ones made the cut, of course! But the downside is that once you start down the list, you can’t help but wonder what’s after? If those are the 46 best hairdos, what was number 47? Was there a 47? What if I like that one better?

4. They’re also kind of genius. After Bono’s lavender-tinted appearance at the Golden Globes on Sunday, BuzzFeed published “The 25 Most Iconic Moments In Purple Tinted Sunglasses History.” Not only does this pique my curiosity, but if I’m cool (which I’ve got lists both for and against), I can share this with my preferred social network and let the list of comments (another list!) entertain me for hours. Yes, BuzzFeed and their lists help break down barriers with our lists of friends we may or may not have actually met in real life, but are willing to engage in witty online conversations with.

5. But, of course, lists are also super annoying. They suck us in. Do we really care about Beyoncé’s hairdos when we have other more important things to worry about (like cute kittens)? It’s easy to feel rather lame and unaccomplished when you’ve spent your morning clicking through list after list.

6. They’re clickbait, too, which means that because it’s widely known that the human brain can’t resist the lure of the numbered list, once you’re there, you’re more likely going to be bombarded with ads, some of which use lists to lure you further.

493. It seems that we live in a list-vortex. It’s like a black hole with a lot of numbers in it; ergo, we get a glimpse into the inner workings of the universe, which upon further contemplation, appears to be just an eternity of lists, is it not?

Keep in touch with Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

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EDUN takes on the idea of the complete woman.

EDUN’s Spring/Summer 13 collection is all about promoting what might seem, at first glance, like utilitarian female garb. At second glance – and knowing full well you won’t rock the outfits quite like the groupie girls strutting the catwalk – you see a pretty clean palette for a woman to promote her very badass self.

We’ll call it Manhattan Rocker Chic but designer Ali Hewson calls it a collection “contrasting worlds of the EDUN girl,” and you do aspire to be her if you’re one looking for solid street cred.

The EDUN collection never strays too far from the modern woman on safari in the city vibe, and this particular collection stayed true to the core concept of the label. Silky utility shirts, cargo dresses, vests with zip pockets, an excess of buckles, snaps and zippers, and enough army green to outfit a full regiment.

Feminine touches of cutout jersey bralettes, floral silk pailette utility pants, bustiers and sequins lay testament to Hewson’s desire to make this collection about the soft as much as the rough edged.

EDUN continues to make progress with bringing more economic development back to Africa since their controversial departure to LVMH about a year and a half ago. In fact, the cover of the EDUN collection program reads that styles to be made in Africa or made from fabric sourced from Africa have “been highlighted in bold.”

While that might be only 1/4 of the collection, that they are acknowledging their brand’s roots might be half the battle of owning some professional missteps.

In addition to the organic cottons, silk habotai and nutmeg dyed pieces, the news of being more accountable for the label’s original ideal of being an “important tool for societal transformation, something that is urgently needed in the world of conscious fashion,” comes as refreshing news.

We couldn’t help but want to be that it girl strutting down the catwalk, if only for the 7 minutes or so we were allowed to enter the fantasy.

Check out EcoSalon’s coverage of the show:

Image: Amy DuFault

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Safari meets punk rock meets everything in between at EDUN’s Fall/Winter 2012 runway show.

In the program for EDUN‘s New York Fashion Week runway show, the Fall/Winter 2012 collection was described as “a mash-up of 80s vibe leathers, bonded plaids, mesh, and tech-finished fabrics, juxtaposed with African safari prints.”

Sounds like a lot going on? It was.

On a cold, blustery Sunday afternoon at Manhattan’s Pier 57, head designer Sharon Wauchob presented a line inspired by the EDUN girl who has taken her punk rock roots on safari. Even on paper, it sounds like a tough combination to pull off. Several of the ensembles were elegant, like a charcoal-cassis double face wool parka over a navy-charcoal turtleneck vest and black double face pleat skirt. Others made me scratch my head, like an electric pink silk fil-coupé zip dress that looked straight out of a Disney Channel tween’s wardrobe.

It’s tough to evaluate EDUN’s progress without bringing up its past, which has been rocky to say the least. In 2005, U2 frontman and human rights crusader Bono and wife Ali Hewson launched Edun to great fanfare, with the aim of using the brand to bring about economic development in Africa. However, they quickly ran into quality control issues, with retailers complaining about late shipments, poor garment construction, and ill fit. Soon after, it was revealed that 85 percent of EDUN garments were being produced outside of Africa, primarily in China but also in Peru. The news outraged people in the industry, and EDUN is still struggling to recover its image.

This season, in an attempt at greater transparency, EDUN highlighted in the show’s program which items would be produced in Africa. About half the pieces were in bold, including many of the following ensembles.

Images: Jessica Marati

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Does Edun’s far reaching ad campaign have the ability to change consumer mindsets?

Without the glossy ad campaigns typically employed by fashion houses, star-ethical line, Edun has managed to become the most well known and celebrity beloved conscious clothing collection out there (having Bono and his wife, Ali Hewson as the line’s founders doesn’t hurt). Posting double digit growth last year and announcing plans that both Bloomingdales and Neiman Marcus will pick up the line, the fast-growing sustainable clothing label has just unveiled their first advertising campaign.

An advance look at the ads reveal Edun’s spring looks shown alongside six species of butterflies indigenous to Africa. According to a WWD interview with Hewson in Africa – where the brand reportedly produces much of its clothing and supports local farming communities and factories – she explains, “We really wanted to capture the essence of Edun, and of what inspires the brand, which is duality and transformation.”

Some of fashion’s hottest design talent was enlisted to create the campaign, Photographer Ryan McGinley was the visionary behind the engaging images, British Dazed and Confused Editor, Jefferson Hack, served as the on-shoot creative director.

Skeptics have pointed out that Edun’s partner company – luxury group LVMH bought a 49% stake in the company in May 2009  – utilizes far from sustainable practices. And a now infamous campaign featuring Bono with Hewson, parading through one of the poorest landscapes in the world carrying LVMH luxury bags, may not have not helped win over the critics either.

What is clearly persuasive is the reach of the label. With the campaign set to break in the March issues of Vogue, Vanity Fair, Dazed & Confused, AnOther, T The New York Times Magazine and the Sunday Times of London, its ability to change mindsets is far-reaching. Also included as part of the campaign, is a launch event set to take place during New York Fashion Week and short “blink videos” that will appear on Edun.com and via social media outlets. The message that “eco-friendly” and “socially-aware” are desirable clothing attributes is about to get some wings.

The post The Butterfly Effect: Edun’s First Advertising Campaign appeared first on EcoSalon.

Is Edun getting tired from all the work that is involved in being sustainable?

With the recent heralding from the green trenches and even the Wall Street Journal, which exposed the celebrity-based line for going “Out of Africa, Into Asia,” we all have to sit back and scratch our chins.

After all, if you have money and a front man like U2’s Bono backing you up, you should be able to do more than just what everyone else is doing. Translated? When the indie designers in Seattle are struggling to make ends meet, and are making their lines more sustainable than yours, there’s a big problem. I mean, they don’t have the luxury of having Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH) buy 49 percent of the shares in their company, they work craft fairs.

So during the recent NYFW, when fresh faced Edun designer Sharon Wauchob unveiled her vision for the label (which was stunning), and we all discovered that roughly 70 percent of the line is now made in China, it was a real slap in the face to what the brand initiated and inspired us to believe: That empowering other countries, like those in Africa, through job creation could, as Goodlifer points out, be an “important tool for societal transformation, something that is urgently needed in the world of conscious fashion.”

Edun’s new chief executive, Janice Sullivan (former president of Liz Claiborne Inc.’s DKNY Jeans division and who later ran Narcisco Rodriguez), says in a recent Wall Street Journal article about taking on Edun, “The whole celebrity piece wasn’t the draw for me. I am all about the product.”

Gulp.

Everybody’s got to make a buck, but when you brand yourself as more than that and involve community from the get go, shouldn’t you be more than that?

Image: Ali Hewson and Bono wearing Edun for a recent Louis Vuitton ad

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