A new collaboration between Vans and Krochet Kids international features hand crocheted shoes that help lift women in Africa out of poverty.

Krochet Kids international and Vans have joined forces for a special summer collaboration. The mini collection features two styles of Vans’ popular Bixie shoe, adorned with colorful crochet panels.

Krochet Kids international is a non-profit organization that teaches women in developing nations how to crochet hats, scarves, bowties and more, and enrolls them in a comprehensive program that teaches them to rise above poverty. This is the first time the company has tried their hand at making shoes, which are all, like the beanies Krochet Kids are famous for, hand crocheted in Uganda. Each piece features the signature of the woman that made them, and you can go to Krochet Kids’ website to find out more about her.

Besides these shoes being perfect for summer, we love that the body is made with 100% natural hemp and canvas, includes a removable and washable foot bed (which makes the shoe last longer) and is made with water based inks and glues.

The shoes are available in select stores across the country and online at Nordstrom. Watch this video to learn more about the collaboration.

The post Krochet Kids X Vans: Empowering Women Through Craft appeared first on EcoSalon.

The recently launched eco-conscious fashion line Océé is inspired by oceanic imagery. Each piece is made to order and 2% of the proceeds benefit Surfrider Foundation Europe.

Océane Buret connected with the ocean at an early age, while spending summers sailing with her family across France and Europe. Since then, she has spent time working in the fashion industry in Paris, New York, Auckland and Los Angeles. Chaz Gangster is an American artist whose work is inspired by the swirling colorful display of oceanic imagery. He has also worked on costumes and art featured in music videos by artists like MGMT, the Killers, and Chairlift.

The two met in New York City in 2009 and decided to start an eco-conscious fashion line together. This first collection by Océé features five prints of Gangster’s art on unisex T-shirts and tank tops made from organic cotton. The prints – named “Onde,” “Abysse,” “Anémone,” “Evume,” and “Méduse” – pay tribute to the priceless but fragile environment in our oceans. Fittingly, the collection was made in partnership with ocean conservation organization Surfrider Foundation Europe, to which Océé donates 2% of their profit.

One of Buret’s main goals, however, is to propose a new behavior towards fashion, develop an alternative to mass production and fast fashion and raise awareness about sustainable development among its customers. Each piece in the collection is a limited edition of a 1,000 and are made to order according to custumers’ selections, which involve print, size and shape. The only way to purchase an item is to pre-order it online via Océé’s website.

Buret hopes to expand the line to include swimwear, surfwear, accessories and even more custom items. In the meantime, we’ll just lose ourselves in these gorgeous prints.

The post Océé – Riding the Slow Fashion Wave appeared first on EcoSalon.

Rapanui and the U.K.’s Met have partnered to call attention to the weather.

It’s raining, it’s pouring and the old man is snoring, and oftentimes so are we when it comes to being inspired by weather forecasts that are random in accuracy. Enter the U.K.’s Met Office, the international authority on climate change research, as well as national weather service, and brothers Mart and Rob Drake-Knight, the founders of Rapanui.

“At Rapanui we think that it’s not that people don’t care about climate and the environment, it’s just that they don’t know where to start when it comes to organic, ethical or low carbon alternatives,” says Mart Drake-Knight, co-founder of Rapanui “Our brand is about making eco fashion cool and accessible. We were delighted when we were invited to design these Met Office t-shirts.  I think as well as being a nod to the Met Office’s heritage and expertise, we managed to add a bit of ‘Britishness’ and humour to capture the spirit of ‘the weather’ as a subject.”

The collaboration was designed to bring new audiences to the Met Office who might have an appreciation for not only daily weather, but why severe weather and climate change happen. Climate change is defined by The Met as “The term climate change usually refers to man-made changes that have occurred since the early 1900s.”

Luke Green from the Met Office says: “Weather fascinates everybody and these t-shirts provide a fun way of reaching new audiences about the work the Met Office does. The collaboration with Rapanui to design and produce these t-shirts is hopefully the first step in developing new partnerships to promote our brand.”

The organic cotton t-shirts are £24.95.

Brands like Rapanui represent an ethical and sustainable shift from mainstream fashion and are not only made from natural organic fabrics, but in a  factory that depends upon the wind to power it.

You couldn’t ask for a more perfect collaboration.

The post Rapanui and The Met: A Fashionable Extended Weather Forecast appeared first on EcoSalon.

Alberta Ferretti and Emma Watson collaborate on a five-piece capsule collection.

Last year EcoSalon reported on the Emma Watson/Alberta Ferretti design collaboration. French actress and singer Jane Birkin was the celebrated inspiration; Ferretii has said that Watson came to the table with a definite Birkin-circa-seventies image in mind. Calling the collection Pure Threads, the duo have produced the five-piece capsule collection in Italy from cotton poplin, cotton muslin, and hemp. Pure Threads will be available beginning March 21, available exclusively on AlbertaFerretti.com.

With the collection name finally out in the wild as well as the launch date, the two hope their Birkin-inspired line will elevate sustainable to a more fashion-forward level.

Watson tells WWD: “I’m pleased that a luxury brand such as Alberta Ferretti has decided to create ecological clothes. I believe this is a big step forward for all of the international fashion industry, but also an important step for an increased sensitivity to the problem of ecology,” not to mention pushing seventies sexy to a more mature consumer than her People Tree line, which catered to a much younger audience.

InStyle has reported that prices will range from $345, to $1,173, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to People Tree, the nonprofit fair-trade organic fashion organization Watson supports and still designs for.

Image via Ecouterre

The post Watson & Ferretti Up the Ante on Conscious Luxe appeared first on EcoSalon.

For those lucky enough to live near large bodies of water (with the exception of the Gulf of Mexico), surfing is one of many great ways to enjoy the summer. It’s great to watch, fun to do, and let’s be honest, riding the waves is still considered to be one of the coolest things to do (yes I have had my fair share of surfer boy crushes).

Because surfing is a multi-billion dollar industry that relies heavily on the natural environment, it makes sense that surfers would want to protect and sustain it. Erosion, pollution, sewage and oil spills are just some examples of what can wreak environmental havoc on surfers’ livelihood.

Enter project BLUE, an initiative of six leading brands in the surf industry that have joined forces to support the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association (SIMA) Environmental Fund. The six brands involved in project BLUE are Billabong, DAKINE, Electric Visual, Famous Wax, Nixon, and O’Neill.

What is really nice to see is the collaborative effort of these major brands. Considering they are all competitors, they have taken off their rivalry hats, and have come together to create a co-branded product line with a portion of proceeds going to twenty environmental non-profits including the Alaskan Wilderness League, Heal the Bay and Save the Waves.

The coolest item in the product line is by far the board shorts, made from 100 percent recycled PET bottles, branded as an Eco-Supreme Suede fabric.  Other products in the BLUE product line include a range of organic cotton t-shirts (for men and women), polarized sunglasses, surf watches, wetsuits and backpacks – all made from recycled materials.

According to founder Vipe Desai, the goal of project BLUE isn’t to encourage consumerism, but rather, to help consumers support a charity that’s important to them in a fairly easy manner. Vipe believes philanthropy is a mature subject and organizing charity fundraisers or otherwise soliciting donations is a difficult task for many to participate in. The project BLUE initiative gives beach lovers an easy way to plug into an environmental cause the next time they find themselves in need of a new backpack or t-shirt.

We’d like to give you an opportunity to try out the Dakine, Project Blue backpack featured above. Are you game? Well then, leave a comment below!

(Legalese: contest rules and FTC compliance.)

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