No one can deny that Bernie Sanders is a political icon.

His progressive viewpoints made many Americans feel engaged, invigorated and interested in politics. And even though he didn’t receive the democratic presidential nomination, he’s still loved by many.

So beloved, in fact, that Balenciaga, a French high fashion brand, honored the American senator’s presidential campaign at Paris Fashion Week.

That got us thinking—what other political icons should inspire fashion lines? We’ve got a few obvious—and a few not so obvious—suggestions.

1. Michelle Obama

Hello, obvious, but we can’t state how much we want—need—this to come true. Michelle Obama has an impeccable look that appeals to any woman who appreciates clean, smart fashion. Now, we know Mrs. Obama’s fashion line is far from happening—she’s got more important things on her mind (like sleeping in with her husband and running for office in 2020?). But we know if she gets around to it, this line would be impeccable.

2. Hillary Clinton

Say what you will about Hillary Clinton, but that woman knows how to work a pantsuit. Although Hillary and pantsuit used to be a punchline, even her haters have to admit that Hillary’s inauguration and concession pantsuits were amazing. My dream is that Hillary and Paris Geller, a fictional character and a pantsuit champion, get together and make the pantsuit brand every professional woman needs.

3. Barack Obama

I’m not sure if you’ve seen photos of president Obama lately, but he looks so chill. He’s wearing a backwards hat, flip flops and a short-sleeve shirt—for real. Wouldn’t it be great if Obama collaborated and made a killer athleisure line? I know that men of all ages would love wearing presidential swag while hitting the greens on the weekend.

4. Elizabeth Warren

Elizabeth Warren has a lot of thoughts. A lot of awesome, progressive thoughts. Because of those thoughts, she may have many filibusters ahead of her during the next four years. So, wouldn’t it be great if she started a line of survival-wear? We’re talking electrolyte loaded, urine resistant survival-wear that will withstand the most intense debates. Heck, I think we all could use that kind of protection right now.

5. Ben Carson

Sorry, but we have to go for the obvious joke here. Although Carson may not be a political icon, he needs to embrace his natural abilities and start selling sleepwear. Our guess it that he spends most of his time in bed or asleep, so he’s the man to know, or… ahem… wake up, to find out what the best, most comfortable sleepwear is.

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These fashion brands aren’t just catching the eye of celebrities – they’re making a difference.

I don’t know whether it’s awards season that has me all aflutter, but I can’t seem to get enough of what celebrities are up to – particularly, what they’re wearing while they’re being all awesome. They always have the inside scoop on the latest trends, fashion brands, and literal statement pieces: Accessories that not only look amazing, but make a difference.

Here are 7 charitable and trendy fashion brands celebrities adore:

1. CureDiva

CureDiva is the first of its kind: It’s an online boutique for women facing breast cancer. Visitors can shop for beauty, fashion and lifestyle products for each phase of breast cancer treatment (such as non-toxic nail polish, a compression mastectomy bra or a cooling pearl necklace to help with hot flashes during chemotherapy). Celebs like Giuliana Rancic and Lorna Luft have been giving CureDiva mad love.

2. Hope Paige

Known for their fashionable medical accessories, Hope Paige has partnered with celebs including Mayim Bialik, Angela Bassett and Melissa Joan Hart to create customized bracelets to raise awareness for different illnesses and medical conditions. Best of all, 100 percent of proceeds are donated to a charity of each celebrity’s choosing.

3. Dots on Tots

Celeb moms like “The Bachelor’s” Molly Mesnick are going crazy for Dots on Tots, and are especially in love with their organic flap hat. All products by Dots on Tots put children’s safety first – they’re 100 percent certified organic, created with low-impact dyes and irritant-free fabric (not to mention they’re manufactured in the U.S.A.).

4. CelebriTees

CelebriTees is an initiative by CommonThreadz where each t-shirt sold feeds an orphan in Africa for one month and donates $5 to the celebrity’s charity of choice. Celebs who’ve designed t-shirts for the charity include Laura Prepon, Matthew Lillard, and Schuyler Fisk.

5. Same Sky

Same Sky provides jobs globally for women struggling to lift themselves out of poverty, and they do so by giving them the tools to become self-sufficient. They’re trained as artisans and 100 percent of the proceeds from Same Sky are reinvested to train, employ and empower more artisans. Same Sky has oodles of celebrity fans including Halle Berry, Meryl Streep, Alicia Keys and Jessica Alba.

6. Milk & Honey

If you’re in the market for a splurgy-splurge, shoe boutique Milk & Honey has partnered with celebs like Molly Sims, Kate Mara and Ginnifer Goodwin to design a line of fabulous pumps – and the proceeds go to each celebrity’s charity of choice.

7. KITE

Okay, so I’m not exactly a celebrity, but my mom and I pretend to be when we watch the Oscars. KITE stands for Kids Inspiring Tomorrow’s Education, and it’s a school supply company: For every pack of pencils it sells it provides one to a child in need. It’s a great way for your inner nerd to get excited about back-to-school shopping again (because yes, stationary is the best accessory of all!).

What celeb-inspired fashion brands are you obsessed with?

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These 5 fabulous Chinese eco fashion brands and designers are creative, unique and full of Eastern edge. 

When you think of eco fashion, China isn’t necessarily the first country that pops into your mind. But despite the nation’s large part in the conventional textile and apparel industries, several young and extremely talented designers in the country are delving into the realm of sustainable fashion. Upcycling is an especially popular trend among the eco-conscious designers, who no doubt have a surplus of waste material from the country’s numerous factories to work with. Here are 5 favorite Chinese eco fashion brands for you to discover some gorgeous, quirky and eco chic threads from East Asia!

1. Absurd Laboratory
Based in Hong Kong, Absurd Laboratory is the quirky yet intelligent brainchild of 3 young designers who are “crazily passionate about fashion”. With a design aesthetic that blends street style with punk rock, tribal and grunge, schoolgirl and high fashion influences, Absurd Laboratory creates experimental yet wearable garments perfect for the adventurous fashionista. The brand uses leftover factory fabrics waste for its collections, which are all based on the label’s ironic yet humorous motto ‘Life is Absurd’.

2. Madame Pure
Madame Pure takes more of a classic, feminine direction in its design aesthetic, with collections of simple basics that are perfect for layering. All Madame Pure garments are made from sustainable Chinese bamboo and manufactured in China to offer a range of reasonably priced, sustainable apparel. Founded in Shanghai by Russian-Canadian designer Elena Loesch, the label’s collections present a beautiful marriage of elegant European design and sustainable, local materials.

3. Mutt Museum
Hong Kong based designer Janko Lam is the creative brain behind Mutt Museum, a super chic fashion label dedicated to using fabric scraps and found items otherwise destined for the landfill. The result is a range of contemporary, chic and and exquisitely edgy garments and accessories that are as hot as the stuff strutting down designer catwalks. Janko loves creating gorgeous attire out of recycled materials, and saying that “using discarded materials really entails more discipline and creativity…You have to follow sustainable guidelines, as well as experiment with a lot of patterns.”

4. Wan & Wong
Founded in Spring 2013, this Hong Kong based label is the creative collaboration between designers Kelvin Wan and Joyce Wong. Functionality, clean and minimal lines, and innovative design are the cornerstones of this modern label. The garments are manufactured from a combination of recycled and sustainably sourced materials, resulting in a range of clothing accessories that is simple, wearable and timeless.

5. Xinyan Dai
A finalist for the 2103 EcoChic Design Award competition, designer Xinyan Dai is an inventive and creative fashion upcycler whose colorful and feminine designs are fun, fresh and sexy. Xinyan cleverly combines upcycling with the de-construction and re-construction of everyday garments, resulting in super cute ensembles that befit the street style and designer trend savvy fashionista. As the designer herself says “I believe a great designer can use any existing materials to create something new, and that natural resources should not be wasted. Textiles should not be cut or dyed solely to create something beautiful. For this reason, I find the concept of reconstructing used materials in sustainable fashion to be very appealing.”

Images:Absurd Laboratory, Madame Pure, Mutt Museum, Wan & Wong, Xinyan Dai

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Forever 21, Charlotte Russe and Wet Seal caught in the act of selling accessories contaminated with heavy metals. 

Recently released findings from investigations carried out by the Center for Environmental Health in Oakland, CA found that astonishingly high amounts of lead were in the purses, belts and shoes sold by Forever 21, Charlotte Russe and Wet Seal. The tests were carried out by an independent lab, with findings indicating that more than half of the accessories sold by Wet Seal over the past year contained more lead than legally allowed, while about 25 percent of accessories from the other two brands also flunked the tests. The question really is why is there lead in these accessories in the first place?

All three brands signed a legal agreement more than three years ago that required them to not sell items containing levels of lead higher than a certain amount, but they have apparently failed come even close to the agreed levels with several of their accessories. Investigations into the matter started after a Chinese whistleblower  tipped the Center for Environmental Health’s attorneys off about a lead-containing boot that’s been sold at Charlotte Russe for the past two years. The attorneys took the matter under investigation, finding that the boot in fact contained lead more than 20 times above the safety standard of 7,000 parts per million.

Even scarier is the fact that more than half of the Wet Seal accessories the CEH tested contained far more lead than is considered safe, with a yellow belt reaching first place at 33,200 parts per million of the metal. Lead poisoning is a major environmental health problem in the U.S. that has led to cases of kidney damage, learning disabilities in children, behavior problems, poor muscle coordination and has been linked to higher infertility rates in women and increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.

In fact, scientists are now concluding that there is really no “safe” level of lead for humans to be exposed to, especially in the case of children and pregnant women. Since many of these brands target preteen and teenage girls, as well as young women, there is definitely cause for concern. As executive director of the CEH, Michael Green says, “Families should not support giant retailers that flout the law and ignore their responsibility to provide safer products.” You’d think that’s common sense, but these brands have been getting away with hankering toxic products for years. How many cases of outrageous health violations will it take for the greater public to stop buying cheap and tainted fast fashion products?

Image: dandeluca

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