Every purse lover knows the fashionable weight the Hermès Birkin Bag carries: it’s a name, fashion status, and mark of good taste, all rolled into one. Well, that is if you consider animal cruelty to be in good taste.

Vegans and animal lovers everywhere have never been able to enjoy the high-end lux bag because it’s made of (gag) alligator skin. Really. From alligators. But now there’s a new bag on the block that has everything the Birkin has, except that it’s cruelty-free–as in no more tortured alligators.

Freedom of Animals and animal rights group PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) recently announced the launch of the “Virkin” bag, a vegan mock-croc purse that has all the class — and none of the cruelty — of the original, much drooled over Hermès Birkin bag.

This creation is a huge deal because: 1)Freedom of Animals is known as the “Céline of vegan fashion” because of its minimalist, high-end designs, and because 2) Hermès was recently outed for animal abuse, thanks to a PETA investigation. According to PETA, the organization recently discovered that Hermès alligator and crocodile supplier farms were treating the animals terribly. PETA reported that the “animals were packed into dark sheds and barren concrete pits,” and that “workers crudely hacked into the necks of some alligators and tried to scramble their brains with metal rods… and some of the animals were still conscious and flailing their legs minutes after workers cut into them.”

And all for the name of fashion…We’d really like a gator or two to get a hold of some of those bags and have their way with them!

While celebrities, such as Olivia Wilde, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Olivia Culpo, are already fans of many of Freedom of Animals creations, PETA and Freedom of Animals are trying to get every big fashion-forward celebrity aware of its new product. Just last week, PETA sent one of the custom bags to Victoria Beckham, a well-known Birkin bag lover. The groups sent the Virkin to help the fashion designer make the cruelty-free switch away from alligator skin products.

The current Virkin bag is part of a limited edition line. A portion of the bag’s proceeds will support PETA. The bags are available at FreedomofAnimals.com and are listed on the PETA Catalog.

Related on EcoSalon

Now & Then: The ‘It-Bag’

Are You A Style Icon?

Plight of the ‘Eco-Birkin’

Image of bag via PETA

The post The Hermès Birkin Bag Has Nothing on the ‘Virkin’ Bag (Except Unnecessary Cruelty) appeared first on EcoSalon.

They say diamonds are a girl’s best friend. And for the organic gardener, it may just be luxury garden tools (and diamonds, too, of course).

 It’s official. Gardening is now as popular in urban settings as, well, overpriced luxury items. It was inevitable that the two eventually collided. You can’t stop progress. Especially when there’s fertilizer involved.

But still. It didn’t make this story in the June issue of Modern Farmer any less confusing. It appears that whether you’re a full-on kale and tomato-producing organic gardener, or just host a casual array of houseplants, there are luxury garden tools and gear just for you. If you also like absurdly expensive things, that is.

While none of the items appear to contain any diamonds—even despite the probability that a diamond-crusted shovel would give any noisy auger a run for its money—some can cost you about the same as a little sparkly piece of bling.

The article reports that West Elm now sells potting soil called “Brooklyn Blend Potting Soil.” They mean Brooklyn, New York, right? Where exactly does the dirt come from? The A train? The soil costs more than twice as much as regular potting soil from Home Depot, probably due to the hours it must take to find real dirt in Brooklyn. I’d actually pay a good amount of money to go on that excursion.

Williams Sonoma got in on the action, too, with a compost sieve that will set you back $195. It’s made from redwood. Should we be surprised that there are no consumer comments on the product’s page? I just imagine a bunch of gardeners with their $2 garden gloves in their wide-open mouths as they stare at the price tag. Any organic gardener or composter knows you can get a good sieve for under $20, or make your own for even less. They’re still suggesting we use it to filter food waste, right?

Don’t get me wrong. I’d proudly display a $345 Hermes hand spade, scraper and garden fork set like the bling it is…behind the glass door of a curio, or the locked one on my safety deposit box. You know, after I used it to plant some really nice tulips. Or, actually, dig for gold…

Keep in touch with Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

Top image: Jill Ettinger

The post OMG, Really? Luxury Blinged Out Garden Tools for the Organic Gardener appeared first on EcoSalon.

In the late 1990s, the Fendi Baguette bag started a fashion frenzy.

Part of documenting fashion is acknowledging the desire and anxiety certain items induce. If ever there was an object designed to seduce us, it was the “It-bag.” As the original “It” girl, Clara Bow demonstrated at the beginning of the 20^th century, the quality of “It” is both absolute attraction and elusiveness. If that sounds like a euphemism for sex appeal, Sigmund Freud – in his work deciphering the language of dreams – considered handbags to represent female genitalia.

To most devotees, these expensive and easily recognizable designer signatures convey a right-time-right-place sense of status that is the source of their appeal. With that in mind, its hardly surprising that the lust for “It-bags” directly corresponds to periods of economic boom. The most recent era of handbag hots began in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when the average American women reportedly bought more than four statement piece purses annually.

Who could forget the impact of Sex And The City’s Carrie Bradshaw and her Fendi baguette? Recently reissued to coincide with the launch of a new book Fendi Baguette, the bag – available in over 1,000 versions – quickly started a fashion frenzy. According to the show’s star, Sarah Jessica Parker, Fendi was “the first important design house to loan us items,” and the introduction of the baguette allowed the fashion loving character to develop into the style icon she became. “It really opened the floodgates and influenced the storyline – especially Carrie’s habit of spending more money on fashion than her home.”

In 1956, a photo of Grace Kelly, who had become the new Princess of Monaco, carrying the Hermès Sac à dépêches bag to shield her pregnant belly made the “Kelly” bag hugely popular.

But this isn’t a recent phenomenon. In 1935 Hermès created a top-handled leather bag called a Sac à dépêches as part of their leather goods range. When Princess Grace wanted to cover her baby bump with her Hermès bag – these were the days when star’s pregnancies were not a career boosting media opportunity – the photos were splashed all over the world and made it onto the cover of Life magazine. Hermès quickly renamed it the Kelly bag, and it became hugely popular.

The “Birkin” bag was born when Hermès chief executive was seated next to Jane Birkin on a flight from Paris to London, he watched as her straw basket overturned spilling its contents onto the floor.

Another Hermès design, the Haut à Courroies was created for free-spirited Jane Birkin. Known for toting a straw basket because she was unable to find a weekend bag large enough to suit her needs. The “Birkin” subsequently became and remains one of the most desirable and widely recognized handbags in the world.

She can’t have heard the “It-bag” trend is over… Victoria Beckham is said to own 100 Hermès Birkin bags thought to be worth more than $2 million.

By 2008 the “It Bag” was no longer in fashion. While there will always be some who can afford bags known eponymously – Birkin, Paddington, Motorcycle and the Alexa  – the rest of us know that the real beauty of fashion is mysterious and deeply personal, our accessory’s determining us individuals rather than part of the crowd.

In 2007 Actress Angelina Jolie, and her daughter Zahara were photographed carrying matching Valentino purses – was this image responsible for the end of the “It-bag” trend?

Want to catch up on some more fashion history?

Now & Then: The History of Flared Pants

Now & Then: The History of the Ballet Flat

Now & Then: The History of Shorts

Now & Then: Met Ball’s Most Memorable Dresses

Now & Then: The History of the Breton Shirt

Now & Then: The History of the Platform Shoe

Now & Then: The History of Fitness Wear

Now & Then: The History of the Pencil Skirt

Now & Then: The History of the Cocktail Dress

Now & Then: The History of Skinny Jeans

Read more Now & Then articles here.

The post Now & Then: The ‘It-Bag’ appeared first on EcoSalon.

A round-up of what we’re reading right now.

Do you know what’s in your food? What’s really in your food? Some pesticides to start with. [Via TakePart]

It’s summer; if you don’t start bike commuting now, when will you? This guide will get you started. [Via Women’s Adventure]

Guess who is the latest purveyor of Hermès knockoffs? Hermès employees of course. [Via Refinery29]

Aggressive in ankle boots? As it turns out, your shoes really do say something about your personality. [Via How About We]

Being uncomfortable is what soul searching is all about. [Via Elevation Outdoors]

If that summer road trip has you craving a good microbrew, this map will point you in the right direction. [Via Pop Chart Lab]

Creativity killers are everywhere, can we add Facebook to the list? [Via Co.CREATE]

Image: Luca Violetto

The post Link Love: A Guide to Bike Commuting, Hermes Knockoffs and Creativity Killers appeared first on EcoSalon.

According to the 2007 WWF Deeper Luxury Report, the luxury industry lagged behind other brands of consumer products when it came to sustainability. They claimed the cause to be lack of consumer awareness and public demand.

The report ranked a number of companies that included Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Hermes on a sustainability scale, and no companies were given a score higher than a C+. Many brands even failed to get a passing grade.

Three years ago, this report was thought to be the tipping point of the industry. After all, many luxury consumers are increasingly well-educated and concerned about social and environmental issues. Yet the luxury brands were missing out on opportunities to become sustainable leaders.

So where do luxury brands rank today? Particularly the luxury fashion brands?

The answer is not an obvious one. In fact, it is very difficult to uncover the luxury fashion companies who are demonstrating ethical excellence. Given the increase in multinationals who report on their corporate social responsibility (CSR) behavior, it would seem that either luxury brands are slow to engage, or they are doing a poor job at communicating what steps they have taken toward sustainability.

Is it accurate to say that consumer awareness and public demand is still at fault? Or is it that executives have simply become complacent? There are likely a number of reasons why this sector has a poor track record.

But let’s start with the sustainable luxury consumer. Who are they? Let’s face it, they are not you and I. Rather, they are a small percentage of the population who, by definition, can afford indulgence. They are not driven to consumption by necessity, but rather out of pleasure.

I’m not convinced that the reason for this sluggish shift is entirely due to a lack of consumer awareness. It could be that the luxury consumer has simply become accustomed to a lifestyle of waste, and can’t be bothered to make any changes in their shopping habits. Given the resources available to them, awareness is at their fingertips. So if they are truly hungry for sustainable luxury brands, they should know where to find them.

But maybe they are truly concerned consumers, keen to indulge in products that have a lighter environmental footprint. The only obstacle they face, however, is the lack of options available to them. Certain sectors are undoubtedly leading the way in the world of sustainable luxury. There are many options for the home, the car, and even travel. It appears however, that it is the luxury fashion industry that is digging in its heels.

So if its not about a lack of consumer awareness, it may have something to do with the complacency of companies – particularly those where there is a generational gap in decision-making. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it right?

Wrong. Clearly it is broken. The reality is that we cannot continue to deplete our earth’s resources at the rate of those before us.

We must all come together in this crucial paradigm shift, and luxury brands have the ability to take a leadership role.

According to Graydon Carter, editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair: “For the new generation, luxury brands that will not take environmental issues into consideration will lose most of their appeal. Modern brands must address these questions. Ignoring them would be old-fashioned and would equal a return to the previous century.”

If we all aspire for luxury, then the same could be said of sustainable luxury. Will our younger generations flip through Vanity Fair and Vogue magazines, ogling ads for sustainably made Chanel bags, or hemp silk gowns by Versace? Possibly. One can only hope.

Images: chad davis, dr_vaibhavahuja, Sarah McD

The post Sustainable Luxury: An Emerging Trend? appeared first on EcoSalon.