EcoSalon’s top bathing suits for summer ’11 are made from sustainable fabrics, locally sourced or fair trade.

Warm days are here and it’s that magical time where we prance around in our underwear and call it a bathing suit. Yours a little worn, tight, faded? Well, we’ve compiled an up to date list of what we consider the best (sustainable), summer ’11 bathing suit lines going.

You can thank us now or later.

Kelly B

Kelly B attacks environmental and social consciousness via her line’s flattering silhouettes and subtle sexiness. “Clothing is a form of art that everyone can relate to. Everybody wears it. It’s a platform to get everything that is important to me out there,” says Kelly. Looking stunning in her bathing suits beach side is another way to further carry out her green views.

Mociun

Caitlin Mociun of Mociun has niched out our closets already with some of the more graphic and forward thinking styles available in the eco fashion world but she’s pushing us into a deliberate love for her bathing suits too.

Karla Colletto

Karla Colletto is a luxe swimwear line that combines high fashion with figure-flattering cuts. The result is runway-ready swimwear that will make women of all ages wish they were as style savvy as you. She offers lots of different suit options but her cut-out suits are a sure standout from the rest.

Emobi

Emobi prints are all original and designed in-house, using a range of environmentally friendly water based dyes, that minimize the impact on beaches and waterways combined with premium breathable UPF 50+ fabric.

Olga Olsson

Each Olga Olsson bikini is totally unique and hand painted by fair trade artisans in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. All bathing suits are made to order so the line can create as little waste as possible.

Lina Rennell

Sure you could have a traditional bathing suit as you bask on the beach but then what fun would that be? Lina Rennell’s swimwear line is always full of surprises from vintage cuts to graphic prints that meet to form the world’s cutest bathing suit.

Meadow

All of Meadow’s designs are proudly sewn in Miami, where the brand focuses on local production and sourcing. Meadow only works with sustainable materials such as bamboo, soy, organic cotton and upcycled fabrics. Her entire line features a coastal vibe for laid back luxe pre and post beach.

Niksters

Nikster’s bathing suits are made from soy, organic cotton, bamboo, and other natural fibers to further promote your sustainable lifestyle.
These exotic bikinis are accessorized with shells, pearls, stones, bamboo, coconuts, and other hand-selected elements from tropical destinations around the globe. Some of the designs are also carefully hand-finished through macramé stitching, embroidered beads, or hand-painting.

Top Image: Cali Dreaming

The post The Best Eco Bathing Suits for Summer 2011 appeared first on EcoSalon.

I was sad to learn the news that eco boutique Camilla will be closing, but when life gives you lemons, make hard lemonade, sister.

Come on, let’s send Camilla off in style by shopping her site which is crazily discounted. One of my favorite pieces is the Durban Jacket by Loyale. With a flattering shape accentuated by a belted waist and high collar, the jacket is made from super soft organic cotton and it’s only $100 – down from $270. Perfect for spring’s occasional gusts and chills.

And reason enough to get clicking now.

The post In Love with Loyale’s Durban Jacket appeared first on EcoSalon.

If I could relive my life, I’d be that person who names paint. How fun would it be to name all the colors of the rainbow after strange occurrences in your life, old boyfriends, family names and nature’s wonders?

To compensate, whenever I see a good name I try and think about why they called it that. Designers aren’t exempt. So, just to see if I was right, I asked a range of designers to tell me the significance of their name.

I was way off.

Here are some fun answers:

FILLY – It came down to aesthetics, of course. I liked the way FILLY looked – all those tall narrow letters pressed against each other. Ladies and gentlemen at a crowded party.

Rebe Designs – Rebe was created in 2000 when I saw my oldest daughter’s art talents blossom at age 15. We used Rebe as a nickname for her, (Hillery Rebeka) and since she was my muse in starting a business I chose the name.

modaspia – “modaspia” very loosely translates in Italian to spy fashion. At the time I started the label I had a cropped bob I dyed several colors in one year and was dubbed “Spygirl” by my boyfriend – like the spies in old movies, changing their look. We had “Spycar”, a ’62 Volvo like the one in the old spy series “The Saint”. A clothing line? It had to fit in the scheme but the Italian sounded cool. I still have the car and married the boyfriend.

SUST – SUST came to me towards the end of a 9-day meditation retreat in Iceland in the spiritual heart of the country. The concept of an organic clothing company came like a thunderbolt to me with the name SUST, short for sustainable and also a play on the British slang word sussed, which according the Oxford English dictionary means well informed street-wise, in the know, cool.

Feral Childe – I don’t really go into the story too much. I like to say that Feral refers to our approach to sewing and construction – we weren’t trained as designers so we have a very unconventional approach – a wild, untamed technique. Childe refers to the stories behind each garment – their reference to something from the past – that’s why we put the “e” at the end – to get at that days-gone-by feel.

ANGELROX – I created my symbol first and was searching for the right name. Already felt the concept of balancing opposites was the core idea.  When a girlfriend of mine named Angel and I used to go out people would refer to us as ANGELROX.

It seemed to fit and has played a significant role in the evolution of my product and brand. I was never that into angels before but now firmly believe we are all angels both living and in spirit form. It has also given me strength to understand that our loved ones that have been relieved from the burdens and pain of living are then free to be with us at all time offering strength hope and love.

Loyale – loyal to style, loyal to the environment.

Image: jack dorsey

The post What’s In a Name? The Inspiration Behind 7 Eco Labels appeared first on EcoSalon.