In a recent competition in Miami, accessories are seen as valuable assets in a growing eco wardrobe.

EcoArtFashion Inc. and LMNT Contemporary Arts of Miami, Florida recently joined forces to host and sponsor the first annual EcoArtccessories challenge, a juried competition calling for artists and designers the world over to create and submit one of a kind fashion accessories using eco-friendly techniques and recycled materials. The competition included the following categories: head piece, neck piece, waist piece, arm/wrist piece, hand piece, hand bags and shoes.

EcoArtFashion Inc. is a concept created by renowned fashion designer and visual artist Luis Valenzuela in an effort to bring attention to innovative art and fashion-based ideas formulated with an earth friendly consciousness. EcoArtFashion Inc. developed the EcoArtccessories challenge as a means to bring special attention to accessories designed and created with sustainable materials in mind.

The jury was composed of Emma Grady, Publisher of www.pastfashionfuture.com, Michael DeSio, who works in Merchandising Management for Saks Fifth Avenue and has an extensive background in fashion including stonecutting and his own men’s shirt collection, Daniella Sforza, Curating Director for LMNT Contemporary Arts, and Luis Valenzuela. Valenzuela says the group of internationally renowned professionals were hand-picked based on their experience in the art, design and retail industries as well as their boundless support of EcoArtFashion Inc.’s green world mission.

Lisu Vega

I asked Emma Grady why she believes it is important to further develop, support and highlight the presence of eco accessories.

“Accessories can transform an outfit. It’s more acceptable to wear accessories (rather than clothing) day after day so they simply get more wear. They serve as a way to experiment with new styles without changing a whole look entirely. Like fashion, eco accessories can serve as great conversation pieces, which is an opportunity to share the story about their origin, whether they’re hand made by artisans or made with an unexpected material,” says Grady, adding that more mainstream designers are dabbling in eco fashion with accessories as they are also a way for designers to get their foot in the door designing sustainable products.

Valenzuela said they received over 100 submissions for the competition with designers implementing materials like recycled cardboard, wire, recycled plastic and unexpected hardware pieces.

Grady says, “I enjoyed seeing a collection of brightly-colored bracelets made with recycled fabrics. They were visually appealing, rich with texture, and statement pieces that would add instant personality to an outfit.”  The selected winning and finalist pieces were chosen by the jury considering use of materials, creativity, and innovative concept.

The winning piece was a geometric-inspired bracelet submitted by Carla Nesci made of hand painted repurposed cardboard from shoe boxes, food boxes, and other pieces of thin cardboard. Finalist’s whose work will also be featured during EcoArtFashion Week are Lisu Vega, Olga Saretsky, and Pat Taylor.

Carla Nesci

The winner and finalist’s works will be showcased on the opening night runway show for EcoArtFashion Week December 2011, and at the “Wrap Yourself In Art” party on November 28, during Miami’s Art Basel, a week-long annual event drawing more than 200,000 art and fashion enthusiasts.

Please visit here for further details.

Images: EcoArtFashion Inc., top image bracelet by Pat Taylor

The post Eco Accessories Take Center Stage in Juried Challenge appeared first on EcoSalon.

Dear Earth apparel launches their own online boutique.

The recipe: Take a bit of organic rocker and a splash of vintage and mix well with contemporary graphic prints. The result is the newly launched Dear Earth label and online boutique.

Deriving inspiration from music, the moon, and popular culture, designer and owner Daniele Moore has created an organic luxury lounge wear collection composed of leggings with fun details such as ruching, snaps and zippers, sexy skirts made with re-purposed sequined material, and sheer graphic tees featuring messages like “Drums Please,” and “Muhammad, Jesus, Buddha, Love.”

Moore was born in Philadelphia and started sewing in her twenties as a creative outlet, and because she needed some comfortable clothes to teach yoga in. As she started to receive compliments on things she had designed and her mind flooded with new ideas, her appreciation for fashion expanded. Although Dear Earth styles are mostly casual wear, Moore says she loves details like pleats and ruffles that you see more in couture lines and has fused these elements in the more casual styles.

Moore says the earth inspires her every day as she watches sunrises coming up over the ocean in Miami Beach.  “Gratitude and appreciation for our earth and the energy it gives me makes choosing sustainable fabrics and practices very easy. The inspiration, the choices and the final product have all become one-if that makes sense,” says Moore.

Working with materials such as organic cotton, bamboo, hemp, peace silk and soy, Dear Earth also uses a dye method called Fiber Reactive, in which the fibers and the dye make a permanent bond which not only produces long-lasting color in the apparel but also minimizes dye run-off which is harmful to the environment.

“So many people have no idea about fabric and fiber meanings and they do not make the connection between a t-shirt and a plant. I really enjoy watching people make the connection which I believe increases appreciation and awareness of the Earth. I created Dear Earth to share this,” says Moore.

The post Miami’s Dear Earth Apparel Debuts Online appeared first on EcoSalon.

Miami designer Luis Valenzuela showcases new designs at Sustainatopia 2011.

Hailing from four generations of Venezuelan born and bred artists, Miami fashion designer and visual artist Luis Valenzuela is influential in the U.S., Latin American and European art scenes. Like his painting and art installations, his couture fashion creations express a love of environment that Valenzuela says were piqued as early as three from watching his surrounding environment morph and change.

Today, his work represents a flight from traditional boundaries, with projects supporting his belief in innovation as a tool in cultivation and improvement of the way we live on the planet. “Art is a great way to shock people into thinking about things,” says Valenzuela, which he does with his signature reuse style.

In addition to his work in fashion, art and photography, Valenzuela created EcoArtFashion (EAF), a group of creatives whose focus is to bring forward ideas from art and fashion based on a heightened eco-consciousness, particularly the reuse of materials. Through this fashionable reuse concept, Valenzuela hosts a multitude of events, including EcoArtFashion Week (launched during Art Basel 2010 in Miami).

Luis Valenzuela

On April 3, Valenzuela’s work will be featured in Miami at Sustainatopia 2011, one of the largest sustainability/impact investment events in the world. Held from March 31 to April 6, Sustainatopia is featuring two conferences with 300 speakers from 34 countries. The stage will be set for a presentation of Valenzuela’s gowns, which are made of recycled materials and are inspired by women who have made a powerful impact on world history. This presentation will be paired with a performance by Natasha Tsakos, a conceptual director and motion and visual performance artist from Geneva, Switzerland.

A key initiative of Sustainatopia is to connect impact investors with entrepreneurs and organizations seeking capital, but there are many other events taking place during the week to promote sustainability in the form of art expositions, educational seminars, music and film presentations, and book discussions with participating authors.

Valenzuela says the eco art and fashion scene in Miami is growing, but, “We have to do more every day.” When I asked him about the further development of the green art community he has set in motion through EAF, he reflects. “I am a dreamer, but with focus on a good cause. I want to encourage everyone to use their skills to support this global mission in bringing balance to our environment, ultimately affecting each and every person inside and out.”

For more information on Luis Valenzuela’s ongoing work through the EcoArtFashion initiative, please visit the EAF site to see the full calendar of events planned for the entire month of April (Earth Month 2011), taking place throughout Miami and New York.

Image: Luis Valenzuela

The post Designer Luis Valenzuela’s Recycled Gowns to Be Shown at Sustainatopia 2011 appeared first on EcoSalon.