We’ve been falling hard for the NOW Showcase for the past three seasons at Market in New York City and are glad to be this season’s exclusive media sponsor. With all that amazing talent in one big room, not only are we excited to see all the new fall collections, we’re hoping we might even see you!

On two separate evenings, the EcoSalon team will be on hand to mingle and answer all the questions you ever wanted to ask us, like, “Is fashion columnist Gretchen Jones really 10 feet tall?” and “Does Fashion Editor Amy DuFault really have a thick New England accent?” and of course, the top question you’ve secretly been wondering: “Are they fun?”

We totally are.

So come meet our fashion columnist and recent Project Runway winner Gretchen Jones on Saturday, February 19th, 4-6:30 p.m. Jones, a designer and EcoSalon fashion columnist of “My Designer Life,” will be on hand to talk about anything you deem sustainable. About to launch her first collection since her Project Runway win, Jones will have look books on hand to show buyers and a leopard turban on to impress anyone else.

Fashion Editor, Amy DuFault (yours truly), will be on hand the second day – Sunday, February 20th, 4-6:30 pm entertaining a motley crew of eco-boutique owners (the ones you love shopping online but have never met), fellow sustainable fashion writers, and Garment District representatives. I’ll be at the ready with my Flip, pad and pen to take notes about anything you think might be EcoSalon-story worthy.

In addition to sipping fair trade wine from Appollis and Fair. vodka cocktails, you can warm up with hot Gypsy Tea and snack on some delicious Regal Vegan Faux Gras™ and then (ahem!) there’s the every-15-minute-giveaway on the 20th from Chem Line, Deborah Lindquist, Creem, NatureVsFuture, SDN, Lipstockist and Heidi Roland – all for the price of a business card.

If you weren’t able to make it to any New York Fashion Week events, this is a unique and special opportunity to meet the real designers behind the inspiring lines and see just what Fall 2011 has in store for us.

We look forward to meeting you!

For a complete list of designers showing at NOW, go here.

The post Come Meet EcoSalon At The Now Showcase! appeared first on EcoSalon.

Designers aren’t alone when it comes to being held responsible for their claims of eco-design; so are the boutiques that carry them.

In fact, as greenwashing heats up and the public is able to be more informed, all participants of the manufacturing and selling process are being held accountable and nobody wants to look stupid.

Shows like D&A (Designers &Agents) and the NOW Showcase are making that quest for transparency a lot easier. For example, with green leaf icons at D&A serving as code for sustainable designer’s booths and with the NOW Showcase, an established venue offering various shades of green depending on the hue you so desire.

Still, nothing is perfect. In fact, at the last D&A show when approaching a designer toting a green leaf (for my own boutique), I was left to stand and have her waste 15 minutes of my precious time explaining to me why she had acquired her green leaf.

“So are your chains reclaimed?” I asked her.

“No, we give women fresh out of prison jobs to support their new life,” she answered.

“So nothing is recycled or reclaimed?,” I asked again horrified.

“Ahhh, no,” she said, now looking at me in bewilderment.

I had at least three other run-ins with designers marked with the green leaf that were, in my opinion, not even mint green.

While venues keep improving, we buyers keep pushing forward with our rigorous drills on designers, asking lots of questions and hopefully getting the right answers.

While in New York for Market Week, I bumped into Shana Yansen, owner and buyer of Jute and Jackfruit for a buyer’s love fest.

Here’s what she had to say about her adventures as a buyer.

The post Video Interview: Shana Yansen of Jute And Jackfruit appeared first on EcoSalon.

As buyers peruse markets all over the world, trying to scope out what’s fresh and new amidst garment racks, look books and line sheets, when they find something that is different, it’s a thrill.

So it was when on my own buying trip. I stumbled across Jai, tucked away neatly in a corner of the NOW Showcase’s sustainable marketplace. I’m already familiar with Jai designer Kizzy Jai Knight, but what she proposed for spring 11 was nothing short of paradise and luxury and softness galore.

Maintaining the brand’s aesthetics of layer-friendly silhouettes, Knight has taken her line to a sustainably ethereal level with organic Ahimsa Silk, organic cotton, silk/cotton blends and Tencel. She employs hand-dyeing (by way of locally grown fruits and vegetables) to add various hues of pink, saffron, ivory, rust and blues. The collection feels young, which is a refreshing forward look after a long fall and winter of knitwear, tightly wound scarves and double-buttoned jackets.

For this collection, Knight looked at coral reefs and how they’re formed by the interactions between a community and its environment.

“Having worked with vegetable dyed silk last season and musing on the natural intelligence of Coral Reefs desires to include more of our immediate surroundings was at the root of our organic color adventure for this season,” says Knight. “We want to the collection to speak of the delicacy of the coral reefs so hand dying enables us to create garments that are all unique.”

Her  spring 2011 collection (all produced in New York City), includes frocks with pockets, ruffle trim dresses, an open-backed maxi dress, backless shifts, a flyaway poncho, wraps and, according to Knight, “the perfect white sun dress that women spend the early part of every year searching for.”

My favorite? The Melissa (top) in all its saffron glory.

Special Offer for EcoSalon Readers: Because most of you don’t want to wait until the spring to buy, Jai is offering pre-orders for both the fall 2010 Sunningdale Classic Dress (below) for $220.80  and the Melanie Dress (below next) for $195.50.

Sunningdale Classic Dress

Melanie Dress

Made from Tencel, which feels like a sophisticated denim (but with a subtle shine), you could wear either of these two dresses for upcoming holiday soirees and into spring until you get your Jai hand-dyed frocks. If you want one of these limited edition pieces, just drop me a line at amy @ ecosalon dot com.

The post Editor’s Pick and a Special Offer for EcoSalon Readers: Jai’s New Luxury appeared first on EcoSalon.

The idea of being sustainable, eco or green has changed tremendously over the past few years, so it’s hard to say what fits into these three categories.

Below are just a few ways that Leslie Yang of Feisty Elle embodies these concepts:

• Using eco friendly materials such as bamboo ply and 100 percent merino wool felt.
• Keeping it green at the Feisty Elle office and using packaging made from recycled content as well as recycling all packaging and materials.
• Producing locally with all pieces designed and assembled by hand in San Francisco as well as sharing a commitment to working with local business (suppliers, manufacturers, printers) whenever possible.

I recently caught up with Leslie in New York at the NOW Showcase to see what makes her tick when it comes to sustainability. Here’s what she had to say.

The post Video: An Interview with Leslie Yang of Feisty Elle appeared first on EcoSalon.

Raina Blyer, designer of sustainable label Creem and one of the founders of the NOW Showcase, has long been a face amongst New York’s sustainable community.

Her collaborations with other designers, and being one of the founders of the NOW Showcase seem like a natural progression for her when it comes to supporting the newest in independent, locally-produced fashion.

I caught up with her recently at the NOW Showcase, while she was debuting her spring 2011 line (which was stunning) and asked her a few questions about what sustainability has grown to mean in the fashion world.

The post Raina Blyer of Creem Talks Sustainable appeared first on EcoSalon.

You know warm days are truly coming to an end when fashion packs are racing around New York City’s famed fashion week dressed in fall looks determining what we’ll be wearing the following spring. Next week, sustainable style gets its day in the sun when the Now spring ’11 showcase goes on display. Showing menswear, womenswear and accessories from a strong bunch of independent, consciously-minded labels, the NOW Showcase has grown substantially since they launched nine designers to eighteen.

“Since we started 2 years ago we have doubled in size. I think our success is due to the honest community we have formed. Many of the designers return each season and really like the atmosphere and vibe of the show. We are non-competitive and all support and help each other out throughout the year. We have a loyal following of buyers as well as designers, its become a place people come to because they know they will see old and new friends,” says Creem designer, Raina Blyer.

Knowing that there’s enough love and goodwill to power most of New York City at NOW, we turn to the designers to ask them one question: “What was your favorite part of designing spring 11?”

Here’s what they had to say.

Deborah Lindquist

“I’m launching a whole new brand based on urban, feminine t-shirts and t-shirt dresses in organic cotton and micro modal silk blends.  I’m still doing my more couture based collection but the emphasis has shifted for spring to bustiers, sweaters, and gowns. So my new focus for spring ’11 is t-shirts and ballgowns!” – Designer Deborah Lindquist

AngelRox

“What I liked most is the organic nature in which AngelRox  continues to evolve thanks to the lovely community of customers that support it. It’s their desires and needs I listen to and create new pieces for the collection based on their inspiration.”
– Designer Roxi Suger

Jai

“This season we worked with vegetable and fruit dyes! We had a blast blending, soaking and washing! JAI is now deliciously regal!” – Designer Kizzy Knight

EcoSkin

“We’ve been working with an amazing new sustainable fabric called Sorona corn jersey and we have been busy testing different weights and processes. It is always exciting to feature fabrications that are not currently out in the market but are sustainable – this is the best part of my job. Creating amazing bodies that feel comfortable and look chic is what dressing women is all about!”
– Designer Sandy Skinner

Chulette

“We try to push ourselves. Since we first introduced organic and sustainable material into our collection last fall, we’ve done more research and designed a collection using as much sustainable material as we could while still retaining our aesthetic. It’s exciting to offer something green that is feminine, modern and sophisticated.”
– Designer Lee Phutrakul

Origin Twenty Three

“This season we are expanding the agency from strictly fashion to also include lifestyle products such as essential oils, traditional herbal tinctures and elixirs, teas and herbal honeys. Inspired by my time this summer spent studying the botanical characteristics, medicinal properties, and therapeutic uses and effects of the herbs grown on the Goldthread Apothecary, Herbal Farm farm in Pioneer Valley, Western Mass. I am delighted to be showing JAI’s whimsical Spring collection produced here in NYC and hand dyed with turmeric, strawberries and natural plant dyes.” – Origin Twenty Three Owner and NOW Showcase Co-Founder, Eileen Moran

Juleselin

SDN

Lalesso

Manisse

The post NOW Showcase: A Sustainable Curation of Design and Designers – Part Two appeared first on EcoSalon.

You know warm days are truly coming to an end when fashion packs are racing around New York City’s famed fashion week dressed in fall looks determining what we’ll be wearing the following spring. Next week, sustainable style gets its day in the sun when the Now spring ’11 showcase goes on display. Showing menswear, womenswear and accessories from a strong bunch of independent, consciously-minded labels, the NOW Showcase has grown substantially since they launched – going from nine designers to eighteen.

“Since we started two years ago, we have doubled in size. I think our success is due to the honest community we have formed. Many of the designers return each season and really like the atmosphere and vibe of the show. We are non-competitive and all support and help each other out throughout the year. We have a loyal following of buyers as well as designers, its become a place people come to because they know they will see old and new friends,” says Creem designer, Raina Blyer.

Knowing that there’s enough love and goodwill to power most of New York City at NOW, we turn to the designers to ask them one question: “What was your favorite part of designing spring 11?”

Here’s what they had to say.

modaspia

“Sewing the collection up was fun but nothing compared to styling the pieces for the look book. A sexy, ethereal sort of 20’s vibe came through when we shot it. I stayed up the night  before stringing necklaces from African beads that we draped on the model. It was a great look and different from anything we’d done previously.” – Designer Ursula Dean

Kelly Lane

“One of my favorite parts of the design process is the development of a new print for the collection and how the print then influences the creation of new styles, while also breathing new life into past styles.

Each season, the collection, and especially the print, are created with a particular theme in mind. This season we found our inspiration in butterflies and all of their beautiful stages.

Instead of working with literal shapes emerging from the forms, or even the movement of butterflies, we cast the woman as the ultimate polymorphic creature. The print was created to be a second skin, cloaking the wearer in series of hand-drawn circles that reflect the ultimate feminine form and symbol for transformation.” – Designer Kelly Lane

Creem

“This season has been exciting for me because I am working on expanding my Creem collection which is a relatively new project for me. It’s been fun to switch heads and switch customer. The concept of Creem collection is to remain seasonless, so the collections will all blend into each other and pieces will remain relevant. My favorite place on earth is the beach and being near the ocean. My goal as been to bring the wonderful feeling of calm and openness that the ocean gives me into the collection. It has been great fun spending the summer at my studio dreaming of the beach all day.” – Designer Raina Blyer

Feral Childe

“Our favorite part of designing Spring 11 is when we get together at my studio in Oakland to make the drawings and collages that will become the prints. We start each collection this way. Moriah and I live on opposite coasts, so we love the stretch of studio time we get, and the chance to catch up on each others’ lives. It’s like a working retreat. We draw and talk all day, go on hikes, and eat and drink heartily to celebrate each day’s work.

This season we wanted to make a print that would more directly relate to the construction of a garment, rather than another allover print. We knew we loved the imagery from this book TARQUINIA that’s been sitting on our studio shelf for years now. In the book there are photos of ancient tomb paintings and bronzes that we felt would look great as the cutouts you see on the print. We also wanted to create a textile print that wasn’t just another allover image; we wanted to make a print with narrative elements yet change depending on construction of the garment. I also loved making the props for the spring 11 photo shoot. I took elements from our drawings and prints, and turned them into larger-than-life 3D objects. ” – Designers Alice Wu and Moriah Carlson

Turk + Taylor

“The most exciting part of designing for spring is color and fabric. We couldn’t be more thrilled with the outcome. It started out with a thought: “What if we made clothes out of an old hot air balloon?” And that’s what we did. Windbreakers and poncho-y dresses that are uber fun, totally out of the box showstoppers. Seams and color vary with each piece, so all are one-of-a-kind.
In addition to the balloon, we designed an oversized buffalo plaid in a similar color palate – pink, orange, yellow and blue. It’s truly amazing and perfect for a western shirt and cinched caftan tunic. We rounded out the fabrics with another custom-milled boardshort plaid, striped linen and a selection of vintage yardage.” – Designers Mark Lee Morris and Andrew Wayne Soernsen

Rebe

“My favorite part was creating pieces from mill ends that were playful and practical. I was inspired by “dots and dashes” bringing together my past designs with present concepts.” – Designer Debra Weiss

Feisty Elle

“My favorite part of designing spring 11 was challenging myself to design necklaces, something I’d never done before. I sought to use felt and bamboo in unique ways and succeeded in making some really fun, lightweight statement designs.” – Designer Leslie Yang

(Stay tuned for a second post on the NOW Showcase designers this week)

The post NOW Showcase: A Sustainable Curation of Design and Designers appeared first on EcoSalon.

As Fashion Editor of EcoSalon and owner of an eco-boutique I talk to a lot of designers. This was my first time going to Market Week in NYC as both and it was as thrilling as it was tiring.

Market Week, if you haven’t been, is where clothing designers worldwide show their seasonal collections in New York City. Buyers from stores large and small come here to buy what best represents their brand. It is a tough, tedious job and forges a deeper appreciation for the fashion industry beyond hitting the shops with a girlfriend to check out the newest duds.

D&A, Coterie, Train, NOW Showcase and two individual appointments in studios kept my boutique partner, Amanda, and I busy as devil’s advocates representing an eco-boutique. (I admit, it surprised me how many people raised their eyebrows when we said that.)

Since we knew we’d really have to grill the designers about their knowledge of their lines for our eco-minded purposes, we anticipated this process was going to be a hard pill to swallow for some.

We were right.

If the price is too low, somebody’s getting paid to make it with rice.

On at least three occasions when we asked eco-designers why their price was so low, they didn’t have a real answer except, “We just like to keep the prices low.”

One designer in particular, looming over me at 6’2″ in her super chunky platform heels, couldn’t offer me much in terms of information and fumbled with sheets of paper as I inquired. Her heavily made-up eyes and fierce Frankenstein eyebrows finally communicated the message loud and clear: get the hell out of her booth. (I’m not kidding about the eyebrows.)

But cheers to my two new favorite eco-designers, Ethos and Toggery, who seem to keep it all in balance, designing truly beautiful pieces as well as producing at amazing prices. I’ll be telling you their fantastic stories soon – can’t wait.

Some eco-designers think just tossing up a sign that says you’re a sustainable designer makes you part of the eco pack.

Note to designers: one organic piece out of many does not an eco brand make. Thank goodness my partner and I scrutinized each and every label to make sure we stood by our boutique mission, which is to sell 100% sustainable materials. 10% soy and 90% conventional cotton? Thanks, but no thanks.

A caveat, though. I actually believe a compromise like that is fine if you’re just starting out with eco manufacture, because it takes time to learn and test. But for experienced designers, claiming eco status when you’re really not is just greenwash. (I wish I had the cojones to name names.)

To that point: Evolving into a sustainable designer is not a bad thing!

In one vendor’s booth (many of you would recognize the label) they’d pushed all their eco-apparel into a corner that was being dripped on from a malfunction in the ceiling. When asked about the eco-friendly part of their line, they were timid to show us what they had. Sensing their embarrassment, we walked away.

Highlights?

– Meeting Howard Brown of Stewart & Brown and getting to hear about his and his partner’s (Karen Stewart) passion for their line. And the fact that they were actually there instead of letting reps do all the hard work!

– Meeting Doucette Duvall in their studio and their offer to search remnant fabrics for us to create the pieces in their line that are not yet eco because they “love going on a hunt.” (Hunt more, ladies, and make it all eco!)

– Meeting Kate D’Arcy of Toggery, who designs from the perspective that every woman deserves to wear sustainably designed clothes made in the U.S. (that means beautiful and fairly priced).

– Learning from the ever-exuberant Celeste Lilore of Restore Clothing just how the plastics used in her line are recycled and made into fibers with touch bowls and great literature.

– Meeting the one and only Starre Vartan, founder of Eco Chick, editor of Greenopia and author of The Eco-Chick Guide To Life. Thanks to all her great social media head shots, she was easily identified.

– Eating as much delicious ethnic food as possible.

– Sitting and spending time with eco-designers I love and support.

I write all this and wonder if it’s interesting to you, this behind-the-scenes detail. I hope it is. I want you to understand how much work goes into those shops you love. All those online eco-boutique shop owners were there in the throes of Market, picking out some really great things for you.

You see, it’s not just a shopping free-for-all. They’re personal shopping for you.

Image: The Train New York

The post To Market, to Market, to Market We Go appeared first on EcoSalon.

Kevin Baum, CEO of Sust and Moriah Carlson of Feral Childe at the recent NOW Showcase in NYC

October marches on with another look at men in eco-fashion.

Kevin Baum, CEO of sustainable label Sust, is one of many men carrying a well-lit torch for the eco-designing movement. He’s made great strides in laying the groundwork for the Sustainability Across America Tour (of which EcoSalon is a sponsor).

I caught up with him in the midst of markets and orders recently. Here’s what he had to say:

I know you come from a Fortune 500 background. How is it similar or different being the CEO of Sust, a sustainable clothing line?

Managing a start-up is an amazing and wonderful opportunity. The functional aspects of the business (concept, branding, strategy and infrastructure) are the same, regardless of whether or not you’re an eco-fashion or conventional company.

What are some ways you’ve drawn from your collection of experiences and put them into SUST?

This is a tough question, probably because the complete answer would be the foundation of a semester-long course at many fashion or design schools. In short, running a business (restaurant, retail store, etc.) is much the same in principle. It’s about designing or creating great product that is focused on a target market with enough disposable income and interest to purchase the amazing goods you’ve produced. Of course, the distribution model, price points, capital and infrastructure all come into play when you’re building a new business from scratch. All of these complicating factors are what makes a start-up such a great experience.

Tell me about some challenges that have entered your path that you couldn’t have foreseen?

I don’t think there really have been too many surprises in the basic day-to-day business. Of course, no one really understood the impact of the recession back in 2007 when Tristan & Marion started the company. I joined in early 2009, so I had a pretty good idea of what we were up against and we’ve adjusted our model to be more price competitive with conventional brands that we benchmark ourselves against the specialty store space. I feel strongly that we would have done the same thing, economic downturn or not, and the current macroeconomic climate may have expedited the exercise.

I asked the question on Twitter “Do you know of any men involved in the eco-fashion industry?” and all said they didn’t know any. Does that surprise you?

Not really. In the past 20 years I’ve always seen the core population in retail, merchandising and design positions primarily held by women. I don’t have a statistic, but I would venture to say it is 75% or more in the industry. Spend one day at any major trade show and you’ll see it’s an industry run by women. Yes, there are “other men” in eco design. Many of them happen to be focused on the men’s space or have companies that have multiple product categories.

Are you a part of the design team for Sust?

Marion McKee is our Creative Director. In most companies, there is an intersection between Creative, Sales and Production. In other words, how to take great design and match it up with what can be made with the right value proposition to ensure it will be successful in the marketplace. I handle the Sales & Production side, so Marion and I collaborate daily on how to build the right product each and every season.

What do you think is the hardest part of being a sustainable designer?

The market is nascent, but really very small in the overall retail landscape. Combine that with the macroeconomic climate and it is clear that most customers will not pay “more” for eco products. Our challenge is to find a way to make beautiful products cost effectively, so we can sit side by side with conventional brands and remain price competitive. The current environment has helped us to focus on this aspect of the business. It all starts with great product, but if you are not competitive on price, then you’ll have amazing goods with no place to go.

The post Sustainably Successful: Men in Eco-Fashion Part 2 appeared first on EcoSalon.

I love that designers are creating new road rules.

WWD recently printed a study saying a Mintel survey of 2,500 adults found that 54 percent said they would buy more green products. The report concluded that even in a period of reduced consumer spending, competitively priced green merchandise may do well because it stands out. Still, sustainably-focused designers realize they’re not exempt from the recession. And in an eco-pool so full of talent and expertise, is there really room for everyone to survive?

A handful of designers have some amazing takes on making their lines not only stand out but thrive.

We’ve written recently about Sustainability Across America and their cross-country drive to inspire and be inspired by the green community. Other new collaborations in the sustainable design world keep popping up, as well, like the NOW Showcase this September 20-21 in New York City as well as Content 09 October 18th in Portland, Oregon.

The NOW Showcase will feature 20 eco-designers in thelab, an integrated production studio and sustainable space powered by wind energy from upstate New York. The Now venue will feature a well-appointed collective of womens’ and menswear, accessories, organic body care and lingerie for wholesale viewings.

These men and women are opting for more transparent marketing targeting loyal buyers and lovers of their lines, reacquainting them on a more personal level.

For its inaugural CONTENT 09 event, 31 of Portland’s finest independent clothing and accessory designers will inhabit 28 rooms in the city’s Ace Hotel. Attendees will explore at their leisure while enjoying live music, libations, art installations and more. Founding group How We Develop intends on expanding CONTENT annually, with hopes to include the best national independents under one roof. Both venues will provide to buyers the ability for more personalized, one-on-one time with the designers and their Spring/Summer 2010 lines.

The natives are getting restless with the same old, same old. They have aggressive ideas that go beyond finding safety in three-season color palettes and cuts.

And we can be inspired to see egos put aside as designers embrace the reality that a powerful sustainable design market requires more than an organic cotton or bamboo tag.

The post Eco-Designers Put Aside Ego appeared first on EcoSalon.