You may buy a lot of organic clothing. But do you own the most sustainable t-shirt in the world?

Well, unless you own the “Clean Tee” from Nomadix, a California-based company, you answer is No, no you do not.

The commercial apparel industry isn’t known for its sustainable aspects.

“The apparel industry is the second most polluting industry on the planet,” Treehugger reports.

“The clothes we wear on a daily basis contribute to environmental problems, from the growing of cotton and the application of pesticides and water, to the manufacturing process, which also generates vast quantities of wastewater, to the piles of unwanted or worn-out clothes that get tossed in landfills each year. It’s something that we, as consumers, seriously need to rethink.”

Nomadix wants to put an end to all that waste.

The company started off on its sustainable journey by making 100-percent recycled material beach towels. That move inspired the company to join forces with Recover Textiles, a Spanish producer of upcycled  cotton yarns, to create the Clean Apparel campaign.

And that’s where the Clean Tee comes in.

The Clean Apparel campaign was founded to help raise money to create the Clean Tee. “The Clean Tee is highly unusual; it is made entirely from recycled cotton,” Treehugger reports.

“The manufacturing process…consists of re-blending cotton from used clothing and textile waste to create new yarn, which is then combined with recycled poly, turned into fabric, and sewn into a T-shirt. Even the color of the Clean Tee is created through the ‘color-blend process,’ which does not use additional water or dye.”

So, if you ever hear a company’s PR team say it’s impossible to create a shirt that is totally sustainable, they are full of bull.

You can help the Clean Tee project become a reality by donating to its Kickstarter campaign. The brand has to get to $20,000 by June 10, and as of May 31, it still had a little less than half to go.

Related on EcoSalon

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Image via the brand’s Kickstarter campaign

The post Is the Clean Tee the Most Sustainable T-Shirt Ever? appeared first on EcoSalon.

Men’s hoodies that are dashing with a side of dayum.

Confession: I love men’s hoodies more than basically everything in my closet. That being said, every dude I know has owned the same ones for so long they’re starting to look like roadkill. (What’s up with that anyway?) There are oodles of bright and shiny men’s hoodies out there just waiting to be purchased—so on behalf of every girl-who’s-a-friend out there, please throw us a bone.

Here are 8 men’s hoodies you’ll love. Promise!

1. Blackstrap Hoodie

The Blackstrap Hoodie from tentree is made of 60 percent organic cotton and 40 percent recycled polyester, perfect for keeping calm and looking studly. Best of all, for every item purchased, tentree plants (you guessed it!) ten trees.

2. Levanto Hoodie

Also by tentree, the Levanto Hoodie is the best of both worlds: It’s a henley button-down/hoodie hybrid your girlfriend will probably want to borrow… and you know, never give back. Maybe buy two, just in case.

3. Vintage Zip-Up Hoodie

The Vintage Zip-Up Hoodie from Toms is uber-handy on chilly summer nights. And for every sweatshirt purchased, Toms gives a pair of shoes to a child in need—practically making your hood a cape.

4. Blizzard Hoodie

Made in the USA by Brooklyn Industries, this terry-fleece Blizzard Hoodie features blocked sleeves and split kangaroo pockets for a casual look.

5. Weekend Garment Dyed Hoodie

What’s not to love about the Weekend Garment Dyed Hoodie from Brooklyn Industries? It’s perfect for layering, no matter the season, and features a retro-faded stripe pattern with kangaroo pockets.

6. Raccoonteur Hoodie

Why buy the Raccoonteur Hoodie? Well, there’s a raccoon on the front. With a guitar. What else is there to know?

7. Cotton Sleeveless Hoodie

For guys who actually like working out (can you work out for me too?), this Cotton Sleeveless Hoodie by Threads for Thought is made of 100 percent organic cotton, and is slim cut with large arm holes to keep you all ventilated.

8. French Terry Short Sleeve Hoodie

Another for the sporty guy, the French Terry Short Sleeve Hoodie by Alternative is made from 100 percent organic cotton with contrasting sleeve bands.

Which men’s hoodies are your faves?

Related on EcoSalon

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Image: Man wearing hoodie photo via Shutterstock

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Finding eco-friendly handbags can be a real challenge. We present some fashionable solutions.

As a vegetarian who is also committed to environmental sustainability, I find that being fashion presents some difficulties for me. I enjoy fashion, but I also want to be a conscientious shopper.

One of my biggest fashion woes are accessories like bags. Let’s face it, the choices out at the mall (a four-letter word in my book) and those hawked in fashion magazines and catwalks just don’t fit the bill for concerned consumers like me looking for eco-friendly handbags.

It can be a challenge, but not impossible to find vegan and eco-friendly handbags to suit both our functional and fashionable needs.

There are actually a lot of alternative bag materials out there for us fashion and eco-conscious shoppers. Here’s a sampling of some of those materials as well as examples of bags that utilize them.

1. Organic Cotton Clutch – This clutch is a great choice for those looking for vegan and eco-friendly handbags. It’s made using organic cotton that’s certified by the Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA), animal-free “leather”; it’s also free of harmful dyes and has chemical-free embroidery.

2.Pleather Shoulder Bag – Pleather, or vegan “leather” as it’s now called, has made real strides in quality lately. It’s now possible to find bags that appear to be actual leather. Just be careful, not all leather alternatives are eco-friendly. Read about the different types of vegan leathers here.

3. Cork Fabric Clutch – Cork fabric is made from cork, a natural, renewable and sustainable raw material and it’s also suitable for vegans.

4. Repurposed Coffee Bag Handbag – Repurposed bags made from burlap bags are awesomely eco-friendly handbags!

5. Organic Hemp Handbag – Hemp bags don’t have to be hippie and crunchy-granola. This sustainable organic hemp handbag is a stylish, chic and eco-friendly fashion statement.

6. Recycled Bottle Handbag – Matt & Nat bags are made with linings that are 100 percent recycled plastic bottles. They also are 100 percent animal free and they use the most sustainable options available.

7. Bent Wood Clutch  – Supplii offers gorgeous bent wood handbags using sustainable woods and utilizes a minimalist design that eliminates the need for extraneous materials.

Related on EcoSalon

Vegan Shoes and Handbags: On Trend

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9 Reasons to Ditch Those Logo-Covered Designer Handbags (They’re So 1999!)

Top Image:  CanopyVerde

The post It’s in the Bag: 7 Vegan and Eco-Friendly Handbags appeared first on EcoSalon.

From edgy sheer black knits to sweet and feminine strapless silk, these sexy summer dresses by eco-friendly designers are perfect for sweltering nights on the town.

If you don’t have a dress in your closet that screams, ‘It’s ninety degrees, but I look and feel amazing,’ you need to go shopping. Stat. I’m not an advocate of thoughtless, voracious consumerism, and I definitely don’t recommend running out to your nearest fast fashion store full of dirt cheap, pesticide-laden garments made by slave labor. But a sexy summer dress is a wardrobe essential, and the right one will be a staple for warm-weather dates and events for years to come.

These five gorgeous garments were handmade in America using environmentally friendly processes and materials, and include a couple options in extended sizes.

Asymmetrical Organic Cotton Dress by Brook There

Slinky organic cotton and bamboo with a touch of spandex make this casual summer dress by Brook There cool and versatile with a comfy yet body-hugging fit that will effortlessly transition from day to night. Available in over a dozen colors, this dress features an asymmetric neckline and side slit, giving it a modern edge. Each piece by Brook There Organic Clothing is hand-made to order in Portland, Maine.

Medewi Leopard Silk Tube Mini Dress by Gypsy05

The Medewi Leopard Silk Tube Mini Dress by Gypsy05 is sweet and summery in three pastel prints, but still shoulder-baring sexy. It’s lined with silk fabric in a matching color and features an adjustable elastic tie waistband. Gypsy05 garments are made using organic fabrics, soy softeners, low-impact dyes and seaweed extract printing. This small lifestyle brand’s headquarters were the first completely solar-powered dyeing, printing and manufacturing facility in Los Angeles, California.

Ran Dress by Morph Knitwear for Sisters of the Black Moon

This sheer hand-knitted cotton and bamboo dress with an asymmetrical hemline looks amazing over a bandeau and hot pants, a swimsuit or a basic tank dress. Stick with edgy all-black or mix it up with colors and prints underneath. Each Morph Knitwear piece is made to order by designer Angela Thompson in Portland, Oregon using materials that are almost exclusively locally sourced. Thompson cites “the mythological, the powerful feminine, history, and a good dose of heavy metal” among her influences.

Puya Organic Cotton Dress by Elroy Clothing

A cowl neck and a little bit of subtle ruching make Elroy Clothing’s Puya Dress flattering for virtually every figure. It comes in purple, red or turquoise, and it’s made of 95% organic cotton. Elroy supports fair trade markets in areas of low income and unemployment, including Indonesia, where the company founder began a sustainable employment project in 2009.

The Belladonna Dress by HerbanDevi

We all need a couple sexy summer dresses that make us feel bold and confident, and the organic cotton Belladonna Dress by HerbanDevi couldn’t be more perfect for dancing. It’s got shoulder ties for an adjustable fit, and a flounce skirt. Handmade to order in San Mateo, California, this dress comes in a wide range of colors, and sizes XX-small (00) through XX-large (22-24).

Related on Ecosalon: 

In the Mood for Sexy Summer Dresses

Robot Made Eco Fashion: Natalia Allen’s Capsule Collection for the Future

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As EcoSalon has reminded readers time and time again since our beginnings five years ago, the days when sustainable fashion was considered a fringe endeavor are long since over.

The UK-based industry body Ethical Fashion Forum (EFF) is perfect example of sustainable fashion, representing 6,000 members in more than 100 countries who are committed to creating beautiful and sustainable designs as a rule, not an exception.

Last week EFF hosted the third installment of the SOURCE Brand Preview, an online social enterprise which aims to be the “world’s leading source of sustainable fashion business intelligence.” By bringing together designers, buyers, press, and stylists in the form of an online (and carbon-free) webinar, SOURCE aims to educate fashion’s key players in order to transform the livelihoods of those working in the textile industry and reduce the environmental impact of the industry altogether.

EcoSalon previewed the collections presented in last week’s online forum and chose four standout designs from the most impressive category: womenswear young brands. We love these collections for their fresh aesthetics and the fact that each has a sustainable ethos underpinning their work.

Treches

The geometric designs of the Berlin-based brand Treches exude the hip vibe of what is currently considered Europe’s coolest city. A big fan of cut-outs, contrasting colors, and clean lines, the brand’s Norwegian born creator says she designs for an urban consumer. The brand uses organic and ethically sourced fabrics exclusively and, in an effort to cut down on waste as their production expands, they save their scraps and discarded fabric to donate to smaller projects.

Atelier Laure Paschoud

Swiss-born designer Laure Paschoud sees fashion not as clothing, but as “a useful and universal art.” Her designs are demarcated by beautiful draping and solid fabrics which help create an overall look that’s feminine with a touch of boyishness. She uses fabrics that are certified organic, fair trade, or recycled and manufactures her pieces in a Bosnian production workshop—run by a Swiss-Bosnian family—as part of an effort to rehabilitate the Eastern European nation and ensure the sustainability of local knowledge.

MuMu Organic

Greek designer Athena Bentila’s MuMu Organic label is inspired by the landscape of the Cyclades islands where she initially created it. The ethereal and colorful pieces are made with certified organic cotton from Fair Trade producers in India and her other fabrics are imported from a Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified factory in Turkey. The water-based prints are based on the environmentally-inspired paintings of Dutch artist Roland Wakker. Perhaps most pertinent though, is that all of MuMu Organic’s clothes are produced locally, providing much needed employment to the struggling Greek economy.

Kampala Fair

As the name might suggest, the clothing, accessories and housewares of Kampala Fair are produced in a workshop in Uganda’s capital city. The modest and flattering cuts of their dresses coupled with vibrant colors and African prints are an effortless standout. Taking the stance that jobs are more important than charity, the aim of the brand is to create sustainable livelihoods for women and provide them with skills to provide for their future.

All images courtesy of designer.

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While initially that headline might not mean anything to you, under David Basson’s leadership at Greensouce, organic cotton was sourced for the very first time to Walmart. In fact, since 1999, the company has planted over 8,000 acres of organic cotton fields.

No small feat.

Under Basson’s reign, Seattle’s Greensource is now ranked as the 9th largest user of organic cotton in the world for its very own “Greensource” and “Re-Gen” (Recycled Generation) branded apparel. According to a Greensource press release, if the company’s considerable private label production for major retailers, including Walmart (“Faded Glory”) and Kmart (“Route 66”), was taken into account, the company would actually rank much higher.

David Basson, CEO of Greensource

No matter how you feel about Walmart selling organic clothing, as a supplier for them, Greensource’s pros far outweigh the cons. The brand grows its own organic cotton crop, is building schools for its workers’ children, uses only organic cotton and other sustainable fibers and has certified all five of its manufacturing facilities according to the new Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). In addition, the company uses an online system enabling shoppers to input a code found on a garment label and track the garment’s voyage from the field to the store.

The tracking system gives customers a rare opportunity to trace their garments from field to final production using a Greensource brand product ID # on each hang tag that one can use to check the history and authenticity of the product purchased.

With all this progress soon behind Basson marking major strides in the sustainable fashion field, one can only imagine how Greensource will move forward.

Taking over the reins in January 2011 and continuing the company’s organic cotton leadership will be John Flynn, currently vice president of design and development, and Brady Hill, currently vice president of marketing, two men we’ll all keep a close watch on.

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