We are excited to announce the first annual Ecosalon Beauty Awards, coming November 18th—23rd! We’ll be asking you, our beloved readers, to vote when we go live, but to narrow down the bounty of natural beauty goodness out there, we had to turn to our friends, some seriously accomplished women. 

To get you as excited as we are, meet our truly knowledgeable and esteemed panel of judges, who are the cream of the crop when it comes to the the green beauty world. 

Kristen Arnett, Makeup Artist, Editor, and Beauty Educator

Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff, aka Mommy Greenest

Better known as Mommy Greenest, Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff is the former founder of EcoStiletto, CEO of Healthy Child Healthy World and was editor of Children magazine—before she had three of her own. Want less judgmental, more sustainable parenting advice? Follow her: @RachelLSarnoff, Facebook.com/MommyGreenest and Pinterest.com/RachelSarnoff. Because you shouldn’t have to be a scientist to raise healthy kids!

Brandie Gilliam, Founder of Organic Beauty Talk

Starre Vartan, Editor Fashion and Beauty, Travel & Shelter at Ecosalon

Starre Vartan is the editor of Fashion & Beauty, Travel, and Shelter at Ecosalon, and founder and editor-in-chief of Eco Chick and its sister site, Eco Chick Escapes, all about ethical travel and style. She’s the author of The Eco-Chick Guide to Life (St. Martin’s Press), and a problogger and oft-quoted green living expert who has been featured in the New York Times, Elle, Glamour and Self magazines. She has style-edited for magazines, styled (and reported on) eco fashion shows at New York Fashion Week, and currently contributes her writing on design to Metropolis magazine, lifestyle for MNN.com, and ethical destinations to LuxuryTravel.About.com. Starre has also consulted for American Express, Mavea, Neutrogena Naturals, and, currently, eBay Green.

Aysia Wright, Founder of Goodebox 

From non-profit work to retail; environmental law to public relations and marketing; Aysia’s eclectic career path has always been guided by a passion to  advocate for more sustainable living. While these endeavors were rewarding and served as a sort of “trial by fire” PhD in applied sustainability, she soon learned the efficacy of stepping off the soapbox and into the marketplace to get the message across and help effect change. Goodebox is her latest effort, helping conscious consumers find the best clean, responsible products that work for them. It’s a helping hand in navigating the confusing and overwhelming market of beauty products with the ultimate goal of helping consumers make the switch to better beauty and growing the market share of responsible brands.

The post Announcing The First Annual Ecosalon Beauty Awards (Meet Our Judges!) appeared first on EcoSalon.

Column10 finalists compete to have their design produced in The IOU Project’s “Made in NYC” Capsule Collection.

The DIY with IOU Sustainable Design Competition recently announced their 10 finalists in the race to have their fashionable creation produced as part of The IOU Project‘s inaugural “Made in NYC” Capsule Collection. Known for their transparent approach about their supply chain, The IOU Project’s products are traceable so purchasers of their fashionable frocks can find out how their garment was produced, where it was made, and who was part of the creation process. Organized in collaboration with Source4Style, the finalists are now in pattern+sample mode, constructing their final entries, which can be either a garment or accessory. For a look at the varying aesthetics these designers harbor, a look from each finalist is showcased below.

Tara St. James

Swati Argade

Lara Miller

Emily Saunders

Minna K

Lisa Linhardt

Francisca Pineda 

Marina Davis

Carrie Parry

Aga Smiechowska

Get Your Madras On

With a variation of The IOU Project‘s statement handwoven madras fabric in hand, each innovative and mindful designer is currently in their zone, on their way to present the final pieces by the end of the month. The fashion designer behind The IOU Project, Kavita Parmar, began the story’s label with handwoven madras fabric from Chennai (which was previously known as Madras). According to Source4Style’s Summer Rayne Oakes, “Kavita met with each and every artisan that The IOU Project currently works with to understand their needs – and to share in the beauty of their craft. The iconic material has such a rich history and an incredibly powerful story; it’s meaningful to share in that with other designers.”

Entrant Jessica Hosoi’s sketches; Oakes tells EcoSalon, “I enjoyed the designers who took the time to submit sketches of products… it showed that they put in thought and effort.”

The IOU Project’s madras will be available on the Source4Style platform after the winner is announced, so any designer will have the option to join in the checked fun. The winning design will be selected on March 29th, and not only will be produced as part of The IOU Project’s “Made in NYC” Capsule Collection, but the standout designer will receive 50% of the profits and have the chance to showcase their piece at a trunk show at ABC Carpet & Home, and sell it on www.TheIOUProject.com and Fab.com.

For Oakes, this competition is all about portraying to the inner and outer sustainable design community that, “there is much joy and reward that comes in valuing the process of making a garment as well as the people along the way.”

The post 10 Finalists Are Off & Designing For The DIY With IOU Competition appeared first on EcoSalon.

Column“Best regards and please continue to bark up the right tree.”

These were the closing words of wisdom I received from Oliver Heintz, founder and managing director behind BARK CLOTH®. His email salutation is potentially playful or maybe meant to leave a mark on your memory. Regardless, through this signature, I was inevitably inspired to trek deeper into deconstructing the fibers of the forest, to uncover the origins of two sustainable materials in particular: bark cloth and Lenzing’s tencel.

BARK CLOTH

Derived from the Mutuba tree (wild common fig), Heintz’s BARK CLOTH® is the pioneer in developing fabric from this wood-based material; they have been cooperating with small-scale organic farmers in Uganda since 1999. Traditionally, bark cloth is manufactured by the Baganda people; in their process, the inner bark is harvested during the rainy season, and then transformed into a soft fabric by using various wooden hammers. With such an organic creation process, bark cloth can have extensive varying textures and shades of brown.

It may seem perplexing to imagine bark as a material that you could actually wear. But remarkably, the process of stripping bark from trees and removing the soft inner layer to make it into softer, wearable garments – like loincloths and purses – is thought to have been around since 4,000 B.C., where it began in southeastern China. For the Ugandan-Germany family venture BARK CLOTH®, the material’s essence is undeniably distinguished: “Its strong contrast between archaic authenticity and state-of-the-art textile finishing processes generates a convincing effect for nearly unlimited applications.”

In the nineteenth century, bark cloth production slowed with the introduction of cotton cloth by Arab traders. However, the Baganda people have continued to embrace this traditional craft, particularly for their cultural and spiritual functions. UNESCO even named “the art of bark cloth making in Uganda” as a World Cultural Heritage site in 2008.

Bark Cloth – available on Source4Style

With roots of holistic capacities, the source – the Mutuba tree – serves as a significant sustainable resource in East Africa. It is considered one of the most multipurpose plants, especially in areas where intensive banana-coffee lakeshore land use systems are in place. Its roots transfer nutrients from deep soil areas closer to the surface, while its canopy above shades the banana and coffee shrub. Not only does the Mutumba’s presence boost crop yields, but it also serves as construction wood, fast growing firewood, its leaves rot quickly and function as an excellent fertilizer, and it also possesses medicinal properties – tea can be made from its leaves to treat a sore throat, while the tree’s latex is a skin ointment to cover wounds.

A refined, more “finished” variation of bark cloth, BARKTEX® seems to be proving just as multifaceted as its mother tree. Currently, DLR Aerospace Centre is testing it for use in airplane wings, while the company is also cooperating with the Freiburg Rainforest Institute in an effort to develop ecologically, economically, and socially sustainable materials for use in sports equipment and outdoor gear.

Bark cloth belts at Christian Siriano SS11 at NYFW

And, yes – bark cloth has now pounded its way into the high-end fashion sector as well. As one of the earliest members of Source4Style, Christian Siriano discovered the material through their sourcing platform, and designed a collection of belts that were featured in his Spring 2011 Collection at New York Fashion Week. Others have fashioned bark cloth into trench coats, shoes, and mind-blowing gorgeous dresses.

DIY extraordinaire and author of P.S. I Made This, Erica Domesek, recently acquired a bundle of bark cloth.

As she tells EcoSalon, “One of the beauties of what I do is that I’m attracted to materials. It’s kind of like when you buy a really nice dress, and you save it for a special occasion. I’m that way with materials – I hold onto them until I know exactly what I want to do. The bark cloth is definitely not an everyday material – it’s something special.”

We can’t wait to see what fabulous creation Domesek evolves from the wood-ware, when the time is right to let it shine.

TENCEL

TENCEL® is a fiber procured from the wood pulp of eucalyptus trees, and produced by Lenzing, the only fiber producer in the world to possess the European Union Eco-label. So, to chop it down to the basics: excess wood pulp is processed into a thread that can be woven into super-soft tencel fabric.

U.S. Marketing Manager of Lenzing, Tricia Carey tries to break it down for us. Basically, Lenzing purchases FSC-Certified wood pulp, then adds a non-toxic solvent called amine oxide. This solvent goes through a closed loop cycle and then the fiber is extruded through the spinnerettes and cut into specific staple lengths.

Not only is tencel biodegradable, its fibral makeup is innately formatted for comfort. As you can see by the above image, the surface of tencel is smoother and more supple; wool tends to be more scaly, while cotton is irregular and rough in texture.

“Tencel has been commercial for 20 years and in that time the expansion has been amazing. Most recently we have seen more use in activewear garments and denim. Tencel is used at retailers like J. Crew, Banana Republic, Gap, Nordstrom, Victoria’s Secret, Ann Taylor, Club Monaco, Target, J. Jill, Macy’s and more,” Carey tells EcoSalon.

J.Crew Tencel Shirt

As cotton production becomes more difficult to keep up with due to population increases, economics, water waste, and inconsistent climate shifts, man made cellulosic fibers (MMCF) may be the fabrics of the future.

Carey tells EcoSalon, “We can clearly see the demands on the earth will continue to increase as the global population continues to grow.  Land will be needed for food crops and water for drinking. There is a ‘Cellulosic Gap’ where there will be a demand for more regenerated cellulosic fibers, like viscose, modal and TENCEL®.”

So, what does the future of fashionable fabrics hold for us? And, will cotton no longer be the fabric of our lives?

ALSO READ:

THREADED: The Awamaki Lab Places Peruvian Handwoven Textiles Front & Center

THREADED: Julia Ramsey Sheds Her Skin About ‘Pelt’

Image: Raymond Meier

The post THREADED: Wearable Woods – From Forests Into Fashionable Fabrics appeared first on EcoSalon.

The Uniform Project launches a monthly pilot series with sustainable movers and shakers.

It’s amazing what a little black dress can do.

Ever since Sheena Mathieken’s virgin exploration into the wardrobe unknown, which entailed wearing a single dress for 365 days, women have taken on similar challenges, some to see if they could do it, others to raise money for charities. Eliza Starbuck’s Bright Young Things are chronicled on her site; The Uniform Project also attracts ultra-spartan dressers. The term “sustainable fashion” is certainly apt when your wardrobe revolves around one little black dress.

Enter Summer Rayne Oakes. All this month, the green model-turned-consultant’s project, Payless ShoeSource (with whom she has had collections), will support Oakes as she takes on the Uniform Project’s first “Pilot Series” challenge. Each month, a new fashionista will wear just one LBD on repeat to promote sustainable fashion and world causes.

Oakes’ is hoping that her charity of choice, Charity: Water, can make at least $10,000 to build two wells for communities that don’t have access to clean drinking water. Payless is pitching in as well, matching online fundraising dollar-for-dollar (up to $10,000).

Oakes says of her Mad Men-inspired LBD created by Carasan:

“I wanted to create a dress with fifties flair – partially because as you’ve found out, I LOVE that era but also because I think that 50s dresses were so flattering for a woman’s body. I have curves and think the dress we created “loves” the feminine form in all the right places – no matter what your shape or size. I enlisted my good friends – Terri and Sandy Rosenthal (a mother-daughter couture-trained design duo) of Carasan Designs to take my original sketches and make a highly versatile and functional piece that can be worn at least a dozen ways (and also equipped with comfy pockets – a must in a dress in my opinion!) I decided to source a 70% silk-30% hemp blend and a handwoven thai silk and hemp-organic cotton blend to give a little peak-a-boo of pink on the underskirt.”

While Oakes’ month has just begun, stay tuned for more inspiring women raising money for causes and pushing the envelope when it comes to maxing out a dress.

My favorite dress to date from the Uniform Project is from their very own social media and blogging guru Jessica Engle, who had her friend and designer at Edelweiss create an office appropriate LBD that you can unzip into two different pieces and wear in myriad ways.

The post Summer Rayne Oakes and the Uniform Project Pair Up for Charity appeared first on EcoSalon.

The much anticipated Source 4 Style website went live earlier this fall and now founders Summer Rayne Oakes and Benita Singh are bringing the depths of their eco-fashion expertise in atelier style workshops to a city near you. The first one in NYC kicked off last Wednesday and attendees had the chance to network, enjoy Fair Trade chocolate and learn.

I was really blown away with how educational the workshop was. Oakes gave us a rundown on the evolving Eco Index, which is set to become the global standard and primary resource for rating in the apparel and eco-apparel industry.

My takeaways were many, but I’ll share just a few here that really stood out as action steps for brands moving forward in integrating ‘eco’ into their DNA.

1. Brands should dissect the components that make up their products to put them through the Eco Index and record their ratings. Oakes suggests that brands be conservative in this area starting out, especially if they have unknown details, to ensure that their next ratings show a greater improvement for their greening efforts.

2. Brands should be transparent with their consumers and post their results on their websites, thereby inviting them to accompany them on their environmental journey and build trust.

3. Brands can also open up the conversation with their consumers and crowd source to discover what designs their consumers want, feedback they might have, and what is most important to them regarding eco-initiatives.

4. Finally, brands that do have a ‘green story’ behind their garments should make it visible. Either via hang tags or online drop down tabs, the back story is what compels the consumer to support the brand and what they stand for in the production of the piece they are purchasing.

What I have shared in this post is only a glimpse of what is available through the Source 4 Style workshops. Check the Source 4 Style site and blog for more information. Workshops run about every six weeks. See you there!

The post Source4Style Workshop: Eco-Integration 1-0-1 appeared first on EcoSalon.

Fashion Weeks around the world have taken the headlines by storm with coverage from NY, Paris, Milan and London. And thankfully, each of these international shows have featured sustainable fashion on their runways.

Here in Canada, we tend to hold our Fashion Weeks a bit later in the season, mainly so that our top fashion media outlets don’t have to be in two places at once. This week we are hosting both Montreal Fashion Week and Eco Fashion Week (EFW) Vancouver.

For the first time, Montreal Fashion Week has teamed up with non-profit organization FEM International to present ModEthik, which will feature an exhibition and collective runway show, as well as an educational discussion around ethical fashion and responsible consumerism.

Vancouver is taking it to a whole new level with the first ever Eco Fashion Week. The three-day event will be focused on sustainable fashion and includes a trade show and seminar component as well. I caught up with the organizer, Myriam Laroche, who hopes that buyers will put EFW on their calendars twice a year and that Vancouver will become an international eco fashion capital.

“Our mission with EFW is to make it easy for the fashion industry to take the green road”, states Laroche. “In order to do this, we feel that the educational part of it is extremely important. The runway show presents the look of the collection, and is an opportunity to show buyers how to wear and style the clothes. The trade show provides a platform for designers and buyers to deepen their understanding of eco fashion, and at the same time meet and develop business relationships.”

Eco model, activist, designer, author and sustainable pioneer Summer Rayne Oakes is one of the presenters at Eco Fashion Week Vancouver. Delegates will learn about her new company, Source4Style (which is currently in private beta) – the world’s first online marketplace for designers to search and source leading sustainable textiles. I had a chance to chat briefly with Summer about her talk and the importance of having sustainability sessions at Fashion Weeks across the globe. Here is what she had to say:

“Sustainability is still such a black box in the fashion industry. It’s not uncommon to have workshops and presentations designed to elucidate and untangle its inherent complexities. And if attendance to these talks is any indication of people’s interest, well then I don’t see any sign of it stopping.”

And I couldn’t agree more. The industry is becoming hungry for this information. They want to understand the social and environmental impacts of their work, and how they can do their part. And it makes good business sense for Fashion Weeks to provide the venue for such growth.

Image: Courtesy of Montreal Fashion Week

The post Eco Education Important Component at Canada’s Fashion Weeks appeared first on EcoSalon.

For those of you reading and asking, “Hey, what did I miss?” honey, you missed a lot!

This past Friday night, we hosted Ecosalon Shops! at a New York City venue in TriBeCa where nearly 20 designers, three eco-friendly boutiques (Foundfuture, Juno & Jove and Mission Savvy), and organic food and drink vendors (think chocolate! think martinis!) gathered to have a susty soiree. Thanks to a collaborative effort that included EcoSalon, sustainable designers, brands, editors, bloggers and friends, the place was packed and the fashion was flying.

But before that even happened, early arrivals, hoping to grab the product-packed goodie bags first, were swarming the space! After seating our eager guests in a lounge area, they waited patiently for the 7:00 whistle that kicked off the event. (Or make that the 7:00 beats, provided by none other than emcee Tofuburger. No, we’re not kidding.)

Over the course of three hours, some 400 fabulous eco gals (and a few green guys) showed to shop and mingle, including some of our favorite eco fashion writers (some of whom wrote pieces on the event as well): Jasmin Malik Chua of Ecouterre, Starre Vartan of Greenopia and Eco-Chick, Emma Grady of Treehugger, Abigail Doan of Ecco Eco and Eco Fashion World and spokeswoman, activist, writer and eco model, Summer Rayne Oakes of well, lots of green things! We were thrilled to spend time with these amazing people, some of whom we’ve been chatting with and working with online but had never met in person.

Readers who’ve been following us for the past two years also showed up and laughed over old and newer controversial stories that they’d either commented on or followed, got to meet all the designers we’ve been covering and made conscious purchases they could feel good about.

We’re deeply grateful to all the fantastic green supporters in media who helped spread the word about EcoSalon Shops! far and wide and attended the event, including Time Out New York, NBC’s Thread/NY as well as writers and editors from Lucky magazine, InStyle, the New York Times, Fox and Marie Claire.

Enjoy the slideshow, and visit us again tomorrow to watch the video of the event.

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Now don’t you fret if you didn’t get to make this one. Another event is already in the works and may be coming to a city near you. We’ll see you soon!

The post We EcoSalon Shopped! appeared first on EcoSalon.

Fashion Takes Action, led by Kelly Drennan, recently hosted their first Canadian designer award called Design Forward. Each designer was hand-selected by FTA based on a set of criteria including materials used, carbon footprint, ethical production practices, design aesthetics and any extra “eco-initiatives” they’ve implemented, like energy efficiency and organic hang tags.

After the first round of judging by over 4,000 visitors to the FTA site, the top three went on to an even more scrutinized judging by three judges including model, activist, writer and TV personality Summer Rayne Oakes, sustainability consultant Lorraine Smith, and yours truly.

The judges rated the top three (Laura Chenoweth, Nicole Bridger and We3 (twigg &hottie) in various categories including:

• Materials Used
• Production
• Design
• Special Features
• Transparency
• Accountability

All scorecards were then emailed to Price Waterhouse where they were tabulated. And this past Thursday the winner, Nicole Bridger, was announced.

What did Nicole win? A lot. $50,000 worth of prizes including a three-month national PR campaign, provided by Third Eye Media, participation at Nolcha Fashion Week’s Ethical Fashion Preview in NYC this September, $1000 in eco-friendly fabric supplied by Telio (to make a sample collection to show in NYC) and a look book photo shoot with full creative team including photographer, models, a stylist and a hair and makeup team.

I caught up with Nicole Bridger over the weekend and asked her a few questions. Here’s what she had to say:

Being under such scrutiny suddenly as a sustainable designer, were you worried?

Worried about what? I guess that would mean no. I just do my best to make our clothing as eco as I can and I feel secure in that. I can only do my best and our motives are authentic, so what’s to worry?

Did you start out as a designer designing sustainably or was it something you evolved into?

I started out in University as a designer who used natural fibers because I was conscious of the impact synthetics have on the planet. The term “sustainable designer” didn’t come up until later on.

Do you think it’s important to be a role model to other designers, to show how things can be done? That it can be done eco-friendly but also very fashion forward?

Absolutely! I believe it will eventually be the norm. It is so important to show that it can be done and the more people that jump on board the better, the industry will grow and more fabrics will become available.

How do you feel this award will now help you?

It certainly helps with getting noticed and with the trip to New York City, that means getting recognized on a global level. Our company is ready now for growth and we are looking for more clientele.

What is your favorite part of the award?

That it exists now, it is a sure sign that things are evolving.

In a perfect world, how do you see your line evolving?

Eventually we will be a lifestyle brand that people can rely on to be sustainable and Fair Trade no matter what the product they are purchasing. We will have global retail outlets and create co-operative fair trade factories in third world countries to help those in need.

The post And the Design Forward Winner Is? appeared first on EcoSalon.

What is the extent of your relationship with Payless?

Summer Rayne Oakes: I work as a sustainability consultant, largely reviewing product materials, processes, packaging, non-profit partnerships and provide guidance to the overall corporate Sustainability Task Force, when necessary. What I really love about working with Payless, is their willingness to work as a partner in the Zoe & Zac program and beyond.

What areas are you specifically working with them to make improvements?

SRO: I’ve been specifically tasked to work with their team on the Zoe & Zac shoes and accessories line, which focuses on the use of more environmentally-preferable materials like organic cotton, linen, hemp and recycled materials – from rubber, wool, PET and recycled cardboard. I was involved in Zoe & Zac from the very beginning of the concept and my work with Payless involved everything from mission, messaging, and continued new ideas and innovation. This important work on Zoe & Zac has made its way into other initiatives, and I’ve also helped provide input and counsel to the overall company on the structure and dynamics of their sustainability team. In fact, this week I am heading back down to the company’s corporate headquarters in Kansas to give three presentations on varying subjects.

Are you aware of what Payless is doing as a company in terms of corporate social responsibility?

SRO: I am most equipped to talk about the corporate social responsibility initiatives as it relates to Zoe & Zac, however, I’ve been kept relatively up-to-date on corporate-wide initiatives. Collective Brands (parent company) and Payless have been honing in on a range of initiatives – from printing on recycled materials and waste recycling to transportation efficiencies and charitable giving. One of the most exciting initiatives for me has been their progress in transportation, which is a big slice of the pie since they ship to nearly 4,500 stores. Collective Brands has become SmartWay certified, which is the EPA’s initiative to make freight transport operations cleaner and more efficient. More than 80 percent of their transportation carriers are SmartWay certified. That’s equivalent to taking more than 30 million metric tons of CO2 and 200,000 tons of NOx emissions out of the environment. To put it bluntly – that’s about 12 million cars off the road. But it’s an uphill environmental battle. As an aside, that’s 4.7 million short of how many vehicles were sold in China last year alone.

As far as Payless goes on the transportation front, the company is now transporting approximately 80 percent of their inbound deliveries from the port to their distribution centers by rail. This is up from 60 percent last year, which is an incredible jump in efficiency.

Payless also has a long history of charitable giving – ranging from special programs (e.g., supporting breast cancer awareness, higher education scholarships for minority youth, tree restoration, among others) to annual events. They are probably most known for their Payless Gives Shoes 4 Kids shoe giveaway. For two years now, at the holiday season in November and December, they partner with about 750 localized non-profits across the Western Hemisphere (in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and in 10 Latin American countries where there are Payless stores) to distribute $1.2 million in free shoes to children and families in need. Payless has also partnered with The Nature Conservancy’s Plant a Billion Trees campaign, which has committed to planting 100,000 trees. Last year’s program raised $200,000 and will plant 200,000 trees this year. Payless expects this year’s program to be equally as successful.

Does Payless have plans to phase in more eco friendly styles?

SRO: We want to focus on great shoes and accessories and are concentrating right now on quality as opposed to quantity. We’re still learning a lot about the materials, especially on the accessories front, so in the next few seasons, you’ll see about eight principle styles in women’s and girls’ shoes and about 4-6 accessories, which will also include handbags.

Has the Zoe & Zac brand inspired the company as a whole to source sustainable materials and ethical manufacturing in any of their other brands?

SRO: I haven’t followed up on what’s happening with the other brands under Payless, but I believe it is safe to say that Zoe & Zac and the greater sustainability initiatives happening on the corporate level have informed, if not influenced, a number of decisions – from printing, recycling, and using recycled materials.

What is Payless doing about waste and recycling?

SRO: In terms of waste, Payless donates all of their sample shoes to Soles4Souls, which then gives them away to needy children across the globe. They also have a recycling program in all of their corporate and business unit offices, which include Topeka, KS; Lexington, MA; and Englewood, CO. As far as shipping, Payless ends up reusing 45 percent of the corrugated boxes that come into their distribution centers. The inbound shipping boxes from their global manufacturing partners basically get reused to ship shoes to their stores. The rest of the 55 percent corrugate is recycled and all of that cardboard is 70 percent recycled content. Obviously increasing efficiency, reducing waste and using more recycled content is the goal, but it is a work-in-progress.

Payless manufactures their shoes in China, including the Zoe & Zac brand. Have you visited the facility in China where these products are made?

SRO: Absolutely. It was one of the first requests I had when I came on board. The experience was particularly informative. It showed me how much the manufacturing facilities are very much partners in the whole supply chain, as opposed to just some external foreign facility. For instance, one family-owned and operated facility was almost completely dependent on Payless for business and support, and that’s not taken lightly by the [Payless] team. It’s not the most efficient facility, being older, but Payless feels as if it’s their responsibility to work with them to get them there. On a whole, Payless has helped institute a number of changes in the facilities, like the use of tolulene-free materials, non-solvent based cements, and proper ventilation. This is in part due to their long-standing relationship and philosophy with their manufacturing partners, which is absolute key in instituting change. You need to know someone is there for you for the long haul to feel incentivized to move in the right direction.

As far as auditing – I feel as if the team is always at the facility, but proper auditing happens four times per year, and covers issues including: health/safety, labor, and environmental concerns. The Labor issues are in accordance with the latest China Labor Contract Law, which was instituted by the Chinese government in February 2008.

There are other initiatives that Payless is involved in, like the FDRA Overseas Labor Practices initiative, which essentially is a driver in standardized compliance requirements and inspections for the footwear industry. There are also a number of other cool initiatives that are coming out from other trade industries in the coming months, which I’ll be sharing with the team.

And finally, why Payless as opposed to another footwear company?

SRO: Payless approached me about two years ago and I have to say that I was deeply impressed on a number of fronts that made it a no-brainer to work with them. Looking back on it I realize that all of what I mention below is still true.

1. The conversation I was having was with their C-Level executives, meaning that the programs would be taken seriously and gain traction company-wide.
2. The team was enthusiastic – not only about the prospect of working with one another – but also at the prospect of implementing change. Nothing is more fulfilling than working with enthusiastic, passionate people.
3. They were eager to answer questions, and if they didn’t know the answer, they were happy to find out who did.
4. They had already shown initiative by creating a Sustainability Task Force and instituting baseline data points to show progress.
5. They were interested in working with me in a vertically-integrated capacity, which means I wouldn’t just be asked to front a brand, but be working with it through-and-through. Personally, that is a much more fulfilling role for me, and allows me to exercise working with companies that truly share my core values.
6. They take my advice! And the advice of their customers! I can’t tell you how emotionally satisfying that is. And finally,
7. They are a company that reaches a wide demographic, not often focused on environmental concerns, so it really ties back into my core focus of reaching a new audience. I love that.

The post Behind the Scenes of Payless’ Zoe & Zac with Summer Rayne Oakes appeared first on EcoSalon.

Kelly Drennan and her crew over at Fashion Takes Action are movers and shakers (we’ve known this for a while), but we are delighted to hear of their FTA Design Forward contest for Canadian designers. (That’s Kelly, above.)

Drennan says FTA’s first annual award is being created in recognition of the many talented eco fashion designers in Canada.

Designers include: Thieves, Elladora, Elroy, Paper People Clothing, Laura Chenoweth, Revolve Clothing, Nicole Bridger, Salts Organic, Preloved, Lav & Kush, deux fm, Nixxi, Flora & Fauna, We3 (twigg & hottie). You can learn more about each of these designers by visiting the FTA site.

Thieves

“There are a number of fabulous designers working toward a sustainable fashion future,” says Drennan, “And we believe that our fourteen nominees represent the driving force of the movement in Canada.”

Each designer has been hand-selected by FTA based on a set of criteria including materials used, carbon footprint, ethical production practices, design aesthetics and any extra “eco-initiatives” they’ve implemented, like energy efficiency and organic hang tags.

We3 (twigg&hottie)

The lucky winner will receive a $50,000 package including: a three-month national PR campaign provided by Third Eye Media, participation at Nolcha Fashion Week’s Ethical Fashion Preview in NYC in September 2010, look book photo shoot with full creative team including photographer, models, hair & makeup and stylist along with $1,000 towards Fair trade and Organic certification to be provided by Ecocert.

FTA wants you to vote by April 16th. Go and review each nomination (see the site’s side bar for list of designers), and vote based on your favorite Canadian sustainable fashion designer.

Nixxi

Each of the profiles created includes images of the designs, how they are meeting each of the four eco criteria, and FTA’s comments on how the designers can improve. This is good for you to see as it can help with your decision making.

Of course, all of these designers are talented and hard-working in their own right. They’re sustainably-minded entrepreneurs who are making a tangible, positive impact in the fashion industry by virtue of their efforts.

From your votes (one vote per person), FTA will gather the top three finalists, who will then face a jury of recognized leaders with fashion and corporate sustainability backgrounds including yours truly, author and eco personality Summer Rayne Oakes and sustainability consultant Lorraine Smith.

Good luck to the designers!

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