West Elm, at the moment, will not find many fans in Brooklyn thanks to its ‘Made in Brooklyn’ snafu. 

Under fire for its “Made in Brooklyn” line of products, the retailer was recently outed for misleading consumers with products that, in reality, are not produced in Brooklyn. One item, West Elm’s “Made in Brooklyn Market Beanie,” is actually made in China.

This ambiguous labeling, which was revealed by The Brooklyn Paper earlier this week, carries significant repercussions for artisans and purveyors who specifically choose to conduct business in Brooklyn. Love it or hate it, Brooklyn is officially the it-girl of the five boroughs. It’s a proud moment for those who call it home and have built an enterprise on the foundation of its local economy, many of whom perceive West Elm’s “Made in Brooklyn” line as both a financial and personal blow. Such vendors are said to have largely influenced the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce’s Brooklyn-Made certification program.

“As baseline criteria,” read’s the program’s Web site, “only legal businesses headquartered in Brooklyn making one or more physical products will be considered.”

West Elm, which has since removed the China-made beanie from its online store, is attempting to discreetly sidestep the impact of its “Made in Brooklyn” line on businesses that have actually met Brooklyn-Made’s certification requirements. Rather, the language is described by a company spokesperson as “a fun nod to the potential contents” of products like its beer growler.

The Williams-Sonoma-owned franchise is hardly the first of its kind. With Brooklyn having earned such an esteemed reputation in recent years, dozens of brands are rushing to put its name on various items of clothing. Last November, the New York Observer ran a piece on the desperation among big-name companies to be hip enough to fit in with the borough. Such outlets “can’t just waltz into a neighborhood anymore, least of all a Brooklyn neighborhood,” writes Kim Velsy. “No, now you must be yourself but also ‘Brooklyn.’”

The prevalence of evasive product-naming and Brooklyn-branding was a hot topic among panelists at the recent Social Retail Summit in the borough’s DUMBO neighborhood.

“I know for a fact that it’s very widespread,” says Gaia DiLoreto, founder of By Brooklyn, a Cobble Hill boutique strictly carrying products from local producers. “I’m always challenged with how to confront it. My mission is to promote and protect the brands…that I’m working with.”

DiLoreto, who advised the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce in developing Brooklyn-Made, cites the example of the Brooklyn Candle Company, whose candles, she says, are actually made in China.

The commonality of this practice raises the broader question of corporate transparency. Arnon Rosan, co-founder and CEO of referral platform LocalMaven, points to Chipotle’s recent elimination of pork products from the menu, due to the inhumane treatment of pigs by some of its vendors. These stories, he says, are “a lesson to all retailers.”

Rosan isn’t the only one who sees positive outcomes from West Elm’s actions. Its public nature, adds DiLoreto, will “make people think twice” before buying something mistakenly identified as local.

Consumers are far from powerless in these situations and can follow some general guidelines to ensure that their purchases are, in fact, local.

1. Check the label. In the case of West Elm’s “Made in Brooklyn Market Beanie,” all it took was a re-examination of the product’s tags.

2. Do five minutes of research. The Brooklyn-Made program follows in the footsteps of such similar efforts of SF Made and Portland Made. A quick visit to the Web sites provides a listing of the businesses that have met each program’s certification requirements.

3. Talk to retailers. Ultimately, business owners and managers are the most knowledgeable when it comes to product sources. Brooke Richman, founder and CEO of Coop & Spree, makes a point to know her vendors. “I’ve had the opportunity to actually go to the factory and see where everything is physically made,” she says. “I know that the integrity is there.”

Related on EcoSalon

Sweet, Sustainable Looks From an Ethical Fashion Week in Brooklyn

Behind the Label: West Elm Green

Got Local Liquor? Our Growing Thirst for Craft Distillers

Image: Jeremy Keith

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They say diamonds are a girl’s best friend. And for the organic gardener, it may just be luxury garden tools (and diamonds, too, of course).

 It’s official. Gardening is now as popular in urban settings as, well, overpriced luxury items. It was inevitable that the two eventually collided. You can’t stop progress. Especially when there’s fertilizer involved.

But still. It didn’t make this story in the June issue of Modern Farmer any less confusing. It appears that whether you’re a full-on kale and tomato-producing organic gardener, or just host a casual array of houseplants, there are luxury garden tools and gear just for you. If you also like absurdly expensive things, that is.

While none of the items appear to contain any diamonds—even despite the probability that a diamond-crusted shovel would give any noisy auger a run for its money—some can cost you about the same as a little sparkly piece of bling.

The article reports that West Elm now sells potting soil called “Brooklyn Blend Potting Soil.” They mean Brooklyn, New York, right? Where exactly does the dirt come from? The A train? The soil costs more than twice as much as regular potting soil from Home Depot, probably due to the hours it must take to find real dirt in Brooklyn. I’d actually pay a good amount of money to go on that excursion.

Williams Sonoma got in on the action, too, with a compost sieve that will set you back $195. It’s made from redwood. Should we be surprised that there are no consumer comments on the product’s page? I just imagine a bunch of gardeners with their $2 garden gloves in their wide-open mouths as they stare at the price tag. Any organic gardener or composter knows you can get a good sieve for under $20, or make your own for even less. They’re still suggesting we use it to filter food waste, right?

Don’t get me wrong. I’d proudly display a $345 Hermes hand spade, scraper and garden fork set like the bling it is…behind the glass door of a curio, or the locked one on my safety deposit box. You know, after I used it to plant some really nice tulips. Or, actually, dig for gold…

Keep in touch with Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

Top image: Jill Ettinger

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The Plankton Series by Maria Moyer – a collection of matte white ocean-inspired porcelain vessels benefiting Oceana – are introduced at West Elm.

NYC-based artist Maria Moyer is obsessed with plankton. Combine that with a deeply rooted love of white, organic shapes and the ocean and you have all the ingredients for her recently launched collection for West Elm. The Plankton Series is a collection of matte white porcelain vessels and highlights the intricate structures of the foundation of the Earth’s food chain, and 5% of the purchase price goes toward helping non-profit Oceana protect the world’s oceans.

Artist Maria Moyer at the launch party for her collaboration with West Elm and Oceana

In-store display of the Plankton Series at West Elm in West Hollywood

West Elm threw a pre-Earth Day party at their West Hollywood outpost on Thursday in celebration of the collaboration and I got to chat with some of the people involved in making it all happen.

I always wonder how these collaborations come about, so I asked Maria Moyer how it all started: “Most of my work is in one-of-a-kind sculptural pieces that I build one at a time. I started a body of work over a year ago that was ocean inspired. It included several references in texture and form to plankton – a lifetime love. Around the same time, West Elm asked me design a collection for them. While I don’t usually make things that are functional, I saw the opportunity as a great learning experience in a new role as a designer and I was moved by the idea that the West Elm audience could reach a significantly larger population than my one-piece-at-a-time creative process.”

The scene at West Elm in West Hollywood

“We look for artists we like and respect, who are creating interesting designs that we think our customers will respond to,” said Abigail Jacobs, Vice President, Public Relations & Brand Marketing at West Elm. “Collaborations add to the diversity of our product mix and make our product offering richer. They allow us to bring in new and unique points of view, and experts in techniques that we might not be able to produce with our in-house design team. Nature, and the sea, is such a meaningful and constant place of inspiration for us, and yet we’d never seen a collection inspired by plankton,” says Jacobs. “Maria’s work is first of all stunning, but the collaboration also gave us the opportunity to educate our customer through the story of her process and inspiration. The partnership with Oceana made that connection even more real.”

Moyer with her cousin

“The great part about partnering with Maria and West Elm,” says Jessica Champness, Manager, Major Gifts at Oceana, “is that the inspiration – plankton – are such a fundamental component of healthy oceans and are inherently connected to Oceana’s overarching campaigns, which include mitigating impacts from climate change, promoting responsible fishing and protecting habitat. West Elm has a compelling and authentic design story to showcase and, in doing so, they not only raise funds but help promote Oceana’s work to a new group of potential activists and donors who can start creating conversations about important ocean conservation issues within their own unique communities and encourage people to get involved with Oceana. Any new supporters gained from these efforts translate into a stronger base of support for Oceana to engage in grassroots advocacy, recruit volunteers and raise critical funds,” says Champness.

The visual inspiration is apparent – the amazingly intricate structure of plankton

“I’m grateful to West Elm for giving me what I have been calling a Plankton Pulpit, as I hope to spread the news about the little guys,” says Moyer. “If it doesn’t grab you that these microscopic plants and animals give us half the world’s oxygen (which, by some accounts, is more than our forests), you might also like to know they feed most of Earth’s creatures: from shrimp to whales and the 3 billion humans who depend on fish and seafood. Add to that, the startling and exquisite beauty of plankton – from diatoms to algae to microscopic animals. I’ve found a universe of aesthetic rapture that I want people to know about.”

It’s a beautiful, synergistic collaboration that lures you in with pure aesthetics but forces you to look deeper at the inspiration behind it. Plankton are the trees of the ocean and without them we would not be where we are today. Every time I place a candle in one of my gorgeous new tealights, I will thank them for all the great work they do while I watch the small rays of light dance across the table.

Photos courtesy of Maria Moyer and West Elm

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West Elm loves stamping their products “green,” but what exactly does that mean?

Brooklyn-based home decor store West Elm caters to urban design lovers with its aspirational blend of minimalist furnishings, global influences, and sustainable practices. Indie artist collaborations and eco-friendly materials play a large role in West Elm’s marketing, with the chain proclaiming that it aims to “get a little greener every day.” But what exactly does that entail? In this week’s Behind the Label, we take a look at West Elm’s sustainability practices – at least those that are visible to the public.

Launched in 2002 by the Williams-Sonoma group – which also owns Pottery Barn and Rejuvenation – West Elm is a relatively recent addition to the home furnishings scene. But with a popular mail-order catalog, strong online presence, and 40 retail locations in cities like Seattle, Austin, Denver, and New York, West Elm has quickly become a go-to destination for decorators who want a step up from IKEA but can’t yet afford high-end contemporary design.

West Elm has been particularly successful at securing great partnerships. Its ongoing collaboration with Aid to Artisans has yielded fair trade papier-mache sculptures from Haiti, handspun silk pillow covers from India, and found handmade rugs from Morocco, while its alliance with the 20×200 gallery makes framed artwork from emerging artists available at affordable prices.

West Elm also maintains close ties with its Brooklyn roots, working with DUMBO neighbor Etsy to highlight handmade products, collaborating with the Pratt Institute on lines of eco-friendly furniture, and featuring curations from BK-based design blogger Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge.

The Good

In addition to partnerships that support independent and local designers, West Elm also highlights the ecology of its products. Throughout its online catalog, you’ll find items stamped “Green” indicating that the item is either sustainable, organic, or made from FSC-certified wood or paper. Many of the “Green” items that aren’t FSC-certified are made from reclaimed or rapidly renewable materials, like jute, bamboo, hemp, bankuan, and abaca. Much of the remaining furniture is constructed from engineered wood – a composite material manufactured from a mix of wood particles and adhesives, such as plywood. Often, engineered wood is cheaper to manufacture and easier to fashion, and some would call it more sustainable than solid wood since it makes more efficient use of the wood particles.

The Bad

While West Elm’s heavy use of engineered wood may be better for forests, it can sometimes result in quality that is hit-or-miss – and furniture that falls apart after a few months certainly can’t be called sustainable. A few years ago, popular blog Apartment Therapy published a rant from a West Elm customer who claimed that her new bedframe broke after just two months of use, and that several of her friends had experienced the same issue.

Sure enough, the wooden slats under the mattress had caved in and were no longer supporting the mattress. Horrified, I looked under the slats and found, much to my disappointment, the middle piece which is the ultimate support system of the bed, was completely bent and in a word: useless.

The post kickstarted more than 150 comments echoing issues of poor quality, lousy customer support, and frustrating return and warranty policies. Granted, such incidents are often isolated, but quality does seem to be a recurring sore point among West Elm customers who choose to be loud about it on the Internet.

The Questionable

Apart from such quality issues, West Elm’s record is relatively clean, and the Williams-Sonoma group hasn’t been the subject of any major scandals in recent years.

That said, I can’t help being bothered by the lack of substantive information about sustainability and corporate social responsibility on West Elm’s corporate website. Very little is showcased about West Elm’s product supply chains, and apart from the sustainable capsule collections, it’s difficult to find a country of origin for the majority of items (most are labeled “imported”).

It seems that West Elm is doing great work by offering great design at decent price points with what we assume are eco-friendly practices. But it’s not enough to just stamp a product “Green” without showing customers why. I want to read, watch, and hear more about what exactly West Elm is doing to become more sustainable.

SEE ALSO:

Behind the Label: H&M’s Conscious Collection

Behind the Label: McDonald’s See What We’re Made Of Campaign

Behind the Label: Levi Strauss’ E-Valuate Program

Behind the Label: Chipotle, Food With Integrity

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With bedding this eco and luxe, you’re likely to spend more than a few weekends stationed in Cozy Town this fall.

During the cool autumn months, few spots on earth are as inviting as Cozy Town, USA. What and where is Cozy Town, exactly? It’s a mystical place located east of pajama junction, west of chamomile city, south of HBO heaven, and directly north of your mattress pad. It’s where you vacation after a long day interacting with the world – an increasingly cold world, filled with puffy coated people and their knitted accoutrements.

Lampooning yourself in Cozy Town when you could be leaf peeping in the Shenandoah Valley isn’t slothful or lazy, per se, it’s restorative and good for the planet, your way of reducing your footprint by kicking your feet up on eco-luxe pillows.

Pictured here, a woodsy bed inspired by autumn featuring a linen duvet atop a stitched sham, over honeycomb cotton, all from nature bedding company Coyuchi.

Also from Coyuchi, the chunky weave of this blanket is a textured and warm Jacquard woven of pure organic cotton.

Woven in alternating diamond and pointelle stripes, these double-layered blankets could turn the most seasoned bar hopper into a seasonal cuddle bunny.

Bamboo bedding is an environmentally friendly and sustainable material. Plus it’s ideal for anyone with skin sensitivities since the bamboo plant has natural antibacterial properties, which prevents bacterial growth and odors.

Silky-smooth sheets from VivaTerra and 250 thread count embroidered ones are NATURALS, respectively.

West Elm is big and boxy, fine. But they have a line of bedding that is both affordable and made from 100% organic cotton. Here, what they describe as their signature green product, hand stitched pintuck pleated shams and duvet covers.

The Euro pillow is made from 230-thread-count organic cotton shells. The interiors of these “Euro pillows” are treated with a 15-step cleaning process that makes the down hypoallergenic and ensures its purity. Also available with a down-alternative fill.

A cooperative of 50 artisans in northwest India hand-printed this bedding collection from VivaTerra. Created by carving patterns into wood blocks, dipping them into natural color and pressing them onto the fabric, the result is soft, pesticide-free, cotton comfort.

It’s also Fair Trade Certified, as demonstrated in this video made for your Cozy Town viewing pleasure.

Images: The 10 cent designer

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Organic cotton blocked paisley duvet cover.

This Blocked Paisley Duvet Cover ($89) isn’t simply bedding, it’s a place to nestle your dreams. The pretty weave of 100% organic cotton is a repetitive graphic wonder.

Look for Lustables daily at EcoSalon. 100% gorgeous green finds, and never sponsored. Submit your favorite to tips@ecosalon.com.

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Is your coffee table lacking the alluring pages of charismatic books? The season of gathering and entertaining is here – don’t let your guests catch you with a naked coffee table. You can think of me as your personal coffee table librarian.

There are few things in life I love as much as a good book, so you can only imagine how my heart flutters at the opportunity to share a list of fifteen must see, must experience, must read books. Stack a few of these delicious bound visuals and let them linger haphazardly around your home. Or open a few of these delights to your favorite page and start a conversation. Plus, if you distract your guests with wit, illustrations, interesting photography, and creative concepts, they’ll be too enthralled to notice the dust bunnies you forgot to evict or the dwindling stash of spirits.

These must read titles are an eclectic anthology of gorgeous, sophisticated (some completely unsophisticated), and peculiar muses to page through. And now, drum roll please, fifteen books you cannot live without.

1. Cabinet of Natural Curiosities
2. Colorstrology
3. Dinosaur Soup
4. Erwin Olaf
5. Hip Snips
6. I Lick My Cheese
7. I Was Cuba
8. Luck: The Essential Guide
9. Pictorial Webster’s: A Visual Dictionary of Curiosities
10. Sometimes I Think, Sometimes I Am
11. The Circus: 1870 – 1950
12. The Exquisite Book
13. The Small Stakes
14. Vanity Fair’s Proust Questionnaire
15. Walter Ford: Pancha Tantra

1. Cabinet of Natural Curiosities is a collection of 18th century scientific drawings to inspire present day pleasure. Oh, the wonder of biology. Nature is a beautiful place for oddities, peak your curiosity and perhaps even learn a little with this pictorial piece of education.

2. Colorstrology is intoxicating (as you may remember). Just as your day of birth lends you an astrological sign, it also lends a specific color that offers insight into your personality. After perusing Colorstrology, I am utterly infatuated.

3. Dinosaur Soup is delectable and full of innocence. This hysterical cookbook is the culmination of recipes from the mouths of creative children. Where else can you learn how to use a hose, paper strips, and flower petals to make Triple Bipple Muffins?

4. Erwin Olaf is a genius behind the lens. The bound photography of Mr. Olaf can grace any coffee table and enrich any conversation. Devour it.

5. Hip Snips is a compilation of “options” to fashion below the belt. Oh, and it’s illustrated, so you can observe the brilliance and architectural qualities of the Imperial, the Bea Arthur, and the Isosceles Triangle. Read with wild abandon or covertly stash it in the nightstand before your grandma sinks into the couch and asks you what a Charlie Chaplin is.

6. I Lick My Cheese is decidedly more innocuous than it sounds, boasting two hundred and twenty-four pages of humorous interactions between roommates; it’s the shamefully amusing facet of cohabitation. Maybe you’ll even be inspired to start some post-it note ramblings of your own.

7. I Was Cuba is a captivating expression of Cuban history and “an intimate view into a bygone era of glamor, political upheaval, and astounding visual culture.”

8. Luck: The Essential Guide is a handbook for deciphering the lore and beliefs of luck. Invite a dash of fortune into your own life as you thumb through the lovely graphics contained in this wooden cover (just in case you need a wooden surface to knock on – how wily!).

9. Pictorial Webster’s: A Visual Dictionary of Curiosities is, well, a visual dictionary of curiosities. Each delicate newsprint page is elegantly finished with original engravings to tell the story of Victorian era history. This book is gleaming at first glimpse and gets more charming with each page.

10. Sometimes I Think, Sometimes I Am is a walk through philosophy, quotations, and aphorisms – all coupled with the artwork of Sara Fanelli. It’s aesthetically pleasing and cognitively thought provoking. What more can you ask for?

11. The Circus holds the capricious nature of the circus from 1870 – 1950. The nostalgia of childhood adventure is captured through saturated colors, enigmatic illustrations, pure whimsy, grit, and glamor.

12. The Exquisite Book is a confection of one hundred contributing artists based on the Surrealist game Exquisite Corpse. Each chapter starts with one artist’s illustration (based on a few words given for inspiration). Each successive artist sees only a single preceding page to inspire their own illustration, resulting in amiable ambivalence – something like watching the progression of a delicious thought.

13. The Small Stakes is an amalgamation of music posters laced with graphic delight – the designs of Jason Munn are perfect. Swoon.

14. Vanity Fair’s Proust Questionnaire is a bound collection of the Proust Questionnaire (a 19th century parlor game) pages from Vanity Fair magazine. This book encloses the questionnaires of 101 cultural icons and “vibrant personalities” to present a “candid and endlessly entertaining” read.

15. Walter Ford: Pancha Tantra is a whimsical book full of intricate illustrations based on the ancient Indian book of animal tales deemed the precursor to Aesop’s Fables. This is the type of book you study again and again, noticing something new and even more intriguing each time you thumb through it.

(My thanks to the handsome stores in Portland that made filling my library complete bliss, their curated collections were a pleasure to peruse: Anthropologie, Flutter, Moule, and West Elm.)

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This charming glimpse into a space grounded in gray and brimming with tones of mustard and camel is gorgeous and thoughtful. The artwork perched on the wall balances the layers of throw pillows embellishing the couch. This living room is a cohesive and beautiful invitation to plop down and make yourself comfortable.

Here are three (almost) effortless ways to realize a similar look in your own abode.

1. Score this WWII propaganda Keep Calm and Carry On print from Reform School Rules. Choose a vintage frame from your local thrift store and gracefully lean this graphic delight against a light charcoal backdrop for delicious contrast.

2. Bring home one of these gorgeous handmade Moroccan Pouffes (in tan) from Graham and Green. Soak up the charm of this exotic inspiration while you sink into the soft cushion.

3. Introduce soft layers of texture with throw pillows and throws like this succulent Organic Plisse Blanket (in slate) from West Elm.

The effortless look of the ‘lived-in’ living room above evolves over time, collecting items that capture your charisma and personality will always add up to immeasurable details – but these three items will certainly point you in a decidedly beautiful direction.

(This lovely living room was spotted at Simply Grove.)

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The crisp temperatures are dropping, which means you will be dropping your derriere inside more often. As you cuddle on the couch, you may find yourself wishing your throw pillows could boast soft winter textures while they linger in the corner of your upholstery. I would never induce your craving for warm and comforting surfaces without offering up solutions on a gleaming silver platter. How will you ever survive winter without at least one of these lovelies?

Above, the Twill Organic Pillow is a flannel wonder in golden honey while the harvest palette of the Striped Alpaca Throw Pillow sings. The handsome Lazy Pig Pillow is just begging for a cuddle while the Pin Tuck Sham is a flirtation with contouring textures.

Below, the Edith Pillow shines through the adjacency of handmade silk roses and quiet linen while the dramatic Velvet Pillow is simple and luxurious.

The post Temperature & Textures appeared first on EcoSalon.

I am somewhat narrow minded. I am prejudiced against color – in the bedroom. My design philosophy has always embraced the notion that the bedroom is a place for relaxation and rejuvenation; a calm palette to ease your mind into dreaming, a space to lay your head on a pillow and leave all the complexities of reality outside the door. My own bedroom is a sanctuary of simple white and natural wood. This Organic Cotton Pin-Tuck Duvet Cover + Shams (starting at $19) from West Elm perfectly depicts the soft texture and gentle color every bed deserves, available in a handful of perfectly muted neutral colors like white, natural, and sea spray.

Lately, irresistible vibrant colors and vivid designs to dress my mattress are everywhere. My nostalgic philosophy is being challenged by these amiable wares from Anthropologie. On the left, the Circle “˜Round Sheet Set (starting at $68) is a lovely field of, “petite dots and bitty petals.” On the right, “undulating stems of oval leaves,” dance across the Azure Fern Sheet Set (starting at $68).

Maybe waking up to saturated colors and playful graphics gives each morning a stroke of energy and creativity. Maybe the bedroom should be full of crisp patterns and bold colors, like a whimsical field trip each night. Either way, I need them. All of them. I will just tuck these charismatic sheets tightly under my serene duvet and test the waters. On the left, “flowering vines curve sleepily,” across the Drowsy Vine Sheet Set (starting at $68). And finally, the Belina Sheet Set (starting at $48) is a place where, “tiny blooms breeze.”

What do you think? Quiet neutrality or vibrant color in the bedroom?

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