Nike Releases App for Sustainable Fashion Lovers

By: Rebecca Taylor

PHOTO SOURCE: GLAMOUR.COM

Popular athletics company, Nike has teamed up with students from the London College of Fashion’s Centre for Sustainable Fashion, to create “Making” an app that helps people determine their clothing’s environmental impact. The app has four categories where it ranks each fibre, and then gives the fibre a total score out of 50. The higher the score the better the environmental impact.

PHOTO SOURCE: RESOURCE.UK.COM

The categories used in the app are chemistry, energy/greenhouse gas intensity, water/land use intensity, physical waste, and recycled. Users can compare fibres in different categories or as a whole in the Base Material Score category. The app also includes an organic category that ranks the best organic fibres. The “Making” app however does not take into account the entire lifecycle of a garment, such as customer care.

The app allows consumers and designers to easily compare the environmental impact of commonly used fibres. The new app can be downloaded for free on an iPhone from the iTunes store. The app may not change the fashion world significantly but it is a great step towards a more sustainable industry.

Sources: Brandchannel.com, Glamour.com, Resource.UK.com

Ekocycle: From Plastic Bottles to Clothing

By: Rebecca Taylor

PHOTO CREDIT: GREENERIDEAL.COM

Music artist will.i.am and the Coca-Cola Company have teamed up for a new sustainable revolution called Ekocycle. Ekocycle re-uses plastic bottles in order to make to make clothing and headphones. Ekocycle has teamed up with Beats by Dre headphones to bring their customers headphones made from 31% recycled materials. This idea is brilliant because plastic does not decompose when recycled and is therefore laying around with no purpose after its primary use.

LEVI'S WASTE<LESS JEANS
PHOTO CREDIT: LEVI.COM

Levi’s jeans has also taken advantage of this revolutionary initiative and has designed a pair of men’s jeans. The 501 Waste<Less Jean uses eight plastic bottles on average and is made from 29% recycled consumer materials. The jeans fit like any other pair of Levi’s jeans and comes in seven different washes. Price points range from $78 - $128.

ADIDAS' T-SHIRT DESIGN FOR EKOCYCLE
PHOTO CREDIT: ADIDAS.COM

Popular athletic wear company Adidas has also joined forces with Ekocycle by designing a limited edition men’s NBA T-shirt. The T-shirt is made using a combination of organic cotton and at least three recycled bottles. It retails for $36 and is a piece of clothing that you can feel good about purchasing.

Action sport apparel company RVCA has also teamed up with Ekocycle to create a pair of swim trunks made from 91% recycled polyester. There are approximately 5 plastic bottles in each swim trunk.

The best part about all of these clothes is that they can be recycled and remade into other things- it’s a beautiful eco-friendly cycle.

Sources: Ekocycle.com, RVCA.com, Addidas.com, Levi.com, Greenerideal.com

Topshop's Reclaim To Wear Collection

By: Rebecca Taylor

PHOTO CREDIT: REFINERY29.COM

Last year Topshop saw great success when they designed and sold their zero waste collection. They aimed to be as successful this year with their new eco friendly collection. The British retailer recently unveiled their “Reclaim to Wear” line. The line features nine pieces all made using recycled materials and fibres and is made entirely in England.

SOURCE: REFINERY29.COM

The line features floral summer prints on tops, skirts, a pair of shorts and a dress. The pieces retail between $50 and $112 and are available online and in select store locations around the world. Any piece from this collection would be a perfect addition to any fashionistas summer wardrobe. 

SOURCE: REFINERY29.COM

SOURCE: REFINERY29.COM

Sources: Refinery29.com, Racked.com

Eco Brand Focus: Matt & Nat

By: Rebecca Taylor

PHOTO CREDIT: MATTANDNAT.COM

Matt & Nat is a Montreal based company that designs vegan handbags, wallets, briefcases and backpacks, using sustainable materials. The company was created by Inder Bedi in 1995 when he pitched the idea of his company for a university project. At the time nobody thought a vegan handbag company would ever be successful. Over the years the business has proven to be successful and gained popularity through celebrity exposure from Olivia Wilde, Natalie Portman, Charlize Theron and Adrian Grenier. 

SCHLEPP HANDBAG MADE OF CORK
PHOTO CREDIT: MATTANDNAT.COM

Each handbag is made from either polyurethane (PU) or polyvinylchloride (PVC) instead of animal leather, but the look is very similar to real leather. The lining of every bag is made from 100% recycled plastic bottles and includes a tag made entirely out of cork. Matt & Nat designed a line of handbags, wallets and clutches made from cork, an extremely sustainable material. 

THE "MOXY" BAG, FALL 2013
PHOTO CREDIT: MAX GORDON

They are constantly researching new materials that they can make bags from. Recently they unveiled plans to produce part of their Fall 2013 line using recycled bicycle tires.

THE "MINKA" BAG, FALL 2013
PHOTO CREDIT: MAX GORDON

Matt & Nat bags come in a range of colours and styles and are the perfect addition to any outfit. The bags can be purchased online or in boutiques across Canada, Japan, the UK and the United States.

PHOTO CREDIT: MATTANDNAT.COM

Sources: MattandNat.com

Eco Fashion Week: Vancouver

By: Rebecca Taylor 

The sixth annual Eco Fashion Week took place recently from April 21-24 in Vancouver, Canada. Each year Eco Fashion Week allows designers to showcase their sustainable collections. Designers and attendees are able to attend daily seminars on a variety of topics such as repurposing second hand clothing and future trends in the eco market. This year 25 designers and stylists showed their collections or competed in eco challenges throughout the week. Notable individuals from the event included Elroy, Jasmine Zhu, and Svensk.

PHOTO CREDIT: PETER JENSEN

Elroy is a Canadian brand designed by Leanne McElroy. The company was created six years ago. It's main goal is to make beautiful clothing while preserving the environment. They also believe in a positive workplace environment for all staff, including their offshore manufacturers in Indonesia. Elroy’s clothing can be described as trendy and comfortable with an earthy feel. 

PHOTO CREDIT: PETER JENSEN

Jasmine Zhu is a Canadian blogger and stylist. During Eco Fashion Week she competed in the Thrift Chic Challenge sponsored by Value Village. The challenge was to style 15 outfits with $500 using only items from Value Village. The outfits that Jasmine put together were creative and beautiful. She took standard pieces and put them together to create high fashion looks that any fashionista would be drooling over. You can see all of the contestant’s outfits on Jasmine’s blog Posing in Vintage.

PHOTO CREDIT: PETER JENSEN

Svensk is an eco-knitwear designer based out of Sweden. Svensk was started by 19-year-old Diana Svensk in 2009. Her designs are sold in over 80 stores in 12 different countries. Svensk’s designs are not your typical “made by grandma” clothing, they are versatile and on trend. Svensk designs everything from sweaters to backpacks. 

Eco Fashion Week proves that eco fashion does not have to be boring or lame; it makes it cool to be sustainable and thrifty.

Sources: Eco Fashion Week, Vancouver Eco Fashion Week