Clothingbrand Tchibo Print their own Anticommercials

"This T-shirt is sewn by a child for Tchibo" stands on the shirt. Clothing company Tchibo offers a new print-on-demand service, where you can send in your own texts to be printed.

Dr. Kirstin Brodde, German textile expert and editor for the Greenpeace Magazine, sent in some critical texts about the company and they were delivered to her as she ordered them.

On her blog she describes her communication with the companies involved. It's a fun story (also read part 2 and part 3) for those reading German...

ÖkoRausch & Sommerkiosk: Events for Eco-Design

While we at Grass Routes are still clearing the details for the next Fair Fashion in Berlin, the Bureau Gruen in Cologne comes with a concurring event in September: the ÖkoRausch, a "Fair for design with consicousness". The event wants to present the pioneering design labels in green design in Germany. Sounds like a promising event for those in Germany interested in design and sustainability, and it is open for consumers.

For those sustainability freaks who can't wait till September, next weekend you can visit the Sommerkiosk in Nuremberg, an eco-design event with fashion show and a "Textil Fair Fürung" with Bernd Hausmann from the eco fashion concept store Glore. Next to a groovy program an exhibition with some interesting young and local designers. Not all 100% eco, but a lot of local, handmade, one-of-a-kinds, recycling, etc.

I am truly happy that so much events are taking up the issue, and hope it will boost the media coverage and consumer popularity of the sustainability issue even more...

Image: bags made from recycled materials by Vollstoff at the Sommerkiosk exhibition.

Pamoyo: New Green Fashion Styled With Heart

We launched the new Pamoyo site and Pamoyo collection during a short trip to The Netherlands, making it a truly nomadic clothing label. And it took a few days before I noticed I did not even announced it here on the blog. Well, here we are. You are warmly invited to spread the word about this new born green fashion label!

Pamoyo was founded by Frans Prins and Cecilia Palmer to design a fashion label with green vision and creative edge. Prins & Palmer are known as the initiators of the Berlin Fair Fashion Affair and the Grass Routes Foundation.

The label works community based, the collections derive from a growing, creative collective of young designers. Pamoyo is the first Open Source Fashion Label under a Creative Commons license. Patterns and designs of Pamoyo clothing are published online for non-commercial use. The Pamoyo blog reports on green fashion and sustainable lifestyle.

One-of-a-kind collection "Styled with heart"
All items of the “STYLED WITH HEART” collection are unique, one-of-a-kind pieces made from high quality organic cotton and vintage elements. Every piece is hand made and unique. Integrated recycled materials and a rough sewing style make them feel authentic and exclusive. The collection is inspired by samples of street style and an ironic re-use of retro images and sub-cultural identities. Actually the most fun is the Pamoyo Webshop, where you can order your own one-of a-kind vintage element with your shirt.

Pamoyo supports sustainable development and creative competences in local communities. From the online sales, two Euro per sold item goes to social-environmental projects.

Find out more on www.pamoyo.com and read the interviews with the designers

La Mode Ethique: Guide to Ethical Fashion

La Mode Ethique is an international guide of ethical fashion brands and designers. The website, which is still in development, lists a good choice of labels. Of all the listings so far, this is until now the best one. A shame of all the google ads around, and also the flash thing is a bit unfunctional, but it is a great source and also professionals can still find a lot of new, cool designers here.

I also just wrote about Bransparent, another promising listing of ethical brands, who do a sustainability check up with every brand they ad to their list.

Still all these listings are far from complete. We created a much longer list of labels as any list we found on the internet so far. Maybe we should sell it over e-bay ;)

500 Godz: Berlin Streetart Shirt Label with Organic Prints

The new Berlin based ecological shirtlabel 500 Godz has a close connection to the street art scene. Their first collection of organic shirts are printed with works by the British graffiti artist AME72.A new collection will include prints of works by the German streetartists WOW and Ame 72.

Organic Screen Printing
The printing on the shirts of 500 Godz is certified organic, printed by the British T Shirt & Sons, with clients such as Katharine Hamnett and Greenpeace. T Shirt and Sons claims to be the only textile printer able to offer certified organic printed garments in Europe to global organic textile standards (GOTS).

Where a lot of screen printers promise some kind of sustainable approach, still most screen printers use polluting methods. In Berlin there has been a boom of small semi-ethical shirt labels using American Apparel or Continental Clothing shirts for their funky prints. I like the movement and the shirts are cool, but I think they could go for a bit higher ecological standards here. If you want to create an ethical shirt label, you better choose organic, and also take care of a sustainable screen printing method. 500 Godz proove it's all possible, also for a small Berliner shirt label.

Behind the Photo Shoot of Organic Jeans Brand Kuyichi in Transilvania

Cecilia and me found the photo series of organic jeans brand Kuyichi of the last few seasons a bit too cheesy and easy. But now Kuyichi has made trip to Rumania, the label might show a different, more human face again.

I just stumbled over a report of the Kuyichi photo shooting in Transilvania for the fall/winter 2008 collection by Petrovsky & Ramone. I hope they manage to present their own collection as colorful as the local wear...

In the year 2000 the founders of Kuyichi, dutch NGO Solidaridad, wanted to introduce organic cotton in the clothing market. They found the cotton industry was causing a lot of pollution and poverty amongst indigenous Indians and factory workers.

Solidaridad decided to try and change this. At first they tried to convince the big players in the Dutch fashion industry to use organic cotton, in order to improve the living and working conditions in developing countries. Since none of the brands were interested, Solidaridad started their own fashion brand in response. This was the birth of Kuyichi.

Source: Kuyichi , Kuyichi blog

Sexy Swimwear from Recycled Plastic Bottles by Aaron Chang

Off course most natural and ecological is to swim naked. But for all those occasions where that's not an option (not everyone owns a private swimming pool or beach) it's cool to have some eco options. New on the green fashion horizon is Eco Swimwear.

The new line of swimwear by Aaron Chang, a famous surfer and photographer, is made from 100% recycled plastic soda bottles. Due to the succes he is converting his entire line to this 100% recycled plastic fabric. Additionally all of Aaron Chang's cover-ups (shorts, tops and dress covers) are made from 100% organic cotton.

Via: Feelgood Style

See also: Hautenature
Image: Aaron Chang

Chic, animal friendly footwear from Georgette

Always wanted something else on your feet than snake or cow? Well there is some alternatives around. One of my latest discoveries is Georgette.

The shoes of Georgette look great. And they are not just looking great, but also totally vegan and animal friendly. Georgette has a store in Antwerp and a online boutique.

The funky footwear of Georgette is crafted by small family businesses in Italy and Spain. They promise to use nonleather and eco-friendly materials.

Win the First Ethical Fashion Price in the UK: The Re-Fashion Awards

The Re-Fashion Awards are a new Awards for Ethical Fashion. The categories will cover retail, manufacture and consumer campaigns. Awards will be made on the basis of improving social, environmental and economic standards in the fashion supply chain. According to the Awards organization, winning entries will need to prove their style credentials.

"The public are embracing ethical shopping in terms of what they put in their bodies and what they smear on their skin, but when it comes to fashion the vast majority of retailers and brands need to up the ante. The RE:Fashion Awards are needed to inspire and motivate action." Wayne Hemingway, Fashion Designer

The Re-Fashion Awards are organized by Anti Apathy , the brains behind fashion label Worn Again, The Ethical Fashion Forum and Futtera, who created Swishing; the eco-fabulous clothes swap parties.

Sources: The Ethical Fashion Forum, Drop Dead Green, Re-Fashion Awards

International ethical fashion teaching initiative

Always wanted to get something more out of your fashion or sustainable fashion know how? Well, go teaching on ethical fashion! Still most fashion schools do not have any program on social or environmental aspects of textile and clothing production. Even if they want to, how to gain all the knowledge?

The Dutch and Austrian departments of the Clean Clothes Campaign, the British Labour Behind the Label, and the Polish Humanitarian Organization are running an education project directed at students and teachers at fashion schools in these countries. On the websites of the project there are some helpful links and infos; including free teaching materials. Hey teachers, where are you waiting for?

Source: Het is groen en het
Image: Fashioning an ethical industry

eco chique summer dresses by Beau Soleil

There is a whole fashion market called eco-chique, and it's proving the new eco spirit has little to do with old eco spirit. Beau Soleil is a stylish green clothing brand from New York, for the ones who enjoy a chique green lifestyle. The dress on the picture costs $275.

The designer, Anne Salvatore Epstein, started the label after reorganizing her own lifestyle from extra-ordinary luxury into a more conscious and green one. Epstein uses fabric made out of bamboo, a sustainable material, vegetable-dyed organic cottons and vintage, tencel, which is made from eucalyptus trees, as well as recycled leather trims.

Perfect dresses to wear on a sunny Eastern buffet, for the ones lucky enough with sunshine in their garden and their wallet...

Through: Chic by Nature

German social fashion label Armed Angels launches new collection & website

Social fashion - for the label Armed Angels this means more than organic cotton and fair trade production. The label also involves their online community in deciding over the models, print designs, and to which charity the 3,33 Euro per sold
item goes to. Based in Cologne, the label is rapidly growing, being one of the few young green fashion labels in the whole country. Watch their new collection and website, they are promising...

Over 20 Supermodels Support the EJF Organic Cotton Campaign

More than 20 top models, including Irina Lazareanu, Coco Rocha, Catherine McNeil, Caroline Trentini, Siri Tollerød and Behati Prinsloo, have now been photographed in EJF’s ‘Pick Your Cotton Carefully’ campaign t-shirts. Most of the pictures were are taken by fashion photographer Eric Guillemain. The successful campaign by the Environmental Justice Foundation for cleaner cotton production has been gaining attention worldwide.

The organic cotton t-shirts are designed around the theme of “childhood, lost innocence and hope” to represent more than a million children around the world forced to labour in cotton production.

The shirts are for sale and support the EJF cotton campaign www.ejfoundation.org/shop

Eco fashion spotting: Gibbous, recycling fashion from LA

"From the freebox to the couture house"

Gibbous is a small recycling fashion label from LA, very creative one-of-a kind items with Victorian style elements, which they also sell through their own webshop...

through: wearing the future

Rapanui: organic surfwear from the Isle of Wright

Rapanui is an organic and sustainable clothing company based on the Isle of Wight, using organic, natural and ethical fabrics. Rapui is set up by surfing brothers Rob and Mart Drake-Knight, 23 and 21. They say they were motivated to influence environmental change after becoming ill and even getting scars from surfing in polluted waters.

Their garments are manufactured in Fairwear Foundation audited factories and made of
sustainable bamboo, organic cotton and convergence cotton. The clothing is made from a strong environmental position: “We want to use the influential power of fashion to provoke change.”

It is great to see so much young people getting involved in the environmental issue in a creative or entrepreneur way. Especially of course because they often stay close to who they are. In this case surfers. Check out their surfers weather forecasts...

The sex appeal of ecofabulous lifestyle: green girls, stoere vrouwen, ethical girls and veggies in pumps

Hip, green lifestyle is growing more and more beyond the borders of classical, conscious consumer groups. In several countries there is a rise of groups and initiatives of mainly female consumers that want to shop ethical but sexy.

More and more online media and sustainable lifestyle magazines come to light, but also initiatives driven by consumers, such as the Dutch female collective Stoere Vrouwen, a network of succesful and stylish women promoting ethical consumption with playful actions. There is aslo several cool vegetarian initiatives, in The Netherlands in example Veggie in Pumps. Particularly interesting is that these initiatives do not target towards conscious consumers, or LOHAS, but to lifestyle addicts, fashionistas, people who care more about style than about the world.

The blog of German eco-fashion label Armedangels just attended me on the green lifestyle blog Green Girls Global, luckily also with a male version: Green Guys Global. In Germany the womens magazine publisher Burda started Ivy World, which also targets much more towards lifestyle consumers than towards conscious consumers.

In England there are in example the Ethics Girls, publishing a printed magazine as well. Also recently there are several recently published handbooks for the stylish ethical women, such as Green is the New Black, Green Chique and Eco Chique. I just started reading them and will write a review on these books soon. Also the site of La Mode Ethique gives quite a good, stylish ethical fashion shoppers help, with over hundred ethical fashion brands and designers.

Be ecofabulous and enjoy!

Reports from the BioFach: in search for organic cotton

Everything organic on the BioFach? Maybe for food it mostly was. But visiting all the textile related stands on the BioFach, I had some remarkable encounters. At a stand where they had a good looking offer of organic cotton materials, I asked if they only did organic cotton. Immediately the lady took a large box from under the desk, and presented me proudly all their non-organic cottons. At another stand I was overwhelmed by the large offer of sportswear and caps, but wondering if they were organic, it turned out that about ninety percent was not at all.

Okay, the BioFach is not supposed to be a leading fair on organic textiles, but there shouldn't be sold just conventional textiles either. Especially because there is still a lot of confusion on what organic textiles are. Luckily these were exceptions and I had a lot of good experiences as well, meeting nice people of small ethical brands, producers, and shop owners, representatives from MadeBy, Solidaridad, Pesticide Action Network, etc.

How to label sustainable clothing?
I visited also the discussion forum "Organic cotton - how to label sustainable clothing?". A rather complex question, with no answers yet. Alexandra Perschau from the PAN Germany described the problem of the labeling towards the consumer: there is hardly any recognition with the existing labels, there are too many different ones and the consumer does not have any clue on them. They have more knowledge of brands than on labels.

The central problem around how to label sustainable clothes was described by Jenns Soth from Helvetas. You can have a certified organic fibre, but what about the end problem? There is a legal gap in labeling organic textiles because you can not yet label non food items as organic in
Europe.

One quote from Helvetas sticked to my ears. They claim that in the organic cotton sector the partnerships are stronger than in the conventional, resulting in a higher loyalty and responsibility from the farmers. Logical, because there is more time and energy spent on training the farmers, and often worked with social programs, support of forming collectives, etc. But my conclusion is, that this could mean that actually the organic cotton production model in the end could be a more reliable business model.

Helvetas announced on the forum, they are working on Emission Certificates for textiles. What sounds like a good initiative of reducing carbon acid, also came with a lot of questions: does it reduce the miles a textile is transported? Is it right to give an emission certificate not for the whole chain but only for the production process?

Track & Trace your clothes origin with Made-By
The most interesting in the quest for a good labeling of sustainable textiles was the presentation of the Made-By initiative, who are expanding this year towards the UK, France, Germany and Sweden. According to research, for most companies reputation is most important when it comes to CSR. But for companies investing in CSR it is crucial to understand that CSR should be their business principle, and not only a strategy to produce a better image.

MadeBy offers clothing companies a way to clean up their production process, they give practicle support and monitor the results. Also the brands get a blue botton stating that the piece of clothing is produced under the MadeBy criteria. A very up to date part of the project is a Track & Trace tool, where consumers can check where exactly their clothing are being made, under which circumstances, and even see the people who made their piece of clothing. Just by entering a unique code from your jeans you get all this information, including the locations your jeans have been on google maps.

Hopefully there will come a more clear labeling for organic textiles soon, what will help the consumer a lot in choosing the right product. But meanwhile there are a lot of interesting initiatives, and it stayes, labeling or not, very important is that brands work on their whole chain transparency.

Actually the best experience was to meet our organic cotton deliverers from BoWeevil. They made it possible for us to visit several places along their production chain in Turkey and Uganda, and I find the way they work very sympathetic.

Green & Recycling Fashion in Nuremberg (Germany): Duenda and the Glore Store

The best things come per coincidence. Yesterday I travelled to Nuremberg to visit the BioFach Messe, the largest professionals fair on organic products in the world (more reports later). I had my trip last minute booked through the German online carpool network Mitfahrgelegenheit and a very guest friendly host through the couchsurfing network Hospitalityclub. Altough I did not meet the guy hosting me, he just left me the key of his appartment and let me stay here in trust. There's still hope for humanity.

Creative decorations and recycling fashion by Duenda
When I arrived in the city I went looking for a cosy cafe with internet. After a unsuccesful detour through the romantic Nuremberg city, I stumbled over a small designer store called Duenda, which turned out to be a small cafe as well. Everything in this shop is made by the owners, a young German-Spanish creative couple full of wonderful ideas. Shoes with two big toes, uneven furniture, tons of fantastic decorative things and above all very worked out designer clothing with uneven cuts and handpainted drawings. A small, artistic universe and a great place for coffee as well. By the way Jordi, thanks for using your internet!

Cool Green Fashion in the Glore Store
From Duente it's over the bridge and you're at the Glore Store, Nurembergs Green Fashion Store. "Look fabulous, do good" is their motto. My first impression of the shop: colourful! Not only the pink store logo on the window, also the clothing was daringly outspoken in colours. I've seen some ethical fashion stores like Nukuhiva in Amsterdam, where black and grey have been dominating. I like green fashion on the creative side. The Glore Store combines classic ethical fashion brands like Howies, Kuyichi, or People Tree, streetwear styles from Nudie, Tudo Bom and the Berlin label Slowmo combined with cool screenprints on American Apparel shirts. Also a good selection of sneakers from Terra Plana, Blackspot, Ethletic and Veja. A good store concept that we will hear more of in Germany, I hope!

see also earlier report on Glore by Karmakonsum

sexy ethics & dirty business: the edgy fashion game of American Apparel

American Apparel clothes are so fucking sexy. And they are so amazingly social to their workers. Wow! They care about their employers so much. But, well, maybe a bit too much...

I was in an American Apparel store just yesterday and wondered about all these great organic clothes that I`ve lately seen a lot in their advertisements. Well, they were mostly used for making the ads, I suppose, pushing their image of a green, ethical brand. If you happen to visit an American Apparel store, you will notice how much is true of AA's green image, and how much we`re actually trapped in a great branding strategy...

Sexy and sweatshop free
American Apparel has had a lot of positive response to their clothes. The cuts are very good indeed, the materials soft. If you look around in the right areas, you can easily pick out the AA garments passing by. They are good, sexy, sweatshop free. They care for their workers, paying more than minimum wage, paying insurances, and offering yoga and language courses under working time. That is rather progressive considering the circumstances elsewhere.

Conscious creatives use American Apparel shirts to make ethically correct screen print Tees. But somehow I am suspicious. I is all image, really. And if not, they better proof it. Earlier the company promised to convert to 80 percent organic in 2010, well, let`s see how far they are. Hey there in Downtown LA, tell us you`re keeping your green promises!

Critics on American Apparel

I just went for a quick search of info on the company and found some interesting critics:

- American Apparel has been selling flip-flops from Thailand in their shops lately, therefor breaking their rule to produce a vertically-integrated, sweatshop free goods

- Mr. Charney, CEO of the company, has a bit of a lose sexual style. Well, if the ads not told you already, linking to seventies porn, edgy advertising is their core business, but here it is not only image, but a working atmosphere. Charney (see pic of him in underwear on the working floor) has been accused by several former American Apparel employees of being sexually harassed by him at work. Although he denies being sexually offensive, he admits that enjoys sexual free working conditions at the 'vertically integrated' company.

- American Apparel is the largest T-shirt manufacturer, and operates the largest garment factory in the United States. The company is said to be one of the fastest growing companies in America. Sexy ethics sell indeed...

- Earlier the company has been taking steps against union forming initiatives of their employees.

Legalize LA campaign
Something that really speaks for the company and might also be part of their unconventional but sublime marketing strategy of being a `social company`, is American Apparels Legalize LA campaign. With a big banner on the pink factory in LA, and Ads in the papers, they make themselves strong for a more human immigration policy.

Better sexy ethics than unhappy workers
I am ambiguous about American Apparel and I think anyone concerned about ethical fashion should keep an eye on what is really being produced under ethical standards, and what is just part of a good marketing strategy. Because the "ethical light" of American Apparel can also hurt the movement as a whole.

I have my doubts about AA's real ethics, but they are just doubts. American Apparel also has had the courage to promote sweatshop free clothing and giving that a cool and rather sexy push. And therefor they deserve good credits.

Even hardcore feminists have to admit that basic (women) workers rights are more important than some sexistic advertisments. And why is the explicit gay magazine Butt lying around in all their stores? And why are so many American Apparel clothes unisex, even if they don`t say so? And what other fashion company puts meters high ads of an old lady wearing their underwear?

The sexism is here played as an edgy fashion game, so it is more about playing than about abusing. It is performative and provocative. Sexistic indeed, but meanwhile sexually progressive. Fashion from the friendly porn collective, if you like it.

Just keep aware of what you wear, and if you wear American Apparel, read these sources:

Business Week
Consumerist
Inc Com
Wikipedia
Behindthelabel

pictures taken from different American Apparel ads

Stylish vegan footwear by Bourgeois Boheme

Bourgeois Boheme, an online animal-friendly fashion boutique, has recently launched its own stylish footwear for men and women named Espiritual and Jiva.

The shoes are handmade and ethically produced in Portugal and India. The range is made of microfibre, an eco-friendly leather alternative, and acoording to the producers 100% animal-friendly. Even the glue used is water based.

A French tourist called Bourgeois Boheme
Bourgeous Boheme was started by two vegans with a taste for style. In their spare hours next to their jobs, they built up the shop and started to design own products. The company name is dedicated to a French tourist whom they met by coincidence.

Animal rights with style
The style of shoe wear is a little different than what is already on the vegan shoe market. Most labels, such as No Sweat, Blackspot, or Vegetarian Shoes are more or less directed to alternative youth culture. Beyond Skin another vegan shoe brand and a very stylish, exclusive and trendy one, is more on the the high end both in quality and price. Alicia Lai, founder of Bourgeois Boheme says, “We saw there was a gap in the market for footwear that is not only animal-friendly but also stylish and affordable." That's the combinations we are looking for!

The webshop of Bourgeois Boheme offers a range of ethical fashion accessories for both men and women. Every product is free from animal ingredients and their product range includes footwear, bags, wallets, belts, cosmetics, etc. The shop has been awarded by Animal Rights organization Peta last year.

source: Haute Nature , Bourgeois Boheme