Abigail Doan is a fiber, mixed media, and environmental installation artist based in NYC and Siena, Italy. She has worked and traveled as a documentary film researcher, an art director for digital media and 3D design projects, and as an outreach coordinator for environmental education initiatives. Educated at Princeton University and Purchase College, she has exhibited her artwork in numerous shows internationally and is also a featured artist on Greenmuseum.org, the online environmental art museum. When not writing about art, craft, gardening, and fiber, Abigail is busy getting her hands dirty restoring a 14th century farmhouse in rural Tuscany. She and her husband are using local reclaimed materials while abiding by strict historic and regional preservation codes. She is also currently designing and crocheting air loft “canopy” gardens and is creating a fiber and vegetation based jewelry collection.
Any of you looking for something fun and designy to do this Sunday? Wanna meet the faces behind the Inhabitat blog, and check out some hot green furniture design in the process? This Sunday, at 2pm, in honor of Mothers Day, Jill and Abigail from Inhabitat will be leading a Green Design walking tour at the BKLYN Designs furniture fair - and it is sure to be a lot of fun.
We’re taking a limited number of people on the tour, so if you are interested in signing up, please email us at inhabitat at gmail.com.
A picture is (often) worth more than a thousand words, and though we could talk about sustainable style ad infinitum here at Inhabitat, there are occasional examples of eco-chic fashion collections that really speak for themselves. Beau Soleil, designed by Anne Salvatore Epstein, is a feminine and sexy assortment of sumptuous dresses that are draped out of the finest sustainable fabrics with the spirit of the modern, forward-thinking woman in mind. With Mother’s Day just around the corner, we wanted to take a peak at Beau Soleil’s Spring 2008 collection in order to celebrate the beauty of women everywhere as well as gorgeous, spring-infused green fashion.
An exhibition title like ‘Sound the Alarm’ might very well elicit viewer fatigue these days, as both the art and the media landscape has, of recent, been somewhat saturated with global warming imagery and cries of imminent environmental deterioration. This carefully curated photography and painting exhibition at Wavehill’s Glyndor Gallery in the Bronx is strikingly powerful, though, in ways that other shows to date may not have been. Set amidst a lush garden estate and thriving cultural center, Sound the Alarm: Landscapes in Distress is proof that ‘interpreting’ nature and our relationship to and with it, is perhaps better understood while in the throes of nature and all its eco-messiness rather than in a gallery’s sleek, sanitized, white box.
We love our green fashion here at Inhabitat, but ‘green gadget couture’ is something for us to really get charged up about! This white (hot) tiled frock (think Paco Rabanne circa mid-1960’s) is the quintessential Day-For-Night eco-fashion number, as it passively soaks up the sun’s rays during the daytime so that you can be a flashy fashion power pack at night. Showcased at Siggraph some time ago, we thought that we would resuscitate this eco-chic modular dress for another groovy go around on the sustainable style circuit.
The field of sustainability appears to be sending up new shoots these days with the rise of skyscraper farming and floating solar barges as possible solutions for urban food production and efficient civic greening. Meanwhile reports on shortages in our global food supply are making front-page news along with evidence of climate change and steep fuel prices. Bands of urban citizens are digging in at the grassroots level, though, to consider the possibilities of seed sharing and seed swaps as a plan for reinvigorating and diversifying our food base. ‘Tending to one’s own backyard’ is vigorously taking on new dimensions with enviro-sculptor, Leah Gauthier’s Sow-In Project. Gauthier’s citywide micro-farming undertaking is one person’s initiative to tackle food supply issues as well as our ability to ‘grow collectively’ via creative urban agriculture.
We love our design competitions here at Inhabitat, and today we are partnering with The New School Sustainable Design Review (SDR) in NYC, to help judge a student design competition for the much loved NY skincare company Kiehls. This year’s New School SDR design competition is being organized in partnership with Kiehl’s- the old-world apothecary founded in New York’s East Village neighborhood. In this post (below) you will see all of the competing sustainable designs of the 2008 student finalists, and want to hear YOUR feedback on which projects you find to be the most compelling and worthy of the competition’s grand prize award of $2,500!
The annual Project Earth Day Student Fashion Competition was held this past Thursday as part of the Project Earth Day fashion event, and featured an impressive mix of young designers from schools such as Parsons, Pratt Institute, Colorado State and Savannah College of Art & Design. Given that many of these students are interning with both eco-label designers as well as conventional fashion houses, we are optimistic that the future of sustainable style looks impressively strong as the next generation of students coming out of design programs seems geared up to truly make a difference in an industry and a commercial sector that is increasingly becoming aware of the importance of going green for good!
Eco-fashion loving New Yorkers came out in droves last Thursday night for the annual Project Earth Day green runway show/fashion design competition. The turnout was even more impressive than last year’s event, and the Teknion showroom was a teeming with Earth Week eco-chatter, the latest in fresh green style, and yummy organic treats and beverages. Slated as an eco take on Project Runway, this year’s designs and creations were impressively innovative as well as gorgeously tailored from the latest sustainable textiles and organic materials. It was totally thrilling to see the student designs light up the runway with the glow of their future-forward ideas as well as some real sustainable saviness already radiating from the next generation of young eco designers. (Gorgeous ‘green LED lighting’ by lighting designer Sarah Jakubasz of Lightswitch also provided that special Earth Day glow!). Read on for some of the night’s highlights as well as PHOTOS from both the designer runway show and the student design competition>>>
Loup Charmant(the charming wolf) is a purely seductive and eco-dreamy intimates collection. Kee Edwards, the designer for Loup Charmant, will be showing selections from her latest PURE Collection at the Project Earth Day Eco-Fashion Show here in NYC tonight! We are anticipating a stunningly beautiful ‘force of nature’ to sweep down the runway as the lights dim and the stars come out. Romantically crafted and historically inspired, PURE collection will no doubt demonstrate the poetry of sustainable style – with its respect for the integrity of organic materials with a real connection to the unleashed, free-spirited imagination.
For eco fashion fans, what’s not to adore about Alyson Fox’s A Small Collection? We have covered Alyson before on Inhabitat, but we were totally excited to see her name in the designer line-up for tonight’sProject Earth Day Eco-Fashion Show at the Teknion Showroom in NYC. A Small Collection is proof indeed that small ideas can make a big impact when it comes to original, eco-friendly designs being shared with like-minded folks. Crafted from vintage wares and sustainable add-ons like buttons made from fallen branches, Alyson Fox’s creations really make you feel like you have arrived at the surprise birthday party that you always dreamed of, or at least pined for, with a few simple elements thoughtfully assembled together for all to enjoy.
Keds-style shoes might be easy to come by pretty much anywhere, but how often do you find designs this cute, and this original, that are also eco-friendly? Brooklyn design duo, Species by the Thousands, has created a whole new eco-freaky spin on Keds with their hand-painted canvas slip-ons featuring silhouetted critters and funky flora and fauna. Designers Erica Bradbury and Michele Colomer have a pretty dark sense of humor, too, with their quirky tag line, “How do crazy people go through the forest? They take the psycho path.” If you are obsessed with finding and sporting the latest in edgy green fashion, look no further, as Species by the Thousands will be presenting their designs at the Project Earth Day Eco-Fashion Show here in NYC on April 24th (that’s tomorrow kids!) Inhabitat’s Sustainable Style team is really looking forward to this parade of exotic species on the runway – as sustainable style gets a bit wild for the crowd.
The greening of typography might be a new concept on the sustainable design frontier, but San Francisco-based artist Gyongy Laky already has a foothold with her eco-friendly process for creating environmentally compelling print layouts. Commissioned by the New York Times to sculpt custom-made fonts and graphics for the Sunday magazine’s (pre-Earth Day) GREEN ISSUE, the eco-fiber sculptor has done a brilliant job of clearly demonstrating that the medium is (indeed) the message when it comes to the careful melding of natural and man-made materials on the uncharted path to reducing our carbon footprint.
OK, so it probably seems as if we are developing a bit of a vegan foot(wear) fetish here at Inhabitat. This might actually be true, though we are not advocating shopaholic-behavior ala Imelda Marcos gone ‘cruelty-free’. We are excited to announce that this year’s Project Earth Day Eco-Fashion Show will feature several up-and-coming vegan accessories designers, NeuAura Vegan Shoes being one of the impressive standouts. Not only is NeuAura’s animal-friendly footwear sleek, stylish, and versatile, but also a pretty chic solution for those day-to-night marathons of pounding the pavement or home turf with an earth-saving agenda on tap.
With the Project Earth Day Eco-Fashion Show less than a week away now, Inhabitat’s Sustainable Style team will be providing its readers with a sneak-peek preview of some of the hottest green fashion to ever grace NYC’s runways and Earth Day venues. Inhabitat’s edgy and stylish Editor-in-Chief, Jill Fehrenbacher, will be a judge for the student competition this year, and the buzz is already circulating about just how much the designers have upped the ante with their sustainable design ingenuity and eco-know-how. (Ahem, move over Project Runway, there are some new couture-stars set to take the stage.) We are launching our designer previews for the April 24th event with the totally alluring designs of Sid Vintage Jewelry. One glance at these ‘tangled’ creations will clue you in as to why designer Nanci Bennett has really ‘caught the eye’ of eco-fashion connoisseurs and style mavens everywhere.
The arrival of Salone Internazionale del Mobile marks not only the official start of spring in the design world, but also an inspiring cross-pollination of fresh ideas related to innovative furniture, lighting, and product design. This year’s fair promises a fertile field of unique creations showcasing the latest display of high-tech methods as well as handcrafted processes. With this in mind, we wanted to launch our Milan 2008 coverage with the visually stunning ceramic work of Dutch designer, Anouk Omlo, as her latest ‘Helica Series’ is totally emblematic of current (bio)rhythms in design and the budding forms taking shape in our eco-imaginations.
It certainly is no newsflash for any vegan-fashionistas out there that Natalie Portman recently launched a collection of luxury vegan shoes. Te Casan started featuring her designs on January 15, 2008 and the media party seems to have gained momentum ever since. Criticized by some as a collection that is under designed and somewhat overpriced (even though the designer/actress contributes a portion of sales to charities), we wanted to take another look at Portman’s sleek alternative to high end Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutin, and Manolo Blahnik stilettos. Walking the red carpet is tricky business these days and green style is surely an attention grabber. Natalie Portman’s new collection is backed by her lifestyle as a vegan and animal friendly, eco-conscious starlet, though, not by PR spin doctors or a need to find a cause as the curtain goes up.
There is something to be said about experience making all the difference, and this is indeed the case with eco-chic fashion house Loyale Clothing. Founded by the hip and stylish fashion designer Jenny Hwa, Loyale’s sophisticated and future forward collections are the result of the designer’s irrepressibly focused vision and genuine desire to make a real difference in the fashion industry. Loyale’s pieces are luxuriously crafted from eco-friendly materials like silky bamboo jersey, pure organic cotton, surplus fabrics, and even tree free papers for their marketing materials. Loyale is definitely “loyal” and “royal” when it comes to the chicest choices for green fashion as well as environmentally responsible production. Not many urban design shops can wear their tag with such pride, and we think that a special preview of their Spring 2008 collection is one of the best ways to highlight April’s greenest Earth Month ever!
John Patrick Organic is leading the campaign to end what he calls “masstige” or “mall-sprawl robostyle, toxic denim, and sweatshop ‘it’ things.” If your definition of sustainable style also includes integrity, well folks, this is your guy. Generation ORGANIC combines down-to-earth and cosmopolitan attitudes on style for a fresh, sexy angle on modern alchemy and organic materials. ORGANIC’s offerings are the best of locavore ingredients melded with a timeless, global outlook. With this in mind, we wanted to exhibit a little “integrity” of our own by showcasing several stunning pieces from John Patrick Organic’s upcoming Fall 2008 Collection.
Drumroll please…… After many long months of product testing, research, and hard work, we are excited to announce the launch of a brand new Inhabitat T-shirt - totally green in both color and in spirit! Our new sage green Tree T-shirt features a one-of-a-kind (award winning!) roots/lungs design printed across the chest with the motivational tagline “I am the root of the solution”. This awesome tee is not just green in color, but is also as environmentally friendly as a T-shirt can get - with 100% US grown organic cotton and water-based, eco-friendly inks (unlike the plastic ‘plastisol’ which most screen-printed T-shirts use). Not only does Inhabitat aspire to be the root of the solution, but we encourage you to take root, too!
If spring fashion fever finds you hunting high and low for a reliable and sexy pair of eco-chic jeans, look no further, as Nau has just released their super hot ‘his and hers’ 2008 jeans collection. Made of 100% organic cotton, these flattering and incredibly well made denim numbers will eliminate the nagging concern about toxic chemicals in both your weekend threads and local watershed. These are tailored jeans meant to last both in terms of sustainable style and their environmental ripple effect. Besides, who can resist a totally rockin’ garment name like ‘loose but not slutty’?
Whether you are the kind of guy who sports jeans on a skateboard or for meetings in a boardroom, Nau’s latest spring 2008 jeans collection will help you to get completely ramped up in sustainable style. Their 100% organic cotton denim line is awesomely form-fitting and tinted with indigo-dyed fabric to create a clean look no matter how deep you are in the dirt of environmental matters. Boys can be ‘loose but not slutty’ as well with these blue (green) threads that offer high quality, eco-friendly denim ‘without the (toxic) extras’.
Tinkerer Phil Ross is a one-man laboratory for geeky eco-art experiments. His illuminated hydroponic sculpture, ‘cultured’ living organisms, and clever splicing of ancient and future technologies aim to make controlled environments and gadgets a bit less daunting. Part quirky and part eerily familiar, Ross’s bio-tech works examine ‘the idea of nature’ within an identifiable social or historical context. His are the home-brewed science projects that you just cannot take your eyes off. ‘Nurture vs. nature’ is part of the underlying tension that seems to populate both his world and ours.
The Re-Run Messenger Bag by Fleurville is yet another fine example of how green design and product-alchemy seem to just get better with the passage of time. Fleurville’s entire line of recycled plastic bottle fabric totes, packs, and transport gear keeps on average ten 600ml plastic water bottles out of the landfill with the creation of each piece. We love their Spring 2008 eco-fab floral prints and clean graphic contours. These spacious and lightweight totes and shoulder bags make parenting a breeze and surely send the right message to small peeps who are looking on from their strollers as inheritors of the planet.
New men’s green Inhabitat Root T-shirt
