One Bryant Park, better known as the ‘Bank of America Tower’, is set to be the greenest skyscraper in the world when it opens later this year. Designed by Cook+Fox Architects, the glossy glass structure is the only skyscraper to achieve LEED platinum - the highest LEED rating. It racks up green points with rainwater cachement and reuse, greywater recycling, recycled and sustainable building materials, energy efficient building systems, and high performance glass which maximizes daylighting and minimizes solar heat gain and loss. I had the opportunity to talk to lead architect Serge Appel about the finer points the tower’s design and construction - read on for our exclusive interview >

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Natalie Chanin has launched her newest endeavor, Alabama Chanin, which produces a small collection of housewares, jewelry, and apparel. True to her attention to community, one of the first products she created benefits post-Katrina reconstruction. All of the profits from the organic cotton, US-made Alabama Builds Shirt go to benefit Architecture for Humanity in their work with the Gulf Coast Region projects, mixing sustainable style with real social responsibility.

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Designer Behnaz Sarafpour showed a capsule collection of organic pieces at the recent NY Fashion Week. The collection utilizes natural dyes derived from such non-traditional, or shall we say traditional, methods involving insects (cochineal) and sawdust. We met up with Behnaz at her showroom to preview the collection and she was gracious enough to answer a few questions for us.

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Well readers, you thought fashion week ended weeks ago, but we are here to tell you that it is always fashion week somewhere. Here is some reportage on the latest green fashion events from around the globe.

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Viridis Luxe is on a mission to provide sustainable luxurious clothing to those who want to tread lightly on the planet while continuing to enjoy fashion, luxury, and style. They fulfill their effortless chic aesthetic with wonderful knits in their signature fabric, a blend of the finest cashmere with long-fiber hemp. In addition the line is comprised of bamboo t-shirts and a collection of sheer silk-hemp jersey tops.

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We’re happy to report that Nordstrom has begun to embrace organic style. The company is blending in organic cotton into some of their namesake brands while buying new brands that include sustainable fibers. The range cannot be characterized as expansive, but it does include one of our new favorites, Viridis Luxe, whose sustainable cashmere hemp knits are seen above.
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Kirsten Muenster is a jewelry designer committed to ethical production. Her designs allow the stones’ natural beauty to take center stage, supporting without overwhelming. Similar to good food, when you find something beautiful in nature, a minimal approach is the best way to let it shine. I discovered Kirsten’s jewelry last year and wasn’t sure about the environmental slant, so I inquired. Kirsten responded and I’ll let her following words speak for herself….

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While other major brands have seemed to jump on the green bandwagon with underlying marketing goals, EILEEN FISHER has been quietly expanding their organic line over the last couple of years. Along with increased sustainable fibers, including a new natural cashmere collection(!!), the company is also well-known for its social responsibility and wellness initiatives. The elegant basic styles, which can be mixed together season upon season, are also a subtle statement on necessity and consumerism.

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Forget solar powered backpacks and panels - Ermenegildo Zegna’s Solar-Powered Jacket is hands down the most practical and best-looking way to charge your mobile gadgets that we have seen in a while. The jacket is slated to hit stores in November, but one New Yorker gave it a test drive and appeared to become a little obsessed with charging every small gadget he could find… including a mini refrigerator.

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Following the successful launch of their 100% organic line this spring, we are excited to announce that H&M is expanding its organic cotton range this fall! We frequently receive comments about ’sustainable style’ not being stylish, affordable or easy to find, so we are hoping this news will please the thrifty eco-fashionistas out there. Additionally, we are happy to see a fashion retailer as big as H&M making a real commitment to organic cotton. To support this initiative and help kickstart the organic fashion movement, get yourself to an H&M and bundle up in cozy organic cotton this fall.

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C.L.A.S.S., which stands for creativity, lifestyle and sustainable synergey, is a new platform for the textile industry. A C.L.A.S.S. show is being held this weekend at WHITE, the cool new fashion trade show in Milan, and is dedicated to showing eco-friendly textiles.
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I don’t know if I can sum this up any better than Australian fashion journalist Patty Huntington did: “Move over Gareth Pugh - there’s a new freak in town.”

London is typically the experimental comma between the more sedate New York and Milan fashion weeks and the appetizer to what might await in Paris. So NOKI did not disappoint at the Fashion East show with a melange of thrift that appeared to be styled by Edward Scissorhands - don’t try this at home kids.  Or wait, DO try this at home, seems to have been the message. 

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Estethica is a sustainable fashion exhibit celebrating its first year anniversary at London Fashion Week. It is a special space inside The Exhibition where designers will display collections founded on ecological and organic principles. Maintaining the highest standards in design and craftsmanship, all the labels here are creating high end fashion without compromise. Some of our favorite designers from home and abroad will be participating. The exhibition will feature Ciel, Davina Hawthorne, Enamore, From Somewhere; Gary Harvey, Katharine Hamnett, Noir, Nature vs Future and Veja to name a few. Stay tuned as we will highlight some of the best of these sustainable designers this fall.

+ Estethica @ London Fashion Week

Ekovaruhuset, which translates to ‘House of Organic’ in Swedish, is an eco-boutique founded by Johanna Hofring. She opened the first Ekovaruhuset shop in Stockholm in 2004 to bring one-of-a-kind, hand-made eco-creations to Sweden. The second boutique opened up in NYC last year and has quickly become one of our local favorites. Ekovaruhuset carries a few brands, like eco-sneaker favorite Veja, but stocks the shop mostly with their own designs crafted from a collective of select designers.

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During last week’s New York fashion week, avant-garde label SANS combined references as obscure as German comedy with eco-friendly fabrics, pushing the boundaries of sustainable style. As older eco brands such as ThreeAsFour start to become more refined and commercial, it is comforting to have a groundbreaking label such as SANS to fearlessly pick up the torch and continue pushing fashion forward. This year’s collection proved that SANS is still the go-to label for the intellectual fashionista that requires a no-frills, modern look to accompany her downtown eco-lifestyle.

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Yesterday, the Danish label NOIR held its first show during New York Fashion Week. The socially and environmentally conscious label was a welcomed addition to the slowly growing, yet still miniscule contingent of designers showing eco-friendly options here. NOIR worked with model Shalom Harlow for their spring campaign (above). The model is well known for her support of eco-friendly fashion. Continue reading for details on the collection and images from the show.

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John Patrick Organic is the quintessential embodiment of “sustainable style” - consistently creating beautiful, organic, natural garments that are as fresh as they are wearable. Striking a perfect balance between organic (not straying too far into the granola), and fashion (not straying too far into circus tent), John Patrick manages to create very wearable, practical, comfortable clothes that are unique, beautifully crafted, and thoroughly elegant.

Earlier this week we went to visit John Patrick Organic to preview the Spring 2008 collection. Aside from the tasty treats and tea, there were plenty of delights on display. John Patrick hasn’t wavered much in aesthetic from his first Organic collection, which is thankful as these are exactly the kind of clothes you can live in. The collection is comprised of easy wearing separates that can be dressed up or down to get you through a day at the office or a weekend at the beach in sustainable style.

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One of the frequent criticisms we hear about eco-design is its often hefty price tag. If you want to support green design, but have had trouble parting with so much of your own green to do so, now is the time to shop! Virtually every green-minded clothing outfit (pun intended) is running a summer clearance sale, with many items that will easily transition into the cooler weather, like the men’s sweater above from Patagonia and shirt from Nau. So now you have no excuse- continue reading for a few examples of the great green fashion sales going on now!

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The cultural activity in Barcelona generates a huge number of advertising banners every year, which are hung from street lights to advertise exhibitions and events. In 2000 there were approximately 19,800 banners that were largely not reusable. Enter Demano to the rescue: the Spanish company recycles these banners into a variety of cool products for portage (similar to Baumm’s recycled banner bags).

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Kuyichi is a Netherlands-based brand committed to making organic cotton jeans for the last five years. They buy their cotton from Peruvian farmers and strive to be socially and environmentally sound. They think owning their product should be a “look good/ feel good” situation. This year they have launched a “made-by” campaign- a blue button sewn into participating manufacturers’ goods signifies the garment has been made in an environment/people friendly way.

+ Kuyichi

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