White Apricot
Irish designer and artist Trace Palmer is a glass blower, who hand sculpts modern, stylish, colorful jewelry from individual clear glass rods. The glass and colorants used in her KarmaKulture works are all natural minerals and the process is toxin free. Her necklaces, rings, bracelets and earrings have been worn by Sharon Stone in Cold Creek Manor and Lisa Kudrow's Phoebe character in Friends. Other KarmaKulture-wearing celebrities include Hilary Duff, Pamela Anderson, Liza Minelli and Farah Fawcett. We're into the Choker on Silver Circles shown here from her newest designs, but there are many wonderful pieces to choosefrom. www.karmakulture.com
This falls under the "we thought you should know" category. Nordstrom and Macy's are taking small steps to be kinder and gentler to the environment. Nordstrom will be moving to all recyclable shopping bags and gift boxes this year. The company will begin to roll out the cotton-handled shopping bags this month with plans to introduce the gift boxes, made out of recycled paper stock, in time for the holiday season. Nordstrom has also introduced a reusable tote bag, currently available in its west coast stores, but set to expand nationwide. The brushed metallic linen tote features an illustration by artist Ruben Toledo of such U.S. landmarks as the Space Needle, the Empire State Building and the Golden Gate Bridge. It also zips up into a small pouch and can be yours for $21.95. You can read more details at www.nordstrom.com. On to Macy's... Macy's has announced a new partnership with the National Park Foundation with a whole lot of activities planned around this union. In celebration of Earth Week (what a surprise...) and National Park Week, the collaboration is part of Macy's "Turn Over a New Leaf" environmental awareness campaign that will run from April 20th through April 27th, complete with its own "100% natural cotton" reusable tote bag for $3.95 with $1 from each one sold going to National Park Foundation. And then there are the events...lots and lots of events...the charity shopping event...the Earth Day celebration...it just goes on and on...and the contests...don't forget the contests!. Get the details at www.macys.com or www.nationalparks.org.
It seems that no matter what
It makes us so happy when an eco friendly shoe brand actually makes stylish, right in the moment, shoes When Toby Pomeroy dropped out of school (in his fourth year pre-med no less) to design jewelry, he probably had no idea that his high-end, environmentally friendly designs would be featured in magazines, on the Today Show and even on the earlobes of one Miss Cameron Diaz. But his simple, elegant styles, combined with his passion as an environmentalist, have made Pomeroy one of the most sought after jewelry designers.
Made from reclaimed or recycled precious metals and ethically derived diamonds, Pomeroy’s creations start as a single piece of this EcoGold or EcoSilver, which is expertly shaped and worked into something wonderful, often with diamonds and other colored gemstones incorporated into the design. The result is a timeless classic that is both lightweight and durable. Signature pieces of the Toby Pomeroy line include the Eclipse pendants, the Waterfall drop earrings and the Cuff bracelets. All are created with or without diamonds and all are designed with Pomeroy’s innate sense of creating designs that make a woman look and feel beautiful. It isn’t often when the finer things in life are socially conscious, but Toby Pomeroy Fine Jewelry marries the two worlds beautifully. www.tobypomeroy.com
Here are a couple of news bites on two announcements that fall into the "Are you kidding?" file. First, Bindi Irwin, daughter of the late "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin, has launched eco friendly Bindi Wear International, a collection of more than 100 children's styles, each of which carries a conservation message made up by her, like "Extinct Stinks." All of the clothes are made, at least partially, from recycled materials and 100% of profits will go to the conservation program at the Australia Zoo. Initially, the line is only available in Australia, but the company is working on the U.S. as we speak. We just thought you should know. Did we tell you she's only nine years old... www.bindiwearinternational.com.au Second, now we can now add Saab....yes, the Swedish auto maker... to our list of eco friendly fashion designers. The company has rolled out an organic clothing line, collaborating with clothing maker Reflective Circle. Called the Pure BioPower Eco Clothing Collection, all the pieces are made of 100% organic cotton and will be produced using environmentally certified systems and humane labor practices. Initially, there are t-shirts, button down shirts and cardigans for women and men and a shirt dress for women, which will all be available in late May.
With Earth Day fast approaching, it seems as though many prominent mainstream brands have decided it’s the perfect time to launch their eco friendly clothing collections (oh those marketing gurus…). Last week, we told you about Guess and now, Banana Republic and Keds have joined the eco conscious crowd. Banana Republic will be introducing a 50-piece green fashion line, made from sustainable fabrics, including bamboo and organic cotton, set to hit the stores on April 8th. The company will also donate one percent of in-store sales up to $100,000 max to the Trust for Public Lands, a non-profit land conservation organization. You can read about the company's environmental efforts at www.bananarepublic.com. Keds has just launched its limited edition earth friendly Champion Slip Ons, a project being done in conjunction with Artists for Humanity, a Boston area non-profit organization that provides “underserved youth” with paid employment in the arts. The new Keds have 100% organic cotton uppers, 25% recycled factory rubber outsoles and water based printing inks. The young designers created flying bottles for the artwork on the shoes to creatively express their concern about the environmental impact of bottled water consumption. Available in either black or white, one dollar per pair goes back to Artists for Humanity. You can get yours now at www.keds.com.
How do we describe the thinkVitality Fashion show event? Let's see... fun... emotional... exuberant... chic... and definitely a scene. Created by Lizanne Falsetto, founder and CEO of thinkproducts, which makes natural health bars, the event showcased styles from Linda Loudermilk, Deborah Lindquist, Green Babies, Livity Outernational, Indigenous Designs, Under the Canopy, Stewart+Brown, Koi Swimwear and Ecolution. The real treat though was that these designers also made unbelievable fashion creations out of thinkproducts bar wrappers, that were modeled by breast cancer survivors (shown above). To read more about the event
How do we love EDUN…Let us count the ways… First, the clothes are a little bit edgy, a little bit rock and roll and a whole lot fashionable. But, beyond that, EDUN, in our book, is one of the most “socially conscious” companies on the planet. Its mission is to foster sustainable employment to fight poverty in developing countries of the world, primarily Africa, and it’s doing just that. All of its clothes are produced in Africa, South America and India and it acts as a voice to encourage other fashion companies to do the same. Its One T-Shirt Campaign with the support of many Hollywood stars and musicians, has sold tens of thousands of t-shirts to raise funds to help fight That said, let’s talk clothes. The new EDUN Spring/Summer 2008 collection, according to the company, “is inspired by the six degrees of dusk…the transition from day to the approaching night when the sun first goes down and creates an after glow in the sky.” The fabrics and colors of the clothes play into this theme, including Nightshadow, Raven, Phantom and The new collection is available at www.edunonline.com. How great is it to do your part for fighting world poverty, while looking fabulous!
Let's just say Lucina Jewelry is inspiring in so many ways. Forget that the Acquamarine Tassle Necklace is so stylish and so "in," with its silver chains and stones hanging down asymetrically, and that the Chestnut Tagua & Citrine Earrings will go with every safari-esque outfit you'll wear this season. The best part is that you can wear these great spring/summer earrings, necklaces and bracelets, knowing that all the stones, beads, silver and, in fact, every component comes from fair trade workshops and organizations all over the world. There are
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NORDSTROM AND MACY'S LOOKING A LITTLE GREEN
