White Apricot

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 global disease and extreme poverty and bring fair trade and AIDS treatment to Lesotho, Africa. Did we mention it’s the brainchild of Ali Hewson and her husband, Bono?

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 Twilight Pink. The styles are also designed to move easily from day into night. The women's collection includes camisoles, tunics and dresses made in cotton, linen and silk, accented with elegant, yet edgy trims,such as lace, glass buttons from Italy, cameo brooches and vintage ribbons from France. There are also 100% organic cotton graphic tees and denim with dusk-inspired washes like Eve, Nymph, Nightshade and Raven (an organic denim with a natural resin coating.) The men’s collection has a military edge, focusing on vintage army-inspired fits.

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 fluorite nuggets hand carved by women survivors of war in Afghanistan and Tagua beads that come from a "Cooperative of Tagua Artisans" in Ecuador. Sterling Silver chains and beads come from a fair trade workshop in Bali and the wonderful gemstones used throughout the collection are from fair trade sources in Brazil. According to the company, women produce 80% of handcrafted products worldwide, so through its trade with these talented women, Lucina’s mission is to become an "engine of benefit" for women and children around the world. Lucina also partners with three women's organizations: Women for Women International, the Women's Edge Coalition and Hands to Hearts International. So, let's see...beautiful jewelry that's a perfect accessory to spring/summer wardrobes, made with materials created in fair trade environments to help bring women and children all over the world out of hardship. Hmmm...have you clicked through to their website yet?! www.lucinajewelry.com

Thursday night at dusk, we were honored to be a part of an exclusive invitation only eco fashion party at the Getty House, the official home of LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Sponsored by Designers & Agents, CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) and Earthpledge, 17 designers were asked to create one-of-a-kind outfits, using sustainable materials. As you can see from our photo above, these creations were artfully displayed on mannequins, surrounding beautiful pools and fountains and served as the centerpiece of the event. It was quite the sight! Participating designers included Deborah Lindquist, Bahar Shahpar, Stewart+Brown, Trina Turk, Rozae Nichols and many more. The Mayor hob-nobbed with the fashion industry elite and thanked his "fashionista" daughters for getting him involved in the LA fashion scene to help spur LA onto fashion greatness. To see more photos of the event, click the arrow.

It was a packed house at the only "green" fashion show during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week and actress Amy Smart, who is passionate about eco fashion, and heiress and eco lifestyle expert, Anna Getty, were front and center with photographers and microphones all around them. I was very excited to attend this show because it featured six green fashion designers I didn’t really know: M the Movement, Lady Muse, Andira Rain Tees, Lilikoi, Vintage China and Rene Geneva.  Although each line had at least one great piece, for me, there were two stand-outs. The Fall 2008 collection from Lady Muse featured exquisitely baroque, rich, regal and feminine brocade coats, made of recycled and rescued fabrics, mostly done in luscious combinations of cream, camel and black. The second was Vintage China, a more edgy urban line for women and men with an Asian influence, known for its Japanese and Chinese denim, that featured the Chinese characters for “Vintage China” spelled out in various studs, on the back of all of its tops and jackets.  The final showpiece in this particular collection was a long gown with a train, made out of patched together recycled jeans. Breath-taking!

Rene Geneva’s collection was also striking, featuring dresses done with her unique and elaborate corsets, all made of eco friendly and recycled materials. Rounding out the show, created by PR and marketing company, The Gallery Los Angeles, was Andira Rain Tees, a socially conscious company, showing Rain Forest-inspired cotton designs with the goal of planting trees in Central and South America, Lilikoi’s Hawaiian-inspired designs, made of bamboo, soy, organic cotton and linen and M the Movement, which was cool street wear, mostly for men, in sustainable fabrics…all in all a very cool fashion show that introduced each designer with a music or dance interpretation befitting the style…from break dancing to modern lyrical dance to yes…coconut shell bras, grass skirts and a whole lot of shakin’!

Guess, Inc. has announcedthat it will unveil "Guess Green," starting with four eco friendly styles next month. The first pieces will be boot cut jeans for women and men, a t-shirt for men and a tank top (pictured here) for women, all made of organic cotton. The jeans will be a dark wash that minimizes the use of chemicals. Guess has also developed a new "Guess Green" logo for the new line that will be printed on the bottom corner of the tops. Look for Guess to start to roll out the eco styles next month in 79 of its top stores and on its website. Jeans will retail for $178, men's tee for $39 and women's top for $29. The company is also donating 10% of proceeds to the Environmental Media Association. www.guess.com

Spring is a time for new growth and premier organic lifestyle company, Under the Canopy, is doing just that by introducing its new Spring 2008 collection, featuring some of the most feminine and wearable tunics, sweaters, tees and dresses to spring forth from organic materials, including linen, cotton voile and bamboo. We are crazy about the Madeline organic linen cropped jacket in acid green that will have you right on the pulse of the mainstream spring brights trend. We also love the Carrie organic cotton voile white tunic and the silver organic cotton Pearl sweater (available soon) with its bell sleeves and flared shape. On the sportier side, there is a vast assortment of soft tees, tanks and pants that look and feel so perfect, you will never want to take them off.

Under the Canopy will be showing the newspring eco friendly clothing collection at the second annual thinkVitality Fashion Show, taking place in Anaheim this week as part of the Natural Products Expo West. The event will bring together 20 of the world’s top natural industry executives to spread a collective community message about illness and disease prevention through healthy living. The goal of the show is to raise $200K to benefit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer organization. Finally, look for Under the Canopy to show up in several major retailers and catalogues this season including Macy’s, CB2, Origins and Red Envelope. It’s an exciting new season for this leader in the ECOfashion® industry. But what else would you expect from the company that coined the term? www.underthecanopy.com

So, the other day, while shopping at Fred Segal and checking out the jewelry, my sales person told me that I had to see this bracelet, which was the hottest thing going and they kept selling out. Turns out, it was something right up my socially conscious alley…the “Green Bracelet” from The Simmons Jewelry Company, owned by Russell and Kimora Lee Simmons of Def Jam Records and Baby Phat fame. Inspired by a diamond fact finding trip to Africa a little over a year ago, the Green Bracelet was born to raise funds for D.E.F.(Diamond Empowerment Fund), Simmon's organization that supports education programs in Africa where diamonds are a natural resource. Made entirely from African materials, it is a simple stretch bracelet with green malachite beads and a conflict free diamond, loosely housed in a gold alloy cage. It’s quite striking. 50% of the net profits from each $125 bracelet go to D.E.F.  Of course, there is a big celebrity following, including Beyoncé Knowles, Forest Whitaker, Eddie Murphy and Penelope Cruz. Even President Bill Clinton has sported one. You can get yours at www.redenvelope.com.

This bright tangerine dress is so simple, so easy to wear and so “perfect!” It’s from Perfectly Imperfect Organic Cotton Knits. You can wear it alone or put it over a pair of jeans to change the look. The designer, Jadie Kadletz, was the creative director and head designer at Three Dots for eight years, so she knows her cotton knits! And, at $117, the price is also perfect! It's called the Pocket Baby Doll dress and you can get it at www.greenwithglamour.com. You can see more of the line at www.pi-tees.com

Té Casan shoes in New York is all about emerging designers and limited edition shoes. Natalie Portman just launched her vegan shoe line there, but we've discovered Niki Robinson's sustainable pumps and flats, made of vegetable tanned leather, mixed with recycled brightly colored silkscarves from Oxfam, which is an international relief organization that fights poverty, hunger and injustice in 20 countries. And, this is cool...no two pair are alike and she only made one pair per size in each style. Pumps are $295, flats $245. Better hurry! www.tecasan.com

In the fickle world of fashion, trends come and go. But the one trend that stands the test of time is denim. Seriously, can you think of a more universally appealing and versatile item than a great pair of jeans? Thanks to some of the most recognized names in denim, as well as some of the leaders in the organic clothing industry, there are now plenty of jeans that let you and the earth live happily ever after.