Eco-Friendly Fashion Designers and Their Go Green Lines

A recent trend in the fashion world is to use recycled or environmentally friendly fabrics to make clothing and accessories. Organic cotton, hemp, hand-loomed bamboo, Mongolian cashmere, merino wool, salvage fabric and other eco-friendly materials are a few of these eco-sustainable items that are being used to produce lovely designs whose production does not harm the earth. Several designers are seeking and following this path in their fashion lines, and for the purpose of this article, a few of these earth-friendly fashion gurus will be discussed.

Stewart and Brown

In Los Angeles, California in 2002, Karen Stewart, an artist from New York, and Howard Brown, a graphic designer from Montana, launched their ethical fashion line known as Stewart and Brown. This collection was born out of the couple's love and respect for nature as well as their passion for design. They are described as being the pioneers of the sustainable fashion movement and hold the Treehugger.com's Best of Green award. Both Stewart and Brown oversee every aspect pertaining to their products and brand.

Stewart and Brown use such fabrics as organic cotton, Mongolian cashmere, merino wool, yak down, hemp, and recycled and salvage fabric. They offer classy, beautiful, earthy designs for women in the form of essential and novelty tees, blouses, tops, dresses of various lengths, leggings, lounge pants, capris, shorts, sweaters in a multitude of styles, coats, jackets, hats, and arm warmers.

Stewart and Brown have such a variety of styles and colors from which to select. From their line, you can find something for casual, office, and dressy attire. They even have some designs that would be perfect for a visit to the beach or a fun, relaxed evening out on the town.

If you are interested in purchasing some of the gorgeous pieces that Stewart and Brown provide, you can order directly from www.stewartbrown.com. They also have a listing of stores that carry their collection on the same website.

Osi and Dotan Shoham

Born and raised in Israel, Osi and Dotan Shoham are a brother and sister team who created the brand known as Gypsy 05. They produce this line in Hollywood, California, and their designs have become the fashion choice for many celebrities, such as Miley Cyrus, Halle Berry, Denise Richards, and Paris Hilton. The Gypsy 05 message is "to Recycle, Reduce, Re-planet, and feel naturally confident and free while living environmentally friendly."

The Shohams use organic fabrics, low impact dyes, and water based printing to make free-flowing, bohemian, hippy style creations, many of which adorn gorgeous tie-dyed patterns. They offer clothing lines for women, men, babies, toddlers, young children, and tween-to-early teen girls as well as jewelry and scarves.

The Gypsy 05 collection would be perfect for casual or semi-dressy attire. Many of the dresses and outfits would be fitting for a day at the beach, a shopping excursion, school, or even a fun evening out on the town.

To purchase any of the items that the Gypsy 05 brand has to offer, you can order directly from the www.gypsy05.com website. This author herself plans to make a selection from this line in the near future.

Edun

Edun is the brainchild of Bono, the lead singer of the musical group U2, and Ali Hewson, his wife and was first launched in 2005. According to the website, Edun's mission is "to create beautiful clothing, while fostering sustainable employment in developing areas of the world, in particular, sub-Saharan Africa."

Edun uses organic materials for its designs, specializes in graphic tees, and offers clothing for men, women, and children. Most of the pieces are for casual wear, but a few of the designs could be worn for office or dressy attire.

To order any of the items offered by Edun, you can purchase them directly from www.edunonline.com. You can feel good knowing that you are not only wearing an eco-friendly article of clothing but are also helping to give employment to those who dearly need it.

Lara Miller

Recently featured on Oprah, Chicago-based fashion designer Lara Miller strives to be earth friendly not only in the materials and dyes that she uses to produce her fashion works of art but also in the resources that she uses for everything in her fashion business, including her pattern paper and office stationery. She uses such fabrics as organic cotton (both new and recycled), hemp, vegan ahimsa peace silk, organic wool, flax, linen, and hand-loomed bamboo for her beautiful designs.

Lara Miller offers a variety of styles for women. Her dresses range from micro minis to thigh-length minis to long, flowing dresses. She loves black tights and leggings and has many of her skirts paired with at least one of these accents. Many of her designs are featured in jewel tones, such as teal, amethyst, and sapphire. Ruffles and zippers accentuate a number of her pieces. Most of the outfits are accessorized with either black or brown ankle booties.

Ms. Miller's line could be effectively worn for casual and dressy attire. Her dresses are classy and would be appropriate for the office or an evening on the town.

To purchase items from her collection, you can order directly fromwww.laramiller.net. However, a list of stores that carry her brand is also located on the same website if you wish to shop at a place near you.

If you want to make your wardrobe more environmentally friendly, give consideration to these fashion designers' lines. You will be glad that you did.

Sources

http://www.edunonline.com

http://www.edunonline.com/about.aspx

http://www.gypsy05.com

http://www.gypsy05.com/index.aspx

http://www.gypsy05.com/shop/celebrities.aspx

http://www.laramiller.net

http://www.laramiller.net/Eco/index.asp

http://www.laramiller.net/store%20Locations/index.asp

http://www.stewartbrown.com

http://www.stewartbrown.com/stockists.php