eco-chic design

eco-design in action at the LOHAS Insight Tour

Last night I returned from my very first LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) Forum and it was beyond awe-inspiring. Of course you can’t beat the setting in Boulder but I’ve never seen such an amazing bunch of entrepreneurs, scientists, and marketers trying to do the right thing. During my first day I attended the LOHAS Insight Tour that took me behind the scenes of several sustainable businesses such as Eco-Cycle, Celestial Seasonings, Gaiam, Ellie’s and the new Tesla Motors showroom. It was great to see “single-stream recycling” at Eco-Cycle up close. The visit reinforced to cut back on paper and plastic consumption to begin with or to recycle responsibly. Andy from ChicoBag was on the tour as well sporting one of his reusable messenger-style bags. His bags are the perfect example how to upcycle waste into useful everyday items that also look cool. The Sling rePETe is made of recycled PET mostly found in plastic drinking bottles and contains other recycled materials like a carabiner made of 97% recycled aluminum. Other styles within the rePETe collection are ultra-lightweight backpacks or produce bags.

My personal highlight of the LOHAS Insight Tour was a Tesla Roadster test drive that was quite exhilarating. I had always admired the sleek design of the electric car and was happy to learn that the company will release the new Tesla S in 2012. It’ll be more affordable and seat 7 people. Sustainable design is definitely more fun when shared. Stay tuned for more LOHAS updates.

eco-modern bags created from recycled PET felt

Now that summer is in full swing eco-friendly bags for the park and beach come in handy. And this really great 7-Pocket Tote designed by the founders of Museum of Robots stuck in my mind since I saw it at NYIGF earlier this year. The company has many cool and innovative products but the great thing about this tote bag is that it follows the cradle-to-cradle philosophy of green design. The material is made of 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles and the entire bag plus the fabric are made in the USA. It has no added components such as hardware so that the entire bag is recyclable at the end of its useful life. What really got me hooked at NYIGF was its softness. Most totes made of eco-friendly felt are usually coarser. I learned that its soft nature is partially due to the fact that the fabric was originally created for the display industry intended for velcro-friendly applications. Initially the eco-modern bag was designed as a diaper bag so that the softness made a lot of sense. But I’m thrilled to see that it’s now offered for all ages. It comes in blue, charcoal and red. Other bags by Museum of Robots made of recycled PET felt are made from fabric originally created for the automotive industry and look more industrial but are very durable. You can never have enough bags as long as they are reusable or in this case fully recyclable.

contemporary green designs in motion at ICFF

One of my favorite companies at ICFF yesterday was the booth by MIO introducing their new 2010 collection “Design on the Go”. The first thing I noticed were their colorful Pop-Up Baskets in white, red, and aqua and the Pop-Up Bicycle baskets in white, black, and green. Both contemporary designs are laser-cut made with powder-coated steel and ship flat to cut down on unnecessary energy consumption. The Pop-Up Bicycle baskets are a fun way to encourage drivers to ride their bike more often for running errands instead of taking their car. Other accessories for a mobile green lifestyle that made their debut at ICFF were the super-cool Bubble Dot Computer Sleeves made of 100% wool felt. They were developed in collaboration with a local milliner. What makes them so playful is that they are molded with steam to create the bubble-effect and then hardened to protect iPads, Netbooks and laptop computers.

MIO has been designing eco-modern products for the home and office such as their Beehive SoftBowls, the Organixe Magazine Filing System or their Origami Side Table since 2001. The Philadelphia-based company was founded by the Salm brothers and has successfully combined fun, modern design with sustainability. I’m glad they ventured out into the mobile green lifestyle area as well with their “Design on the Go” collection since I’m ready for summer.

make a fashion statement with eco-friendly eyewear

Not that I need an excuse to wear sunglasses but they still help with my seasonal allergies. Unfortunately my old glasses are not eco-friendly but it’s still greener to reuse what you have as long as it doesn’t off-gas or consume more energy. Once I’ll loose mine I’ll definitely check out ECO’s stylish and sustainable eyewear collection. The name ECO stands for Earth-Conscious Optics and is Modo's ECO Collection of eco-friendly eyewear. It includes some cool designs inspired by aviators, rectangles and my favorite retro-inspired shapes. I love the look of the sustainable frames made of 95% recycled metal and plastic. But I appreciate even more that they received an Environmental Claims Validation (ECV) from UL Environment (ULE).

I’m a big supporter of the third party certification process. It makes it easier to quickly understand a product’s eco-attributes and helps to fight off green washing. ECO plants a tree through Trees for the Future for every frame sold and makes it simple to donate the glasses at the end of their useful life through their mail-in recycling kit. Simply reuse the box and organic cotton pouch that the glasses came in and send them back to ECO. The company will donate them to charities. Of course I would rather see you reuse the glasses and just replace the lenses once in a while if scratched. Reuse is still the best way to reduce and at least you’ll look fashionable doing it.

from fire hose waste to fashion accessories

Prompted by a visit to the London Fire Brigade Kresse Wesling, the founder of Elvis & Kresse learned that a fire hose can’t be recycled. That’s how the idea to turn reclaimed waste into fun and functional life-style accessories originated. Since then Elvis & Kresse has been sourcing waste materials from brigades all over the UK. It’s only fair to give discarded fire hoses a second life after they saved the lives of so many people. The upcyled line of life-style accessories encompasses bags and wallets but the belts and iPhone cases are my favorites. The belts make great sustainable summer accessories with their colorful designs in red and yellow. The unisex ladybird belt has a solid rectangular buckle, made with 100% reclaimed pewter. Not only is the outer skin of the Elvis & Kresse iPhone case made from discarded fire hose but the inside is lined with reclaimed parachute silk. Expect irregularities on the outside shell since the hose itself is vintage. But that’s what makes them cool.

Elvis & Kresse is always on the lookout for new, or may I say old materials to upcycle them into eco-modern fashion or home accessories. The company looks at the full-life cycle of their products by ensuring that shipping materials are reclaimed or reused such as old tea sacks and end-of-line labels. Plus it donates 50% of their of profits to the Fire Fighters Charity. All this gets me thinking what else I can reuse.

colorful bags designed with Korean recycled street banners

As an art director in advertising I generate quite a bit of vinyl and nylon waste. That’s why I love Poketo’s new launch of their eco-friendly bags made from recycled materials ranging from old street banners, used leather jackets or couches to donated clothing. These eco-chic bags are a team effort between Poketo and South Korean design brand, Eco Party Mearry to give discarded materials a second and quite frankly much hipper life.

Poketo’s new line of sustainable bags encompasses recycled suit totes, recycled street banner bags and my favorite recycled bubble bags. I love that the recycled bubble bags are a youthful and modern take on existing bags made out of recycled street banners. They have a very flattering shape for any eco-conscious owner and are perfect for running errands with two interior pockets. Each product has a tag, with pictures and descriptions that tell the product’s origin to include you in a bigger sustainable movement. So next time someone will ask you where you got this super-cool bag you can actually tell them that the nylon comes from old street banners collected by volunteers all over Seoul. Plus it’s one-of-a-kind. The discarded material is first cleaned and then cut and sewed by local designers. A percentage of the proceeds will go back to the non-profit design brand, Eco Party Mearry to help fund their organization including job creation. I love products with a good story - especially if the story is a sustainable one with a mission.

sustainable fashion and jewelry with a mission

NOW Showcase in NYC last month featured some of the newest trends in sustainable fashion and accessories. The location made it easy to get around this year since it was at ICO gallery. Los Angeles based eco-fashion designer Linda Loudermilk had a great quote on a banner leading up to her collection that read “nature is the original punk.” I loved her white shirts for men and women that featured a cool illustration of a water faucet on the back and are part of her water is a human right collection. I had seen the powerful icon on t-shirts, tank tops and scarves before and it’s even available as jewelry in copper, silver or gold. Her website states that more than 1 billion people worldwide do not have access to clean, safe drinking water. That’s why 17% of proceeds of her mission wear collection are donated to clean water initiatives all around the world.

Two other jewelry designers caught my eye as well. I loved Kimberlin Brown’s coral reef pendants that are handcrafted from recycled 18 karat gold. She recently joined SeaWeb’s coral conservation campaign entitled ‘Too Precious To Wear’ that’s dedicated to celebrate the ocean without harming it. And last I was really impressed by Article 22’s hand cast aluminum bracelets made from repurposed bomb metal from the Vietnam War. I guess you can tell by now that I really love design for a cause.

eco-friendly journals that tell their own story

At NYIGF last week I discovered a sleek alternative to my Muji notebook made of 100% recycled paper. Ecosystem introduced a green yet stylish take on Moleskine books with their eco-friendly planners, journals, and notebooks. The colorful ecosystem products are made of 100% post-consumer recycled paper in the USA. What makes them so cool besides the fun and contemporary design is that you can track where and how your eco-friendly book was made. To my delight I received a sample of the ecosystem ruled journal Author in watermelon with a flexi cover. Each eco-friendly journal has a unique identification number on the back page. It allows you to find out about the origin of the various materials used to make your specific journal. Plus you can register it online in case it gets lost. So last night I registered my journal at ecosystem’s website to view its ecosystem book ingredients. It was made in July 2009 and a chart displayed each step of the manufacturing process with its eco-friendly practices. For example the elastic band is woven with 100% organic cotton fibers and dyed using water soluble low-impact dyes in Rhode Island and Pennsylvania. Or the flexi cover is 100% post-consumer recycled base paper and coated with water-based acrylic technology in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It’s great to see how transparent the company is about their supply chain. It makes you feel like we’re all part of the same ecosystem.

sustainable pillows to green your decor

My favorite sustainable designs at NYIGF this week are k studio’s figure shaped decorative pillows that double as toys and the zipper pouches with their signature oval faces. I love the elongated shapes of their human and animal figures with the whimsical drawings and the friendly faces on the pouches. K studio’s line of sustainable soft goods is made of green materials such as organic cotton, hemp or recycled wool. Plus the eco-friendly pillows offer a kapok-filled insert option. I had admired the charming designs on shopping sites dedicated to sustainable living like Branch but was thrilled to finally see them in person. The oval face pouches are really well made and quilted with cotton batting which makes them perfect for keeping things in your purse organized. K studio was launched by mother-and-daughter team Mary and Shelly Klein in 2004. All sustainable designs are hand-made at their studio in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I adore the subtle humor in the drawings that are inspired by Shelly’s paintings. Make sure to check out their customizable eco-friendly pillows for Valentine’s Day on their website. There you can mix and match your own couple based on several drawings of men or women that are equally as cute. They are not only great for green Valentine gifts but also make fun wedding gifts for eco-chic brides and grooms.

reusable gift bags for a green holiday season

As I’m scrambling to get my last minute gift shopping done I was happy to discover the reusable LivingEthos gift bags through Organic Spa magazine. Not only do they make wrapping gifts easy without a need for scissors and tape but they are also an eco-chic alternative to traditional wrapping paper.

LivingEthos was founded by Josie Gaillard in 2008 to offer people stylish yet eco-conscious choices for their every day lives. Her modern looking gift bags are a smart way to go green with your gift wrap since you can reuse or regift them. They come in 4 different sizes so that you can wrap or store anything from jewelry, cosmetics to toys. The LivingEthos gift bags are made out of 100% cotton and the grosgrain ribbon is made out of 100% recycled PET like soda bottles. Her fun website lets you shop by occasion, giftee, style or color. As a big fan of modern eco-friendly design I love her contemporary fabrics such as retro squares, ripple stripe or martini that are all formaldehyde-free and AZO-free. The eco-modern gift bags come with a paper wraparound label made of 100% recycled paper and printed with soy based ink. It can be transformed into eco-conscious “to-from” tags for the gifts. I love that you can reuse the bags as well as the packaging. The tough part will be to decide if you want to give them away or keep them for yourself.