Category Archives: Materials

Emmy Rossum in Pineapple Silk

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Remember pineapple silk? Well it’s hitting the mainstream with creations by designer Oliver Tolentino.Emmy Rossum in Pineapple Silk

Emmy Rossum wore this fairy tale dress to the pre-Oscar party thrown by Global Green USA in support of green schools and communities.

The dress, designed by Oliver Tolentino (who also dressed Lincoln actress Gloria Reuben for the Oscars) was naturally dyed with hand-woven fabric made from a blend of abaca (Manila) hemp, Philippine silk and the pineapple fiber. The sheer overlay at the bodice was embellished with multiple rosette cut-outs and freshwater pearls.

I loved her in Phantom of the Opera. Anyone seen Shameless?

The Truth About Bamboo

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Is Bamboo Really Eco-Friendly? The Devil’s In The Details

One of my very early posts on HeartSleeves was about bamboo as an eco-friendly textile.  It was one of the first things I discovered when I started reading up on sustainable fashion, and it sounded really great.  I even bought a few bamboo dresses which were super soft.

Then things started happening.

I met this lingerie designer who prefers other viscose materials to bamboo because the production processes are cleaner.  Ok, I thought, that’s a good point, but how bad can bamboo really be? As I met more and more sustainable designers, I realized that fewer and fewer of them used any bamboo at all in their lines.  Even the company I bought my dresses from now uses primarily Tencel, hemp, and cupro.  Hmmmmm.  Research time.

So here’s the skinny: bamboo as a plant is super sustainable.  It’s the fastest-growing on the planet, requires very little water, grows organically with no pesticides required, and regenerates over and over.  Bamboo the textile, though, is a different story. Continue reading →

Do you like Piña Coladas? How about Pineapple Silk?

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Do you like Piña Coladas? How about Pineapple Silk? You know the song, but did you know about the fabric? (I didn’t.) Called “Piña” (Spanish for pineapple) in the Philippines, where it originated, this textile has been around for ages and is now experiencing a small – and hopefully growing – revival. Continue reading →

How to Green your Christmas

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4 Easy Ways to Make Your Holiday Season More eco-friendly

How to Green your Christmas1. Conserve Xmas light energy and/or use Candles!

Christmas lights can use up a lot of energy, especially if you leave them on for long periods of time. To conserve, make sure you unplug them during the day and consider setting them on timers so they don’t stay on all night while you’re sleeping. You can also purchase LED lights that are much more efficient.

For a lovely soft ambience, though, consider replacing some electric light with candles.  If you want to be really eco, use beeswax, which is better for the environment than the regular paraffin types.

2. Make your own Upcycled ornaments

There are so many great DIY tutorials for homemade Christmas ornaments out there, and many of them use materials that would otherwise be thrown away.  Here are a few of my favorites (thanks to BoredPanda for compiling them):

Ornaments from old CDs

Toilet Roll Reindeer

How to Green your Christmas

Wine Cork Ornaments Continue reading →

Gorgeous CORK bags from Jess Rizzuti

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Gorgeous CORK bags from Jess Rizzuti

Jess Rizzuti’s line is characterized by a perfect combination of classic silhouettes and unique materials and patterns. I happened upon these beautiful handbags by the NY-based designer during Fashion’s Night Out and had to know more, so I sat down with Jess in Soho pre-Sandy.

Gorgeous CORK bags from Jess RizzutiI’ve never seen anything but wine stoppers made from cork before, so I was shocked and impressed with what Jess has done with the stuff.  Not only is it a far more versatile material than I realized, it’s also extremely sustainable.  Cork, as it turns out, Continue reading →