Biodegradable Shoes: Simple, and in the Moment

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Ariel Azoff — 1 Comment ↓

Biodegradable Shoes: Simple, and in the Moment Ok the title is a pun, because the two brands I discovered are called Simple Shoes and One Moment. Simple, a California label, has made all sorts of technological advances in eco-friendly footwear including its EcoPure mixture of microbes that break down the shoe in the landfill. Treehugger’s Emma Grady explains:

EcoPure — a pellet mixture containing millions of tiny microbes — is added to the plastic, rubber, and EVA mixtures used for the midsoles and outsoles of the BIO-D collection — and to all plastic shoe hangers and shoe bags. Under conditions specific to landfills and compost bins, the microbes begin to eat away at the compounds that hold these materials together until all that’s left is dirt. The process takes twenty years and Continue reading →

Suit Up

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Ariel Azoff — 3 Comments ↓

Where to get your Eco-Business Attire

Earlier today, my friend Mariyam, J.D. asked me to write a post on eco-friendly business suits for herself and her fellow practitioners of law. When I referred her to my earlier piece on fashion suggestions for the GOP candidates, I realized that it wasn’t comprehensive or even very useful to people actually looking to buy mother earth-approved business attire. It turns out that finding eco-friendly suits is more difficult than it should be. Fortunately, they do exist, and fortunately for the business casual workplace goers, there’s plenty to choose from. I created a few artboards (pictured below) on Polyvore to give you an idea. Also check out my “EcoFashionable Business Attire” board on Pinterest.

HIS
Suit-wearing men should take a look at the hemp suits at Rawganique, which also sells dress shirts. The brand’s founders live “off the grid” on a homestead in Denman Island, British Columbia and have been making eco-friendly clothing since 2000. Conscious Clothing also sells hemp silk suits (ostensibly for weddings but they look versatile). From Joshua Katcher at the Discerning Brute blog (fashion, food & etiquette for the ethically handsome man) I found this post about an organic cotton suit from Loden Dager. The sharpest suit I found is the Bagobo organic cotton grey suit by Eairth, available online at Juno and Jove. To complete any of these outfits, ethically handsome men can snag an organic white shirt from Boll Organic, a belt and shoes from Bourgeois Boheme, and these recycled cufflinks that I love oh-so-much from Great Green Goods’ roundup.

HERS: suits Continue reading →

Kristen Lombardi’s Manimal Moccasins & More

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Ariel Azoff — No Comments ↓

During her “post-college breakdown,” Massachusetts native Kristen Lombardi took a trip Kristen Lombardis Manimal Moccasins & More to an Arizona Apache reservation. While there, she wanted to buy a pair of authentic handmade moccasins. No such luck: the people on the reservation wouldn’t sell them to her. All she found were the mass-produced Minnetonkas in the tourist shops.

Having studied fashion design at the Massachusetts College of Art (which, incidentally, is the nation’s only state art school), Kristen was undeterred. When she got back from her trip, she took out a book on moccasins from the library and figured out how to make her own. Now, years later, she is the owner and designer of Manimal, a line of locally-produced moccasins and accessories inspired by the American Southwest. I met Kristen in her Brooklyn studio last week.

Kristen Lombardis Manimal Moccasins & More

What’s in a Moccasin?

Rather than using a specific, traditional tribal design, Kristen has drawn on different styles from different tribes to create something that is all her own. Inspired by the natural world, the line is produced thoughtfully and with low-impact. Everything is handmade in New York, by Kristen in her studio and two women that take home piecework.

The Great Leather Debate Continue reading →

The Pro’s & Con’s of TOMS Shoes (and another option)

Posted on December 26, 2011 by Ariel Azoff — 1 Comment ↓

I got a pair of TOMS shoes in the mail last week (thanks Mom). They’re super comfortable, and I got them in this snazzy gold herringbone pattern:

I know there are issues with give-away philanthropy, so I did a little digging to see how sustainable TOMS Shoes really are. Putting aside TOMS founder Blake Mycoskie‘s accidental speech to the anti-gay Christian group Focus on the Family in June, there are several fundamental problems with the way TOMS gives back.

Giveaways Don’t Solve the Problem

As Kelsey Timmerman, author of Where Am I Wearing, reminds us, this is a classic case of giving someone a fish vs. teaching him/her how to fish. Giving children shoes is all very well and good, but does nothing to address the root causes of the poverty that makes them shoeless in the first place. In fact, Continue reading →

Recycling Fashion

Posted on December 2, 2011 by Ariel Azoff — 6 Comments ↓

How can this elusive and kinetic thing we call fashion be recycled? As Heidi Klum so often reminds us: “In fashion, one day you’re in; the next day you’re out.” So how do you reuse?

I’m not an expert stylist by any means but I’ve come across a few different ways to recycle clothing. The first and most obvious, of course, is to go vintage. Shop at second-hand and thrift stores, or expensive carefully-curated vintage shops. I bought this lovely little purse at a thrift store in Philadelphia last week (I believe it was at 4th & Fitzwater for anyone in the area):