Carrie Parry: Sophisticated Sustainable Style

Posted on August 20, 2012 by Ariel Azoff — 1 Comment ↓

I could go on for hours about Carrie Parry. Her line embodies sophistication and timelessness but combines them with innovative quirkiness and whole lotta sustainability. Carrie describes her style as: “Classics. Sophistication with a bit of whimsy. Clothes that are fashion-forward but not trendy. Pieces that you’ll keep coming back to year after year and will be passed down from generation to generation.”

Carrie’s background informs her designs in exciting and unusual ways, such as the injection of polka dots into her last season which I suspect have some connection to her years designing costumes for a traveling circus in England. The upcoming Fall/Winter season is called Leharia and has the combined inspirations of the geometric lines and shapes of Bauhaus design and prints and colors of India’s Festival of Colors.

I love that for the season’s look book she photographed Continue reading →

Happy Father’s Day, Eco-Dad!

Posted on June 15, 2012 by Ariel Azoff — No Comments ↓

Late on your Father’s Day gifts, kids? Snag your dad one of these cool & sustainable products and he’s bound to forgive your tardiness!

For the ethically-handsome father:

Manor Jacket from socially-conscious company Pendleton

For the kid at heart:

Upcycled lego belt buckle from BuckleUp on Etsy

For the Green businessman: Continue reading →

May Egypt’s democracy flourish like its organic cotton industry

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Ariel Azoff — 2 Comments ↓

Egyptians voted in the first free presidential elections in the nation’s history this week, so I’d like to dedicate this post to them.

There’s a lot of debate over how fair these elections can be in a nation still essentially controlled by the ruling military council and lacking a concrete constitution. But, as Egypt’s democracy is suffering what I hope are only growing pains, it’s organic cotton industry is in full bloom. May Egypts democracy flourish like its organic cotton industry

Cotton is a crop that requires a lot of water and is often defended against pests by being doused with harsh chemicals that not only harm the environment, but are dangerous to the health of the cotton farmers. Egyptian cotton, long-revered as the best in the world due to the length of the fiber itself, was no exception.

Then, in 1977 Continue reading →

ELSA AND ME: Sustainable Elegance

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Ariel Azoff — 3 Comments ↓

Ladies: Are you looking for a flattering dress that you can wear to work and out at night that will never go out of style? How about one that fits your do-gooder values? Look no further than ELSA AND ME. Inspired by an elegant, colorful and stylish grandma named Elsa, ELSA AND ME was founded to provide classy, sustainable business attire for women.

When founder Maja Svensson arrived in New York from Sweden 4 years ago, she found a city full of people with ideas. She had come for an internship with the Swedish consulate which quickly turned into Continue reading →

Indigenous Designs: Fashionable Fair Trade

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Ariel Azoff — No Comments ↓

By Amanda Sperber

The real deal. That’s all I can say about Indigenous Designs, one of the most compelling exhibitors on my ENK tour. Indigenous takes a holistic approach to fashion, combining eco-friendly products including alpaca and organic cotton with Fair Trade practices, promoting respect for the environment, the artists who make the clothes and the craft involved in the process. I’m not normally a website video watcher but even this clip about their company is comprehensive and generally rocks:

In the words of Matt Reynold’s one of the company’s founders:

Indigenous was built on a very big idea – to create fashion that truly honored both people and planet. That idea became a promise – a promise to use only eco-friendly materials, to pay fair wages and create opportunity for artisans in the developing world, and to help change the way the world looks at fashion.

Indigenous Designs: Fashionable Fair Trade Continue reading →