Green Grechen Eco-Friendly Fashion and Shopping Online

Labor Day specials at Stewart + Brown

grechen — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:42:33 +0000

Stewart + Brown has marked some of their coolest pieces down 50% for the weekend, including this amazing organic cotton wrap dress (now $78):

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New Eco-Boutique: ecolissa + Exclusive Discount

grechen — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 22:36:26 +0000

There’s a new eco-boutique in town!!! ecolissa just launched and is offering Green Grechen readers an exclusive 15% discount with code “grechen15″ (valid once per customer, shipping is $5 in the US).

Check out their eco-friendly offerings from designers like Toggery, Indigenous, ecoSkin, Elroy, Smartglass jewelry & Second Eco Skin denim – my two favorite pieces are this jacket/dress/tunic (love that this can be whatever you want it to be…depending on how you feel like wearing it!) made from organic cotton by Indigenous, and the OWL NECKLACE!!! (sorry, I get excited about owls) by Kris Nations:

DLC X Market Publique Vintage Jewelry Collection

grechen — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 22:02:35 +0000

I’m slowly getting my vintage “feet” wet; it doesn’t hurt that there are so many amazing vintage stores here in Austin. I will admit I still haven’t bought anything yet, besides my woven tote, but I know where to go when I’m ready to buy: Feathers Boutique locally, and Market Publique online. Besides the fact that I consider Pamela a friend, Market Publique is super-easy to browse & shop from for a newbie like me. And I am IN LOVE with the new vintage jewelry collaboration with Dirty Librarian Charms.

My favorite piece. I need it.

But every piece is worth looking at – seriously. I’m having a hard time keeping my credit card in my wallet…

Does non-leather ALWAYS get an eco-friendly pass?

grechen — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:20:34 +0000

Is everything listed as non-leather, “certified vegan leather,” or faux leather automatically eco-friendly? Is faux leather (usually petroleum-based) eco-friendly just by virtue of that fact that it’s NOT leather?

Take for example Urban Expressions – a faux leather handbag company – and the title on their website: “Luxury, Vegan Leather, Eco-Friendly Handbags and Accessories.” In this case, “eco-friendly” seems like just a trigger phrase they’re hoping will entice people to buy; they give no evidence on their website that their company, products, or business practices are at all eco-friendly…

In my own opinion, not eating meat or consuming animal products of any kind is THE ECO-FRIENDLIEST way to live (although I do not live that way, nor is it easy to achieve), but substituting leather with plastic is the wrong way to go. In the short term, yes, faux leather is possibly less impactful than leather, but as a way to “be eco-friendly,” over time, I’ve really come to believe that 100% cotton canvas bags or fabric bags are preferable to faux leather. Even recently, there was a study that some faux leather bags contained trace amounts of lead (Urban Expressions made the list), which is absolutely known to be harmful.

What do you think? should faux leather bags automatically be given an “eco-friendly” pass?

Pare down: The best recycled leather clutches

grechen — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 21:16:18 +0000

You will NEVER find me without a big bag – most of the summer I carried my huge, “vintage” woven tote – but last week I used a clutch, and I liked it. I know, weird, right? It was just too hot to carry a big bag on my shoulder last week, so when I tried out the clutch, I was really surprised that I didn’t mind using it. I was worried that it would be awkward to get in and out of (I needed quick access to my camera) or that I would find it strange to carry. But it wasn’t awkward, or strange. Now I feel the need to carry a clutch more often – perhaps sometimes even as a “main” bag *gasp!!* During the day!!

Some of my favorite eco-friendly handbags are made from recycled or upcycled leather; it’s always better in my opinion to use something that’s already been used (leather jackets) or something that would otherwise have been thrown away than to create something new…

So, check out the clutches below made by some of the best recycled leather handbag designers, and maybe a couple you’ve never heard of. Which one is your favorite?

ReMade USA Recycled Leather clutch – on sale for $90

Ashley Watson recycled leather wallet – so, this is technically a wallet, but I use my large wallet as a clutch periodically; just put your phone in the zipper portion and you’re good to go! (on sale for $107 at Atticus)

Lina Rennell recycled leather pouch (she also has a fabric version available) – $104 at Beklina

Claire Vivier remnant leather clutches (she makes these from the leftover leather created from her handbag business), ranging from $79 to $149:

Recycled leather clutch by Patkas – on sale for $60:

This recycled leather clutch by Cha Cha is small, but look how cute and only $15:

This upcycled (an old leather bag, transformed) clutch/wallet with handpainted peacock feather is gorgeous! I love the idea of taking something dull & lifeless and turning it into something interesting. By Kathryn Greenwald – $35

Must Have: Leroy & Perry Organic Cotton wrap hoodie

grechen — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 21:21:26 +0000

This is sooooooo me:

It’s by Leroy & Perry, the eco-friendly line by Lutz & Patmos, and available at Bows + Arrows. Luckily, Bows + Arrows is local to me, so I can check out the line in person.

eco-friendly deals & steals this week

grechen — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 20:27:35 +0000

She-Bible

She-Bible is offering an automatic 35% off Spring/Summer inventory to make room for Fall (can’t wait to see it!!). All sales are final!! This organic cotton chambray dress is my FAVorite and it’s marked down to $90

NIxxi @ Nimli

Nixxi is 25% off at Nimli with code NIXXI25 through 8/16.

JADEtribe at Shopbop

The JADEtribe clutches I’ve been coveting at Shopbop are marked down to about $60 now – each one is unique, and made from recycled & naturally dyed materials.

Prairie Underground Jackets 20% off

Tobi.com is offering 20% off full-priced jackets through 8/13 with code JACKET20 and they carry four different colors of Prairie Underground’s super-popular organic cotton jacket:

Would you pay more for designer Vegan shoes?

grechen — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:53:56 +0000

Cri de Couer has two pairs of vegan wedges I’m DYING for this Fall:

But each pair is $350. They’re 100% vegan, and ethically made in the US (from start-to-finish), and very similar to this See by Chloe pair I’ve been coveting. But $80 more:

I DO wear leather shoes, but I’d prefer to be able to buy the Cri de Couer pair over the See by Chloe pair (although I do like the contrasting colors on the See by Chloe’s, I can’t lie). Is the difference in price worth the knowledge that I’m supporting a small, independent business with the same ethical values as me? Yes – I think so. But I’d still like to see the designers and companies I love be more price competitive with the big guys…

What do you think? Is it worth it to pay more for an ethically produced, designer vegan shoe? How much more?

New jewelry collabs and tees from Fashion Loves People

grechen — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 17:30:05 +0000

One of my favorite people in the whole wide world, Janette Crawford of Fashion Loves People, launched a new season of her artist-created eco-friendly tees today along with some limited edition jewelry by Manimal, Alyson Fox, Early Jewelry and Adoura Demode. If I were you, I’d stop reading right now, and click through to the Store at Fashion Loves People to see what’s left, because since I first checked this morning, lots of the jewelry is already gone. Read on at your own peril

Luckily, I was able to snap up one of these leather pouches (made from scraps) by Manimal before they sold out,

And I was so tempted by these earrings by another of my favorite indie designers, Early Jewelry (I have a pair of her crystal earrings – LOVE); there are two pairs left:

But don’t forget about the t-shirts!! Janette told me about the new designs she and Kirk were working on several months ago, so I’ve been patiently awaiting their arrival…they’re printed with water-based eco-friendly dyes in the US on either 100% organic cotton or organic/recycled cotton/polyester/rayon blend tees ethically made in Peru or the Dominican Republic:

And I already have this tee – it’s one of my favorites (wearing it today!!):

eco-friendly deals & steals this week: 8/4/2010

grechen — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 15:15:57 +0000

Doie

Doie is 30% off at Nimli through 8/10 with code DOIE30. I love this cowl-back dress; it’s made in the US from rayon from bamboo grown without pesticides, and would be just under $100 with the code:

SPUN

Use code “grechen30″ for 30% off your order at SPUN. Every girl should have a good, basic wrap dress in her closet – this one is made in the USA with organic cotton, comes in great colors, is available up to XL, and would be about $70 after the code. What more could you ask for?

Flight 001

Thanks to Daily Candy this week, use code DAILYCANDY001 for 25% off your order at Flight001. Besides their amazing selection of chic travel necessities, they sell a few styles of the new recycled canvas (cotton) totes & backpacks by BAGGU: