(originally published at grechen’s closet on June 4, 2008)
Interview witih Eco-Chic Jewelry Designer: Hovey Lee
First, I’d love it if you can share with our readers what you’re wearing today? What’s your favorite piece in your closet? How much of your closet is made up of eco-friendly pieces?
Today I’m wearing hoodie by Fuze Organics, jeans and my own shell pendant necklace. I call it my ‘uniform’.
My favorite piece is a Edun dress with thick straps that cross in back. I pretty much like everything in the Edun line, they are organic, and the neutral colors and artsy prints make it so amazing and easy to mix with everything I have.
I’d say 90% my t-shirts are eco organic, and they are the most widely available type of eco wears you can find in the market. Much, much harder to find good and affordable eco jeans or more formal wear.
What inspired you to start an eco-friendly line? What kinds of materials do you use? Why?
We are dedicated to promoting fair trade, human dignity and environmental sustainability before profits. Our designs are sourced from the gemstone suppliers that adhere to Fair Trade sourcing standards. These standards ensure that these gifts from nature are brought to the customer in a safe, socially and environmentally responsible way that cares not only for the materials but the people who are involved in the process. Fair Trade gem standards uphold labor conditions and workers’ rights, environmental protection, product integrity and supply chain transparency from gemstone mining, cutting, to processing. Besides sourcing new gemstones, Hovey Lee’s Los Angeles studio continues to use components extracted from vintage jewelries and recreate new designs with reclaimed and recycled findings and gemstones.
Wherever possible, Hovey Lee uses metals from renewed sources derived from recycled jewelry or industrial products. By using renewed metals, our goal is to reduce the need for additional mining of precious metals that could be very harmful to our environment. While we can’t guarantee all the gold we use is from appropriate sources, we are striving to make sure that our suppliers comply with the principles outlined. By supporting the No Dirty Gold campaign’s Golden Rules, we hope to reflect the values of our customers around the country who have a deep commitment to human rights and the environment.
What are some of your best-sellers? What are some of your personal favorite designs?
Our earrings are our best-sellers! A lot of customers told us that they are fabulous, and different than what’s available in the market. They love the fact that they are made with eco-friendly materials, that they are made with recycled materials mixing in with the new, and the results are deceptively simple and chic. You have to be able to embrace the idea of recycling and reclaiming metals, or buy in the concept of restyling vintage jewelry pieces to fully appreciate our line because we adopt those techniques A LOT.
I like all of our designs because we spend significant amount of time and care into developing each style! If you made me pick I’d go for the metal designs which we are indeed quite proud of and we learn a great deal in the process of creating those as well! Here are some examples: Spruce, Mya, Brooks, Copperfrilli, and Campbell.
I believe in taking a “holistic” approach to greening my wardrobe; while I’m not opposed to buying organic cotton t-shirts from Banana Republic or Wal-Mart, I prefer to support smaller boutiques and designers who focus only on earth-friendly design & production; I love the idea of as few steps as possible between me and the products I buy. Do you agree? Why do you think it’s important for consumers to consider the company behind the product, as opposed to just the product?
Yes, absolutely, because it’s not the thing that is important, it’s the people, really. It’s true in all aspects of life.
Do you have any eco-living tips for our readers? What are some small things we can do at home, and in our closets to make a difference?
Three years ago when we started sourcing for sustainable fair trade gemstones or materials we knew we need to dig a little deeper than just take that label or sign on that product for granted. Now that eco / fair trade products are even more widely available than before, we found we have more options and more homework to do in terms of really going over the credentials of those suppliers. The other aspect is that eco products can be more expensive than the regular brands, and in our economy now, this can post a challenge to us. But bear in mind that eco-living is not so much about eco-consuming, it’s really what you do as a human being to respect the nature and conserve our resources. I think at the end of the day, that’s far more important!
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