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Archive for the ‘Apparel’ Category

Men’s Eco Boutique Now Open!

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

Men, too often, feel slighted when it comes to eco fashion.  Us ladies get to enjoy closets-full of organic cotton tees and yoga clothes, cozy bamboo bathrobes, delicious recycled cashmere sweaters, luxurious eco-fiber dresses, and so much more.

Connect imageWell, men.  Suffer no more!   Forward-thinking, Chicago-based sustainable retailer, Connect, has launched its first ever e-commerce site C by Connect; the first and only online men’s store with an environmentally and socially responsible focus.

Log on to C by Connect and you’ll find eco brands Nau, Holden Outerwear, Topo Ranch, Coal, Icebreaker, LiViTy, Patagonia Footwear, The Stronghold, and others.  Connect’s private label, SideCar, which uses reclaimed and surplus fabrics and organic cotton, is also available, making the popular Chicago line available for the first time worldwide.  In addition to the men’s fashions, C by Connect includes a “gifts for her” section, as well as sustainable home furnishings.  It’s a one-stop-shop for the forward-thinking individual.

Jonathan Shaun, a Connect Co-Founder and friend of mine, says, “We realized men didn’t have an authentic and conscious online experience to shop.  It’s our honor to finally offer men a place to go where they can find functional and design-driven brands that are progressive and socially responsible,”

Every brand that Connect and their partners work with goes through a rigorous selection process to ensure that it aligns with their values and vision. The Connect manifesto is based on a “not-just-for-profit” method honoring the triple bottom line: planet, people, profit. C by Connect donates 3% of all profits to its Community Investment Portfolio that consists of local, national, and international NGOs.

Sustainable Features of C by Connect:

  • Carbon ZERO bicycle messenger delivery within Chicago city limits
  • Carbon neutral shipping (national and international)
  • All brands are environmental, fair trade, and ethically produced and sold
  • Connect is dedicated to marketing ethical start-up brands made in the U.S.A.
  • Renewable energy-based web hosting


Save 10% on your first order!  Enter conscious at checkout for a 10% off savings on your first order.

Also on SaraSnow.com/blog

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Terra Plana shoes to bring an ethical spring to your step

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

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I first discovered Terra Plana a few years ago while filming my show in NYC.  Someone ran by their showroom to pick up some shoes for me to wear and I ended up purchasing two of the pairs they brought back because I couldn’t live without them.  About a month prior I had happened upon their SoHo shop and fell in love with the brand (and a handbag that, to this day, I get multiple compliments on every time I carry it).

What’s to love?  Everything.

The company offers fashionable shoes with an ethical twist.

The Terra Plana products themselves support theories and actions of sustainability: lightness, anatomic design, disassembly and durability.  They constantly strive to minimize waste, toxins (vegetable tanning their leather instead of using chemicals), and glues (using stitched construction instead), while using eco-friendly and innovative materials to create light, flexible, durable, and earth friendly shoes.  They say that “the totally sustainable shoe is still a long way off but with each collection we get that little bit closer.”

There are recycled elements in every Terra Plana shoe: recycled PET bottles for mesh, recycled rice husks for soling materials, recycled leather and recycled foam for footbeds, etc..

Their VivoBarefoot line goes one step further.  The construction of the show actually works to strengthen the muscles in your feet, realigning your posture, and stimulating sensory perception.  They give you the protection of a shoe with the health benefits of going barefoot.

But here’s what I really love about Terra Plana.  Their shoes and boots are not only ethical, they’re BEAUTIFUL!

1022_greyvegtannedJust the other day I slipped my foot into my newest pair of Terra Planas; a Grey (the hot color of the season) Juniper pump.  They hugged my feet in all the right places, felt so soft on the sole of my foot, and carried me on a bed of feel-good all day long.

Check out Terra Plana shoes out for your holiday parties, winter boots, or a special gift for someone you love.

Enter discount code TerraPlana20 for 20% off everything on the site!

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Calling all road warriors – new shoes that travel as well as we do!

Monday, August 24th, 2009

I’d like to introduce you to my newest traveling buddies.  They’re small and clean, they don’t stink or nag, and they’re, well…. hot!

shoesMeet my Kigos!

From the lightweight shoe materials to the packaging they come in, Kigos are made from eco-friendly materials (see more below).  And because of a unique fold-close design, Kigo shoes stow easily in their portable pouch, making it a cinch to toss them in your purse, your gym bag, or your already overly-stuffed suitcase.  Now there’s no reason to skip your workout on the road.

The Shel Kigos make the perfect walking, touring and active shoe because they’re dry, cushioned and slip-free.  And the Star Kigos are designed for women who value style as much as comfort.  Slip these on in place of heels for long jaunts across town or for a quick ride on the stationary bike.

Check them out today!

If you’re anything like me you want to hear more about the unique eco-friendly materials.  Here you go:

The uppers, cements, insole and even stain resistance treatment represent significant advances in eco materials that make the shoes cushy, sleek, lightweight, and planet friendly.

kigotech

Footwear Element Composition Eco-Friendly
1
 Lining Eco-friendly Polyester – Post-consumer recycled fabric textile Eco-Friendly
2
 Upper CYCLEPET – post-consumer recycled fabric textile Eco-Friendly
3
 Outsole molded rubber
4
 Insole EVA Eco-Friendly
5
 Adhesives Water Based Eco-Friendly
6
 Water/Stain Resistant Treatment Unidyne™ TG-521 developed by Daikin, Dow; EPA Appoved Eco-Friendly
7
 Webbing Nylon
8
 Thumb Tab Rubber

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High performance sports gear….made from trash?!

Wednesday, June 10th, 2009

Looking for the latest in high performance fitness apparel?  How about a shirt that’s healthy, earth friendly, with a social message attached as well?

After running a race during which his red sports shirt bled dyes that ran down his leg and colored his shorts, socks and shoes, Atayne founder, Jeremy Litchfield, got a little worried about the chemicals he was exposing his body to and set out to create a better line of sports performance apparel.  And he’s done it!  Using trash, essentially, Atayne now makes clothing out of recycled polyester (from recycled plastic bottles) and the activated carbon from coconut shells.

atayne

"The idea is to blend the promotion of an active lifestyle with an environmental and social message."

The current version of the shirts feature two designs: reduce. reuse. recycle. run., and another that reads run hard tread lightly. At Atayne, they call this “performance with a point of view.”  Later this summer they’ll be launching more than a dozen new logo designs featuring a variety of activities  from running to yoga to climbing to paddling.  They say, “The idea is to blend the promotion of an active lifestyle with an environmental and social message.”

And because 80% of a garment’s environmental impact happens during the washing and drying of the garment, Atayne’s tops are outfitted with a “loop” on the back neck to encourage people to simply rinse and hang their shirt in the shower, and forget about taking it to the laundry room all together.

Not enough reasons to check out this cool company?  Here’s one more.  They’ve put together a team of “trash runners” who race their way through marathons with a retro-fitted baby jogger, picking up trash along the way.  Right now the trash runners are hitting the streets in Chicago but you can expect to see, and hopefully join, them in other cities throughout the summer.

Though I’m not much of a runner, I love to slip on my long-sleeve POV top after a particularly sweaty yoga class.  The shirts run true to size, can be purchased on-line and in select retailers, and start at $38.

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