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The Green Fashionista
The EarthSmart Life | by Kim Carlson
I love clothes and every spring I try to revamp my wardrobe with fun, fashionable
and trendy looks for the new season. For the most part, my clothes reflect who I
am and the things I care about. These days there's a growing awareness that just
like our food, our homes and our cars, clothing needs to be "greener" too.
Especially if you're an EarthSmart Consumer, like me.
So what kind of options are out there and what should you look for? Here are some
tips for shopping as a green fashionista.
Earth friendly & human healthy
I buy T-shirts, underwear and pajamas that are made out of organic cotton. Organic
cotton is raised without toxins or synthetic fertilizers, so it won't irritate my
skin. Ever heard of hemp? Well, it's making a huge comeback -- not as a drug, but
as a fabric! Hemp grows naturally without pesticides or even much water. Hemp is
combined with other fabrics like silk and cotton to make jeans, skirts, jackets and
even purses and belts. Some clothing companies are even making jeans out of hemp.
Another fabric I like is Tencel. Tencel is known in the fashion world for its "drape."
Similar in look and feel to rayon, Tencel is beautiful, elegant and often machine
washable. This lightweight, soft and breathable fabric is made from wood pulp, so
it's totally planet friendly.
People always ask me whether leather is OK. I think wearing leather (or not wearing
it) is more of a vegan issue. Keep in mind, though, most leather is tanned with very
toxic chemicals that can harm water supplies and emit toxic fumes long after it leaves
the store. You can choose some micro-fiber fabrics that are a good alternative to
leather. Micro fiber is light, soft and super simple to clean and looks just as nice.
If you're a hiker, biker or camper, there are quite a few options for outdoor fashion
that are beautiful, warm and very trendy. Patagonia has come out with something called
"synchilla." It's a fleece-like fabric that is incredibly soft. Made of
recycled materials, Synchilla is lightweight and Patagonia describes as "marsupial."
Patagonia will be opening a new store in St. Paul on Grand Avenue this spring, so
you can check out all the styles there or go to www.patagonia.com.
If you've got the budget, check out items made from Alpaca wool. There are some great
summer weight woolens that are fashionable and very planet friendly. (Alpacas are
related to llamas, and indigenous to the Andes Mountains.) The wool doesn't contain
lanolin so it doesn't require the harsh chemicals used to clean sheep's wool. It's
also softer and stronger than conventional wool. Try going to purelyalpaca.com for
some ideas.
Recycled options
Some companies make fabrics out of discarded waste. For example, there's a newer
fabric called EcoSpun. It's a soft polyester made from recycled plastic pop bottles.
EcoSpun is used mostly for vests, jackets, pants, blanket throws and accessories.
It is also used in carpets, home furnishings and fiberfill.
Ever wonder what happens to all those used car tires at the dump? Vulcana Bags makes
chic messenger bags, school bags and purses out of old car tires. If you treat your
Vulcana bag right, you can probably get another 40,000 miles out of it. Remember
those sandals made from old tires? They're back this spring too. Or if you don't
want to go quite that far, the Vegan line of sandals from Earth Shoes are very cute,
too.
Care of clothes
How should you take care of your clothes? There's a lot of information, good and
bad, out there about the hazards of drycleaning and the chemicals they use. You may
of heard of "PERC," short for perchloroethylene. PERC is a hazardous chemical
that's been linked in some studies to cancer.
If you can, I'd suggest finding a drycleaner that doesn't use PERC. There are "wetcleaners"
who do a fabulous job using carbon dioxide or silicone solvents to clean clothes.
If you really like the job your PERC drycleaner does, take the plastic off your clothes
right away. Air them in the garage or your basement for a couple days before you
put them in your closet.
You can even be careful about how you wash clothes. I use a bio-degradable, non-phosphorus
laundry soap. For stains, there are some excellent non-toxic enzyme cleaners that
do a great job. I've been trying a new line from Belgium called Ecover. Ecover does
a great job of cleaning and removing stains, and it's a very healthy and eco-friendly
solution.
Being earth-friendly means you can be stylish, too. We're finding out that living
a planet-friendly and human-healthy life is getting a lot easier every day. And as
a green fashionista, you'll be stylish and trendy too. So if you need some justification
while you're shopping for that new spring wardrobe, remember eco-fashion makes you
AND the planet look better. What could be better than that?
Kim Carlson, the EarthSmart Consumer, shares fun and practical ways to live a
more planet friendly and human healthy lifestyle. From natural beauty and green gifts,
to providing eco-makeovers for entire homes, Kim blends responsible consumerism with
her own brand of "eco-chic." Kim regularly promotes EarthSmart tips on
local and national television. She is also a frequent guest on talk radio programs,
and is a contributing editor to several major magazines. For more information please
visit my website at www.earthsmartconsumer.com or for questions, email me at kim@earthsmartconsumer.com.
Copyright © 2005 Kim Carlson. All rights reserved. |
| April 2005 |
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