Eco-Conscious Boutiques Expanding Collections of Swimwear Using of Natural & Recycled Fibers

Summer is officially here, and it’s fun in the sun time again. Whether you’re the lay at poolside sort or the active sport sort, if you’re also looking for a stylish swimsuit whose material is gentle for you and the environment, then I have some great ideas for you.

I found some great online boutiques that have really nice eco-swimwear collections. Some of the largest and nicest collections are at: Koru Swimwear, Jita Swim and Island Wear, and FaeriesDance. 

Koru Swimwear

Kauri Bikini set. Photo by Koru Swimwear.

Koru Swimwear is an eco-friendly company, which primarily provides customers with a wide assortment of bikini styles from sporty to ultra-sexy that are great for tanning.

One of my favorite pieces from the collection is the Kauri Bikini set, which has a strapless tan colored top with a white overlay and a matching bottom. It comes in extra small and goes all the way up to large. This bikini is great for tanning because it’s strapless, and has a really elegant, classic look.

If you’re on the more active side, another great piece that I really like from Koru is the Kiwi Sport Bikini. It’s a sports bra inspired piece that’s made with a muscle control fabric and is designed to fit securely during sports activities.

Koru explains that the top is adjustable with shoulder ties on either side and the fabric is “ultra-chlorine resistant and provides excellent UV 50+ protection.”

Actually all of the swimsuits sold at Koru provide UV 50+ protection. Other features of the swimsuits are that they’re made with 65 percent recyclable materials and 25 percent elastane. They’re also designed for shape retention and thermal protection.

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Green Sustainable Stocking Stuffer Ideas With A Whimsical Twist For The Christmas Season

Photo courtesy of Green 3.

For festive holiday stocking stuffers that are sure of making an impression, you might try looking at some of the seriously cute collections of hats, scarves, mittens, and handwarmers at Green 3.

Besides making things are cute and unique, Green 3 has turned the philosophy of being green and sustainable into an all-around business practice.

The company creates a variety of clothes and accessories using a combination of organic cotton, recycled cotton, and reclaimed materials. It also takes the extra step of making sure that from concept to the end product, its items are made in the United States – mostly in upstate New York.

This year, Green 3 has come out with a lot of great collections especially for the holiday season. The ‘Candy Cane Scarf’ is one of my favorite items from the company because of its cute and has a longer seasonal wear-life than many of the other holiday items.

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Spring Collections Focusing On Comfy Basics With Some Inspired Prints, Says Fashion Expert

‘Frankie’ bamboo Jersey.Photo by Chopper Couture.

Warmer days are less than a month away, and designers have already started launching their new collections. Among them, eco-fashion designer Chopper Couture has just released two spring/summer collections - the California motorcycled culture inspired ‘Feel Good’ line and the yoga activewear ‘Rock Om’ line.

Both of the new season’s collections are keeping much of their traditional feel, though focusing more on giving wearers increased versatility options by featuring more pieces whose graphic designs are solely on the backs and sleeves, leaving the fronts bare for more conservative looks.

“The collections bring together inspirations from California lifestyle, tattoo culture, Eastern philosophy, and French symbolism,” said Viggo Zingenberg, partner with Irene Zingenberg, designer/company owner.

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Organic Fashion House to Show an Explosion of New Designs for the Coming Seasons

Photo courtesy of Global Ghetto Organics.TOPANGA, Calif.- Global Ghetto Organics, a designer and maker of utilitarian sophisticated fashion, is gearing up to introduce an explosion of new designs and apparel to its current collections throughout the coming Fall to Spring seasons.

“Utilitarian sophistication is a design concept of making really nice materials with an upscale feel to them, but can still be worn casually,” said Steve Sas Schwartz, the company’s owner and designer.

Yoga and other aspects of Eastern philosophy inspire many of the graphic designs on the clothing. “My wife is a yoga teacher and she brings a lot of ideas to the designs,” said Mr. Schwartz, who adds that he is also greatly influenced by Native American themes which “have always fascinated” him. Nature motifs are a prominent design element in the company’s collections.

Global Ghetto Organics’ greatest expansion in the coming seasons will be seen in the kinds of apparel that it offers. The company, whose current apparel lines focus on shirts, jackets, and hats, will be expanding into fuller collections for both men and women.

Mr. Schwartz talked about some of what consumers can expect, saying, “For women, our lines will include some amazing skirts and spaghetti strap dresses, along with really cute crop tops.

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Retailers Seeing Growth in Consumer Purchasing of Organic Cotton Products

A United States cotton field. Photo courtesy of Cottonusa.com

LUBBOCK, Texas- Contrasting the continuing sales slumps in the traditional garment industry, the organic cotton side of the market is thriving. Global retail sales of organic apparel and home textile products reached an estimated $3.2 billion in 2008. This represents a 63 percent increase from the $1.9 billion market in 2007, according to the Organic Cotton Market Report 2007-2008.

The report just released by the Organic Exchange, a non-profit organization promoting the expansion of organic agriculture, with a specific focus on increasing the production and use of organically grown fibers such as cotton.

The top ten organic cotton-using brands and retailers globally were:

• Wal-Mart, Bentonville, Ark.
• C&A, Brussels, Belgium
• Nike, Beaverton, Ore.
• H&M, Stockholm, Sweden
• Zara, A Coruna, Spain
• Anvil, Knitwear, Inc., New York, N.Y.
• Coop Switzerland, Basel, Switzerland
• Pottery Barn, San Francisco, Calif.
• Greensource, Seattle, Wash.
• Hess Natur, Butzbach, Germany

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