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Stylish eco-fashion


By KATHERINE NGUYEN
The Orange County Register
Earth-friendly fashion isn't the oxymoron it used to be. Gone are the days when crude hemp sacks sufficed as the only eco-apparel available.

As the spotlight on "going green" grows, emerging designers are churning out clothing that mirrors current trends.

Today there are luxurious evening gowns, sexy cocktail dresses, premium denim and even crisp business attire that one might not guess was made of organic cotton and other natural fibers such as bamboo. There are even stylish sunglasses made with wood frames.

"Fashion has become a great vehicle for advocacy of the environment," said Aysia Wright, who launched www.TheGreenloop.com, one of the first eco-fashion retailers to offer aesthetically modern clothing. "It's helping to expose people to what being eco-friendly means."

For Wright and other environmentally conscious retailers, being green means adhering to a set of criteria when deciding whether to carry a product line or item. Wright wants to know what the company's vision or mission is, and whether it contributes to environmental groups. What type of energy and labor does the company use? Textiles and materials used also are important. Common sustainable fabrics include modal, bamboo and blends of other natural fibers such as silk, hemp and Indian corn. Using such organic materials reduces the chemicals that harm the environment.

"It's really thinking about the planet and the people who make the goods people buy," said Delilah Snell, owner of The Road Less Traveled store in Santa Ana. "Are children making the product? Are the workers being paid fair wages? Is it something that takes the surroundings and environment into consideration? It's not just about the bottom line."

Snell, who once was a waitress at The Gypsy Den restaurant in Santa Ana, used her savings to open her store a year ago to sell nontoxic cleaning supplies, eco-friendly home décor and organic yoga wear. She recently tripled the size of the business. Now Snell's store carries organic-cotton appliquéd tops and purses made of soda-pop tabs, but she is looking into carrying more fashion-forward clothing like slinky bamboo jersey dresses by Los-Angeles based Sworn Virgins and stylish office apparel by the Canadian label Grace & Cello.

And there are other eco-fashion options. At Barneys Co-op at South Coast Plaza, a small section is devoted to an organic collaboration with Loomstate, known for its organic-cotton premium denim. Cypress-based Vans offers its classic checkered slip-on in a version made of hemp; even the shoebox is made of recycled materials. Huntington Beach-based Quiksilver sells a line of organic T-shirts ranging from $20 to $55, and for summer look for more organic wear such as boxers, denim, shorts and button-down woven shirts. Newport Beach native Cara Remington has launched a successful line of headbands called Lucy Notions. The colorful pieces are fashioned from vintage fabrics (mostly vintage silk kimonos from Japan), yet another way to recycle existing fabrics and not tap into natural resources.

Contact the writer: 714-796-2298 or knguyen@ocregister.com

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