Show off Your Bently
Date: September 15, 2008 | Category: Fashion, Jewelry
Founder of eastern-inspired, eco-conscious Kamalaspa in San Francisco’s Union Square, Amber Marie Bently has been getting rave reviews about the gorgeous jewelry that she is passionately making in San Francisco. Ethically and sustainably sourced from all over the globe, her unique designs are inspired from her travels throughout India. She uses only recycled precious metals and personally interviews every one of her stone dealers to ensure they haven’t over-quarried, and that laborers are treated humanely in conflict-free conditions. With a beautiful range of styles, Amber’s pieces are popping up all over San Francisco and Los Angeles, but if you live elsewhere, you can reserve your pieces online.
Wear Your Heart on Your Wrist
Date: September 8, 2008 | Category: Fashion, Featured, Jewelry
I have long been a rose gold fanatic, since it complements my skin tone better than the other hues, but yellow and white gold fans can get their 14k dreams answered too. Tirana Limited Edition Butterfly Bracelet has made the whole office a flutter. We love that it is forged from recycled post-consumer precious metals in New York City. But there is even even more to feel good about when adopting your butterfly. (more…)
From Junk to Jewels
Date: September 2, 2008 | Category: Fashion, Jewelry
You know you’ve got a pile of unworn baubles - single studs, gifts from your ex you’d rather never see again, and purchases that seemed right at the time but turned out to be oh so wrong. (more…)
Bottled Up Designs
Date: August 18, 2008 | Category: Fashion, Jewelry
Laura Bergman found her inspiration while hiking in the woods. It wasn’t so much the gentle hues of the flora and fauna that compelled her, but the sight of baby deer running in fields of broken glass (fields of glass? where is this?). Alas, Laura decided to harvest these fragments to create unique necklaces, earrings, rings and bracelets. Hence, Bottled Up Designs was born. Each piece Laura creates comes with a history of the glass, which includes ruby made from Schlitz beer bottles, cobalt blue from Milk of Magnesia and olive derived from vintage soda bottles, combined with silver wire forged in the US. Prices start at $40. A lifelong naturalist from Pennsylvania Amish Country, Laura is devoted to environmental causes. So if you have a secret penchant for colorful shards, you can now have your drink and wear it too.
Eco-Chic Shopping Is So LA
Date: August 10, 2008 | Category: Accessories, Fashion, Holiday & Gift, Jewelry, Women
This New Year I made a resolution not to expand my wardrobe or excessively drink green tea. To my husband’s surprise (not to mention my own), I’ve actually managed to uphold this pledge with only a few minor glitches (solely involving caffeine), that is up until my recent trip to LA.
So I’m retroactively amending my resolution as follows: “I will not buy NEW clothes - unless they are sustainable or drink green tea more than once a day - unless I’m totally exhausted.” With that said, I can now confess that I dropped by one of my favorite SoCal haunts last week-Decades Two-which features “almost new” designer clothes that have often been worn only once by celebrities and socialites (presumably because they cannot be photographed in the same item twice, heaven forbid). Suffice it to say that I did not leave empty-handed. The next day Torso Vintages had a glam trunk show at Chateau Marmont, where I picked up some glitzy 50’s gold belts. This inspired me to pull out a purple gown I hadn’t worn in five years, ‘cinching’ a hot retro-nouveau look.
Of course, when in LA, it’s impossible not to seek out the rockstar of sustainable fashion, Linda Loudermilk. On this trip, she wowed me with exquisite hemp silk suits, organic cotton tees, lyocel dresses and amazing jewelry (everyone keeps trying to turn on my recycled gold faucet necklace). The one thing that didn’t break the bank was a zebra-striped organic Rogan skirt that I found at Target for only eight bucks!
Once again, this proves that you do not have to sacrifice style to be eco-chic on any budget. As for my modified resolution, well, so far so good.
Pinning Down Cool Jewelry
Date: May 29, 2008 | Category: Fashion, Jewelry
Inhabitat loves Mana, which is no surprise. This eco-friendly jewelry collection features some of the most innovative accessories we’ve seen in a while with Cleopatra-esque necklaces made out of bobby pins and bracelets fit for a mermaid featuring pieces of recycled phone cards laid out like scales. We’re amazed at the way Brazilian designer and multi-media artist Mana Bernardes and her team of teenage and student design protégés have turned garbage into green goods and we can’t wait to see more of their work stateside. Currently, Mana has an ongoing collaboration with TOUCH, an organization that works with and promotes new designers concerned with the health of the planet and their workers.
Diamonds are a Girl’s Ex-Best Friend
Date: May 22, 2008 | Category: Fashion, Jewelry
Every time a friend is about to get engaged I get a frantic call about the token of their commitment - the ring. There are some excellent eco-options available now, like Brilliant Earth or Jennifer Dawes Design (both use recycled gold and conflict-free diamonds), but we just discovered a genius new socially responsible and eco-friendly alternative: I Do… Now I Don’t, which hosts a community for buyers and sellers of diamonds, engagement bands, wedding bands, and other jewelry, whose plans didn’t work out quite the way they planned. And if you are one of the people selling (no need to memorialize a failed commitment), you might want to consider this altruistic idea: you can sell your “baggage” to someone creating a new love line, then donate the proceeds to an environmentally responsible charity. Talk about a unique way to turn something bad into something good… Or just take the money and buy yourself a new pair (or pairs) of sustainable shoes.
Pure Alkemie
Date: May 14, 2008 | Category: Fashion, Jewelry
The new Alkemie jewelry collection has fashionistas everywhere cooing with baroque glee. All designs are made from 100% reclaimed metals (copper, nickel & sterling or gold & silver upon request); some of the pendants even utilize recycled bullet casings. Where there is leather, it’s obtained from cattle ranches that use 100% of the the animal (rubber can be requested as a cruelty free alternative). Made in the U.S. from a husband and wife team, Alkemie gives new meaning to the art of transforming something common into something precious. Available at the Econscious Market, an online philanthropic marketplace where 50% of net profits go towards the charity of one’s choice. And for San Franciscans, Alkemie is now exclusively at Sarlo Wick, where you can also peruse SW’s spectacular antiques.
Sweet Shirt Alabama
Date: April 29, 2008 | Category: Accessories, Fashion, Jewelry, Women
Natalie Chanin, founder of Alabama Chanin, is known for her cottage industry approach to fashion: she employs local artisans to create her gorgeous and unique garments, home items, jewelry, and fabrics by hand. She strives to make her business part of a sustainable, viable community in small town Alabama. A popular mainstay at Barney’s, she’s now greening her operations even more: adding a new Organic Series with 100% Certified Organic cotton fabrics in soft and creamy shades, staining materials with tea and discarded coffee grinds, and even offering a DIY version of one of her hip t-shirts for ambitious eco-fashionistas. The DIY package features a 100% certified organic cotton tee as well as all the materials (other than scissors, needles, and pins) to make your own custom Stars and Skull creation, so that those of us with more sewing talent than spending power can share a piece of Chanin’s sustainable, hand-crafted, and glamorous vision.
Find Your RePurpose
Date: March 14, 2008 | Category: Fashion, Jewelry
Kirsten Muenster’s stones are mostly acquired from her trusted rock hounds. The agates and jaspers are found in gravel pits along lake shores and riverbeds. She salvages stones from vintage jewelry or cuts her own from rock found in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. She reuses a varied collection of recycled silver, repurposed mother of pearl belt buckles and vintage buttons to create big, bold statement pieces. Kirsten also uses some truly innovative eco materials, such as industry byproducts and Bowlerine, made from vintage bowling balls. All her work is one-of-a-kind, and you can commission her to make something artsy that you can feel proud to display.
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