Eco Chic for Him and Her

When it comes to fashion, you don’t have to be a PETA supporting tree-hugger to make some environmentally-conscious and animal-friendly decisions. Many companies offer eco-friendly and/or vegan products, while other companies, like Etnies, are starting to put out full eco-friendly lines.

Etnies currently has a ‘Buy a shoe plant a tree’ line for men and women, in which the company plants a tree in Brazil’s Atlantic Rainforest for every pair of shoes sold. The line also includes some vegan/animal-free styles.



The men’s Jameson 2 Eco low-tops are completely vegan, and are made using a recycled rubber outsole, recycled plastic in the shoe laces, and the inner sole is made of cork. Even though these canvas skater-style shoes are eco-friendly, they do not lack quality or style.



The women’s Caprice Eco shoe is also vegan-friendly and uses materials including hemp, and recycled rubber. These shoes come in a verity of colours and designs, and are sure to turn some heads.

Matt and Nat (short for mat(t)erials + nature) is a Montreal-based company making products with eco-friendly, recycled, and upcycled materials.



The women’s Trench messenger bag is 100 per cent eco-friendly and uses a 100 per cent recycled nylon lining. This bag is textured, giving a leather look and feel, without using any animal products.



The men’s Ethan cotton canvas messenger bag is also made of 100 per cent recycled nylon. The simple over the shoulder bag has two compartments, and is perfect for carrying a laptop.

Vancouver-based Elroy Apparel focuses on ethical, innovative, and sustainable fashion. Designer Leanne McElroy spends four months of the year working with their sustainable employment sewing cooperative in Indonesia.



The Jamesia jacket from Elroy is made of 100 per cent upcycled cotton.  This sleek trench-style coat features a wooden toggle button, and a tie waist closure.

Macbeth Footwear is a footwear, apparel and accessory brand from Southern California, which offers a number of vegan and organic products. The company was co-founded by Tom DeLonge from blink-182.



This Vegan Cow T-shirt is made of 100 per cent cotton and allows those who are vegan to show it.

These are just a few of the many options if you’re looking to make some environmental and/or animal friendly choices when it comes to your wardrobe.

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Minty Spring Fashion

Spring is finally here, and a colour that I’ve been gravitating to lately is mint. I’ve scoured the Internet looking for all things mint that are also vegan! Here are some of my cute finds:

This mint top from lulus.com is long, light and flowy. It looks great with a pair of shorts, but would also go great with leggings. The material is 100 per cent Rayon, and is a loose fit.

$36

This faux-leather headband from nastygal.com is sure to give you more of an edge, but the mint colour helps it from being too edgy.

$18

Also from nastygal.com is this synthetic leather wallet. The mint wallet features gold studs and textured detailing.

$38

This distressed faux leather cross body purse is from freepeople.com. The mint purse features metal stud detailing, two zipped compartments, and one open pouch compartment. You can even remove the strap on this purse to carry it as a clutch.

$38.74

These beautiful mint sandals from lulus.com are 100 per cent vegan friendly. The thong-style pair has a cupped heel that wraps around the ankle. They are very easy to throw on and even have a little bit of a heel.

$30

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Minty Spring Fashion

Spring is finally here, and a colour that I’ve been gravitating to lately is mint. I’ve scoured the Internet looking for all things mint that are also vegan! Here are some of my cute finds:

 

This mint top from lulus.com is long, light and flowy. It looks great with a pair of shorts, but would also go great with leggings. The material is 100 per cent Rayon, and is a loose fit.

$36

 

This faux-leather headband from nastygal.com is sure to give you more of an edge, but the mint colour helps it from being too edgy.

$18

 

Also from nastygal.com is this synthetic leather wallet. The mint wallet features gold studs and textured detailing.

$38

 

This distressed faux leather cross body purse is from freepeople.com. The mint purse features metal stud detailing, two zipped compartments, and one open pouch compartment. You can even remove the strap on this purse to carry it as a clutch.

$38.74

 

These beautiful mint sandals from lulus.com are 100 per cent vegan friendly. The thong-style pair has a cupped heel that wraps around the ankle. They are very easy to throw on and even have a little bit of a heel.

$30 

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H&M's Conscious Collection

French singer, model, and actor, Vanessa Paradis, is the face of H&M’s new eco-friendly collection called Conscious. The collection officially launches in Canada on March 21, 2013.

“I like being part of something like the Conscious collection at H&M,” says Paradis. “I try my best to shop consciously, and vintage is very much part of my wardrobe. I love the style and it works in an eco-friendly way because I like to use and reuse old clothes.”

The collection is made from more sustainable materials, including organic cotton, recycled polyester, and a material called Tencel Lyocell, which is a natural man-made fiber. The line includes fashion for men, women, kids, and babies, and even offers some accessories.

“We have our dedicated conscious collection every spring and then throughout the year we always have select garments made from more sustainable materials in all departments,” said Emily Scarlett, from H&M’s communication and press department.

H&M highlights their environmental values on their website. Their sustainability strategy includes being ethical, climate smart, and using natural resources.  Not all of H&M’s garments are made from sustainable materials, but they say they want to use more sustainable sources in the future.

“We are the world’s largest user of organic cotton and hope that by 2020 all the cotton in our range will come from more sustainable sources,” said Scarlett.

Some of my favourite picks that are already in stores include this short-sleeve lace top, made with 51 per cent recycled polyester. This top comes in natural white, khaki green, and black. Although this top is made with sustainable materials, it’s still affordably priced at $12.95.

Keeping with the natural colours, this khaki green jumpsuit will definitely get you craving springtime. This sleeveless V-neck is made out of 100 per cent Tencel Lyocell, and the sparkly bedazzlements on the pocket give a trendy flair to the earthy jumper.

 

This grey sweatshirt is made out of 100 per cent cotton and looks very warm and cozy. The flower-covered ‘C’ design, representing the Conscious collection, gives the sweatshirt a more feminine feel.

 

Keeping with their environmental values, H&M has also launched their garment collection initiative, allowing customers to bring bags of unwanted garments from any label to select stores. In return for each bag, customers will receive an H&M voucher. They state that this effort is to prevent clothing from going into landfills.

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eco chic for her and him

When it comes to fashion, you don’t have to be a PETA supporting tree-hugger to make some environmentally-conscious and animal-friendly decisions. Many companies offer eco-friendly and/or vegan products, while other companies, like Etnies, are starting to put out full eco-friendly lines.

Etnies currently has a ‘Buy a shoe plant a tree’ line for men and women, in which the company plants a tree in Brazil’s Atlantic Rainforest for every pair of shoes sold. The line also includes some vegan/animal-free styles.

The men’s Jameson 2 Eco low-tops are completely vegan, and are made using a recycled rubber outsole, recycled plastic in the shoe laces, and the inner sole is made of cork. Even though these canvas skater-style shoes are eco-friendly, they do not lack quality or style.

The women’s Caprice Eco shoe is also vegan-friendly and uses materials including hemp, and recycled rubber. These shoes come in a verity of colours and designs, and are sure to turn some heads.

Matt and Nat (short for mat(t)erials + nature) is a Montreal-based company making products with eco-friendly, recycled, and upcycled materials.

The women’s Trench messenger bag is 100 per cent eco-friendly and uses a 100 per cent recycled nylon lining. This bag is textured, giving a leather look and feel, without using any animal products.

The men’s Ethan cotton canvas messenger bag is also made of 100 per cent recycled nylon. The simple over the shoulder bag has two compartments, and is perfect for carrying a laptop.

Vancouver-based Elroy Apparel focuses on ethical, innovative, and sustainable fashion. Designer Leanne McElroy spends four months of the year working with their sustainable employment sewing cooperative in Indonesia.

The Jamesia jacket from Elroy is made of 100 per cent upcycled cotton.  This sleek trench-style coat features a wooden toggle button, and a tie waist closure.

Macbeth Footwear is a footwear, apparel and accessory brand from Southern California, which offers a number of vegan and organic products. The company was co-founded by Tom DeLonge from blink-182.

This Vegan Cow T-shirt is made of 100 per cent cotton and allows those who are vegan to show it.

These are just a few of the many options if you’re looking to make some environmental and/or animal friendly choices when it comes to your wardrobe.

Read More

Matt and Nat bags

Matt and Nat is a vegan line designed in Montreal. They use their creativity and love for animals to come up with beautiful purses, wallets, back packs, and more.

Instead of leather, they use natural materials like cork, high quality synthetics, and fabrics.

I bought my first Matt and Nat bag last year. It is a simple lap top carrier with a leather-like bottom and strap. It is made out of recycled bottles and fabric. I’ve gotten many compliments on the bag including “that’s vegan? I wouldn’t have guessed that.”

A good website I found to order cheaper Matt and Nat products is http://www.voyashop.com

I’ve also seen them in Winners and Marshalls stores (in Canada).

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