aGaiN NYC’s some-of-a-kind products are made from rescued or repurposed materials (junk) and transformed into stylish accessories for modern life (funk). Environmentally and socially conscious, aGaiN products are made in the USA and a portion of our profits are donated to environmental charities. Designer Allison Teich scours thrift stores and garage sales for unusual vintage fabrics, buttons, ties and belts to create her unique line of handbags. By creatively transforming materials from bygone eras into reliable bags and accessories, these materials are revived into functional and fashionable fits to your everyday life.
AuH2O is environmental and socially conscious clothing line and store owned by Kate Goldwater. AuH2O clothing is made of 100% recycled materials such as old t-shirts, button-down shirts, ties, vintage and costume dresses and anything on its way out. Goldwater cuts up, rearranges, embellishes and reconstructs to make unique recycled clothing creations. Goldwater sews all of her one-of-a-kind pieces in her store and offers custom alterations on the spot without charge. AuH2O is located on 84 E. 7th St. between 1st and 2nd Avenue.
Brooklyn-based Bahar Shahpar is a self-taught designer with a diverse creative background in multimedia event production, fashion, and publishing. Previously, she owned an art gallery and designed custom accessories in London and New York. In 2005, after extensive research on agricultural systems and the textile and apparel industry, she debuted her womenswear line, agricult, inspired by the American frontier and created using only sustainable materials.
For Spring/Summer 2007, Bahar launched her eponymous label, focusing on a more modern, less structured form while still drawing from a turn-of-the-century aesthetic. She was featured as part of domino magazine’s 2007 Green List and has been profiled in Lucky, NYLON, ELLE, and WWD, as well as on fiftyRX3.com and inhabitat.com.
Our mission is to create beautiful, luxurious, sexy shoes that are also sustainable and cruelty-free. Every shoe incorporates European design and quality while using only animal-free, eco-friendly materials. We believe no one should sacrifice their style conscious just to serve their social conscience. Charmoné is focused on compassionate design.
Contessa d'Eleganza
Born in Stockholm , Sweden, Heidi Schaefer was trained as an Interior Designer in London. Contessa d’Eleganza is in honor of the ancestoral heritage of Handarbeit witnessed in both of her Grandmothers combines elegance from times past with one idea of looking at our resources and behaviour in a different way. The Cravattes are made from vintage silk ties, some adorned with brooches, semiprecious stones or lace and transformed into a feminine equivalent.
Designed for the contemporary global customer who is looking for something comfortable, distinctive, fashionable and socially aware, Covet can be appreciated for its meticulous attention to detail, innovative and eco-friendly fabrics and finishings, as well as an awareness and counter-balance of the negative effects fashion has on the environment. Some of the natural fibers used in the collections include organic cottons, soybean, bamboo, linen, ramie and tencel.
Doie was born from the idea that it is possible to be stylish and comfortable while still helping to protect the environment. Each versatile piece is made from a combination of bamboo jersey, an incredibly soft and breathable earth-friendly fabric, and 100% silk trim. The pieces transition seamlessly from lounging to lunching and from day to night. Doie is made from the highest quality fabrics and is produced locally, in New York City.
Ekovaruhuset = House of Organic Products
It's not easy being green, especially in the hyper-competitive fashion industry, where all too often, survival depends on meeting the bottom line. Cheap labor and lax environmental regulations will have some less fortunate countries feeling the economic, social, and ecological effects of this season's trends years after they've been collecting dust in our storage units. For us at Ekovaruhuset, fashion cannot be luxurious, stylish, or sexy if it is not sustainable, environmentally sensitive, and socially responsible. So we decided to redefine what it means to own truly luxurious, fashion-forward clothing and accessories for both men and women. Our designers searched the world for the finest organic materials from producers in Sweden, Netherlands, Peru, France and the United States who provide safe working conditions and fair pay to their employees. Ekovaruhuset also supports small-scale, local production that is free of harmful chemicals and animal cruelty. When keeping all of this in mind, shopping can be a true luxury. It's all about having fun and looking fabulous while saving the world.
Born of the idea that design can be a force for positive change, Entermodal bags redefine the meaning of luxury leather goods and how they integrate form, function, and sustainability. In the heart of Portland’s celebrated Pearl District, master bag designer Larry Olmstead draws on nearly two decades of experience to combine old world fabrication techniques with modern elegance and styling. Entermodal uses both their world-class Italian factory and their in-house Portland facility to handcraft the bags to perfection. Besides giving them unique flexibility, this allows Entermodal to continue to support local industries, education, and to promote a dying trade in America.
Entermodal is dedicated to reducing the environmental impacts of bringing luxury leather bags to market. Working together with the Natural Step Framework we have been able to create a balanced and honest system, along with an outline of future goals. From the vegetable tanned leather, free of heavy metals and formaldehyde, to the recycled-content aluminum buckles, every component of each bag has been carefully tested and specified to ensure maximum performance with minimal environmental impact.
While working at traditional design companies, Jenny Hwa began to notice a dearth of stylish clothing made with regard for the environment. Her convictions, coupled with her work experience at Catherine Malandrino, Chaiken and Jill Stuart, as well as her business and fashion degrees from Dominican University and F.I.T. laid the foundation for the creation of loyale. loyale's philosophy is three fold: translate runway trends, create functional clothing and be cognizant of our role in society and on the environment. The intention of loyale is to create fashion-forward, accessable clothing that is made locally with sustainable fabrics and to amend the current business philosophy that the ecology and society have to be compromised in order to make a profit.
NIT
Sculpt, mold and invent a wearable art. Fashion that is engineered organically and evolves naturally through the process of energized creativity. No rules, no trends, pure invention with a passion for form and the shape and curvature of a human body.
Sculpted knitwear accessories that play with geometric shapes and are manipulated to form soft visors and intricate twists that emphasize the desired unique shapes and are accented with hard metal snaps and closures to bring an edge and signature quality to each piece.
Mad Imports is a socially responsible company that sells handmade art and accessories from Madagascar and Kenya. Our eclectic products blend the traditional and contemporary design ideas and craftsmanship of our partner artists who use unique textiles and renewable raw materials. The partnership between local and international artists fosters an exchange of ideas, stimulating the design process and resulting in truly special products. The sale of these products enables families to gain economic independence and earn fair compensation for their talent and hard work. Mad Imports is committed to responsible trade, is sweatshop free and is a member of the Fair Trade Federation.
The birth of ‘naturevsfuture®’ was in the spring of 2002 by Brooklyn born Nina Valenti. Launched 6 years after graduating Parsons & designing streetwear, Valenti needed to create her own line that would expose her unique aesthetic. The name was inspired by the designer’s belief that there is a constant struggle between nature and future, a tension between organic forces and technological ones. Mixing natural & sustainable fibers like organic cotton, hemp, soy, bamboo, seacell (seaweed), tencel (wood pulp) with recycled fiber fabrics such as POP (recycled soda pop bottles) and INGEO (created from corn) along with synthetic fabrics like polyethylene and spandex, she creates pieces that have a futuristic edge yet are inherently classic.
Romy Scheroder
Born in Trinidad, designer Romy Scheroder earned a BFA from Florida Atlantic University, and an MFA from The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA. Dealing with issues of social justice and memory, her work has been exhibited in several group and one person shows in the US and abroad, most recently in the 2005 Exit Art Biennial in NY and at the Brunei Gallery, London for the 60th remembrance of the Hiroshima bombing. In addition to her art experience, she has combined her passion for art, fashion and social justice through her new venture as owner and designer, for socially conscious clothing for men and women. Romy’s aim, whether in her art or as an entrepreneur, is to promote ethics, values, and idealism.
Rust Belt
Rust Belt is the collaborative work of designers Anna Bario of Field & Fountain & Page Neal of F190. Rust Belt aims to create social, economic, and environmental value through sustainable practices at all levels of the design process, not only by using salvaged materials in our products and maintaining involvement in our materials' cycle but also through design education projects.Our intention is to redefine the possibilities of what a design label could do and should
consider.
Raina Blyer, the founder and designer of Ryann, has been sewing since learning from her mother at the age of three. Born in Brooklyn she later attended the University of Massachusetts studying holistic health; and later received her degree from New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology. Ryann was created as a way for Raina to address her concerns about the many negative impacts of the fashion industry by combining her background and passion for fashion with her deep concern for environmental and social issues. The fabrics featured in the line are made from organic cottons, hemps, bamboo, soy, and recycled polyester. All of the clothing is produced in New York and is sweatshop free.
The marriage of fine art, fashion and social responsibility culminates in the product of SDN. Two life-long friends, Kyle Goen and Marcus Hicks created SDN out of a love of fashion, a mutual commitment to progressive social/political causes and an excuse to make cool things for themselves. SDN Utilizes recycled t-shirts, sweaters and fabrics to create one-of-a-kind hand-crafted garments and accessories, all made by the artists themselves.
Terra Plana aims to be the most innovative and sustainable designer shoe brand in the world. Repairability, lightness, anatomic design, and durability are all important factors for eco-friendly design. Our choice of materials includes special chrome free leathers, vegetable tanned leathers, and recycled materials.
Veja (available in New York, exclusively at Ekovaruhuset)
Veja is a French brand, but the shoes are made in Brazil. The soles of these sneakers are made with natural occurring rubber found in the rainforest. Made of very high quality, the sneakers are slick and long lasting.
Voltaic™ solar bags represent an innovative new product category which is now gaining mainstream acceptance. This category was established by Voltaic with launch of the solar bag, and we continue to lead the way, both in the effective adaptation of solar energy to charging mobile electronics, and in wearable technology in general.
Voltaic™ found a way to embed three tough, lightweight, solar panels in the outside of each bag. This allows the bag to work as a mobile power generator, capable of charging most handheld electronic devices including: cell phones, cameras, two way radios, iPods etc.
Our focus is on sustainability. Our objective is to promote the use of solar energy as a practical and sustainable power source, but also to demonstrate the broader viability of sustainable products. Most recently we have worked hard to source a fabric made from recycled PET (soda bottles). We have been heartened to see our bag maker embrace this fabric since we introduced it to them, and recently make it available to other much larger brands, effectively leading to recycling on an industrial scale.
