F: is for Sustainable Fashion

Sustainable style is hot on the global fashion circuit so it is gifts #14 and 15 on my list.

Gifts 14 and 15: Ekovaruhuset: (Swedish for ‘The House of Organic’). Featured on the GREEN issue of Harper’s Bazaar Japan, Ekovaruhuset, is an eco-boutique founded by Johanna Hofring. First opening in Stockholm in 2004 to bring one-of-a-kind, hand-made eco-creations to Sweden. The second boutique opened up in NYC last year and has quickly become a local haunt. Ekovaruhuset carries a few brands, like eco-sneaker favorite Veja, but stocks the shop mostly with their own designs crafted from a collective of select designers. Creating looks that reflect their own style while also maintaining a cohesive aesthetic overall. Their designs include a beautifully draped tweed jacket with cut-outs and sexy, crocheted numbers, bikinis and wedding dress. If Ekovaruhuset continues to successfully walk the line between the fashion-forward design we crave and practical wearability we need, they will become the brand eco-fashionistas seek out. Green fashion seems to be infiltrating the mainstream channels. The July GREEN issue of Harper’s Bazaar Japan features Meiling Chen and Amy Mohlenhoff the co designers for Ekovaruhuset. Meiling’s hand-dyed violet, custom-made organic cotton dress is featured on the cover of Harper’s GREEN issue. It’s a resourceful artist’s take on sculpted draping with a personal and organic approach to the creative design process. “I do not use a pattern, so every dress that I create has its own unique shape. I personally mix the (environmentally friendly) dyes and water proportions (regulating the temperature, time control, etc.) according to the color and tone that I envision. There are no two pieces from my collections that look exactly the same. Each piece has it’s own unique ‘life history’. It is like a free-hand drawing or sculpture. Mohlenhoff's aesthetic and spirit is eveident with her organic cotton and bamboo jersey dresses. Delicately accessorized with a belt and straps made from silk and hemp charmeuse as well as buttons and a buckle made from natural mother of pearl shell. It seems ‘green is the new black’, the House of Organic is built on a foundation of sexy and intelligently crafted clothing and accessories that continues to have a devoted following on both local and distant shores.

Why is it gifts 14 and 15? Because you need more than one.

Fashion no longer has to hurt the earth and that is a F.A.C.T.