Don’t miss the EDUN sale today (Friday, Aug 21st) at 12 noon on GILT GROUPE. You must have an invite to partake.
Style meets sustainability in this eco-loving line from Bono and his wife, Ali Hewson. Launched in 2005, Edun is a socially conscious fashion company that strives to create beautiful clothing while fostering sustainable employment in developing areas around the world. With its edgy, modern approach to classic silhouettes, the collection’s color palette pulls from the dusky blues and grays found in nature at night. The label includes fashion denim, organic graphic tees, fleece tops, knitwear, men’s button-downs, and women’s blouses and dresses. Edun’s efforts toward socially and environmentally conscious products and processes have earned the label a CFDA award as well as support from celebrities Bonnie Raitt, Liv Tyler, Lindsay Lohan and Nicole Richie.
Loomstate, Edun, and Rogues Gallery will be showcasing organic menswear at up to 70% off retail at the exclusive GILT GROUPE on Friday 7/24/09 starting at Noon EDT.
Gilt Groupe provides access, by invitation only, to Men’s, Women’s and Children’s coveted fashion and luxury brands at prices up to 70% off retail. Each sale lasts only 36 hours, and it’s first-come-first-serve.
These Neto Stripes, Plimadrille Shoes, Black High-tops, and Contrast Plimsoles are great for spring!
FOOD, INC. is a film exposing the food industry’s dirty secrets:
In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation’s food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that’s been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government’s regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation’s food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment.
Gilt Groupe’s Earthweek sales include Edun, Matt + Nat, Stella McCartney, Loomstate, and Stuart + Brown. Gilt Groupe is a website offering invitation-only sales of coveted and luxury fashion lines at discounts up to 70% off retail.
I am inviting all my readers to join. Simply click HERE.
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Check out the VeganXpress app for your iPod/iPhone. It lets you know what is vegan at popular chain restaurants and fast-food places. If you’re ever stuck in the middle-of-nowhere, this could be quite the life-saver.
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If you’ve never heard Ingrid Newkirk speak, this is a must. Listen to Ingrid’s speech at The International Non-violence Conference in Bethlehem in 2005. It is the first time anyone has been invited to speak on a non-human issue.
Waxed canvas could be my favorite new fabric. It’s waterproof, wind resistant, supple, and shares many characteristics with leather (minus the whole killing-of-animals part). Autumn is known for crisp air, rain, and chilly breezes. My advice for fall is waxed cotton all the way from boots to hats. Stay dry, warm, and light! The good thing about these jackets is that they’ll last you forever, and since they’re classics, they never go out of style.
Barbour
Barbour makes several styles of really nice waxed jackets and hats. I recently got to view four different jackets, and I was told that all their labor is done in Europe (no sweatshops) and their waxes are totally animal-friendly. The Flyer, below, is my favorite for this fall. It’s lightweight, insulated, and has nice detailing. The jacket has a 100% cotton Barbour tartan lining with 30 gauge wadding for extra warmth. Two way front zip under a studded front, cord inner collar with buckle front tap, knitted rib hem and cuffs. Retail $375
Goes Great with:
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If you are looking for a more edgy jacket, the International Trials Short Jacket, below, is a slimmer, shorter length version of Barbour’s iconic motorcycle design. I suggest wearing this style over a slender suit, open with the belt buckled. This jacket is in Barbour’s medium-weight 6 oz. Sylkoil wax with a 100% cotton Barbour tartan lining. Two-way front zip under a studded storm fly front with set-in sleeves and ventilation eyelets. PU Coated polyamide inner drip strip for extra weather protection, corduroy collar and cuffs, and multiple pockets. Retail $379Goes Great with:
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Finally, if you’re looking for a longer coat, the Cowen Commando is one of Barbour’s most famous styles. this modern wax jacket was designed from a historic British army pattern, with a Union Jack badge to prove it. Barbour’s heavyweight 8 oz. Weathered wax with tartan lining. The jacket also features reinforced shoulder panels, a drawcord waist with adjustable toggles and multiple pockets. Retail $419.Goes Great with:
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Belstaff
Belstaff’s waxed cotton is more expensive than Barbour (averaging around $530). They are gorgeous and leather-free, but they do incorporate Teflon in their canvass, which is toxic, and made by DuPont, a known vivisector and environmental polluter. Therefore I cannot recommend these jackets, and I suggest writing a kind letter to DuPont expressing your disdain for outdated and cruel animal testing, and CC Belstaff!
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David Morgan
For a more affordable autumn jacket, David Morgan offers a oil-finish, waxed cotton jacket called the Shelter Cloth Jacket (retail $160). It has a marbleized color, utility pocket, and moleskin collar (don’t worry, moleskin is actually cotton). David Morgan also offers a pretty bad-ass trench coat called The Duster (retail $285).Goes Great with:
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Wax It Yourself
Do you own a pair of canvas boots or sneaks, a jean jacket, or even a cotton hat? If you want to waterproof it, and give it a chic, slick appearance, you can buy wax and DIY!
I attended the COB runway show for the Spring 2009 collection and was thrilled to see some organics! Andrew Holden’s ‘excellent bad-boys’ looked as if they were just back to London from a desert excavation or an Egyptian urban-safari. This collection featured gorgeous canvas jackets, Hebrew-inspired scarves, lots of layers, an organic hooded trench coat, vests, and a bright but soft color palate of yellow, bone, black, gray and pale blue. DB contributer Jodi worked on this collection. Most of the spring collection was vegan, but there was some wool and leather, unfortunately.
SuperVegan has been publishing the blog of Tod Emko who documented his time serving on the Sea Shepherd pirate ship, The Steve Irwin, and their mission to stop illegal Japanese whaling from February and March of 2008. In light of the 2008 IWC Meeting finishing with the usual deadlock, and Sea Shepherd officially announcing its 2008-2009 anti-whaling campaign, Operation Musashi, it seemed a good time to show people what’s going on in the world of whaling.
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3. ‘Top Model’ Judge Protects Seals!
America’s Next Top Model judge and renowned photographer Nigel Barker opens A Sealed Fate? tonight in New York. If you are in NYC, go check out an exhibition about the world’s largest slaughter of marine animals. Tyra, no doubt, would approve—even if she didn’t think of it first. July 25-27 at 401 Projects, 401 West St., New York, (212) 633-6202, humanesociety.org/protectseals
LISTEN to CEO Todd Katzenmeyer as he talks about how the Forest Ethics campaign changed the company’s catalog practices. Also pay attention to the insanity of Corporate monsters like VS and the insanity they foster.
5. An Olympic-Sized Fur Trade
China is one of the world’s largest suppliers of fur garments. More than 95 percent of China’s finished fur garments are exported for sale overseas, and many of them go to North America. Cat and dog fur is often deliberately mislabeled as “Asian jackal” or “rabbit” fur. This summer, with the world’s eyes focused on China during the Olympics, PETA is exposing the horrors that take place on Chinese fur farms. This is a historic opportunity to speak out against the global fur trade and influence consumers worldwide.
6. Ontario has made the largest conservation commitment in Canadian history, setting aside at least half the Northern Boreal region – 225,000 square kilometres – for permanent protection from development.
7. CBS News Joins FOX in revealing the true role of mainstream media: Lies.
1. Military punk.
This summer, go for above-the-knee cargo shorts and tucked in, rolled up button-downs like this look from Edun‘s Spring/Summer 2008 menswear collection. Choose a monochromatic color theme, and accessorize with a wallet-chain, your best-beat up shoes, and a dissenting attitude! This look is easy to put together at any thrift store, military surplus store – of if you’re feeling like dropping a paycheck, directly from an Edun retailer.
3. The Loudermilk Man is a conscientious bad-ass.
Stay tuned in the following week for my exclusive interview with the Duchess of Eco-Lux herself, Linda Loudermilk.Where to buy.
3. 500 NYC Cats to be killled this Tuesday.
Attend the Rally to Save JFK cats. Tuesday, June 3rd, 11:15am- 1pm (Rain or Shine) at Port Authority headquarters, 225 Park Avenue South, between 18th and 19th Streets, Manhattan.
The hundreds of feral cats living at JFK airport are facing death once again. Today, AMNY reports the Port Authority plans to capture the cats and turn them in to animal shelters. The organization continues to refuse assistance from The Humane Society of the United States and other animal protection groups offering—at no cost—a humane and effective solution towards feral cat management through a Trap-Neuter-Return program. The Port Authority seems unsympathetic to the fact that placement in a city shelter is a near death sentence for the wild critters, most of whom aren’t tame enough to be adopted into homes.
Click HERE to find out how else to help, and how to contact NYC officials who can stop this!
4. Tea Boxes from recycled pallets in Calcutta.
Typically in Clacutta, boat loads of pallets arrive and are simply discarded every single day. An enterprising young box-maker salvages old and discarded shipping pallets, strips them down, and creates these unique hand made boxes. Each box contains 2 ounces of tea. For the full story, click HERE. From the’carbon free’ company, The SImple Leaf:
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5. Vegan Cowboy Ankle Boots.
They “Wayne” and “Ankle Harness Gusset” from Alternative Soles is an awesome, affordable vegan ankle boot for men. The sleek sole, stitching details and choice of two colors makes these boots kick ass. Wear ‘em with fitted chinos or skinny jeans – steer clear of wearing these with wider/baggier pants and shorts. Only £25.00 !
6. Artisana Nut Butters are OBSESSION worthy. I can’t stop eating the entire jar of the whipped cashew butter – and at a party the other night I was dunking chocolate cookies into the coconut butter. Healthy fats, raw, vegan, and tons of nutrients and protein – what’s not to like?
7. My other new obsession is Bikram Yoga. If you ever craved a workout that leaves you feeling as light and clear as air – bikram yoga, otherwise known as ‘Hot Yoga’ might be right for you. The first class tests your limits, no doubt. But as it gets easier, the benefits come through.
Ali Hewson and Bono’s (yes, of U2) vision for a socially conscious and aesthetically desireable clothing line resulted in EDUN -launched in 2005 as a revolutionary model of autonomous, sustainable social and economic growth in developing countries. EDUN has challenged the typical mode of pillaging communities (sweatshops), and ecosystems (hazardous garment production) that still remains the status-quo for the majority of the fashion industry. For the facts on EDUN’s practices, click HERE. Watch their VIDEO.
And how does the product look? In their own words:
“EDUN is both beauty and brains. Part rock & roll, part punk rock, EDUN pulls intellectual inspiration from the 1920′s Berlin Weimar culture combined with the artistic romance stirred by the art nouveau movement in Paris of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.”
For a selection of additional EDUN’s Mens’ Classics, Click TOPS or DENIM
EDUN has its hands in every element of production, from cotton growth through sales. EDUN utilizes locally run factories in Africa, South America and India and does not build or own these factories because their aim is to empower communities and workers at every phase of production (as opposed to exploit them) with the ultimate agenda of fostering self-determining garment producers. EDUN uses organic cotton wherever possible. 31% of the EDUN Fall/Winter 2007 collection is organic; 50% of the EDUN Spring/Summer 2008 collection is organic. *Source
To find out about their ‘ONE’ campaign to fight global poverty and AIDS, click below:
DB’s Etiquette Recommendation:Supporting lines like this is crucial to making a positive paradigm shift within the fashion industry. Let’s face it – clothes affect almost everyone – whether we’re wearing them, selling them, or making them. If you can afford to make choices like EDUN, please do so. I do, however, recommend steering clear of their wool and leather garments for obvious reasons – let’s not forget that, more widespread than worker exploitation, is the unpaid and torturous exploitation of living, feeling animals who, as individuals, have a will to live and not suffer just like you or I or your dog or cat.
Posted by TheDiscerningBrute 
If you’ve never heard Ingrid Newkirk speak, this is a must. Listen to Ingrid’s speech at The International Non-violence Conference in Bethlehem in 2005. It is the first time anyone has been invited to speak on a non-human issue.
