Libertine Taps Into Punk Subculture for Fall 2012 New York Fashion Week
Photos by Amanda Coen for Ecouterre
Shove a ruby-slippered Dorothy Gale into a time machine, direct her to Studio 54 at the height of its hedonism with a pit stop in 1960s Carnaby Street and, with a little bit of luck, you might end up with Libertine’s Fall/Winter 2012 show at New York Fashion Week. The lineup of vintage threads, retooled by L.A. designer Johnson Hartig into punk-edge designs for men and women, beams with a mischievous exuberance, a giddy procession of mother-of-pearl-studded biker jackets, Muppet-pelt boas, and metallic paillettes that throb like miniature disco balls under the house lights.
14 Sexy Sustainable Men’s Undies to Light Your Fire on Valentine’s Day
RAMBLE ON
Founded by the same folks who launched Tom’s of Maine 40 years ago, Ramblers Way uses 100 percent American wool for its sustainably produced wares, including these ultra-lightweight boxer-style briefs, which are cut, sewn, dyed, and washed entirely in the U.S.A.
Honest By: A Game-Changing Label That Offers Supply-Chain Transparency
Bruno Pieters wants you to pay attention to the man behind the curtain. The award-winning designer, formerly of Hugo from Hugo Boss, is launching a ballsy new clothing brand and e-tailer that promotes complete transparency in price and manufacturing. Honest By, according to Pieters, is the first company in the world to give customers a full cost breakdown of its products—the sartorial equivalent of speaking stark-naked in front of a crowded room. Pieters conceived of Honest By while on sabbatical in southern India, where he observed the way locals grew, wove, and stitched their clothes from sources they could identify. Returning to Antwerp, Pieters decided to explore that degree of transparency with luxury products on an international scale.
Mariclaro Upcycles Car Upholstery, Air Bags Into Durable Carryalls
Where do exploded air bags go to die? If you ask Mariclaro, they don’t. The Toronto-based accessories label salvages truck tarps, leather upholstery, seat belts, bicycle inner tubes, boat sails, and yes, exploded air bags, to create a range of road-tested laptop sleeves, messenger bags, briefcases, and backpacks. Of the materials that comprise each piece, roughly 99 percent was landfill-bound, according to co-founders Sven Schlegel and Willa Murray, who intercept the materials within 300 miles of their workshop. (“1 percent is made of notions and our logo, still unavailable in recycled,” Schlegel says.)
7 Eco-Friendly (And Mostly Vegan!) Winter Boots to Conquer Snow, Slush
ALL-WEATHER WARRIOR
Even the icy plains of Hoth wouldn’t pose a challenge for the Nupste Fur IV by The North Face. Tootsies remain dry in a water-repellent sheath of down-insulated, recycled-polyester ripstop, while ankles stay extra-snug in a faux-fur swaddle of 100 percent recycled PET.
Note: May contain goose down.
7 Eco-Fashion Flash Sale Websites for Everyday Green Deals
BLISSMO
Tired of dealing with greenwashing? Blissmo does the vetting for you by featuring businesses with a “people- and planet-positive approach” ingrained in their DNA. Blissmo features just one product a day, but with savings of up to 70 percent off, we can’t complain. Previous “savers” have included Nau, PACT, and Pangea Organics.
Snap Up a Pair of Handwoven Suspenders From NYC’s Textile Arts Center
These suspenders aren’t just for holding pants up. Handwoven by staff members at the Textile Arts Center in New York City, the one-of-a-kind pieces also support arts education at the organization, which hosts classes, workshops, and events for fiber-obsessed and fiber-curious alike. Each one is fully adjustable with an elastic back piece for extra stretch. They’re also available …
Timberland Debuts Foldable Hiking Shoe Made From Recycled Materials
Timberland has created a hiking shoe so lightweight and flexible, you can zip it into itself for space-saving storage. Easier on the eye (and foot) than Crocs or flip-flops, the Men’s Radler Trail Camp weighs a mere 9 ounces, making it easy to clip to a carabiner …
Save $5 on Select John Bartlett “Tiny Tim” Vegan Sweaters—Today Only!
If you’re looking for a gift that will have your favorite dog-lover howling with delight, may we suggest this delightfully season-appropriate heather plum thermal by John Bartlett? It’s made of a blend of organic cotton, recycled polyester, and rayon for the NYC label’s Tiny Tim Rescue Fund, which means that …
Ringo Starr Designs Timberland Earthkeepers Boot to Benefit WaterAid
Timberland is getting a little help from its friends—ex-Beatle Ringo Starr, to be precise. The shoemaker has announced the launch of “Canvas That Cares,” a new program to raise funds for charity through the auction of custom-designed Earthkeepers boots. The inaugural edition of 75 shoes will feature original “peace sign” artwork by Starr, along with a rare, personal signature from the notorious autograph-refuser. Clad in leather and Bionic canvas, derived in part from recycled plastic bottles, the boots are destined to become instant collectibles, particularly because they’re available in a single size: Starr’s own men’s size 8.
18 Vegan Shoe Brands That Are Eco-Friendly and Ethical, to Boot
BEYOND SKIN
Based in Brighton in the United Kingdom, Beyond Skin creates its faux-suede footwear using a microfiber called Dinamica, which is made in Italy from 100 percent post-consumer recycled plastic bottles.
TOMS Debuts Limited-Edition “Movember” Shoes to Spotlight Men’s Cancer
Move over, ladies; TOMS has launched a limited-edition range of shoes to draw attention to cancers affecting men, specifically prostate cancer. The “Movember” movement, a mashup of “November” and the slang term for “mustache,” typically involves clean-shaven men sprouting facial hair over the course of 30 days to raise funds and awareness for men’s health. TOMS’s Movember collection, which includes Classic and Botas styles for men and women, features tiny embroidered “mo’s” designed to start conversations about an oft-neglected issue.
14 Eco-Friendly Men’s Trench Coats, Jackets, Parkas for Fall Rambles
PLAID TIDINGS
Monitaly designer Yuki Matsuda gives the field jacket a playful makeover by cladding it in plaid. Raw-edge leather drawstrings, dual-angled flap pockets, pencil holsters, and a hidden ventilated hood round out the Paul-Bunyan-takes-the-L-Train look.
+ Hooded Field Jacket $195 (originally $385) at Epaulett
John Bartlett Thinks Cruelty-Free Fashion is Going to the Dogs (Literally!)
John Bartlett is a New York fashion designer with not one but two Council of Fashion Designers of America awards under his belt, along with such titles as Swarovski Best Newcomer and the American Apparel and Footwear Association Designer of the Year. Equally known for his love of animals and yen for classic American sportswear, Bartlett has worked alongside animal-rights organizations like the Humane Society of the United States and the North Shore Animal League to spread awareness about the welfare of our critter pals. We recently caught up with the designer to talk about the looks he showcased at the Healthy Food in Fashion fall gala, why he chose to embrace vegan fashion, and his new “Tiny Tim” collection, a series of comfy basics for men, women, and children that donates 10 percent of each sale to helping shelter dogs like Bartlett’s three-legged best friend (and the line’s namesake).
Would You Pay $300,000 for a T-Shirt If It Helped Starving Children in Africa?
Is $300,000 for a T-shirt unreasonable if it’s for a good cause? Threadless doesn’t think so. The community-based T-shirt manufacturer linked arms with branding firm BBH New York and the U.S. Fund for UNICEF to launch “Good Shirts,” a line of tees to raise money for famine- and drought-affected communities in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Dijbouti. Designed by New York art collective (and real-life couple) Christine and Justin Gignac, the shirts have a unique pricing structure that matches the cost of the aid item it depicts, from $18.57 for three insecticide-treated mosquito nets to $300,000 for a cargo flight that relays critical supplies.
“Dead Men’s Patterns” Features Bespoke Garment Patterns of the Dearly Departed
It’s been said that dead men tell no tales, but would they stay equally mum about their tailoring? For artist Hormazd Narielwalla, author of the limited-edition book Dead Men’s Patterns, the tissue-paper templates that bespoke tailors fastidiously preserve speak volumes about the gents they’re modeled after, even long after they’ve shuffled off the mortal coil. Narielwalla discovered his first “dead man’s pattern”—carefully folded and marked with “dead for ten years”—during an apprenticeship with Dege & Skinner on Savile Row early in his career. The book chronicles Narielwalla’s experiences with these archived scraps of paper, which were utilitarian in life but are now a poignant memento of a man’s relationship with his tailor. They’re quite beautiful, albeit in a creepy, voyeuristic kinda way.
PACT Launches Organic Cotton Men’s Socks, Made With Wind Power
First undies, then T-shirts, now socks—is PACT on a mission to clothe every inch of our bodies in its cause-related wares? Not that we’re complaining: The label’s organic-cotton men’s socks, which debuted on Thursday, are responsibly knit in a 100 percent wind-powered factory, which uses 46 percent less …
14 Eco-Friendly Men’s Boots For Ushering Fall
DOWN TO EARTH
The latest addition to Timberland’s Earthkeepers line, the hardwearing plain-toe boot has a simple and unembellished profile that cleans up nicely for urban wear. Derived from leather from a Silver-rated tannery, the waterproof shoe features a 100 percent recycled PET lining made from plastic bottles, 100 percent recycled …
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