Build Your Own Dress...Like Legos

The people over at Ecoterre asked the question, "How cool would it be to be able to construct and reconstruct your clothing everyday according to your mood just like legos?" Refinity’s “Fragmented” clothing lets you do just that with their colorful and customizable snap-on pieces that let you decide how long, short, wide or thin your outfit should be – no sewing necessary! Besides being totally cool, the concept is definitely one that is taking center stage in the eco-fashion realm because it reduces textile waste and allows people to easily remodel their clothes instead of throwing them away.

Designers Fioen van Balgooi and Berber Soepboer created their Fragmented Textiles collection as an experiment in applying cradle-to-cradle principles to clothing production, use, and disposal. Made from Cradle to Cradle-certified wool felt in a range of vibrant colors, the Fragmented Textiles are based on jigsaw-puzzle-like zero-waste patterns that are designed to use every last scrap of cloth.

Fragmented Textiles was recently on display at the Beyond Green, Good Design symposium gallery at the World Fashion Centre in Amsterdam. Curated by Ingrid Horsselenberg and Annouk Post of I&A, the exhibit was further evidence that the Dutch are definitely the ones to watch when it comes to combining fashion-forward design and playful attitudes.

This is taking what recycling designers are doing over at Particle Clothing to a whole new recycled level of how clothing can be reconstructed and refurbished into new outfits.

Images & Information Courtesy of Inhabitat & Ecouterre

Ugly Sweaters Bulk

It is that time of year again. Time to bust out your Ugliest Sweater and get ready to Break it down...Holiday Style. Dust Factory Vintage has Ugly Sweaters Wholesale for only $10 a sweater. There is a minimum, but what a great idea for buying them in bulk for all of your friends.

Contact http://dustfactoryvintage.com for more details

Shop Notes : Shoppertainment

Get ready for some crowd control! Shoppertainment — the fine art of running in-store events and promotions — is the perfect way to differentiate your store from your competition, build a buzz about town, and thrill your customers all at the same time!

Vintage Stores are staples for fashion in their communities, and often attract some of the cities creative types from artists, musicians and designers. Getting your customers involved with your promotions is an easy way to put together an event with minimal effort and great success. Many successful stores have number of different events that they run throughout the year to attract customers from all different walks inside their shops.

Putting together an event can be easy or difficult considering how organized the event planner is. Often employees can easily help with putting together the event, as well as some of the marketing and canvassing that is needed to get the event off of the ground. Most planners plan events 6 months out, but lets get real... aren't you looking for a way to increase sales yesterday. With that being said, you need a minimum of thirty days to market your event successfully using flyer's, radio plugg's, social marketing, event listings or whatever means you plan on using to get word out about your cool event in your cool store.

Don't forget about weekly events on specific days that could increase traffic on that slow Monday afternoon or Thursday morning. A special sale event, or donation day... bring in an old item for a charity and get 15% off an item from the store. Some shops even have mimosa's and coffee for customers on Sunday mornings, this is great way to show them that you appreciate them and get them to hang around your store for a while. Others have record listening parties on wed nights, recycle clothing workshops on Saturday morning, or a clothing swap every second Sunday...I think that you get the point, ,the sky is the limit.

Don't be afraid to think big and plan an event that could help out your neighbors or other shops in the area. Larger events attract larger crowds to your store. If you plan your event correctly often times you can get your neighbors and sponsors to cover the marketing costs to promote the event, while you do the planning and book the acts. Don't forget to think about adding a charity aspect to it either. A clothing or can food drive for a local charity can often attract musicians and artists that you thought would never come out of the woodworks to help out in the event. Don't forget to put together PR packages for each event you do and send them to your local radio stations and news organizations. they are often looking for things to promote and it could surprise you how much free press you can get for your store...I mean event.

QUICK LIST OF EVENT IDEAS

• Anniversary Party
• Concerts
• Art Shows
• Fashion Shows
• Instore Promotions
• Music Listening Parties
• Recycle Clothing Drives

Upcycled Onsies

So let's talk about baby clothes for a second. Babies get to wear their little outfits a few times and then they grow out of them within weeks. If you are lucky, you may get a photo of them in their said outfit, so you can remember it for years to come. It is a waste not to think recycled, when it come to babies cloths. Head product designer of vintage upcycled fashion line Particle Clothing, and soon to be a first time mother Lyndsey Coburn decided to launch a side project designing onsies for her soon to be infant son. She uses vintage t-shirts and cuts them down to a baby onsie pattern she designed.


Each piece is one a kind and simply awesome. Mothers nesting is cool phenomena in and of itself, mothers upcycling the babies fathers old shirts for their infant son to wear is epic!
She has a few for sale at her online store, but is more excited about taking custom orders for upcoming mothers. If you have a baby coming or know someone that is, contact LNDZ.

Before

After

Sourcing American Recycled Clothing

Over the years Dust Factory has bean the leading supplier of American recycled clothing, aka Vintage.

We cater to designers seeking inspiration, vintage boutiques and stores, remake companies, department stores in need of larger quantities, online sellers and exporters. Many of our accounts use our knowledge of the vintage industry to their advantage. By using us as a bulk supplier, they can better idea of what’s selling around the world, and how to price, merchandise and better push their vintage finds. It’s the combination of great clothes and knowledge that make store successful.

Dust Factory is unique in that we have the ability and knowledge to prepare orders for you. Family owned and operated we are an environmentally conscious fashion forward experienced and tested used clothing wholesaler with no appointments necessary come on by and check us out !

Tubeway Armies Arm Warmers

With winter moving in across most of the US and Europe, it is time to consider fashionable clothing and insulation options. We found these cute hand/arm warmers at alternativeconsumer.com that are worth mentioning. These arm warmers are eco-fashioned from an upcycled, 100% wool sweater and adorned with vintage, eye-catching, Bakelite buckles. Created by designer, gayeabandon.

$26 @ etsy.com


Source Courtesy of alternativeconsumer.com
Image Courtesy of gayeabandon

Reconstructed Men's Western Shirt

Particle Re-constructs an over-sized mens cowboy shirt to a nice fitted ladies top.

The Savanah can either be worn as a mini dress or with jeans or leggings. Particle Reconstruction line combines vintage materials from the past with the creative style of the present. Each piece is formed from recycled clothing which has been deconstructed and refitted together to create a unique and original garment.

Available $72 at particleclothing.com.

SAN DIEGO: Vintage Costumes BY the POUND

Halloween Costumes By the Pound? Hmmmmn Sounds entreating doesn't it. Well it should be because not only do we have tons of vintage clothing that can be used as great costumes, but we have got a bunch of great costume ideas as well.

FACTORY VINTAGE is opening their Vintage Warehouse to the public ONE DAY ONLY. Saturday October 11, 2008 between 11am - 6pm

All you have to do is decide what you want to be, then put together your outfit by sifting through our huge selection of authentic vintage clothing. Not only will your costume be 100% Recycled, but you will have a blast putting it together. Once you find what you need, throw it on a scale, pay up, and off you go.

Having Trouble What to be this Halloween How about going as:

Classics:

• Army Guy
• Army Girl
• 70's Roller Girl
• Hula
  Girl
• Mail Man
• Nurse
• Mechanic
• Police Man
• Park
  Ranger
• Milk Man
• Sailor
• Pirate
• 70's Pimp
• 80's
  Dude
• Wench
• Maid
• Old Dude
• Fire Fighter
• Party
  Animal

TV or Movie:

• Beatrice from Kill Bill
• Dwight
  & Angela From The Office
• Survival Player from Show
• Lieutenant
  Dangel Reno 911
• Colombo
• Obama
• Barbarella

If these don't work come by Saturday, we have many more ideas.

Come on down,
and BRING A FRIEND

Factory Vintage 4120 Napier RD San Diego, CA

http://factoryvintage.com

http://www.myspace.com/thevintagefactory

A back-to-school break: Cheap is in

"As fall approaches, thrift stores and bargain outlets are favored shopping destinations for the well-dressed teen. Back-to-school shopping is always fraught with peril for fashion-conscious teens. As they prowl the stores, they know that a summer blunder can mean a long fall stuck with stuff they don't want to wear."

Los Angeles Times reporter Leslie Earnest, just did a great bit in this weekends business section on Teens and Back to School Shopping that is worth pointing out.

"There's an added challenge this year, as higher gasoline prices and a sputtering economy have many teens and their parents keeping a closer watch on their wallets. A Deloitte survey set for release this week found that 71% of parents nationwide expected to spend less on back-to-school shopping this year than they did in 2007.

Luckily, the economic woes have ushered in the hottest trend of the season: Thrifty Chic."

See Entire Article at Los Angles Times
Photo by Annie Wells / Los Angeles Times

Go Green Go Shopping

There's no better way to go green than to go shopping! San Diego Living Green Scene reporter Erin Mikael did a piece this week on how to create your own signature style with recycled clothes. The segment was shot live at San Deigo's own Factory Vintage. This store takes a whole new look at Green design and products starting from the ground up.>

Watch Video

Textile Recycling Initiative in New Delhi

Turning one person’s waste into another person’s resource isn't new news to us at Fashion & Recycling. However this is still only on a small scale of what could be done to make a global difference. What if we started to re-use the clothing for necessities other than clothing. What if we used them to make blankets or bags for under privileged countries. Well that is exactly what the magnificent GOONJ project is doing. They are setting a truly sustainable mindset in the heart of the Indian capital New Delhi. The GOONJ project has become well established as a distribution network able to reach the poorest areas of India.

We found this information on Inhabitat and thought that it was worth bringing to your attention.

"Founded in 1998 by Ashoka Fellow Anshu Gupta, the GOONJ project collects unused clothing from all over India to then recycle the materials to provide clothes, sanitary and many other basic amenities to people living in poorer communities across the country.


The 300+ volunteers and mass participation of housewives, professionals, schools, colleges, corporates, exporters, hotels and hospitals behind the recycling and distribution center help to send out over 20,000 kgs of recycled waste materials every single month! A vast network of more than 100 grassroots agencies is also helping GOONJ reach parts of 20 states of India.

Recently declared Indian NGO of the Year, GOONJ has also won the prestigious Development Market place award from the World Bank on making a sanitary napkin out of waste cloth. The Global Oneness Project recently published a short documentary film about the GOONJ project, which wonderfully captures the essence of this inspirational and highly sustainable initiative."

Click Here to read the original post on Inhabitat
Images courtesy of GOONJ

Shop Notes: Top 5 Sizzling Summer Vintage Items

Don't miss a single sale sitting around wondering what to buy when it's right under your nose.

With the Sex in the City movie just released, girls are dying to get that Sara Jessica Parker look down to the last stroke of mascara, that you apply subtly enough as if not to show. The knee length wrap skirt is the perfect look for girls with a full figure at work or out for a prowl on the town. If your the Gidget type, strutting your stuff on the beach this summer, then why not try a one piece instead of those over priced mix matched two pieces. You still can't get enough of those cut off denim mini's skirts or short cut daisy duke's. Long boho dresses are all the rage this summer, as well as the strapless tunic style. Let's get real GIRLS, nobody want's to see your lawnchair branded buttcheeks after sitting in some furniture at a swanky little patio lunch joint all afternoon. Be tasteful
and Don't wear the skirts too short.

Shop Notes: 8 Ways To Increase Sales

Work with each employee on sales and promote good sellers.

Learn about your product and the story behind each piece or style. Share information with fellow workers and customers.

Merchandise the store in a new format each week. It will give your employees an opportunity to get involved, as well as show new looks and merchandise to your returning clientele.

Constantly turn product over. It is OK to put pieces on sale at cost in order to get new product in.

Work with each employee on sales and promote good sales people.

Start having weekly SALE'S with events attached to them. Like a T-shirt sale during an instore concert

Start giving away discounted product or promote with local hair stylists or bar tenders aka "connectors", anyone who makes a living talking while they work. Hook them up and they will most likely hook you up with allot of business.

Skateboard Deck Shoes

Used skateboard decks continue to pile up due to the production of over 100,000 decks per month in the United States alone. Reply explores this material waste stream as a resource for women's shoes. By utilizing the overall shape and material properties found within the deck, the women's shoe takes on an interesting aesthetic quality. This project is also a reapplication of waste skateboard decks in an unexpected way. By taking a movement-based leisure product mainly utilized by males, a creative method of reuse is reapplied to a movement-based market for Eco-conscious women.

see more of Kris’s conceptual design projects @ krislovett.com

San Diego Shop Sets the Pace with Trendsetting Eco Chic Boutique

SAN DIEGO – MAY 1, 2008 – Factory Vintage Store in San Diego, California is an eco friendly boutique that brings a whole new edge to green fashion and art. “We wanted to start out by making it easily accessible to everyone, so this way our eco conscience shoppers can walk or ride their bikes if they want.” say’s owner Sean Leonard. In order to this, they moved their shop to Bay Park right next to San Diego bike paths and just a mile down the road from the Old Town Trolley and Transit Station. It is safe to say that at Factory Vintage, location is only where their revolutionary concepts begin. After a brief look around the store, it becomes apparent that this independent San Diego shop might have a few things that they could teach the big boys.

Factory Vintage is located of Moreno Rd, in a space in that used to be an old warehouse and Dive shop. The store preserved much of the raw vintage warehouse feel yet stepped it up a notch by interlacing it with recycled fixtures, light boxes, organic displays and natural plants. They call it third world surf layout meets urban jungle, like what you may see in a beach town in the tropics, except they turn recycled materials into apparel and accessory displays. “We know that the product is what matters, with that in mind it’s amazing what you can get away with to display things on.”

Factory Vintage’s chic collection of eco-friendly clothing is what matters. They combine a mixture of recycled vintage clothing, re-constructed used clothing, and eco-friendly and responsible clothing brands. Half of their apparel collection is authentic vintage clothing consisting of hard to find vintage t-shirts, dresses, blazers, and a collection of Levis that would make a denim designer blush. Another 35% of the store is reconstructed vintage collections from, Particle Clothing, and Factory Vintage’s in-store label CCVintage. Each piece is a one of kind creation for both the fashion forward and eco conscience shopper alike. With the exception of a couple of other clothing labels uniquely sold at Factory Vintage, the rest of the merchandise in the store is recycled hand bags, boots, jewelry and more. Factory Vintage also features accessories and artwork from local area designers.

Originally coming from a Southern California and spending some time in both Dallas and Central America, when the founders of Factory Vintage were asked why they chose San Diego for their location, one said, “ We wanted to go somewhere where people would understand what we were doing so that we could make a difference.” I took note of an event flyer in Factory Vintage from a clothing drive they are doing for local homeless shelters, “Individuals throw away 67.9 pounds of used clothing and rags each year. Collectively, Americans discard two quadrillion pounds (that's a two with fifteen zeroes) of used clothing and textiles into the landfills each year.” With innovative shops like Factory Vintage mak setting the pace, the concept of recycled fashion might not be that far off from leading trends in the future.

Factory Vintage Joins the festivities at San Diego's Earth Fair

On Sunday April 20th Thousands of people saw varying shades of green at EarthFair yesterday at Balboa Park in San Diego.

On a nice cool, cloud-free day, the 19-year-old festival that organizers call the largest environmental fair in the world probably lived up to its billing. Traffic backed up for miles on state Route 163 before noon with visitors trying to reach the fair.

When people finally arrived, they found showcases for green technologies, artwork made from recycled materials, a children's parade, live music and “The Cleaner Car Concourse,” featuring vehicles that run on alternative fuels.

They also may have spotted a vine-draped child on stilts, free belly-dancing lessons and a few environmental juxtapositions, including gas-powered generators spewing fumes next to the Zero Waste San Diego booth.

Exhibitors form the heart of EarthFair, and this year there were more than ever – nearly 340. Some, including the Defenders of Wildlife and the Sierra Club, have well-established emerald credentials. But a new crop of startups – a fair-trade-chocolate maker, an eco-caterer and a soy-candle maker – were there trying to make green names for themselves.

Aslo amoungst the participants A new Vintage Clothing store in San Diego named Factory Vintage attracted a number of patrons to their booth with a bright colored spinning wheel, and wonderful prizes including sun flowers and Gift certificates to their eco-friendly shop. Once the wheel was spung you might loose a turn, hit the jackpot, or have to answer a question related to textiles and their effect on the environment.

“There's been an explosion of green businesses,” said Carolyn Chase, one of the fair's founders. “It really demonstrates to us the green movement has arrived in the marketplace. Green capitalism has taken root.”

But the green hues with some of the exhibitors were not always easily spotted. The San Diego Union Tribune pointed out that There was the chiropractor offering free computerized screenings, and the San Diego Middle Eastern Dance Association showing people how to do those belly dances. They were selling reusable tote bags.

Northrop Grumman, a $32 billion defense and technology company, had a booth in the children's activity
area to help children make paper airplanes. Next door was Bank of America San Diego, where children spun a wheel for a chance to win pencils, an Earth Day necklace, sunscreen, lollipops or Frisbees. The flying disks were made from recycled tires.

All in all it was a great time

Teens Turn to Thrift as Apparel Prices go Up

Another like-minded friend of ours turned us on to this Article in the Associated Press about Teens Turning to Thrift as Jobs Vanish and Prices Rise. The Article was written by ANNE D'INNOCENZIO, with contributions from Writers Lisa Cornwell and Marcus Kabel of the Associated Press. It touched on the subject of kids having to turn to thrift shopping and DYI projects to adjust to the flailing economy. You can view the article in its entirety at Yahoo Business News.

The Article states that, "The souring job market and rising costs of the usual teenage indulgences — a slice of pizza, a drive to the mall, the hottest new jeans — are causing teens to do something they rarely do: be thrifty.

It's a far cry from the freewheeling spending of recent years, when teens splurged on $100 Coach wristlet handbags, $60 Juicy Couture
T-shirts and $80 skinny jeans from Abercrombie & Fitch.

Now jobs for teens are less plentiful, and parents who supply the allowances are feeling the economic pinch themselves.

The stalwart retailers of teen apparel, such as Abercrombie and American Eagle Outfitters Inc., are reporting sluggish sales, defying the myth that teen spending is recession-proof: It holds up longer, but can eventually fold.

It's even becoming cool to be frugal.

Last week, Ellegirl.com, the teen offshoot of Elle magazine, launched a new video fixture called Self-Made Girl, which shows teens how to make clothes and accessories. The first video offers tips on how to create a prom clutch.

"It's a little tacky in the economic unrest to tote a big logo bag," said Holly Siegel, the site's senior editor. She said it's no longer about teens "one-upping each other," but rather where they can get it cheap.

Teen hiring has slumped by 5 percent since March 2007, with many mom-and-pop stores, which typically hire younger workers, laying off employees. Hiring in the overall job market fell by just 0.1 percent during the same period.

That's still not as bad as the 13 percent drop in teen hiring in the early 1990s. That means that if the larger job market mirrors the last teen hiring slump, "we're not out of the woods," said Michael P. Niemira, chief economist at the International Council of Shopping Centers.

Secondhand clothing chains have seen business surge this year as teens and their parents buy popular brands like Gap, Banana Republic and Juicy Couture at a fraction of the regular price.

"It is way cooler to get a super deal on that shirt rather than being able to spend the most money on something," said Anna D'Agrosa, director of Consumer Insights at The Zandl Group, a market research company focusing on teens. "Kids are becoming really aware of what is happening to their economy and to their families."

Perhaps something good can come out of this, that will stick with he teens in to their adult life.

-MILO

From the Ground Up :: Part 1

These notes are the beginning stages on how to take an average building and turn it into a Sustainable Vintage Clothing store.

First off you have to locate a building that will cater to the purpose. It is much easier on the budget if you can find a building that has little or no finish out needed. As far as major electrical and plumbing go. In this case we found a building that needed a little work, but not so much that we would have to take out loans just to turn on the electricity. We were choosing between two buildings we found that both had their pros and cons. One building was taking over a year lease in a high foot traffic shopping district in an artist neighborhood. The other building was quite a bit larger with a great rental rate next to the beach communities. We opted for the second location with the better rate. Because the building had sat vacant for the past few months we decided to negotiate early off in the lease to have the land lord bring the building up to code with Certificate of Occupancy. In order to get the land Lord to go along with this we agreed to pay a slightly higher rent to help subsidize the land lords expense. We also wholesale vintage clothing as well, so we needed a slightly larger location in order to have space to work in. We opted for a location outside the shopping districts but with with easy access from all directions, and good visibility. This first picture is what the building we found in Mission Bay San Diego looked like when we found it.

Once we got everything worked out with the lease we gave the land lord a little time to finish up what was left of the plumbing and electrical while we started collecting and processing our merchandise, and getting the inside ready.We have learned in the past that it is important to start collecting your product as soon as possible. When you get you shop ready you don't want to have to wait on a vendor to get your order ready last minute. You don't have to go rummaging through estate sales and border towns either. You can use a intermediate supplier like Dust Factory Vintage to locate and supply all your product, but you will still need time. You should start collection and washing you product a month or two before you plan on opening the doors.

After the walls were finished we started picking out the color samples,
and then began painting. (not our green)

 

 

 

A Pretty N.E.E.T. Magazine

N.E.E.T. Magazine captures the essence of recycled fashion and jewelry as a new form of art. They put eco-garage hipster style artists on the map with their creative and intuitive sense for trash can aristocracy.

Purchase Bulk Vintage Clothing on eBay

How about buying bulk vintage clothing for your shop or friends through eBay? Well now you can. Dust Factory vintage just started listing some of their world class DFV12pcks on eBay Auctions.

These DFV12 Packs are

Great for the Ebay Seller looking for new product to increase revenue.

Great for the Individual seeking out a new eco-friendly t-shirt collection for self or friends.

Great for an Event Planner looking to do a sustainable Event t-shirt

Great for the Band looking to do something new with merchandise.

Great for the Boutique looking for a new supplier.

Great for the Store/Business looking for a new shop tee.

As if that is not enough you can now get whatever you purchased form them screen
printed with your shop, band or party logo through their s(eco)nd print service.

check out http://dustfactoryvintage.com for more information.

 

Eco Friendly FASHION trade Show

Pooltradeshow is the original independent tradeshow, established in 2001 for the boutique market and better retailers worldwide.

It is a semi-annual event occurring every February and August in conjunction with the MAGIC Marketplace, when the apparel industry converges on Las Vegas for the most influential week in the business of fashion.

Pooltradeshow showcases the best emerging designers, featuring new product ranging from women’s and men’s apparel, to shoes and accessories, and including a variety of lifestyle products — from art, to music, to home.

Last Season pooltradeshow open their Second Show featuring Green, artists and designers. This platform gave eco-conscience designers and brands the opportunity to showcase their designs in a special environment highlighting their designs as well as tasks and mission. This February will be the second time they open door for their eco- showcase. If you have any desire to see who is up an coming in the world of fashion and recycling check out the pooltradeshow this February in Las Vegas.

Go Green This Halloween

GO GREEN: If you are planning on going green this Halloween you couldn't of picked a better year. On-line retailers like CCVINTAGE carry some key vintage pieces that could complete your look. This year the Classics are coming back in High Demand. You don’t have to look like a stripper fairy god mother, or a prostitute princess to have a good time. You also don’t have to spend $100 on a synthetic plastic costume that you will wear only one day then throw into an already bulging land fill. Here are a few Vintage Costume ideas, All recycled and eco-friendly. You can mix and match from your closet or run down to you local Vintage Store to grab needed accessories.

Great Classic Ideas:

Cowboy

Indian

Cheerleader

Security Guard

Flapper

Jock

Cop

70’s guy

60’s girl

50’s Greaser

Vampire

Soldier

Princess

Prisoner

Doctor

Wrestler

Pirate

Nurse

Specific ideas:

Condoleeza Rice

Dracula

Daisy Duke

Big Gay AL

Lieutenant Dangle (Reno 911)

Carmen Miranda

Che

Harry Potter

Caveman (From Geico Commercial)

James Bond

Scarecrow

Barbraella

Luke Duke

Super Hero

Street FighterChun-Li

Jack Sparrow

High School Musical Actors (Any of them)

Hannah Montana

Dwight (the Office)

List provided by the Vintage Factory 2703 Main St. Dallas, TX 75226

Truck Canvas and Tire Tread Shoe

The folks @ Yellow Port have taken the remains of a diesel fume-spewing truck and transformed them into these styling caual shoes designed for low impact, urban transportation.

The Myra Street shoe is made in Brazil in a sweatshop-free environment.

Find at Green is Back

Recycled Swimsuits

Aaron Chang jumps head first into eco-fashion with recycled swim suites. Who is Aarong Chang and how did he get involved in developing womens swim wear? Well-known in the photography world, his work has appeared on over 100 covers, on coffee table books, on countless ads for companies like, Nike, Yamaha, Polaris and Levis, not to mention a number of photos in Surfer and Surfing magazine. As an avid and legendary surfer, nature has always been in the forefront of his mind and he had a desire to incorporate his personal values with his professional work.

Thus, a great concept was formed to merge photography with fashion with swimwear. While the first few suits were not eco-friendly, this spring Aaron Chang will debut two new swimsuit lines that are made from 100% recycled plastic soda bottles. The response has already been so positive that Aaron Chang plans to make all summer swimsuit lines from 100% recycled plastic and eco-friendly.

The swimwear incorporates the direct photographs or small pieces from the photographs are used to design a logo that is used on the swim wear. Themes on the swimsuits incorporate elements of the natural world, such as waves, sunsets, flowers, elephants and indigenous designs from Panama. All swimsuits use bright colors, such as hot pints, greens, reds. The swimsuits are reversible, thus allowing for two suits for the price of one; A great concept.

Currently all cover-ups (shorts, tops and dress covers) are made from 100% organic cotton. Detailing on the clothes and suits is made from wooden beads, thus no plastic parts on the clothing or suits.

But why stop with the swimsuits or the cover-ups – Aaron Chang has made sure that all items related to the clothing are also environmental. Marketing materials and papers are all recycled and certified by the Rain forest Alliance to not come from virgin rain forest trees. Catalogs, hangtags and press kits are all made from recycled paper.

Aaron Chang

Part Vintage Part Innovative

Particle Reconstruction out of San Diego California, is always coming out with new ways of reconstructing old clothing. This piece called the Blues, combines and old recycled Vintage T-shirt and a recycled plaid western shirt for a one of a kind creation. To minimize their waste they take the leftover scraps to create another piece called their House.

Particle Reconstruction line combines vintage materials from the past with the creative style of the present. Each piece is formed from recycled clothing which has been deconstructed and refitted together to create a unique and original garment. Every article is cut from a standardized pattern, while simultaneously allowing natural style and wear variation through fabrication, further ensuring that each piece is a one of a kind.

You can find the Particle Blues and other Particle Pieces at Counter Culture Store

Teva Branches Into Recycled Shoes

Teva is branching out in a green way with a new style of recycled shoes. Using post-consumer PET canvas (which makes up the lining) and post-consumer recycled rubber (which makes up the sole) they’ve come up with a cool shoe for today’s sustainable shopper. The uppers are suede and they come in dark brown or sandstone. $74.95 at Amazon

This pair of Tevas has a lining made out of recycled soda bottles, while that big rubber outsole is from recycled rubber. They also come in an Olive color. $69.95 at Amazon