Lower East Side as Green Commerce Eden
Apr 18th, 2008 by Jervey
[Photo: leslieannprice on flickr]
Of course we can’t buy our way out of ecological catastrophe. But, as it goes, eco-commerce has become a formidable plank of this broader green platform. And we’d be in denial if we didn’t admit that the burgeoning eco-fashion movement has brought awareness of the issues to plenty of people who might’ve been tuned out otherwise. And New Yorkers love to shop. We get that.
So from Steve Cohen’s Observer blog, there’s a pretty good piece about how the Lower East Side has become something of a Milan (or Paris, or NYC) of eco-fashion. From the piece:
Eco-friendly designers include Donna Karan and Ekovaruhuset, both with boutiques in New York. Karan’s UrbanZen boutique on Greenwich Street sells high-end green fashions, while Ekovaruhuset’s line was featured at New York Fashion week in February.
The Zagat Guide also mentions Gominyc in the East Village, which sells organic cotton jeans and tops, vegetable-tanned leather shoes, and household items made from recycled goods. The shop’s unofficial motto: “It’s not cheesy being green.”
Del Forte Denim, sold in shops on the Lower East Side, makes 100 percent organic cotton jeans and has partnered with The Sustainable Cotton Project, which builds bridges between farmers, manufacturers and consumers of certified, organically grown cotton.
The eco-fashion drive gained prominence in 2006, when designer and animal-rights activist Stella McCartney launched a vegan-friendly line of accessories she calls cruelty free, meaning nothing is made using leather or animal products.