What is eco-fashion?

According to wikipedia, Eco-fashion is "a part of the growing design philosophy and trend of sustainability, the goal of which is to create a system which can be supported indefinitely in terms of environmentalism and social responsibility."
This is true, of course, but let me put it into a simpler sentence for you. Eco-fashion is a way to reduce your carbon footprint, support fair farming techniques, and look groovy! Choosing Eco-fashion does not mean that you have to sacrifice style! Many people associate natural fibres with scratchy, itchy, unshapley, and unattractive. This is deffinatly not the case.
So, what turns a fabulous outfit into an fabulously eco-friendly outfit?

Organic materials:
Choosing an organic material benefits the earth, and the people living on it! Studies are starting to show that the chemicals used in growing cotton may remain in the fabric. These chemicals could be absorbed by the wearer, through sweating. They are not entirely sure what these chemicals will cause, but why take an unnecessary risk?

Sustainable materials:
If a material is not organic, it can still be sustainable. This means that it is made from a plant which can be replanted (and regrown) without harming our environment. For example, bamboo is a still considered to be sustainable if it has been chemically sprayed.

Plant-Based Dyes:
Wonderful organic materials can become less eco-friendly when dyed with synthetic, heavy metal based dyes or dyes otherwise dangerous to the workers who make the clothing, the earth or the wearer. Choosing a product which has been treated with a healthy, plant-based dye means less chemical exposure to our earth.

Free trade practices:
A large difference in eco-friendly fashion is the way that it is manufactured and finally sold. The freetrade practices test will fail companies if the employees making the clothing are not paid a livable wage, or if the working conditions are substandard and hazardous. So some good clothing, made from organic materials, may lose merit for having unfare work regulations.

Eco Fashion Update for Spring. Fabulous Eco Fashions in great sustainable fabrics.

Want to move in the Eco Fashion direction this spring? Here are some of our top picks for a sustainable wardrobe. These pieces are easy going and can move into any wardrobe seamlessly. Made from cushy fabrics in Bamboo, Certified Organic Cotton and hemp there is sure to be something that you are dying to have.

Not sure your ready to jump on the Eco Fashion bandwagon? Check out this article on Why Eco Fashion is so hot.
Whats is Eco Fashion you ask? Well, the Sustainable Technology Education Project which is a non-profit organization that "aims to increase people's awareness of sustainable technology, enabling them to recognize the economic, environmental and social impacts of their own technology choices." has an opinion. They say that Eco-Fashions are clothing that " that take into account the environment, the health of consumers and the working conditions of people in the fashion industry.” . Great definition.

Here are some of the key Eco-Fashion pieces from Salts Organic Clothing this Spring 2009. These items will be available in stores across Canada and the US in May 2009. For a listin of stores where Salts is available please go to the Salts Clothing website. You can also buy Salts online on
Etsy.

From top to bottom we have, the Tough Cookies Jacket in hemp/ organic cotton fleece, next is the Laughter skirt which plays double duty as a dress. The little tank here is the Crossback tank in hemp organic cotton jersey or bamboo organic cotton jersey fabrics. On the bottom the model wears the Kicks Yoga Track Pant in Certified organic cotton. Last but not least is the Dandylion tube in black and the Leaf Skirt in Crimson red. Both items are currently available on Etsy.com. The skirt again can be work as a great tube tunic style top.

Stay tunes to the Salts blog for more updates on Spring 2009 trends and
eco fashion trends. Next article will be on our killer bamboo rayon organic cotton dress. Yum.

Love Salts

Organic Hemp Cookie Recipe!

I needed to make some delicious cookies for the one Year Anniversary party at our store! Thats right the Salts Studio Boutique home of Organic Clothing delights is now one year old! Our full service boutique is beautiful Sooke, BC features clothing in sustainable fabrics for Men, Ladies and Children as well as little eco-friendly goodies and gifts. Salts Boutique has a large selection of handmade jewelery, art and accessories made by local Vancouver Island Artisans. We are located at 2052 Otter Point Road. While you are here be sure to check out the Little Vienna Bakery down the road, they have recently switched to Organic Flour in some of their breads. They have the best soups on Vancouver Island. If you make the trip up to Sooke you will be glad you did, our clothing store features a verity of hemp, organic cotton, soy and bamboo products as well as some recycled clothing. Fun!

So heres the recipe....Me likes the hemp!

Salts Hemp-y Almond-y Cookies

- 1 cup whole-wheat organic pastry flour (if you can find it)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons unrefined sugar or cane crystals (Level Ground Trading has a nice sugar)
- 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons organic almond or cashew or peanut if you prefer...butter
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/3 teaspoon blackstrap molasses (VERY important ingredient)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (we get ours from our Mexican Grandma)
- 1/3 cup vanilla hemp milk (Manitoba Harvest is great)

Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).

In a bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the sugar, and stir until well combined. In a separate bowl, combine the 1/3 cup of almond butter with the maple syrup, blackstrap molasses, and vanilla extract. Add the wet mixture to the dry, stir through, and as it is coming together, stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of almond butter leaving chunky bits of almond butter for delicious surprise bites.

Place medium spoonfuls of the batter on a baking sheet greased or lined. Bake for 10 minutes, until the cookies are slightly crisp on the edges, but still soft in the middle. Let cool for about 2 minutes on the baking sheet, then remove cookies.

Makes 12 medium cookies

Add chocolate chips, raisins or nuts if the mood strikes you.

Enjoy.

Dress Pure.
Salts

Photo above is us at the Clothing Store!

Be Cheap and Green AND Save Money! 7 easy ways to EcoFriendly your Life!

Can you be super Green and Save money at the same time? Of course! Being Eco Friendly is about having more with less! Most eco-products are very high quality and last much longer. There are also simple ways to add more eco consciousness to you life with our sacrificing any cash at all. In fact some of these tips will even save you money! Right on...Read on....

Tip #1. Save $25 a year by washing you Eco Clothes in Cold Water in stead of warm water twice a week. It saves your clothing too, clothes will last much longer when washed in cold.

Tip#2. Turn off you video game console (or get you kids too, bribes work) when not in use. This will save you $14 a year in power...extra allowance anyone?

Tip#3. Recycle! Most Districts pick up recycling at no cost and you will save $30 to $100 dollars a year in garbage pick up costs.

Tip#4. Turn down you heat a few degrees at night and during the day while you are at work. This will save you at least $39 dollars a year.

Tip #5. Grow some food! Set up a garden box on your deck to grow salad greens and edible flowers for great tasty salads anytime. If you eat salads everyday (good for you, you healthy nut) then this can save you $3-10 a week. Those are big savings, growing food it fun and relaxing too.

Tip#6. Line dry you clothing on nice days. Dryers are the worst energy consumers! Lay off yours in the summer and enjoy your organic clothing for longer.

Tip #7. Find a local farmer and make friends with them! Shop at farmers markets for great deals on fresh local produce, buying direct from the farmer is the best way to get healthy food at less of a mark up.


Dress Pure.
Salts

Spring Salts Organic Catalog....

Arriving in April! Here is our heaping helping of Sustainable Fashions! We used lots of Bamboo Rayon (for its awesome wear-ability it feels so good to wear) and organic cotton of course. We have been looking for some great new hemp materials but the search continues, let us know if you know of any great sources. This seasons sustainable clothing line is about Simplicity in life. Its inspired by the desire to scale back the busyness of life and have less that does more...

Hope you like comments and suggestions are always well loved.

Sincerely,
Salty J

What Makes Organic Clothing Organic? Information on Organic Cotton Certification.

Organic this and organic that is all the buzz these days, but what exactly makes clothing organic? Salts Organic Clothing is made with certified Organic Cotton, not regular cotton. Many Bamboo, Soy, Tencel and Hemp fabric blends are made with regular cotton, not organic cotton. Certified organic fabrics are certified by several governing bodies depending on where they are from. It all starts with the fiber that makes the organic fabric. Salts Organic fabrics are certified by the Control Union World Group formally called SKAL. Some state and governmental bodies also have their own certifying bodies that certify Organic Cotton from their area. Certification processes and procedures may vary depending on the certifying organization, but the underlying values are the same. The organization IFOAM, International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement is currently in the process of Defining Organic Agriculture in less than 300 words that will encompass all the objectives of organic farming.

The CUWG or SKAL can certify the fiber or the yarn. All organic land used to grow organic cotton must be treated organically for 3 years in order to be certified. To be treated organically the field must not be sprayed with any pesticides, herbicides or synthetic fertilizers. Crop rotation, manure fertilizer and other earth friendly farming techniques are used instead. Organic Cotton for organic clothing is now grown in 18 countries but still only fills .01% of the total cotton market in the world. According to 2001 statistics the largest producers of organic cotton was the United States, India, Turkey and Peru.

Simply put, organic clothing is made from fabrics that were made from yarns that were made from Fibers that were grown on certified organic fields. These fields are gentle on the environment which has advantages to humans and nature alike. Many small farming villages have faced health struggles due to chemical use on cotton fields. Nature can only dilute and disperse so much chemical until it will begin to affect us all. We will all begin to notice these chemicals it in our food and water supplies eventually. Buying Organic Clothing is one way that you can be gentle on the earth.

Sincerely,
Salts.