Ummm…what can we say? Two Florida college students wanted to create an eco-friendly underwear line. Uranus Apparel produces boyshorts made from soy, hence the nickname “soyshorts.” Soy requires less water, is more durable, and dries more quickly than cotton. It’s also super soft which is great for, ya know. (Excuse my cheekiness.) Out of all the viral vids the founders have put out on YouTube, the one above is our favorite. It has a bit of an Art Haus kind of feel to it. Enjoy Uranus!

Our friends at White Apricot recently featured some hot biker looks for Fall. We’re into it! Fashion editor Bonny Osterhage pulled together the sexiest eco and vegan rocker-wear for your next Marilyn Manson show…

The latest fall trend is embracing all that’s good about looking “bad.” It falls somewhere between Joan Jett and Hell’s Angels and relies heavily on leather, spikes, and chains. At first glance, it is not a trend that appears to lend itself to the green way of life. But, look a little closer and you will find that these eco fashion essentials will let you look tough, while maintaining your soft spot for the planet. Rock on!

Read more at WhiteApricot.com…

Thank goodness Stephanie Rogers is here to tell us about non-toxic nail polish! No more looks from the manicurist when I tell them “no polish please.” Even a treehugger like me can be Priti after all.

I’m in love – with nail polish. A few years ago, I all but gave up on the idea of ever having a nice-looking manicure again after swearing off conventional polishes full of toxic ingredients and experimenting unsuccessfully with the few ‘natural’ nail polish brands on the market.

Then, I found out about Priti NYC, a boutique brand created by Kim D’Amato. Priti polishes contain no toluene, formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate (DBP) or petroleum ingredients and are safe for children and mothers-to-be.

Read more about Priti NYC at EcoChick.com…

By Darrah De Jour

Yogamatic.com is gaining a lot of attention these days as the only customize-able, eco-yoga mat out there. The Santa Monica-based e-commerce company has been featured on Extra, The Ellen Show, E! and in the hallowed pages of leading magazines, like Shape and Marie Claire. Taking individuality to the next level, Yogamatic.com lets yoginis design their own custom, one-of-a-kind yoga mat.

Whether a hobbyist or professional photographer, take your craft to the mat. Upload a photo onto Yogamatic.com- and Voila – you are the matrix of your one-off eco-mat. Nobody else in the gym or at the resort will have your eco-mat. Plus, you can also choose from over 200 designs in their online Gallery. Images range from the Dalai Lama to Barack Obama’s inaugural speech, foraying into pop art and even more irreverent images (i.e. “Strip.”)

Made from natural rubber and recycled content, the mats are printed using water-soluble ink, so they are non-toxic. There is no lead, phthalates or chemicals. Ever. You can collect different mats and gift them this holiday season. Active in philanthropy, the two-year old company got a boost when Donna Karan and Calvin Klein created exclusive mats where 100% of profits benefit “Fashion Targets Breast Cancer.” And now Alice + Olivia designer du jour, Stacey Bendet has two mats with her classic neon flavor, sold in A + Os Malibu Lumber Yard store and at Aliceandolivia.com. Five percent of proceeds on all mats purchased from YM benefit the leading environmental charity Global Green.

With their new web-series POSERS: Yogastyles of the Movers and Shakers, Yogamatic.com is turning stereotypes about Yoga upside down. This edgy “yogamentary” captures a wide array of vibrant Los Angeles personalities. Actors, musicians, captains of industry, and celebrity instructors offer their take on Yoga and how it has impacted and transformed their daily life. Including Academy Award nominated actress Mariel Hemingway, Grammy nominated singer/songwriter Michelle Branch, celebrity instructor Mandy Ingber, Skinny Bitch bestselling author Rory Freedman, Yoga Works’ Vinnie Marino (recently hailed “L.A.’s Yoga King” by the New York Times), Eco Gift Festival Founder Tommy Rosen, instructor Kia Miller and many more…Check it out.

Photo and article discussed from The Huffington Post: Starre Vartan in the audience.

Starre Vartan, eco-fashion blogger extraordinaire, and author of the book, ” The Eco-Chick Guide to Life: How to Be Fabulously Green“, shares the inside scoop on her recent attendance at the “Is the Future of Fashion Green” discussion.  As always, Starre is a steadfast supporter and dare I say champion of sustainable fashion.  Starre and I see eye to eye on this issue, that eco-fashion is one, very visible piece in a greener, more sustainable lifestyle where dedicated  hands & hearts are making change, often most visibly and most poignantly, from the bottom up.  Her response to the assertion that only “professionals” and those “in the energy sector” can effect real change is right on, as such a sentiment is not only preposterous, but insulting to all of us out here busting our asses to bring about positive change.  Not to mention, just take a look at the track record.

Yes, cooperation and support is needed from the “big guys”, so to speak, but each of us has the power to contribute and support the development of a more sustainable fashion industry, which can in turn serve as a vehicle for advocacy, not the mention the intrinsic value of converting a notriously wasteful and polluting industry to one with a far smaller ecological footprint.   Read on to see what Starre has to say:

“Having covered ecofashion designers for four years now on my blog and having written a book discussing ways to live green (including supporting ecofashion), I was interested and excited to attend the “Is the Future of Fashion Green” discussion recently held at SoHo House in association with the NY Salon.

The crowd, despite the subject matter, was definitely not filled with agreeable zombies nodding in blind acceptance as Bruno might have us believe about fashion-industry folks. No, instead this was a real salon-style dialog (attendees were heartily encouraged to participate, and they did), which included disagreements, tangents, and departures, and some difficult but worthwhile issues were raised. The intellectual wranglings were, however, made by a crowd was also obviously quite involved with fashion; most who sat in designer chairs and perched upon overstuffed couches, or even lounged on the floor- were dressed a la mode.

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I was recently introduced to Mola boots and shoes, my attention immediately grabbed by the vibrant colors and patterns of vibrant, one-of-a kind, vegan, fair trade shoes being produced by The Aware Network. What’s Mola? Mola is a traditional Central and South American art form consisting of intricately layered textile art, hand-stitched Mola is created by the women of the Kuna tribe of Panama and Colombia.

Jasmine Wallace and Daniel Rawson created Mola shoes because they wanted to walk the talk, so to speak. Jasmine’s mother is Colombian, a heritage Jasmine is closely connected with and inspired by, and which led to this project. They felt Mola shoes could be a great alternative to mass produced big brands, and a way they could contribute to society along socially ethical, eco-conscious and spiritually fulfilling lines.

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The latest news from the 2009 Project Earth Day runway show in New York come to us courtesy of Inhabitat, via a report on their meeting & interview with this year’s Project Earth Day eco-fashion design competition winner, Stacy Longo.

“The success of this year’s Project Earth Day eco-runway show which took place in April in NYC was a brilliant indication that green fashion is no longer just a fad. The energy-packed show featured today’s hottest eco-lines as well as a student competition which challenged the brightest designers of tomorrow to whip up their own sustainable garments. All of the designs were brilliant, but in the end, FIT student Stacy Longo’s mod, hand-woven outfit prevailed, winning her the grand prize. We were lucky enough to catch up with Stacy to pick her brain about the inspiration for her design and what eco-fashion means to her.

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What’s up with all that trash we get from the dry cleaners these days? We used to get a plastic bag and a hanger. Bad enough. Now I get my dry cleaning back with pink foam covering the top edge of the paper-covered hanger and both sleeves of my dress shirt stuffed with enough tissue paper to wrap an Easy Bake Oven for Christmas. So I do my best by unwrapping my overprotected garments and setting aside all the plastic detritus to return to the cleaners. Bummer.

Well, there’s finally another way. Reusable dry cleaning bags from  Jendarling (pronounced jen-dahling) and Green Garmento are starting to pop up both in the news and on the street. Jendarling makes uber fabulous organic cotton twill and hemp luxury garment bags for fashionistas or environmentalists who wouldn’t be caught dead carrying big plastic bags around in public. The Jendarling Lux Line goes for over $100, the Lux Lite is closer to $35.

On the opposite end of the financial Richter scale is Green Garmento for just $9.95. It’s a recyclable laundry bag that serves as garment bag, duffel bag, and dry cleaning bag all-in-one. According to Jenny Nigrosh from Green Garmento, the entertainment industry in Hollywood alone could save 100,000 pounds of plastic a year by scrapping single use plastic dry cleaning bags. Check it out…