TOMS Shoes has an aggressively philanthropic business model, giving one pair of shoes to a child in need for every single pair they sell. Their hugely successful line of canvas slip-ons and newly released “wrap boots” sell to major national retailers like Nordstrom, Urban Outfitters, American Rag, and Greenloop. Up until just last week, Founder Blake Mycoskie and team have flown to exotic locales like Argentina, South Africa, and Ethiopia to personally fit kids with brand new pairs of TOMS, distributing more than 85,000 pairs around the world.

Doing shoe drops abroad seemed to make the most sense to Blake, considering most kids in the US have access to shoes. He recently realized though that some American children, like victims of natural disasters, were stuck with ill-fitting hand-me-downs or had to share shoes with siblings. So Blake decided to finally bring his “shoe drops” home to the US by organizing a handful of TOMS signature DIY shoe parties, dubbed Style Your Sole, at four different school districts in Mississippi still recovering from Hurricane Katrina. Each child received a brand new pair of white canvas TOMS to paint in their own unique way. Needless to say, they were very excited! Another brilliant idea from TOMS.

Ashley Van Dyke is a fashion model, high speed race car driver, and if you don’t beleive me, check out the YouTube clip below. So much for women having poor hand-eye coordination. Ashley is part of this new crop of female automotive thrill seekers making their way into the racing circuit. But she’s also a green girl! We met at the Tesla Motors showroom and took the roadster out for its paces. You can read all about it on the Electrifying Times website.

Ashley wanted to attend the Coco Eco magazine launch party at the Designers & Agents Green Market but she had a previous engagement at a charity function. It was great meeting all the people I’d been working with for the last few months in person. I’d hooked up with Anna Griffin on MySpace, Courtney Dailey on Model Mayhem, and discovered Emma Pezzack’s FutureNatural on a CT blog. We all shared the same mission, taking green to the next level. I introduced them to each other and they formed the core team of what is now the first all green editorial fashion studio in Hollywood.

Portland Fashion Week in its second year of “sustainable production”, wrap up this Sunday the 12th, Fashionably Natural, an exclusive runway event presented by  Gen Art and SOYJOY, also took place on Thursday the 9th at the Peterson Automotive Museum in LA.  Preceding LA Fashion Week, running October 12th through the 16th at Smashbox Studios, the event was hosted by the beautiful Maggie Gylenhaal, and featured four of LA’s top, emerging sustainable designers, Brigid Catiis, Popomomo, The Battalion (recently featured on the new 90210), and Velvet Leaf, four designers working exclusively in all – natural and environmentally responsible textiles.

Interview with Anna Griffin, publisher of Coco Eco magazine.
(Launching October 18th.)

You’re a popular commentator on the LA greenscene. You’ve filmed videos for Ecorazzi. We met on MySpace where you host some really terrific interviews with Hollywood celebrities and green business leaders. In a few days you’re launching your own new green fashion magazine online… Coco Eco…  It’s a labor of love, isn’t? How did the name come about? Coco Chanel? Who is involved?

Coco Eco Magazine is much more than a love.  It’s a privilege.  I am so fortunate to have the opportunity to do this, and be surrounded by very talented and visionary individuals who’ve made this a reality. 

The name came accidentally.  We were building under another name until we ran into trademarking issues, and to be honest, I don’t remember when I thought of Coco Eco.  It just came to me, and when I thought about it, it stuck.  Everyone loved it, and that was that.  And of course it doesn’t hurt paying accidental hommage to the world’s greatest fashion icon! 

As to my team, I have the best and brightest people in the eco-scene working with me.  They really are mavericks!  My Beauty Director is Emma Pezzack, CEO of Futurenatural.com, our Photo Director is Courtney Dailey who is one of the hottest new photographers in LA, and our Senior Stylist is Robin Garvick who is THE eco-celeb fashion stylist in town.  We also have Contributors like the legendary Barbara Kramer of Designers & Agents, Stefanie La Rue, breast cancer survivor and Founder of SLAM.

Sameunderneath is returning to Portland Fashion Week on October 10th to premiere their very hush-hush Spring ’09 line. According to Creative Director Amy Christensen, their look for ’09 is inspired by the socio-political revolution of 1970′s Cuba. Bright whites and fuschias are juxtaposed against darker blues and military greens in linen crochet, bamboo, and organic cotton twill. Graphic tees will espouse quotes from the greatest revolutionaries of the 60′s and 70′s.

Company founder, Ryan D. Christensen has always made education and activism central goals of his line. Emphasizing equal rights and cultural harmony through the medium of fashion, “We evoke the enlightened rebel.” Sameunderneath continues to do just that for Spring 2009, reflecting the hope and excitement of the current election season by invoking the spirits of last century’s greatest cultural heroes.  ¡Vivá Revolución! 

Portland Fashion Week is here once again, and we at Greenloop are of course, quite excited about our hometown’s big green fashion event. Last year, we saw heavyhitters of eco fashion, like Anna Cohen, Stewart + Brown, Del Forte, and NatureVsFuture strut their stuff on the emerald catwalk. In 2008, Nike Considered returns as a sponsor and designer at the event. Another PDX native, Sameunderneath, is returning with their sustainable ready to wear line and egalitarian message, along with IDOM and Alula. Tons of fresh faces are hitting the 2008 runways along with the PFW veterans, like Collier, Salvationware, Revival Clothing, In Harmony, and Strung Out by Peniche. All will be showing their Spring/Summer collections for 2009, and all will be vying for the attention of buyers and press alike.

Portland Fashion Week is the only fashion week in the US completely devoted to sustainable designers; sustainable fashion means sourcing, manufacturing, packaging, and/or shipping in ways that are the most considerate of the ecologies and communities they effect in the process. PFW focuses mostly on the talent of indie designers, and aims to give these emerging business owners a leg up in the fashion world by making the show very affordable to participate in. PFW also seeks to draw national attention to this gorgeous city itself, and it’s unique blend of art, commerce, and sustainability. Portland is indeed a lush, green metropolis devoted to artisanship and strong community, making PFW the ideal scene for Portland’s design mavens to show the world what they got. The event runs from October 8th-12th at the Portland Design Center in the 14 Square building of Portland’s posh Pearl District.