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It’s one thing for a big clothing retailer to launch an eco-friendly
capsule collection (as Target did in April with the 100%-organic-cotton
Loomstate for Target by CFDA-award-winning designer Rogan Gregory
and partner Scott Mackinlay Hahn). It’s quite another to make going
green an ongoing commitment. But a few major mall stores are making the
effort, both through the clothes on their racks and the way they do
business. A PR move? Maybe. But it’s one that’s paying big dividends in
protecting the planet—and producing some fabulously affordable sustainable styles in the process.
For hip, color-drenched, comfy basics (and the occasional sparkly little some’n-some’n), we love Swedish-based H&M.
These days, H&M’s efforts toward sustainability are giving us even
more to love. For one thing, the company updates its restricted
chemicals list on a regular basis, ensuring that its garments are safer
to wear, safer to make, and safer for the environment; like our own Big List,
their list of no-nos includes lead, mercury, formaldehyde and PVC. To
reduce its carbon footprint, H&M now also requires that transport
companies instruct at least 75% of their drivers in eco-driving
practices, restricts the sulfur content in diesel vehicles used to
transport product and requires that its transport companies ban vehicle
idling for more than one minute.
As for those trendy tops and bottoms for which H&M is
internationally adored, they’re getting greener, too. In 2009, the
company plans to use 3,000 tons of organic cotton, which is ten times
more orgcot than it used just three years ago. And it’s a member of the
Organic Exchange—an organization that promotes the use of organic
cotton worldwide. H&M also is incorporating recycled PET bottles,
recycled cotton remnants and other second-time’s-a-charm materials into
some first-rate warm-weather essentials. Unfortunately, because their
stores are so full of goods, it’s difficult to find their sustainable
offerings, and you still can’t order H&M clothing online. Green tag
special, anyone?
At Banana Republic,
purveyor of what they call “accessible luxury” and what we like to
think of as well-priced, nicely tailored classics, green is gaining
traction. The retailer launched its Green collection in 2008, and has
laid out a series of eco initiatives intended to protect and conserve.
This summer, Banana Republic introduces Heritage for Women, a rather
sexy (for conservative BR, anyway) collection of deliciously drapey,
dare we say slinky, tops, pants and dresses—90% of which use
sustainable fabrics and trims. We especially love the 48% soy-silk
leopard-print halter pictured below—the perfect top for summer evenings
al fresco. In addition to its newest eco collection, Banana Republic is
devoting itself to cleaner, greener manufacturing and packaging
practices. No, they don’t yet offer organic cotton denim, but at least
the company’s Denim Clean Water Program requires the laundry facilities
that dye and treat its denim pieces to adhere to strict rules governing
water discharge. Sadly, although the Heritage collection is easy to
find online, we were unable to find it in stores—apparently only a few
locations actually carry the line, but we’re hoping that will change
when they launch the next installment this fall. Saturday-evening-wear
in eco-friendly fabrics and good ol’ Sunday jeans that are easier on
the Earth? That’s a weekend we can appreciate.
Infused with New York’s signature style sensibility, but sensitive to the ecology of the wider world: That’s the vision behind pureDKNY’s
organic capsule collection, new for spring/summer. Part of designer
Donna Karan’s modern, understated, casual-chic line and available in
DKNY boutiques nationwide, the collection includes sheer cotton
dresses, jersey tank tunics and floor-length dresses in organic cotton,
linen and recycled nylon. Prices start at $55 and top out at $375,
which makes these pieces not just eco-friendly, but economy-friendly,
too. The looks are simple, casual and, frankly, not the most exciting,
but the semi-sheer, black organic-linen shrug and the cool, white
organic-cotton cozy are perfect eco-options to throw over a (perhaps a
little more racy) summer sundress. But designer Karan isn’t just making
environmentally friendly clothes. With the Urban Zen Foundation, the
organization she co-founded with British designer Sonja Nuttall, she’s
also healing the world we live in by promoting natural health and
nutrition, child empowerment and preservation of endangered cultures
around the globe.
Yes, these are still big brands with far-from-stiletto-sized