The MATTEL corporation has jumped on the ever-growing Green band wagon with the introduction of Barbie™ BCause. As quoted from MATTEL’s April 1st press release:
“Just in time to celebrate Earth Day in style, Barbie® introduces a collection of eco-friendly accessories for girls... The playful and on-trend Barbie™ BCause collection repurposes excess fabric and trimmings from other Barbie® doll fashions and products which would otherwise be discarded, offering eco-conscious girls a way to make an environmentally-friendly fashion statement with cool, patchwork-style accessories.
Aww, that’s cute. So after all the decades of mass-producing Barbie and her friends with their plastic bodies and man made hair all while not giving a damn, Mattel has decided to give the landfills a break. Thanks, guys! Now little girls everywhere can enjoy patchwork purses made of China factory remnants ridden with glue and other chemicals. It just keeps getting better!
The worst part is that these bags are not cute. They look just like the bags they made us sew for home-ec in the 8th grade. Only mine wasn’t made with dust-laden fabric scraps. My mom took me to House of Fabrics like all the other cool girls.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for eco-consciousness and environmental awareness. I also had a personal collection of almost 100 Barbies by the time I was 10. Just don’t try to fool me with your “Green” trickery; and most importantly, don’t attempt to sell me on it with ugly purses.
I was tipped off to this site by Christine. Etsy-affiliated, Burdastyleis a “virtual sewing circle,” complete with downloadable patterns, expert advice and tons of inspiration. There’s lots of cute stuff on this site, and there’s a forum for people to share their tips and tricks. Plus, if your a beginner, they have a Sewpedia to help you learn the lingo. It’s very lovey-dovey. And just look at the threads:
Have you heard? The “It Bag” is dead, so no more paying a thousand million dollars for a handbag, okay? It’s a momentous occasion for the poor and jaded who enjoy this blog, and it’s got me thinking.
Certainly one reason for this latest fashion occurrence is the glut of “must-have” bags that nobody can afford anyway, but I’m pretty sure that another part of it is the emerging “sustainable” fashion industry. Sparked by a growing public disdain for polluting plastic, eco-friendly companies have flooded the market with highly accessible, cute totes in cute colors (often stamped with sassy, greener-than-thou slogans), which are suddenly so chic.
I get it. I like them too, and I find myself longing for them. I mean, just today I fell for the adorable and reversible chambray tote from BYOB pictured above.
And that burning desire brings me to my major qualm about this phenomenon. I fear we’ll be charmed into collecting tons of these bags, which are often cheap and irresistible. And if we do that, then aren’t we just kicking the environment in the shins?
Isn’t the idea that we’re suppose to be trying to consume less instead of producing more and more and more and more? And don’t we run the very high risk of going overboard and over-consuming these non-plastic bags?
H&M is taking on AIDS with the help of a cotton collection and Rihanna. The Fashion Against AIDS line is the work of designers, musicians and artists, including our favorite songstress from Barbados along with Jade Jagger,Timbaland, The Cardigans (yeah, I didn’t get it either until I remembered they’re Swedish. So is H&M.) and Ziggy Marley. The bad news is that Good Charlotte and My Chemical Romance are also involved.
Still, considering how insanely popular H&M is and the way the company manages to work people into a frenzy, I’m sure this project will be pretty successful.
Twenty-Five percent of the proceeds go to global AIDS/HIV prevention, but a big part of the cause is to raise awareness among the 15-24 year old set. The cool thing is that some of the shirts will shout stuff like “Wear a Condom.” So 90s, so TLC. I love it.
They’re also 100% organic cotton and out in February.
Take that, Anya Hindmarch. This year’s most swooned over bag has now been spoofed by A Stupid Bag, an eco-friendly company that makes eco-friendly bags that say things like “I’m Just a Stupid Bag,” “I’m Just a Fucking Bag,” and “I’m a Cheap Shit Bag.”
Using one of these bags all year long can save about 700 plastic bags, you wasteful jerk.
In the late 80’s, my cousin Chante was THE leader of the Janet Jackson fan club. She handed down all non-Black clothing to me and she would’t be caught dead without a key dangling from her ear. I wanted to be her so bad! Thoughts of intense choreography and steamy warehouse buildings came to mind as I shopped a local flea market and came across this little gem. It’s so Janet Jackson’s 1989 Rhythm Nation!
This amazing wide elastic Black belt from the late 80’s by Alden Howard is the perfect addition to the “transition into the 90’s” portion of my wardrobe. It snaps in the back because of its hard core face plate. The 6″x4″ suede patch is covered with Black metal loops, bars, and studs. I suspect chains weaved throughout the loops originally but I love it the way it is!! Best part, of course, is the price. That’s right, a whole buck!
And now for your listening and viewing pleasure… God those were good times!!
I advocate sustainability and eco-friendly behavior whenever I can. In a time of dwindling resources, you kind of have to or people will talk really bad about you.
At the same time I love creative design and indie fashion. The problem is there has been a real void when one tries to combine the two. I mean I love hemp (don’t you?), but I would prefer not to walk around every day in a boxy potato sack with matching elastic-waist pants; or even a basic layering tank or T-shirt dress that’s over-priced just because it’s made of 100% cotton.
So imagine my excitement when I stumbled upon an editorial on clothing company, Velvet Leaf in issue 31 of Metro.pop magazine.
B: Velvet leaf manufactures with certified factories that use low wastage dyes, fair labor, and sustainable packaging
The best part is the clothes are so fun! The Spring 2008 collection includes perfectly fitting paper bag waist pants, high-waisted wide leg pant jumpers, bright colored skinny jeans with perfect detailing, girly yet edgy dresses, and 80’s-inspired tees with cut out sleeves. Check em out!!
