Ekocycle: Coca-cola and Will.i.am Recycle Style

 

 Coca-Cola has partnered with Will.i.am from The Black Eyed Peas to create a line of eco-friendly clothing and accessory items.  Having a musician with such popularity as part of this brand will really help build the brand and concept.

For the most part, products dubbed as 'eco' or environmentally friendly are often not seen as hip and cool.  With a music powerhouse like Will.i.am attached to this brand it's sure to hit a note with young people.  He was quoted in the Huffington Post as saying, "If you think about recycled products now, none of them are cool. You have to bring some art and fashion sensibility into this technology that turns a bottle into something cool."

The product line will have everything from headphones to hats and promises to deliver on style and function.  A pair of headphones under Dr.Dre's line, Beats, will be one of the first items released under the Ekocycle brand this fall.  Coca-Cola plans to partner with a number of designers to create several items under the new label.

One thing is for certain, Ekocyle won't be cheap.  Recycled items have been known to be more expensive and this won't be any different.  But the hope is that consumers will be impressed with the concept of being eco-friendly and that the next generation customer will think about their choices when they shop.

Keep up with Ekocycle on their Facebook page.

H&M Conscious Exclusive Glamour Collection

With designer collaborations over the last few years H&M often sells out of limited edition merchandise very quickly.  This spring the company launches it's exclusive Eco-friendly Glamour collection.  For the past few seasons their Eco-initiative has brought items to the masses through the Conscious collection featuring items made using organic cotton and recycled materials.

The 2012 Conscious Collection is an exclusive Glamour collection with looks designed for the red carpet.  Celebrities have already taken a liking to the pieces.  Viola Davis, Michelle Williams and Amanda Seyfried have been spotted wearing items from the line.  Seyfried arrived at the London premier of the film In Time wearing the blue tuxedo blazer and short combo.

The entire collection will be available in 100 selected H&M stores around the world on April 12.  The items are all made from sustainable fabrics like organic cotton, hemp and recycled polyester.  The styles range from short mini dresses to floor length gowns.  You will find pretty gathers, peplums, soft pleats and pretty applique details.  

You don't need to be a celebrity to snag one of these items.  They are perfect for proms, gala events, weddings and any other special occasion where it calls for glamour.

Scroll down for a peek at some of the styles coming to stores or online very soon.

  

Amanda Seyfried on the red carpet in this blue short suit.

White organic cotton and silk dress. Limited edition only 1000 available.

Runway to Green

The fashion industry has often been accused of being one of the biggest culprits of waste and disregard for the environment.  When you think about it, consumers are encouraged to purchase new items every season.  Excess fabric, dye, and so many other factors are spoken of when a company is trying to address being environmentally responsible.

Runway to Green is an organization dedicated to raising awareness about the environment in the fashion business.  This is a partnership with top designers from around the world to raise funds to educate and create awareness about better business practices to help the environment.  Each designer created a fashion item that would be exclusive to Runway to Green and will be sold on NET-A-PORTER.COM, through each designers website and at selected retail outlets in Fall 2011.  Proceeds from sales will go directly to Runway to Green in turn funding organizations like United Nations Environment Programme's Billion Tree Campaign and the Natural Resources Defense Fund.

Designers who partnered with this venture include Jason Wu, Gucci, Rachel Roy, Manolo Blahnik, Prada and  Diane von Furstenberg.  The designers will be part of the educational programs for the Natural Resources Defence Council.  Each will be learning how they can implement more environment friendly practices into the production process.

The campaign was launched on March 29, 2011 in a collaboration with Christie's in New York City.  With the support of major players like Vogue and Anna Wintour, this organization will certainly make headway into changing the habits of designers in the industry.


www.runwaytogreen.com