(Environmentally) Friendly Fashion

Organic comes in all forms: bananas, mangoes and of course your favorite tee. That’s right. Organic isn’t just for your food anymore.

If you’re like me, you probably have at least one shirt, pair of jeans and socks all organic. Organic clothing is the future. Major labels are recognizing that customers want to be environmentally-friendly even in their clothing. Body and beauty products are doing the same.

“You are what your skin eats”

Walk into your local Macy’s and you’d first be greeted by the loud noise and obnoxiously stylish MAC counter. Or you might be overwhelmed to try a sample of Paris Hilton’s new perfume. But if you look beyond all the scents and make-up is a small counter of organic and all-natural beauty and body products.

Macy’s offers customers a chance to be organically attractive. “Origins” is a line of beauty products that presents customers with a chance to get their skin nice and smooth without any hard cleansers or other unnatural products. The ingredients in their products are all natural: spices, flower, fruit and citrus. Origins has two lines of beauty products; natural and organic. Origins organics are made form 70-90 percent organic ingredients.

My favorite is the foaming face wash made from 73 percent organic ingredients. The wash is made from a blend of organic “clove, rose, lavender, patchouli and red thyme essential oils or organic lavender alcohol.” The face wash smoothes over in light foam and leaves behind a natural and calming scent the rest of the day. No hard cleansers here.

Siham, who didn’t want to give her last name works at the Origins counter at Macy’s in West Covina.

“I like the body lotion,” she said. “I like the smell.”

Siham likes to environmentally conscious in the shower.

“I like the soap because I know it won’t hurt. (It) washes easily.”

She feels relieved that soap won’t add any chemicals to the water when washing down the drain.

Other products offered are purifying tonic, face lotion, lip balm, cleansing body bar, body lotion, body spritz, massage oil, and hair oil. Everything you need to get ready for the day. Origins proudly boast, “You are what your skin eats.” The best part of Origins that all the empty bottles can be brought back to the store where they will be sent back and recycled.

Shoot I’m fashionable

Bamboo isn’t just for pandas anymore. It can be made into rayon and used for clothing.

J.C. Penney offers alternative clothing made from bamboo, recycled cotton and organic cotton. Shirts, jeans, socks and even thermals made from organic or recycled cotton or rayon made from bamboo. Arizona offers customers shirts and jeans made from recycled cotton. The shirts are so soft you’d want to rub them on your face and they’re designed with cute environmentally friendly prints. The jeans aren’t stiff or cardboard like either. They feel like you just slipped on your favorite pair of worn out-jeans. And when you want to stay cozy, Cuddl Duds offer thermals made from bamboo with a cute bamboo print on the inside.

“Save the planet, we all live here.”

The World Wildlife Fund also manufactures recycled cotton t-shits with environmentally friendly slogans. These range from the idea that “Green is the new Black” to the very upfront “Save the planet we all live here.” That’s right. WWF has some cute shirts and affordable tees that not only promote an eco-friendly message, but are also made form recycled cotton. My favorite is the blue tee with an Earth on it with the message, “Keep it Cool.” Another favorite is a hot pink tee with a sad penguin dressed up with a bowtie, standing on the Earth with the words “All dressed up and no where to go.” If you remember the polar bear scene from “An Inconvenient Truth,” you know what I’m talking about.

Their shirts can be ordered through Delia’s catalog or found at your local J.C. Penney.

Being Green makes more Green

Let’s examine the business end of going organic. Isn’t more costly and time-consuming for companies to provide organic products? This is what I was thinking, then I realized that going organic allows major companies to show that they too are “concerned” about the planet. They don’t have to go out of their way to provide customers with these products, but they do because it creates a good image. “The Economist” discussed how going green benefits major corporations in the article, “Business: How green is your wardrobe?; Organic clothing,” “Proponents claim the fibre is better for the planet, for growers and for consumers than the more common sort of cotton. Whether or not that is true, organic cotton certainly attractive to retailers trying to burnish their socially responsible images. Ethics, after all, are all the rage.”

You don’t have to be a hippie to go green.

For more information about Origins visit your local Macy’s.