In honor of World AIDS Day, Dulce Locura is featuring DESIGNERS AGAINST AIDS (DAA), an organization founded to heighten AIDS awareness in the media and in society. DAA targets youth in industrialized nations by incorporating music, celebrities, fashion and other pop culture into their creations.

Those who shop at H&M have likely seen the Fashion Against AIDS collections launched by DAA and the popular clothing chain. Together they worked with designers, artists and celebrities to create shirts sending messages that spread awareness about AIDS.

The online shop features pesticide-free, Fair Trade cotton collections of T-shirts, hoodies, underwear and nightwear for men and women.

Based in Massachusetts and available online for shipments to the US, Canada and Europe, Jute & Jackfruit is an eco-fashion company with three main visions.

♥ SMART
To empower women worldwide through socially conscious endeavors and fair trade.

♥ SUSTAINABLE
To support the environment in everything we do.

♥ CHIC
To offer exquisite fashion-forward clothing, jewelry and accessories.

The story of how Jute & Jackfruit started goes hand-in-hand with its current goals. Founder Shana Yansen spent time working in Asia and while she was there she made two observations that eventually led to business opportunities. There was a huge garment industry as well as increasing environmental damage.

Having previosly worked as a health educator in Honduras, Shana remembered the women artisans and business owners that she came into contact with and how they impacted her. In an effort to empower these women yet again Shana created an enterprise where women artisans and business owners can better their lives in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way.

Jute & Jackfruit works by finding producers who implement both eco-smart materials and micro-craftsmanship and fair trade in their creations, especially in resource-poor settings.

Jute & Jackfruit sells products from various companies who meet these standards, including my personal favorite:

Nahui Ollin
♥ Nahui Ollin artfully blends Mayan weaving with designer handbag style
♥ Each handbag takes between 1-5 days to make and requires 150 to 4,000 candy wrappers
♥ Through the purchase of these bags, indigenous Mayan communities are empowered to continue weaving and preserving their art, language and culture.
♥ Hand made in Mexico

Check out Jute & Jackfruit online, especially their collection of dresses and Nahui Ollin for the most colorful bags you have ever seen

Did you even know fabric can be made out of milk? It has been termed an eco fabric and is used by many high-end eco designers, including Linda Loudermilk who has been featured on Dulce Locura. However, many are now arguing that like bamboo, it is not as eco friendly as many are saying.

Milk fiber was discovered as a source for fabric by the Germans in World War I. It is made by drying liquid milk and extracting the proteins whuch are dissolved into liquid once again. Finally the fibers are spun together to create yarn and fabric. Milk fabric is useful to designers because it allows for dye, is breathable and extremely soft and lightweight.

Some argue that milk is eco friendly because milk fiber doesn’t use as much energy or produce as much waste as cotton, it is more biodegradable, and the process of producing milk fiber is chemical free.

As I was reading the list of pros, the cons kept coming to me and after doing more research I am truly convinced that milk fabric is not eco friendly.

CONS

• The dairy industry is already harmful to our environment. Greenhouse gases are the most talked about, but another aspect is that the grains needed to feed cows could also be used to feed starving people.
• The University of Virginia has found that the milk proteins are allergenic, they can be absorbed by sweating and cause harsh reactions.
• There are better uses of water than dairy farming…like for people.
• All garments made from milk fabric so far have been incredibly expensive, available to only a handful. One of the big arguments for eco fashion is its support for social justice…how is using resources badly needed by the majority of the world’s population so the rich can wear silky dresses supporting this?

This debate is not likely to settle anytime soon…if ever. Like bamboo there are arguments for both side, and it is up to the consumer to determine if the fabric is right for them.

I wasn’t quite sure whether I should feature this particular creation because I am not sure if fabric is eco friendly, however the concept is and the dress is way too innovative and chic to not show you all.

This dress is called Flare and is the invention of Dutch designer Stijn Ossevoort, who studied both industrial engineering and art design and uses his work as a way to show the way we relate to products, in this case LEDs, lightweight and energy efficient lights. Often used to light living spaces, he has attached them to a dress. The LEDs are powered by wind energy and as the wearer moves the dress glows and lights up in various formations.

Though not super wearable or likely to catch on, the Flare dress definitely makes a statement in regards to the way we light our living spaces and the ability and responsibility we have to find alternate sources of energy.

L *Space by Monica Wise is well known in Hollywood for its chic swimwear, often sported by celebrities such as Jessica Alba, Cameron Diaz and Lindsay Lohan. Wise is taking her creations one-step further by creating an eco line set to launch Spring 2010. The collection “Slinky,” is made from the renewable resource Sarona fiber, a natural starch in corn kernels. Furthermore, the production process used reduces green house emissions harmful to the environment.

“I felt that it was time to be a little more conscious and consider the effect our business and purchases have on the environment,” Wise said.

In addition, L *Space is partnering with humanitarian fashion label OmniPeace, well knwon for its logo of the outline of Africa underneath a two-fingered peace sign. OmniPeace’s goal is to end hunger in Africa, promote peace, education, human rights, and to end extreme poverty by 2025. The bathing suits in “Slinky” show their commitment to OmniPeace with clasps and hardware embossed with the symbol.

L *Space will also show their support by donating 20 percent of its profits from the line to the organization to be spread out among charities in Africa supporting humanitarian relief.

A special thanks to my friend Erin for leading me to this story

Mira’s goal is to create clothes for women of all shapes, sizes and backgrounds while at the same time encouraging socal responsibility among youth. “We want to be a role model for future companies and for young people from diverse backgrounds,” says Mira.

Here’s how they do it:

Recycling: Remnants of fabric are reused to create as little waste as possible. Often scraps are turned into yarn for new garments or used for cleaning.

Energy and Water Efficiency: American Apparel has implemented daylight-harvesting technology in the factories which saves over a million kilowatt hours of energy each year.

Sourcing: Catalogs are printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with non-toxic inks. American Apparel is also in the early stages of incorporating sustainable fabrics such as recycled polyester into their line.

Renewable Energy: The roof of the factory in Los Angeles has a state-of-the-art solar panel installation which generates 150 kilowatts of clean, renewable power, about 15% of their energy needs.

Organic cotton: The American Apparel Organic Collection comes from the most popular styles made from 100% USDA Certified Organic and pesticide-free cotton.

American Apparel has also made a huge commitment and contribution to the communities in LA. Unlike many other companies, American Apparel doesn’t use offshore labor and employs close to 5,000 workers in the Los Angeles downtown area. Furthermore, the average sewing operator makes more than $12 an hour with full benefits and ESL training.

Yes, the clothes at American Apparel are expensive, but it can’t be denied that they are ahead of most American clothing companies in their commitment to ethical fashion in the present as well as their interest in finding new ways to do their part for the future.