Not Just A Label: Exclusive Organic Collection

NOTJUSTALABEL.com, a global business directory for the avant-garde fashion design industry, presents its first, collaborative, Organic Collection for Spring-Summer 2010.


Maintaining their strong focus on championing the industry’s eco-fashion sector, NJAL’s t-shirts are made from organic fair-trade cotton, meaning the fabric is void of any synthetic chemicals. As a company aiming to break the ground for the design of tomorrow, ethical production is the only way to go.

Since its beginnings in 2008, NOT JUST A LABEL (NJAL) has strived to support new fashion design talent from around the world by providing a destination site for consumers to reference and buy direct from their favorite new designers. As a limited edition offering NJAL have partnered with three very exciting new designers that currently showcase on the NJAL directory to create a unique collection of organic cotton  t-shirts and tank tops featuring signature designs and prints by the designers. The handmade pieces feature a special embroidered label, detailing the designer’s background and choice of design and each piece comes in a beautiful presentation box.

NJAL worked with three designers on the project, chosen for their unique sustainable sensibilities and eclectic style. London based Japanese designer Aoi Kotsuhiroi has applied her individual poetic imprint to the collection. The pristine yet powerful expression of her jewellery design is perfectly translated through print on her sheer cotton fabric ‘Nowhere’ Tank Top.

Patrick Mohr is one of Germany’s most current and prominent designers; his loose-fitting t-shirt silhouette provides a perfect template for the style of the NJAL t-shirts. The simplistic graphic black and white fabric divide on both the t-shirt and tank gives a masculine edge and simplicity to these unisex styles.

Spon Diogo is the design duo that provided the unique print for the third unisex t-shirt. With the graphic and structured take on prints and cuts that is so characteristic of young Danish design, the Ying Yang t-shirt perfectly balances out the collection.

In addition to the ethical modes of production, t-shirts ordered from the collection will be delivered in custom designed sustainable packaging by UPS, the world’s largest package delivery company. UPS will provide in-kind delivery of the orders placed via NOTJUSTALABEL.com. Nick Basford, marketing director, UPS UK & Ireland, commented: “Every day, UPS’s expertise helps facilitate the movement of fashion goods around the globe. This project offers a unique opportunity to support the work of some of the world’s most exciting new designers, while at the same time helping to promote a more sustainable and ethical industry, an aim UPS is wholly committed to as a company.

The NOT JUST A LABEL Organic T-Shirts will be available in a limited stock from the online shop NOTJUSTALABEL.com from Wednesday, 23rd June 2010 and priced at £55 / €65 each.

San Francisco Treats: Wholesome Bakery & PACT Organic Underwear

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Let’s make a PACT. Sustainably manufactured, premium organic cotton underwear for men (and women)! PACT just released its newest print — one designed by African architect David Adjaye and inspired by Nobel Prize winner Wangari Maathai’s Green Belt Movement, a nonprofit that promotes peace and democracy in Africa through tree planting.

PACT underwear is designed in collaboration with Yves Behar and fuseproject, the industrial design studio behind the Jawbone headset, the One Laptop per Child XO Laptop and the Herman Miller LEAF lamp. Each underwear collection is developed in partnership with a nonprofit, which gets 10% of all sales, and an artist who creates print designs inspired by the nonprofit’s work.

My pal (and vegan model) Jayce Alexander, strips down to his undies in this video for PACT:

Wholesome Bakery in San Fran has a brand new location and is serving up some amazing treats. Have any of you visited? If so, what are the must-have treats?

Cocoa V, Manhattan

When I visited Chelsea’s sweetest new boutique, Cocoa V, I was blown away by the craftsmanship and visual appeal of the brightly spattered and patterned confections filling the glass cases and the artistry of the decadent pastries piled on the cake stands. I was even more impressed when I discovered that everything is 100% organic, vegan, and fair-trade.

The space itself is quite versatile; a long wall divides a candlelit dining area and a vibrant storefront – making it ideal for lunch, dinner, a social gathering or a romantic date.

Everything is made on premises in a small kitchen by Chocolatier Patrick Coston, who offers a complete line of bonbons, truffles, bark, bars and baked goods. Special treats like their signature vegan “milk” chocolate truffles, almond toffee, and chocolate covered caramel popcorn are impossible to resist. The vegan cashew-cheese plates and savory tea sandwiches like the chickpea melt and a delicious, umami vegan quiche are a great way to balance the sweets.  Cocoa V has a carefully edited selection of wine and beer, and offers an already-infamous hot cocoa, fresh juices, and smooth Stumptown coffee. They even make handmade holiday treats like chocolate Easter rabbits and eggs  (see bottom of page). Being able to indulge in a plate of dark chocolates and cashew cheese has always been a fantasy of mine (I dream big) and now I get to have it!

Go be a kid in a candy store again, and when you visit, make sure to mention that you read about it on The Discerning Brute, and get 10% off ! Not in NYC? Don’t worry, you can shop online!

Fluevog Fancy Feet, Our Hen House, and TV Stars go Veg

• My new spring shoes are these killer, plaid, vegan oxfords from John Fluevog! How cool are these? They’re perfect with khaki shorts, jeans, or black trousers. From a punk rock club to wall street, you can mismatch them with other patters, or let these kicks stand alone as the centerpiece of your outfit. The best thing of all is that help you tread more light since they’re free of leather, one of the nastiest sources of pollution and global warming.  $179

CBC (Evergreen Plaid)

• I was recently interviewed on the podcast “Our Hen House, Episode 9where I discussed The Cave Man Diet, Mainstream Manliness, and other interesting tidbits with fabulous hosts and activists Jasmin and Mariann. If you aren’t subscribed to this podcast that discusses all kinds of ideas on how individuals can make change for animals, you should SUBCRIBE.

Our Hen House

• American Idol’s Ruben Studdard, went vegan and has lost over 100 lbs already! One of his favorite restaurants is Soul Veg in Atlanta. Ruben explained his weight-loss on ‘The Wendy Williams Show’, saying, ”I went to vegetarianism about a year-and-a-half ago, and then about 6 months ago I started being completely vegan.” Read the full article on Ecorazzi and his interview with Peta.

http://patrickhiller.com/images/blog/bob-harper-3.jpg• According to VegetarianStar.com, Biggest Loser host and trainer, Bob Harper is almost 100% vegan, and has challenged his twitter followers to go vegan, too!

When his cholesterol dropped 100 points after going veg, he couldn’t help but send out tweets like this: “Your Challenge today is to go the next 24 hours, starting now eliminating ALL animal products. Good for your heart AND the environment!!”

“I’m a HUGE fan of Gardein!!”

“I love this day..getting together with a couple of close friends and I’m preparing a VEGAN FEAST..hope they like it!!”

Follow Bob on Twitter, too.

Human Breast Cheese, SIGG Sale, Tofu Tester & Sonic Fedora

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I’m trying to figure out what the hell all this infantile (haha!) hysteria about he human breast milk cheese is really about. Is it really being considered the worst idea ever? It it really illegal? C’mon. Really?

When comparing cow and human milk, let’s ask a few question. Which milk comes from a consenting individual? It’s not the cows’. Which milk typically has pus, blood, synthetic hormones, and feces in it? Nope, not the human milk. Which milk is designed by nature for human consumption? Not the cows’. Which milk is responsible for the veal industry and global warming? Not the human milk.

So why are people freaking out? Why is human breast milk any more gross than drinking the random tit milk from a cow stuck in a filthy factory farm up to its knees in feces? Let’s face it, people are so boob obsessed that’s all they can think about. Boobs! But if you had to push a calf aside, crawl under a cow and put an udder in your mouth and suck – you’d have a much different point of view. The anonymity and safety of the milk carton obscures the truth. The newness of the human milk illicits visions of adults sucking on pregnant tits, which is, apparently, very scary. That’s why I prefer almond, coconut, rice, and soy milk. Yum!

What do you think about this issue? Leave a comment!

SIGG sale at Gilt Groupe! Only $10 – $15. Click here for you invitation to Gilt.

• Serious Eats’ Michael Natkin conducted a taste test of several store-bought tofu brands to bring you the least-bland winner of the taste test! I’ve never been a huge fan of plan old tofu, but according to Michael:

not all tofu is created equal. Some tofu has a mild, sweet beany flavor and a smooth consistency, while other brands have flavor defects and strange textures.

In Japan, it’s understood that top-shelf bean curd is an artisanal product made with only the best soybeans and spring water and processed with labor-intensive traditional techniques. That level of appreciation is unusual in the United States, but perhaps it will become more common as we realize that tofu is a versatile and delicious food in its own right, not a replacement for meat.”

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• Remember those recycled cassette tape ties? Check these recycled cassette tape fedoras from the same people!

recycled cassette tape fedora from alyce santoro