The Discerning Brute: fashion, food & etiquette for the ethically handsome man » fashion

Smells Like Crap & Tastes Like Coffee

joshuakatcher — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 08:42:14 +0000

The Civet Cat is a rather cute animal. Sort of cat-like, but actually from the Viverridae family - the animal is native to Africa, Madagascar, the Iberian Peninsula, southern China, and Southeast Asia. Strangely, we humans have taken a liking to this fuzzy critters poop and anal gland secretions. We've been wearing it in our fragrances and drinking coffee beans that pass through (if you know what I mean). The smelly stuff, which is also called civet, that comes out of the perineal glands (near the anus) is quite musky and acts as a stabilizing agent in fragrances - it extends the life of the overall smell, their olfactory duration, if you will. Left to itself in nature, the musk is very offensive, has been known to induce vomiting in humans, and can smell for up to four months. In order to harvest the secretion, the civet must be killed or have the thick, yellow grease painfully scraped from the gland's anal sac. The civet’s secretions must be combined with alcohol and other chemicals to bring out its “pleasant musky odor". It is rumored that civet cats produce more secretions when they are under stress, so many of the farmers hit their cages to keep them scared. Fortunately, synthetic civetone has been synthesized from precursor chemicals found in palm oil, but many supposed “high-quality” perfume manufacturers still prefer torturing these unfortunate and smelly animals. There are other animals also used for their smells. And if you didn't think this poor animal already had it tough, people have been drinking incredibly expensive coffee that has been shat out after these guys eat the coffee cherries. It sorta looks like a Babe Ruth bar, no? At first, people collected the wild droppings, but now they've realized that farming the civets yields greater revenue. The whole demand for the crappuccino comes from the distinct and rare flavor that occurs from the fermentation process inside the civets stomach. Now, I know there are people out there who are scientists. Can't you think of more intelligent way to ferment coffee cherries? Fortunately, someone has done just that. According to poopcoffee.com, "The Trung Nguyen Coffee Company hired a German scientist to research the chemical processes that occur in the Civet’s stomach, and in 1996 scientists were able to isolate six specific digestive enzymes and then use these enzymes to create a synthetic soak known as Legendee, which they patented. " When you cage a wild animal, you prevent it from doing anything that nature intended it to do. It is emotional and physical torture for wild animals to be locked up - and this is no exception, no matter how delicious the coffee tastes, it's still shitty. No matter how amazing the fragrance smells, it's still shitty. Free the civet cats!

New York Times: A civet farm in Liwa, a town in Sumatra, where the catlike animals eat coffee cherries. Their droppings contain coffee beans fermented in their stomachs.

Not Just A Label: Exclusive Organic Collection

joshuakatcher — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 14:43:03 +0000

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.

Eco Designers Earth Day Special, Part 3

joshuakatcher — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 15:00:06 +0000

Part 3 of the 4-part Earth Day Special I wrote for Hint Magazine is live! Featuring Novacas, Imposter, Bassike, PAZ Aparrel, and Turk & Taylor. Please go check it out and show the ethical and vegan lines some love by leaving comments!

The Hill-Side & Denim Demon

joshuakatcher — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:21:27 +0000

The Hill-Side makes ties and pocket-squares from selvedge fabrics, diverting them from landfills and making really cool, classic square-end ties, pocket squares, and handkerchiefs. I bought a brown, waxed cotton tie and think it's just swell. There's a few cool, organic cotton items over at Denim Demon - but watch out because this label also uses deer antler buttons, some leather, and some wool. We love the organics and the style, but hey Denim Demon, next season steer clear of the cruel stuff, ok?

G-STAR, Mjolk, B.Son, RCVA

TheDiscerningBrute — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 03:06:14 +0000

G-STAR is known for its urban, experimental approach to denim and it's technical, decorative stitching and embellishments. The men's collection features organic denim jackets, shirts and jeans. This organic vintage shirt does not disappoint, and would look fantastic on your walk for animals. RVCA created a vegan studded pleather duffle bag that can carry all the anti-fur pamphlets you'll hand out this autumn and winter, in style. Sometimes Autumn weather can throw you for a loop. A short sleeve hoodie is a good compromise. These organic cotton hoodies from San Francisco's B.Son can do the trick while apple-picking or partying with the turkeys at Thanksliving. If you've gotta just roll up your sleeves and fight the good fight for wild horses, I love the wooden toggle-sleeve on this organic cotton shirt from the Australian line, Mjolk. Drop-crotch seems to be coming up all over the place. People either love it or hate it, and it's a pretty loud trend in Europe and Australia. Mjolk offers up these organic cotton jersey trousers. If slouch is not your thing, don't worry. If you're a risk-taker, dive in do some dancing in celebration of the 4.5 million animals recently saved from cruel experiments.

Victoria Bartlett, VPL SS10

TheDiscerningBrute — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:00:26 +0000

It's Fashion week in NYC! Here is my interview with Victoria Bartlett about her show at the Chelsea Piers for Spring/Summer 2010. In regard to her sponsorship by the Humane Society of the United States, she had this to say:

"I've always been anti-fur - I love my pets...and I could never see them being worn. It's a very human time right now, and what's the sense in more carnage? There are other things in life to celebrate and design doesn't have to be draped with dead animals." - Voctoria Bartlett

AUGUST CONTEST: Win a $150 Gift Certificate at the Turk + Taylor online store!

TheDiscerningBrute — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 14:38:41 +0000

Turk + Taylor creatively use organic and sustainable materials and processes to design gorgeous garments for both men and women. Their mastery of reinventing classics and capturing nostalgia makes them one of our favorite lines. All goods are manufactured locally in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Turk+Taylor Pop-Up Shop is located at 1529 Fillmore Street in San Francisco. Their phone number is 415-336-5364. They’re open Thursday through Sunday, Noon – 7pm through the end of August. Their Online store is: http://tnt.bigcartel.com/

You can win this $150 Turk + Taylor Gift Certificate in a few simple steps:

Cities need trees! Friends of the Urban Forest http://www.fuf.net is one of Turk + Taylor’s favorite organizations! Check out their website and then send us anything that inspires you about greening our urban spaces! A letter about what you do, a photo of your rooftop garden, a poem about a tree on your block, a video. Anything goes as long as it’s about the urban forest. Don’t forget to send along an explanation if it’s a visual.
Send to TheDiscerningbrute@gmail.com. The Subject line must read: AUGUST CONTEST: TURK+TAYLOR (otherwise it may get trashed)
The best, most moving and creative submission wins!
Deadline is AUGUST 31st.
The winner will be announced SEPTEMBER 1st.

KUYICHI

TheDiscerningBrute — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:00:29 +0000

KUYICHI is an organic, fair-trade line launched in 2001 in the Netherlands that captures a young, casually-edgy and effortless cool aesthetic. Kuyichi was born when the Dutch NGO Solidaridad discovered how harmful conventional cotton was while setting up fair-trade programs with food. They were the first denim and fashion line to use organic cotton, and they continue to pioneer innovative and sustainable methods of production including recycling water and natural dyes, considering both labor and environment. Every KUYICHI garment has a "Track & Trade" code on the tag, and using this code, you can track the history of each garment using this amazing web tool. KUYICHI is SA8000 certified which means no child labor or discrimination, no sweatshops, fair pay and hours, and heathcare and safety for workers. With influences ranging from grunge-rock and vintage military to yippis and bikers - KUYICHI features materials like organic cotton, bamboo denim, linen denim, spare denim, hemp denim, recycled PET and Lenpur. Find out the details about these materials by clicking HERE. Unfortunately, they do use some vegetable-tanned leather, which, according to the UN, still comes from the #1 cause of global warming: Raising animals for agriculture. I hope they nix the leather all-together in favor of waxed and treated plant-based materials, or eco-friendly fauxs. You can purchase their garments ONLINE.