EDUN: Grow to Sew

5206248fa-100_frontEDUN, started in 2005 by Ali Hewson and Bono, has relaunched their website, and along with it, a crucial new initiative: Grow to Sew. One hundred percent of proceeds from the Grow to Sew series will go to the Conservation Cotton Initiative (CCI) in Uganda, an organic farming program created by EDUN and the Wildlife Conservation Society that aims to build sustainable, organic farming communities and offer farmers a fair trade market for their cotton. This comes at the first signs of peace after decades of civil war, strife, and unrest in this once-fertile, cotton growing region of Uganda called Gulu.

As part of the Pre Fall Collection created in honor of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, EDUN introduces a Special Edition Grow to Sew African produced tee shirt series, which features organic cotton, and bold black and white graphics inspired by the vibrancy of the continent. Included in this series is a “South Africa 2010” soccer ball graphic tee that features the shape of the African continent at the center of the ball.

5206168ba-250_front5206158ba-032_front

In addition to this initiative, EDUN’s mens’ A/W 2010 collection is looking tremendous with subtle grays, slate blues, tans, and olive. All fair trade, mostly organic cotton. I love everything EDUN stands for, but I do wish they’d ditch that one leather jacket they offer, being that livestock is the worst ecological offender out there ( and it’s just mean) – and there are so many amazing, sustainable  alternatives.

SALES: Loomstate & Malcolm Fontier

• Feeling Irregular? Malcolm Fontier introduces a very interesting initiative to clear out their slightly-irregular, sustainably leather-free and vegan accessories…at any price YOU choose. Wowza.

http://www.mf-paywhatitsworth.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/cuanto.jpg

• NYC, mark your calendars. From June 23 – 25th, Loomstate is having it’s famous sample sale in NYC with up to 75% off organic cotton for men and women in their distinctive and laid-back surfer/rocker/skater style.


Loomstate + ROGAN Annual Sample Sale, Wed. June 23rd to Fri. June 25th, 8am to 8pm (Fri. 8am to 5pm)
91 Franklin Street, Ground Floor, NY NY 10013 (between Broadway & Church in TriBeCa)

Dirty Dozen, Have a Cow & Prime Peacoats

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/34/94073857_8ec3ce9699.jpg

• Timeless Navy coats get ethical. Dress to oppress (I mean impress…). I love Barney’s exclusive organic cotton twill peacoat, inspired by Fidelity’s classic US Navy coats. Barney’s also offers a handsome Fidelity, organic cotton, toggle front peacoat in khaki. While an ethical military may never exist, the utilitarian clothing designed for it is often flawlessly functional.

• The Dirty Dozen. The Environmental Working Group, a public health nonprofit, put out a list of the fruits and veggies to absolutely avoid unless they’re organic. They analyzed almost 100,000http://www.studiobotanika.com/avactis-images/pimage_654_000000001_0.jpg produce pesticide reports from the USDA and the FDA. The “Dirty Dozen,” which contain 47 to 67 pesticides per serving, are the most dangerous because they have porous or textured skins that suck up more pesticides.

  1. 1. Celery
  2. 2. Peaches
  3. 3. Strawberries
  4. 4. Apples
  5. 5. Domestic blueberries
  6. 6. Nectarines
  7. 7. Sweet bell peppers
  8. 8. Spinach, kale and collard greens
  9. 9. Cherries
  10. 10. Potatoes
  11. 11. Imported grapes
  12. 12. Lettuce

Clean Fifteen. On the other side of this equation is the fruits and veggies that are not terribly hazardous if you get the conventional, non-organic varieties. These had the least detectable residues of pesticides:http://www.clarkart.edu/media/image/web/20100121-onions.jpg

  1. 1. Onions
  2. 2. Sweet corn
  3. 3. Sweet peas
  4. 4. Asparagus
  5. 5. Cabbage
  6. 6. Eggplant
  7. 7. Sweet potatoes
  8. 8. Avocados
  9. 9. Pineapples
  10. 10. Mangoes,
  11. 11. Kiwi
  12. 12. Domestic cantaloupe
  13. 13. Watermelon
  14. 14. Grapefruit
  15. 15. Honeydew

• Have a Cow, Man. Do you have some land? Enough for a cow or two to hang out on? Farm Sanctuary needs a few good men to be new dads to some recently rescued calves. What’s better than hanging out with a giant puppy? Click HERE to find out how you can become the most ethical cowboy around.

PARISIAN PIONEER: C-PAS’ Pierre-André Senizergues

Pierre-André Senizergues has a Hollywood story. He went from a Parisian childhood, to being homeless on the streets of Venice Beach, to becoming an international skateboarding champion and then one of the most influential and respected businessmen in the apparel and skate industry, heading-up Sole Technologies, Inc. Now, with over 25 years of revolutionizing skate culture, Pierre is again setting new standards and breaking new boundaries with social responsibility and environmentalism. C-PAS is Pierre’s latest personal endeavor, and along with designer Pierluigi Pucci, Senizergues is making menswear from recycled parachutes and tarps, organic cotton, soda bottles, sustainable fabrics, and he is finally addressing the fact that leather can never be sustainable.

I stopped by the Soho, NYC studio to try on some of the clothes, and chat about C-PAS, sustainable fashion, and menswear.

Earth Day Sale: Loomstate, Edun, Simple

To access these invite-only sales, you must have an invitation: click here.

Edun, Loomstate, Rolland Berry & Simple ShoesEarth Day: Do the Green Thing

Ladies, there’s lots for you too!

Braintree & McDonald’s Wants Green Rock Stars

• Braintree is a UK based clothing line offering up some basics in sustainable materials. Polos, tees, henleys and button-downs in hemp, bamboo and organic cotton blends from.

The New McDonalds campaign has me rolling my eyes, not rocking out. The “Come As You Are” ad series, created by European ad agency BETC Euro RSCG, is basically the European equivalent to “I’m Lovin It” and, while making a Nirvana reference, is trying to appeal to all sorts of white people in France. They have also changed their logo colors to green! This must mean they are now environmentalists, right? Now I can get gas at BP and drive through McD’s and know they are committed to green. The color.

Thanks to Andy for the tip!

http://nanthala.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/mcdonalds-come-as-you-print-ad-campaign.jpg

Cruel Jokes, Article 23 & Losing Lobos

Article 23 is a contemporary Parisian fashion line focused on organic, fair-trade garments. They participate in the development of ecologically and socially responsible organic fiber apparel; selecting its partners for their compliance with environmental and labor standards. Here’s some selects available for international shipping on the UK’s Ascension website:

• There are just 42 Mexican gray wolves left in the wild. Forty-two. Tell Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to speed up the federal recovery efforts to save these wolves from extinction. Mexican gray wolves, also known as lobos, have been on the Endangered Species List for more than 30 years. But mismanagement, poaching and a loud anti-wolf minority have prevented the them from recovering. Today, just two breeding pairs remain! Find out how you can help.

http://graywolves.info/wolf.jpg

• TOP 10 REASONS WHY ANIMAL RESEARCH IS A CRUEL JOKE: If you think all animal research is used to treat and cure life-threatening conditions, think again. This list was compiled by IDA.

All of the following are actual experiments conducted on live animals with your money:

10. 4 OUT OF 5 SCIENTISTS SURVEYED RECOMMEND EJACULATION TO RATS

Four researchers at the University of Western Ontario’s School of Medicine andDentistry and one researcher at the University of Cincinnati studied whether male rats enjoyed ejaculation or intromission (the insertion of the penis into the vagina) more. Their data support the hypothesis that there is a hierarchy of sexual pleasure, with ejaculation at the top!

9. CHIMPS IN WORLD’S WORST ORPHANAGE CONDITIONS
Conditions that were “standard care” at primate centers until the 1990s!

8. THANKS TO THESE SCIENTISTS, CASTRATED HAMSTERS CAN STILL GET IT UPhttp://www.carolinelucasmep.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/animal-testing.jpg

7. RATS TRAPPED IN UNCOMFORTABLE PLACES FOR A LONG TIME GET FREAKED OUT. Monkeys too!

6. MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT IN RUMINANT HISTORY

5. DON’T CASTRATE YOUR CHILDREN, SAY SCIENTISTS
From the NIH Intramural Research Program, which boasts the only lab ever charged with multiple counts of criminal animal cruelty!

4. A FIGHT TO THE DEATH – BUT NOT BETWEEN LIZARDS

3. WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT? EXERCISE MAY HELP
From the researcher who discovered that adopted children fare better than orphans and social support alleviates depression!

2. MICE NEED ONLY WHEEL, NOT SHOCKS, FOR WHEEL-RUNNING

1. SCIENTISTS FIND VAGINAL STIMULATION MIGHT BE PLEASURABLE
Funded by a “high risk, high reward” NIH breakthrough grant!

We’re on Oprah! We Eat Donuts! We Rescue Dogs!

Yes sirs and madams, your favorite blog, The D-Bizzle got a major shout out on Oprah.com! Vaute Couture’s Leanne Mai-Ly Hilgart, this month’s gorgeous VegNews cover-girl was recently interviewed on Oprah.com. In that interview, she shouted out The DB, and then featured images from the upcoming menswear lookbook. Yours Truly and the heart-throb vegan model, Jayce Alexander Basques are hanging out in Brooklyn in this image at a thrift store. I am riding a tricycle (my main form of transportation) and Jayce is clearly impressed by my ride. Although we are not really “feminine and flirty” as the title on Oprah.com suggests, the rest of the images featuring Vaute’s amazing winter coats for women, certainly are.

Check out my original article on the Vaute Menswear from fashion week, and our video interview with Leanne!

Men's coats from Vaute Couture

Jayce and I had some time to catch up in San Francisco this past week, and we made a very healthy breakfast of a stack of vegan donuts and soy-lattes from Ritual Coffee Roasters on Valencia. There was cinnamon-sugar, maple, blueberry, and coconut. Oy vey!

In addition to stuffing my face, I finally got to meet my sister Joelle’s rescued pooch, Lina! She is a clever, pretty and loving little gal! It took her about 25 minutes to warm up to me, but by the end of the week I was getting kisses on the face. She was found wandering the streets, pregnant and terrified, but is quickly turning into a trusting friend despite her scary past. If you have room in your house and heart, or are thinking of getting a companion animal, please adopt and rescue. It will be an amazing and uplifting experience for you and your new friend.

Velour’s Shirts & Ties

Velour’s online store, featuring a bunch of organic cotton in classic men’s styles, is up and running! The coordinating shirt-and-tie combinations are incredibly fetching, and mismatching them is even more fun. No one will even suspect that you’re a hippie in these sharp cuts:

Dominic SS10Dominic SS10

IsacGaryTradeJoe

BenRalph SS10

LennonTimAlbinBrian

AndrewTodd SS10Craig SS10 Ernest SS10

TURK & TAYLOR: 50% Off Everything!

One of our fav organic lines is having a crazy sale. Everything is 50% off online, and only 3$ flat rate for domestic shipping! ENTER DISCOUNT CODE TURKCRAZY50 AT CHECKOUT!

Image of CLOUDS TEEImage of MEN'S GUAYABERA