Lincoln Center Sustainable Fashion & PINNACLE

A photog from the RightyRightyRight fashion blog and zine snapped some photos of my rad outfit sponsored by CPas & NOVACAS at Lincoln Center, yesterday. In addition to the recycled-poly, hand-tailored blazer and vest, the organic cotton shirt and pants, the recycled-poly and recycled-cotton coat, the organic denim and vegan leather bag, and the NOVACAS vegan boots – I was wearing my April77 vegan biker jacket, carrying a Matt & Nat cruelty-free bag with recycled soda-bottle ultra-suede lining, and sporting my fav vintage sunglasses.


This happened right before I went into Lincoln Center and got interviewed by Robert Verdi. I showed him the PINNACLE Mag, to which he said “I already have that“. I was wowed. Mr. Verdi, are you anti-fur yet?

Huffington Post contributor, Andy Stepanian, wrote a really impressive article on PINNACLE: Reinvent The Icon today, featuring some of the amazing photos by Anthony Two Moons and Gregory Vaughan. PLease check it out and spread the word!

Change is Coming & My New Shoes

• As if the universe destined it (because we all know the world revolves around my shoes),  I stumbled into MooShoes just as they were unleashing their new fall/winter mens boots. I snagged a pair of these awesome Milo boots in black. They also come in an equally serious textured gray-brown. They are sustainably leather-free, made fairly in Europe, and they’re damn tough!

• Remember the 90′s when Cindy Crawford wasn’t a total sell-out modeling fur and awful denim couches? Change.org has highlighted the PINNACLE Initiative! I’m so thankful for all the attention this really cool and really simple idea is getting. We often wonder what we can do to help animals, and if you are creative, PINNACLE is the perfect opportunity to actually make art that can end some pretty unimaginable suffering.

“Joshua Katcher of The Discerning Brute launched the campaign to bring together animal-loving models, artists, and designers to create a wide-reaching anti-fur message.The basic idea behind the Pinnacle campaign is a re-invention of that iconic anti-fur pin that Cindy Crawford once wore.”

ULTIMATE Father’s Day Guide for the Ethically Handsome Dad

Every Father’s Day, we get dear-old-dad the same old stuff, but being a dad is cooler and braver than ever! Most fathers want what’s best for the family- and now he can also help protect animals and the planet too. The best part is, when getting these ethically handsome gifts for pop, you don’t have to sacrifice style, taste, or pleasure. Nor do you have to compromise on what dad likes! These cool gifts are a spin on traditional Father’s Day presents, from geeked-out gadgets and tools to socks and ties to sports gear and suits. I’ve even got recommendations for dads who have it all, from electric sports cars and motorcycles to Armani Bamboo Sports coats! Your father will be proud to be a personal hero to you and a superhero to the planet. Let’s not underestimate what it means to be protector this Father’s Day!

GIFTS:

• No one in the office will know! Organic Cotton Dress Shirts from Culturata, Velour, and Nordstrom. Organic cotton blows conventional cotton out of the water – growing conventional cotton requires the use of enormous amounts of pesticides, which has a huge environmental impact and presents health risks for those working around it. 25% of the world’s insecticide use and more than 10 percent of the world’s pesticide goes to cotton crops. In 2003, that amounted to about 55 million pounds of pesticides being sprayed on 12.8 million acres of cotton, according to the Organic Trade Association.

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http://www.aussiebum.com/content/items/1265_banana_brief_brf_white/ZM_banana_brf_white.jpg• Organic cotton, bamboo, and banana fiber underwear & socks from Aussiebum & Nordstrom. Supporting sustainable and ethical fashion is more than just an outer layer. Keeping pesticides away from sensitive areas is something any man will get behind.

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Nordstrom Bamboo Blend Socks (3-Pack) Nordstrom Organic Cotton Boxer  Shorts

• Sports gear: Carpenter Trade, professional baseball glove  $280 In addition to superior performance, most people don’t realize that the #1 cause of greenhouse gas emissions is from raising livestock for food and leather. Avoiding leather is one of the most powerful things to do for the environment. So have a custom made, professional-grade glove made with your dad’s name on it.

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• Mens organic, cruelty-free grooming products and scents. The last thing you should give pop is a guilty conscience with products that have been tested on animals. Most razors and many mainstream grooming products are still tested on animals and are not made from recycled plastics, but these items are totally cruelty-free and sustainable. (Preserve, Jack Black, Herban Cowboy, the Body Shop)

Triple Razor Replacement Blades

White Musk® for Men Eau de Toilette Organic Grooming by Herban Cowboy Cologne Dusk 1.7 oz

• Get your dad back into health with cookbooks, health guides, and diet books for dudes! The fireman’s Engine 2 Diet, the Triathlete’s THRIVE book series, Skinny Bastard, Meat is for Pussies, Vegan Bodybuilding and Tal Ronnen’s amazing cookbook, the Conscious Chef.

Buy The Engine 2 Diet book todayBook Cover Meat Is For Pussies book image

Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness By Robert Cheeke THRIVE FITNESS

• Stock the Pantry with delicious, gourmet food! Who says eating healthy means eating sprouts? What dad doesn’t love dark chocolate, smores, gourmet sausage, jerky, dips, and healthy, meaty meal-starters?

Vegan Double Chocolate Twinkies Twin Pack By Dulce Vegan Organic European-Style Chocolate Assortment By Sjaak's Smore Pies by Sweet & Sara

Vegan Grain Meat Sausages By Field Roast

Homestyle Beefless Tips By GardeinVegan Ground Beef By Match

Primal Strips Meatless JerkyVega Sport Performance Protein Tub

• Cruelty-free Accessories from NOHARM, Novacas, Bourgeois Boheme, Matt & Nat, Truth, and The Vegan Collection. Also check out the solar-charged briefcase from Voltaic, or a recycled canvas and vegetable-based faux-leather handbag. All sustainably leather-free.

NOHARM Black Slip-on Vegan Ankle BootsBoBo Vida Black

Voigt Pebble Laptop Carrier BlackFaithless - Pebble Handbag BlackTellier - Snake Wallet Navy

BELT BELT

Solar Laptop Charger

• Buy your dad a gift or experience on Charity Buzz and support your favorite charities. Hang with celebs, get backstage, go on trips, amazing experiences, sports tickets, memorabilia, delicious meals, and more!

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• Satin Ties & Ties diverted from Landfills. With Jaanj’s high-end, luxury, non-silk ties, you’ll never miss the worms that get boiled alive. For cotton ties, 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.

• For the Handy-Dad: Gadgets and tools or a Gift Certificate to GREEN DEPOT, an environmental living & building store. From recycled cotton insulation and a home composter to soy based paints and finishes, any dad into home improvement will love these gifts.

• Lawn Order with Greenworks tools. From mowers, blowers, and log-splitters, to hedge-trimmers and cultivators, these greener lawn tools don’t use fossil fuels and make self-sufficiency easy and green!

18in : 5-blades : Reel Mower7 Amp : 160mph : Blower10in : 20V : Li-ION Chain Saw5 Ton 15A Log Splitter

• Vintage Sunglasses / Frames. The greenest gifts of all require no new resource extraction or manufacturing. Vintage is always an amazing option. Classic sunglasses are big right now, from aviators, wayfarers, and John-Lennon frames to the 50′s Halo frames.

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• Enthralling DVDs of Oscar winner’s and award nominees “The Cove”, “Food Inc”, and “End of the Line”.

The CoveFood, Inc. http://www.docurama.com/wp-content/uploads/art-downloads/NNVG169491-05.jpg

For the Dad with it All:

Tesla Electric Sportscar. 0-60 in 3.9 secs, 288 hp, 236 miles per charge. Starts at $101,500

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• Electric Motorcycle from Zero $9,995, or Brammo at $7,995
Zero S Electric Motorcycle - Click Image to Closehttp://www.electricbikee.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/right_side_700px.jpg

Lionhearts & Battle Cries: 20 Lines for 2010

by Joshua Katcher
featured on HintMag.com

Tevas with socks. Cargo Pants. Slogan tees. Let’s face it, people who care about ecosystems, animals, and worker’s rights aren’t typically celebrated for their sartorial poise. Likewise, most designers who care about form, function, and aesthetics aren’t typically known for their environmental wisdom or empathy; Fur coats, leather everything, toxic cotton, sweatshops.

There is new breed of designer, though, not so easily written off, who can turn old televisions into jaw-dropping shoes, who foster relationships with organic cotton farmers in developing countries, who invest in research and development of warm, biodegradable, recycled, cruelty-free textiles, whose aesthetic vision is not hampered by the challenges of navigating ethical dilemmas, and who – armed with tencel, lenpur, hemp, recycled fabrics, faux-fur, soda-bottle ultrasuede, and organics – aren’t afraid of challenging the tragic credo set by heritage brands.  In a culture where the iconography of the rebel is tied up in so many embarrassingly common and mainstream social, environmental and ethical muddles, these true iconoclasts are redefining cool, and reinvigorating the lost meaning of dressing like a dissident.

1. Vaute Couture. Leanne Mai-Ly Hilgart is the prefect example of a designer who dreamed big. Her line went from a fantasy (gorgeous, eco, vegan winter coats that can handle Chicago in February) to reality. The line looks as amazing as it is warm and ethical; 100% Cruelty-free, sustainable, and fair-labor. Vaute Couture took over 8 months of fabric research and development and launched just last year, but has already garnered a host of celeb fanatics from Emily Deschanel, to Alicia Silverstone, and Ginnifer Goodwin. The men’s line launches August 2010. vautecouture.com

Read more…

Step Right Up, In Novacas.

I’m pretty excited about the Autumn-2010 collection of men’s shoes from Novacas. From the tan, sleek soles and the gray, brown, and black uppers in classic, handsome styles to edgy details like an asymmetrical opening on the Emmett, to the fold-down throat on the Milo, these shoes and boots showcase a welcomed shrewdness from Novacas. The profiles are trim and elegant, and I also really enjoy the contrast of the high-polish toe on the gray Milo against the rest of the matte upper. The best part about a well-made men’s shoe is that it looks good with anything: shorts, jeans, slacks, a suit.

Novacas’ shoes are 80% biodegradable (on their way to being 100%), totally vegan, and made under fair conditions in European factories. To top it off, sister designers Erica and Sara Kuberski own MooShoes, NYC’s only 100% ethical shoe store.

All About the Benjamin, Faux Faux Fur & Edible Furious Vulvas

The Banjamin from NOVACAS is making us drool. We love the direction in which NOVACAS has been going, first with their sleek Leo boot, and now with this smart cap-toe ankle boot. Keep ‘em coming, NOVACAS!

BenjaminNOVACAS

Our pal Pierre, from the HSUS recently exposed on the news how real dog fur is being sold as faux. I have little patience as it is for idiots who think fur is fabulous, and this just adds fuel to the fire! Grrrr!

FauxOrDog

When was the last time you ate a delicious Furious Vulva? Blustocking Bobons by Lagusta’s Luscious features these bittersweet chocolate vulva with pink peppercorns and Hawaiian pink sea salt, among other vegan chocolate creations like PB Cups and truffles! Check them out and get your chocolate fix while supporting organic, fair-trade, fresh and local ingredients!

Placeholder photo.Photo of peanut butter cups.Box of eight nutty-flavored truffles.


Brogue Basics

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These Portuguese-made, eco-friendly, vegan microsuede “Simpatia” wingtip shoes from BoBo are my new obsession. Great with a tux or just a pair of skinny jeans – wingtips, otherwise know as the brogue, are a boys best friend. Wanna know why we steer clear of leather at The Discerning Brute, Click Here, and don’t have a cow!

Check out all the other vegan wingtips & brogue shoes:

Mens Brogues (Black) - click to enlarge http://www.bboheme.com/images/SIMPATHIABROWN.jpgLiam Shoe (Brown) - click to enlarge

Brogue (Tan) - click to enlarge Jacob

ASOS Canvas Brogue Plimsoll

Tom

Tom Brownernest3ASOS Canvas Brogue Plimsolls

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Wax Weather

Waxed canvas could be my favorite new fabric. It’s waterproof, wind resistant, supple, and shares many characteristics with leather (minus the whole killing-of-animals part). Autumn is known for crisp air, rain, and chilly breezes. My advice for fall is waxed cotton all the way from boots to hats. Stay dry, warm, and light! The good thing about these jackets is that they’ll last you forever, and since they’re classics, they never go out of style.

Barbour

Barbour makes several styles of really nice waxed jackets and hats. I recently got to view four different jackets, and I was told that all their labor is done in Europe (no sweatshops) and their waxes are totally animal-friendly. The Flyer, below, is my favorite for this fall. It’s lightweight, insulated, and has nice detailing. The jacket has a 100% cotton Barbour tartan lining with 30 gauge wadding for extra warmth. Two way front zip under a studded front, cord inner collar with buckle front tap, knitted rib hem and cuffs. Retail $375 Wax Flyer JacketWax Flyer Jacket

Goes Great with:

Backyard Jeans

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If you are looking for a more edgy jacket, the International Trials Short Jacket, below,  is a slimmer, shorter length version of Barbour’s iconic motorcycle design. I suggest wearing this style over a slender suit, open with the belt buckled. This jacket is in Barbour’s medium-weight 6 oz. Sylkoil wax with a 100% cotton Barbour tartan lining. Two-way front zip under a studded storm fly front with set-in sleeves and ventilation eyelets. PU Coated polyamide inner drip strip for extra weather protection, corduroy collar and cuffs, and multiple pockets. Retail $379 International Trials ShortInternational Trials ShortGoes Great with:

Gossypium - Wine Vichy Checked ShirtLight Tan Black Red Cotton Ties in Light Tan/Black/Red

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Finally, if you’re looking for a longer coat, the Cowen Commando is one of Barbour’s most famous styles. this modern wax jacket was designed from a historic British army pattern, with a Union Jack badge to prove it. Barbour’s heavyweight 8 oz. Weathered wax with tartan lining. The jacket also features reinforced shoulder panels,  a drawcord waist with adjustable toggles and multiple pockets. Retail $419.Cowan Commando JacketCowan Commando JacketGoes Great with:

Gossypium - Denim Striped Shirt Green Yellow Black White Cotton Ties in Green/Yellow/Black/WhiteslateBoBo Holborn Belt BlackTom

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Belstaff

Belstaff’s waxed cotton is more expensive than Barbour (averaging around $530). They are gorgeous and leather-free, but they do incorporate Teflon in their canvass, which is toxic, and made by DuPont, a known vivisector and environmental polluter. Therefore I cannot recommend these jackets, and I suggest writing a kind letter to DuPont expressing your disdain for outdated and cruel animal testing, and CC Belstaff!

Belstaff Trialmaster Jacket - BEL007

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David Morgan

For a more affordable autumn jacket, David Morgan offers a oil-finish, waxed cotton jacket called the Shelter Cloth Jacket (retail $160). It has a marbleized color, utility pocket, and moleskin collar (don’t worry, moleskin is actually cotton). David Morgan also offers a pretty bad-ass trench coat called The Duster (retail $285).Shelter Cloth JacketGoes Great with:

HickChair Man - Earth-Friendly0-child-full

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Duster, Oil Finish Shelter Cloth, shown with Heavyweight Wool Liner

Goes Great with:

granite Recycled tyre belt - slick tread

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Wax It Yourself

Do you own a pair of canvas boots or sneaks, a jean jacket, or even a cotton hat? If you want to waterproof it, and give it a chic, slick appearance, you can buy wax and DIY!

Barbour® Thornproof DressingDriza-Bone Oilskin Reproofer (Garment Dressing)

Vegan Gladiators & Their (Supposed) Sandals

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Did you know that the real-deal Gladiators were vegans? These overweight warriors who ate nothing but barely and beans shatter the pervasive stereotype of frail, weak herbivores. Analysis of the bones of more than 70 gladiators found in 2004 near Ephesus, the Roman capital of Asia Minor, contradicts traditional Hollywood images of macho carnivores with the physique of superheroes as well. Forensic anthropologists revealed these fighters had thicker bone density than their omnivorous counterparts – shattering yet another stereotype of the vegan diet; the calcium myth. How did they treat animals? That’s another story – and apparently, they didn’t actually wear sandals either. They fought bare-foot! But in accordance with the popular fantasy that they did don stylish, strappy sandals – here are a few styles to choose from that will certainly not get you a thumbs down.

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Commodus in ‘Gladiator’, played by the vegan Joaquin Phoenix

If you want to look like a barbarian without actually treating cows like one, check out these Splaff Gladiators at MooShoes, made from recycled tires and hemp:

Splaff Gladiator

When in Rome, do as the Romans didn’t – show up in a brown toe-post sandal from Vegetarian Shoes UK. Lightweight cork mid-sole, handmade in Portugal with a padded and contoured footbed, arch support and a deep heel cup. Lined with super-soft micro-fibre fake suede. Lightweight, patterned, Microcellular outsole. Adjustable strap lined with Soft-feel synthetic felt.

If you are more of an eco-warrior into the strappy buckles thing, these Birkenstock-inspired 3 Strap Sandals with faux-suede from Vegetarian Shoes UK should do the trick.

3 Strap Sandal

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Ladies, do not fear, your veg gladiator days are here as well from designers like Cri De Coeur, Steve Madden, and Burgois Boheme.

Benefit Brown Pleather Gladiator SandalMadden Girl Sicilly Black Pleather Gladiator Sandal

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10 Spring Essentials

This is the 10 Spring Essentials list you won’t find on men.style.com , however, on that website you will find an obnoxious video about the rich, rotund, ‘hipster’ (what does that even mean anymore?) Gordon Hull, of Surface to Air, running around in limos and eating foie gras stuffed-hamburgers. Dude! Major gross-out! Find out why meat is not so manly HERE. I guess some of us who find ourselves in positions of influence still have no clue how to use it or what re-defining ‘cool’ is. Gordon, #1 is for you:

1. Burger at Counter

counterburger.jpgThis has to be the best burger I’ve ever had. Hands down. Oh, did I mention it’s vegan? It’s an irresistable and manly blendmarried in a fever of wild mushroom paté, house-made seitan & fresh herbs served with pommes frite. Try it along with the “Married in a Fever” martini, a perfect Johnny Cash-inspired red wine-poached pear nectar and smoked pear infused vodka that’ll send you to Valhalla. This East Village spot is great for a date, a gathering, or just a glass of organic wine.Dennis Brown

2. A Pair of Shoes

In an ideal world we’d all be dumpster-diving and thrifting, but if you must have squeaky-clean new kicks this spring (so you can play the part to get into a position of influence, to then unleash your agenda, right?), score yourself a pair of these NOVACAS ‘Dennis Brown’ shoes from the Mooshoes store, like I did. They are handmade in Portugal, eco-friendly, animal free, reasonably priced, and slick as all hell. NO VACAS means “No Cows” in Portuguese. One more reason to move to Europe.

3. The Media Empowerment Kit

MEKNot just for Teachers — Adbusters’ Media Empowerment Kit will inspire you or your students to break out of the media consumer trance! Comes with a years subscription to Adbusters Magazine, a necessity for any Discerning Brute – now that’s smart!

Originally designed as a flexible teachers’ aid, the kit features 43 lesson ideas, including personal challenges, group activities, discussion starters and eye-opening readings. Lessons are divided into three areas: Explore Your Mental Environment, Explore Your Physical Environment and Create Your Own Meaning.

4. Bubble StickersWhat War?

On the topic of creating your own meaning: jiu-jitsu advertising from a one way profit-seeking brain-fuck to an empowering, democratizing experience by participating in the bubble project. Advertisers pollute the mental environment and bombard us with branded messages incessantly. Take back a piece of public space, say something, talk back!

5. Voltaic Generator Bag

Voltaic Generator BagImagine what MacGyver would have done for one of these? The Voltaic Generator is the first solar bag powerful enough to charge a laptop. It uses high efficiency solar cells to generate power in the limited space available. It includes a battery pack custom designed to efficiently store and convert the electricity generated. It can also charge cell phones and most other hand held gadgets. Shell, webbing, mesh and lining all made from 100% recycled PET soda bottles!

6.Chino Shorts

Don’t whine. Chinos are classic, and they are so easy to find at any Salvation Army or your grandpa’s closet, there’s no need to get a new pair like these smoke-gray Helmut Lang, plaid Etro, mondo John Varvatos, and bismark blue Miu Miu. Cuff ‘em, too.

Helmut LangEtroVarvatosmiu miu

7. A SmellHerban Cowboy

Whip yourself into shape with Herban Cowboy’s line of Organic Grooming potions. Deodorant, cologne, shaving cream, and soap! Original and Dusk scented – Soy ink on recycled packaging, organic & vegan ingredients – and hella’ sexy. No patchouli here, you dirty hippies.

8. Vegan Condoms

Vegan Condoms Did you know most condoms contain milk protein? Not so sexy. Talk about a milkshake…yuck. Vegan Glyde condoms to the rescue! They use the sexiness of cocoa powder instead, and work just as well as their milky counterparts. These flavored and colored condoms are free of animal ingredients. I like the black ones! Order a bunch here.

9. A Shelter PupShelter Pup

This is Marky. He needs a dad to hang out with. Look at his floppy ear! My friend Amy runs Sugar Mutts Rescue, it’s great if you’re in New York City. HSUS has a huge resource on adoption nationally. Adopt a New York City animal in need today from NYCACC, BARC, Sugar Mutts Rescue and ASPCA.

10. A Bike

recycle a bicycleIf you haven’t gotten a set of wheels, how else do you intend to participate in Critical Mass while showing off your short, vintage chinos and trailing a dusk-scent while charging your voltaic bag that’s strapped to your back? Check out Recycle-a-bicycle (3 locations in NYC).