CPAS Spring 2011 & China Bans Animal Circuses

• CPAS continues to impress with recycled parachute blazers, organic cotton pants and jackets, upcycled tee-shirt liners, cool cuts and innovative accessories. CPAS is fairly-made and never uses leather or fur. Here are some looks you’ll see on the racks for Spring 2011:

• China has banned animal circuses and warned its zoos that they must stop abusing animals or face closure.”Live animal shows and circuses are hugely popular in China, and draw around 150 million visitors a year at 700 zoos”, According to The Telegraph. This is one of the first animal welfare laws in China’s history. Some highlights of the new law:

  • • The ban will also force zoos to stop selling animal parts in their shops and zoo restaurants will have to stop serving dishes made out of rare animals, another widespread practice.
  • • Zoos will no longer be able to pull the teeth of baby tigers so that tourists can hold them
  • • Zoos will have to stop attractions where live chickens, goats, cows and even horses are sold to visitors who can then watch them be torn apart by big cats.
  • • Zoos with “entertainment” like live monkey-fighting, tigers jumping through hoops of fire, and bears walking on tight-ropes must immediately discontinue these practices.

The ban came into force on Tuesday January 18th, 2011 across the 300 state-owned zoos ,which are part of the China Zoo Association. This is a huge turning point for China, and hopefully the law will call public attention to the incredible plight that animals who are kept confined or caged, outside of their natural habitat, prevented from doing anything their bodies and minds evolved to do, and forced to perform cruel tricks and beg for food, experience.

If China, the country that has bear-bile farms, the largest fur exports in the world (including domesticated dog and cat) and a taste for endangered animal parts, can outlaw animal circuses and other cruel acts -certainly, the United States can too.

China Bears

30% off at Thieves

These organic cotton pants and organic cotton shirt from Thieves are 30% off for their holiday sale. Thieves focuses on organic and fair-labor garments with a modern and edgy aesthetic.

My favorite mens items on sale from Thieves, however, are these awesome linen pants and black organic trench!

Edun Sale

Get 50% AW2010 styles from Edun – Bono and Ali Hewson’s line that focuses on fair-labor garments, developing sustainable cottage industries, and empowering communities. I specifically recommend the linen military shirt, the linen sweater, and the organic cotton crewneck shirt below. From an environmental standpoint, linen is almost always low-to-no pesticide usage and much less water intensive than cotton. Organic cotton helps steer clear of one of the largest uses of pesticides and herbicides in the world. Steer clear of the leather, though! Leather is one of the worst environmental offenders, not to mention it’s hidden cruelty.

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Charming Chinos & The Only Bad Fox

• Loomstate’s organic cotton chinos are great because they’re got karmic-chameleon quality. Put on a blazer and, viola, you have a suit. Put on a tee and sneakers, and abracadabra, you have the perfect weekend wandering wardrobe. $156 at Loomstate.org

Fabian Chino - Pitch Black Fabian Chino - CharcoalFabian Chino - Campus Khaki Fabian Chino - Jasper Brown

• FOX news is like a backwards sewage system: pumping waste and filth into our homes and offices. Most of us would like to vomit when we see and hear this crap. That’s why I am signing the Turn Off FOX petition that says “I won’t play Fox News in my home, and I’m calling on businesses and other public establishments to stop playing Fox. I don’t want Fox spreading hate, lies, and division in my community and want to support businesses that are Fox-free”. Take two minutes to sign this, and get a free sticker that you see on the right!

DUSTY Men

The Finnish designer, Marjut Uotila, started the men’s label, DUSTY in order to combine traditional menswear with art-oriented aesthetics and ecological and local Finnish craftspeople. The ‘Ruoste’ AW/10 collection features organic and recycled cotton sweaters, jackets, and accessories, and are available online at Unconventional or click here for a list of stores.

Turk + Taylor, SS11

What do you get when you combine a recycled hot air balloon, vintage linen, organic cotton, recycled poly, dead-stock fabric, hemp, and aesthetic genius? You get Turk + Taylor’s Spring/Summer 2011 collection! I love how the cold hasn’t even hit us yet and we’re already talking about next spring! It’s like the winter won’t even happen.

I chatted with Turk + Taylor at a trade show this week and got to see this collection up close and personal. The details are meticulous, the materials are sustainable, and the colors are bold and bright. The Bohol Jacket (made from the defunct 1980s hot air balloon) was my favorite, made from blue, orange and yellow silky-soft ripstop. Enjoy these gorgeous photos from their SS11 look-book:

Mokee Genes & Terrorist Pesticides

• Monkee Genes makes sustainable, affordable, organic denim in lots of styles and colors. They do not use sweatshop labor and have been awarded the Soil Association Organic Standard. Only $79, and you can buy direct from them here.

Monkee Genes Electric Blue Skinny Jeans Monkee Genes Bamboo Skinny Jeans Monkee Genes Red Skinny Jeans Monkee Genes Purple Skinny Jeans Monkee Genes Slate Skinny Jeans Monkee Genes Light Skinny Jeans Monkee Genes Grey Skinny Jeans Monkee Genes White Skinny Jeans Monkee Genes Turquoise Skinny Jeans

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services program still uses highly toxic poisons to kill tens of thousands of animals each year. These poisons — M-44 cyanide devices and the Compound 1080 toxic collar — are so deadly that the FBI recently listed them as “highly toxic pesticides judged most likely to be used by terrorists or for malicious intent.” These cruel and indiscriminate poisons kill wildlife and family pets, and even threaten human safety. Urge USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack to stop the use of these terrible toxins, and move his agency toward non-lethal methods that are safer, more effective, less expensive, and more humane.

Steve Alan & Hugh Jackman

• These two plaids from Steve Alan in a soft, autumn-weight, organic cotton are on my wish list! $198

Fall Reverse Seam L/S Inside PocketFall Reverse Seam L/S Inside Pocket

• Hugh Jackman going vegan? He plans to according to this article, quoting him as saying “there’s every chance that I will be a vegan by the time you read this book” in a nutrition guide about to hit the stores within a week. Brendan Brazier’s “Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life” is set to be on the market starting September 14, 2010.

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Keep on Keepin’ on, Fall for Loomstate & Get Unstitched

• These are rad, plain and simple. Vegan, unisex moccasin-style sneaks from Keep. $75



• The new fall organic cotton tees from Loomstate hit the spot. $60
(But hey, Loomstate, I’m super bummed to see you starting to use livestock products like wool in sweaters, a leading causes of greenhouse gas emissions.)

Chippewa Mens Crew TeeTetons Mens Crew Tee

• Chloe Jo at Girlie Girl Army introduces us to the unpressed collection from Unstitched Utilities, featuring Tyvek® material. These shoes are super lightweight, strong, casual, and comfortable. Tyvek is a made of recycled material that is lightweight and looks like paper, but is stronger than leather.

• You make me sick! Who wants to eat a chicken’s menstrual-cycle, anyway? With the largest egg recall in US history (more than a half billion eggs) and another huge meat recall in the works, now is best time to ditch animal products, if you haven’t already! Replacing eggs in cooking and baking is a cinch, choose any of these options:

  • • 1 tbsp milled flax seed and 3 tbsp water = 1 egg (perfect for cake).
  • • 1/2 banana = 1 egg (delicious in pancakes/muffins)
  • • Ener-G Egg Replacer – follow directions on box.
  • • 2 tbsp cornstarch= 1 egg
  • • 2 tbsp arrowroot flour = 1 egg
  • • 2 tbsp potato starch = 1 egg
  • • 1 heaping tbsp soy powder + 2 tbsp water = 1 egg
  • • 2 tbsp applesauce = 1 egg (great in brownies)

Find out quick and easy tips on ditching dairy and meat, and start digging some tofu-scramble!

SHABD: Galactic Tie-Dye is Big. Bang.

Shabd, a Brooklyn based label, features 100% organic cotton, hand dyed tees inspired by celestial and galactic imagery. Tie Dye never looked so good, and it’s definitely back in a big-bang way!