FASHION Magazine

Step out of your shell with this cool shade of green.

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From eco-friendly gift wrapping to sustainably sourced trees, there are plenty of ways to eat, drink, be merry AND be a friend to the planet.

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It brings together an "amazing community of independent and creative businesses."

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Earlier this year, CBC News revealed that here in Toronto, 26% of our recycling is contaminated (compared to say, 4.6% in Vancouver). A contaminated product–a jar that hasn’t been completely rinsed, for example–can deem an entire bag of recycling unusable, meaning despite good intentions, landfills are often the final destination. Sigh. This is even more problematic when […]

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While it has yet to be seen what the longer legacy of the Olympics will be, one that’s sticking around for now is Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe (nikereuseashoe.com/Vancouver) drive. Drop off your old runners—and no, they needn’t be Nike—at one of six collection bins in the company’s stores around Vancouver and they’ll be recycled into three types […]

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When I got word that Vancouver label Dace had moved into home design, I automatically envisioned my room being transformed into a modern romantic getaway. Using fabric from past season’s collections to create duvets and matching pillow cases ($250 for a set, dace.ca), designer Dace Moore takes her clean lines to bed. The collection is […]

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On a recent long-weekend roadtrip to the Berkshires in Massachusetts (a quick hop south of the border from Montreal, a slightly longer leap from Toronto), I happened across Topia Inn, an entirely green and very modern B&B in the town of Adams. With eco-credentials including solar roof panels, radiant baseboard heating, high-efficiency toilets and non-toxic clay wall finishes, the cozy house feels (and smells) entirely pure and clean.

French women seem to have it all: elegance, effortless style, the ability to eat pan au chocolat, brie and crème fraiche and never gain a pound.  Sigh.

Here to solve some of our envy is luxury cosmetics and skin care brand Chantecaille, which just debuted at Vancouver’s Holt Renfrew (737 Dunsmuir St., 604-681-3121, holtrenfrew.com). They may be New York based, but their soul–and founder, Sylvie Chantecaille–is French.

Organic makeup isn’t new. It’s barely even niche anymore—you can get it at the drugstore. However, until recently, removing it has been a less than eco-friendly proposition. Yes, we’ve spotted biodegradable makeup wipes at health food stores, but Physicians Formula recently launched four new makeup removal products ($16 each) in their Organic Wear line that you can pick up at Shoppers. (Convenient is good.)

My latest find is a new store that has opened up on Broadway, my favourite shopping district. The Better Good Store Ltd. (640 Broadway Ave, 306-242-4663, thebettergood.com) is a one-stop eco-friendly shop for products that support sustainable living–carrying everything from clothing and home decor, to cleaners and body care products, to delectable treats and kids toys. All their stock is either organic, fair trade, natural, local, handmade or crafted from reused, recycled or renewable materials.

When NSCAD University’s fashion students return to their Seeds Building studio in the fall, the art college will have become a little bit greener: the latest muslin cotton available in the fashion department will be certified organic.

The decision reflects the department’s desire to put into practice its long-standing eco-conscious mindset, one that is shared by many members of its student body, its only full-time faculty member, Parsons alumnus Gary Markle, and Anne Pickard, the department’s technician and an instructor within the university’s School of Extended Studies.

But the department’s green approach, urges Pickard, is more than just in vogue.

“We’re not focusing on this because it’s a hot thing,” says Pickard. “This is not for any other reason than that it should just be part of every consciousness.”