Indie design has been pushing boundaries... and the world has been playing catch-up.
Take Sara Kirsner, a California girl (Marin) who was drawn to New York by the Parsons School. She's worked with Marc Jacobs and Ann Taylor, but was inspired to do her own Asian-influenced line, Doie, while traveling in Vietnam and Cambodia.
Cotton lounge-wear was her thing, but she was moved to start using alternative fabrics when she learned about some of the not-so-friendly effects that conventional cotton has on the environment. When she discovered she could get jersey (a light, breathable fabric) made from bamboo fiber, she was totally blown away.
Why bamboo? It's incredibly soft, it's unbelievably strong, it has naturally anti-microbial properties (it's not so much sweat that gets you stinky, but the bacteria that feed on your perspiration - bamboo blocks that) and it's eco-friendly.
Cotton requires massive amount of water, tons of pesticides and a ridiculous amount of petroleum-based fertilizer. In contrast, Bamboo grows fast and sustainably without artificial assistance, doesn't require pesticides, and provides income to otherwise impoverished folks in the developing world without the kind of nasty monoculture impact that crops like coffee can have.
Oh - and it's cold-water washable.
Kirstner's new line, the Harusame Collection, adds some versatile Asian-inspired dresses to the already-successful loungeware, melding simple black with splashes of accent color; it's available at an assortment of online stores as well as bricks & mortars such as Fred Segal and Whole Foods. Makes me want to slip into something more comfortable.
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