Bam(boo) essentials

My last life changing discovery is bamboo socks: I got a pair from Vegalife.nl in Amsterdam a couple of weeks ago and they are great: warm, soft, almost silky at touch. I want more now! I went for the boring black design: BAM the brand I chose,  has interesting colours, not to mention the underwear. I wonder how it feels like on the skin: is bamboo the vegan equivalent of cashmere? We’re onto something big here!

Bamboo socks

If you don’t know it yet bamboo absorbes and evaporates sweat in a matter of seconds, it’s breatheable and doesn’t stick to the skin. It is also antistatic and antifungal, perfect for sensitive skins as the fibres are round and smooth and it’s not treated chemically (unlike rayon, the chemical processed version of bamboo massively available on the market). Bamboo is also fully biodegradable and requires a minute amount of water to grow compared to cotton. The wonderfiber is here to stay.

Filed under: BAM bamboo clothing, bamboo, BAM, bamboo, sensitive skins

Ideas to wrap the year in style

Few ideas to wrap the year in style.

• Nella Bella: state of the arts vegan fabrics for the bags lover. Vegan line and designer from Canada, available in Europe through Feelgood Handbag. Lots of girl’s bags too.

Cabo Black

Stockholm NU Nappa Bag

• Ekobo: sleek bamboo design for your home. Bamboo is an ecological material as it is able to recycle carbon dioxide while it grows and produces 30% more oxygen than other trees. Ekobo takes care of the whole production chain minimizing the energy cost of production, shipping and takes care in ensuring artisanal communities in Vietnam higher and fairer wages.
  

  Ekobo

   

• Studio Jux: minimalistic design from Holland, where hemp seems to be high on the fashion agenda. Outerwear jacket in 55% hemp and 45% recycled polyester.
  

  Studio Jux - hemp and recycled polyester jacket

  Or maybe you can go for a more classical jacket (always 55% hemp and 45% recycled polyester) available from Charlie + Mary at a discount price.

  

  Studio Jux - jacket in hemp and recycled polyester

Filed under: bamboo, Nella Bella, Studio Jux

Hempworks

Hempworks is an Amsterdam based brand dedicated to promoting organic hemp and cottons as viable alternatives to wool and other animal derived materials.

“We aim to offer people an alternative to synthetic and uncomfortable wear and promote the use of eco-friendly fabrics and especially hemp. We believe that by combining hemp & other eco-friendly materials with new innovative design; fashion and sustainability can be combined into one entity. Stylish, urban wear that’s not only beautiful but also high in comfort and produced in an earth friendly way”.

Hempworks coats

With every purchase of a Men’s Sea Shepherd Classic HoodLamb (left) Hempworks will donate  40€ to the Sea Shepherd Charity.

Men's Tech 4-20 HoodLamb Jacket (left) and Men's Furry Hoody Hemp HoodLamb (right)

They also design an hemp/bamboo/soy blend t-shirt: anti-bacterial, hypo-allergenic, soft and breathable. A snatch at only 20€.

Hemp/bamboo/soy blend t-shirt.

Soya fibre is a vegan alternative to silk: Soybean protein fibre has the same moisture absorption as cotton and better moisture transmission than cotton; it has higher breaking strength than wool, cotton, and silk and presents highly antibacterial propertiesmaking it an ideal choice for underwear and summer wear.

Hempworks products are also available at Hempmade in Leuven (Belgium).

Filed under: bamboo, hemp, soy fibre

HEMA goes eco

For those of you living in Belgium or in the Netherlands, it’s worth knowing that HEMA has a range of organic products called Naturally HEMA made according to organic and fair trade standards: you’ll see the organic cotton, organic process, bamboo,  and Fair Trade certificate labels on the packages. It’s mostly underwear and it’s definitely worth having them at these prices. Cick here to refresh your memory on the benefits of organic cotton for the environment.

Naturally HEMA

So next time you pop in at an HEMA shop, do look for the organic and Fair Trade labels.
Good move HEMA: we like when mainstream shops become sensitive to environmentally friendly standards. Good start.

Filed under: bamboo, Fair Trade, HEMA, organic cotton, underwear