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Lifestyle the vegan way

01/01/2012 • 5:20 pm 1

Bleed clothing: eco vegan streetwear

As I have pointed out before Germany has become a reference for organic living. On my trip to Berlin I couldn’t help noticing how organic foods is not dealt as a luxury but as a right everybody can afford: supermarkets are full of organic products and their prices are much lower compared to other countries in Europe. German organic farming boosts a tradition of about a hundred years and the whole philosophy has filtered into contemporary culture. No wonder Berlin has quickly become a point of reference for European veganism with many shops, restaurants and fast foods. A lot of German companies have adopted organic and sustainable materials for their products and design. Eco sustainable design doesn’t rhyme anymore with hippie in this country.

Bleed is such an example: a new German company of young imaginative people committed to eco-friendly street and sportswear using fabrics as organic cotton, recycled polyester, hemp, kapok (a fiber obtained from a tropical plant also known as Java cotton), recycled silver and sympatex (the evolution of goretex: a new material sporting optimal breathability, waterproofed and windproof qualities). As they say:

“We all love extreme sports like skateboarding, surfing, mountainbikig and snowboarding.
All of these awesome activities are depending on our beautiful nature. It´s just not the same feeling to spend your time in dull leisure facilities. That´s why it is so important for us to save the environment.
Our name “bleed” stands for the “bleeding” nature which is exploited by the human race for decades.
We want to prove that eco-friendly Street- and Sportswear doesn’t have to be boring at all”.

You can read about their story here. They design very cool outfit and although they do not define themselves as vegan, all their clothing are, so far. Bleed also offers 100% money back guarantee: they must be pretty sure of the quality of their clothes.

The jeans are 98% organic cotton and 2% elastane, men’s straight cut with soft touch diagonal stripes on back pocket. Vegan and recycled polyurethane application with bleed logo. They come in blue and a dark denim.
Bleed jeans
Indigo hemp shirt: 55% hemp, 45% organic cotton. Buttons in vegan coloured ivory (vegetable based).
indigo hemp shirt

Striped sweater in 100% organic cotton

striped sweater

They also offer a sheep sponsorship on their website: for a committment of €100 a year you can make a significant contribution to support volunteer project. Pretty cool if you ask me, a clear sign to trust them.

Filed under: Bleed, eco materials, eco-fashion, eco-friendly materials, hemp, kapok, organic cotton, sympatex

21/12/2010 • 12:06 pm 0

Natalie Portman does Dior; Yoshiki Hishinuma goes macrobiotic

Ecorazzi informs us that Natalie Portman, the new face of Miss Dior Cherie, got “la maison française” to “re-made all [her] shoes so [she] can wear Dior shoes without taking lives”. We appreciate celebrities who are ethically conscious and voice their beliefs and I wonder if she got them to drop animal testing for their perfumes too. I am puzzled about the choice to sponsor a brand that is still exploiting animals though: she got her vegan Dior shoes, what about the dead animals she’s pushing people to buy and wear? The jury (but not me) is still out on that.

When is Dior bestowing on us a totally cruelty free line? –> Hint, hint à la maison Dior.

Miss Dior Cherie

Yoshiki Hishinuma is a Japanese designer inspired by Shintoist and Macrobiotic philosophy and a strong believer in nature and harmony. His Whole Organic Wear philosophy is a tangible expression of this vision that perceives man as part of a universal harmony we can achieve balancing Yin and Yang, the two energies of the universe.

Diagnosed with an “incurable skin disease” he managed to cure it embracing a macrobiotic diet and lifestyle, a belief system he has translated into beautiful and delicate design. “The Mobius strip” woman collection S/S 2011 is made with natural organic cotton fabrics, grown on soil free from chemical pesticides for at least 3 years and dyed only with natural plant-based dyes like iris japonicum, gardenia, cherry blossoms, olives, lemons, cherries and even cereals.

According to Macrobiotics the world is divided into two opposite but complementing energies, Yin and Yang, in perpetual tension and a state of harmony can be achieved by balancing them. Man is Yang so he needs to feed on Yin energy, i.e. natural plant based food (Yin). Clothing, touching the skin has the power to influence this balance, so why not helping it by using all natural organic materials?