Nice Threads

At these eco-friendly outlets, being green never looked so good

Eco-fashion, like most design categories with the prefix “eco,” has morphed from a Birkenstock-and-gunnysack aesthetic to embrace sleeker and more stylish looks. Designers have no standardized guidelines — there’s no eco-fashion equivalent of the official “organic” certification. It can refer to clothing made with fibers from sustainable sources or using recycled materials, or a focus on fair trade. But no matter how you choose to “green” up your wardrobe, there’s no beating the quality of this retail therapy. You’re not only helping yourself, you’re helping the world.

1

Los Angeles: American Apparel makes blanks — blank tees, tights, tanks, yoga pants, hoodies, and bathing suits — but the socially conscious brand’s goods may as well bear the message “sweatshop free.” Everything from designing to sewing to marketing takes place under the roof of AA’s salmon-colored headquarters building in downtown L.A., at 747 Warehouse St. (off Alameda St., just south of 7th). There, devotees of AA’s form-fitting cap-sleeve and baby tees flock to an on-site factory store peddling overruns, discontinued designs, and seconds. Like a true anti-brand, AA’s 175 stores worldwide all differ in flavor, but each exudes a Willy Wonka vibe thanks to the stacks and racks of clothes arranged in colors from sangria to sea foam. americanapparel.net

2

Tigard, Ore. (just outside Portland): Think of Nau’s store (7457 Bridgeport Road) as a giant dressing room. The Portland-based brand encourages customers to order from in-store self-serve Web kiosks with incentives of free delivery and a 10 percent discount. Pushing sales in cyberspace is good for the bottom line — it means fewer operating expenses — as well as the environment. Smaller stores gobble up less energy and fewer materials. This kind of deep thinking infuses every phase of a Nau garment’s life cycle. Each item is made from as much sustainable material as possible, and many can be composted or recycled after one too many mountain treks or Iyengar classes. nau.com

3

Lima and Paris: A young Frenchman, Aurelyen Conty, launched Misericordia (from a Latin word meaning “compassion”) in 2002 to provide decent jobs for Peruvian workers. Designers who got wind of his mission offered to collaborate, and today Misericordia’s retro sportswear is sold in très trendy Parisian boutiques like Colette (213 rue Saint-Honoré) and Lieu Commun (5 rue des Filles du Calvaire). Meanwhile, the company’s nerve center in Peru has moved from a dusty shantytown to the nation’s capital. The workshop is open to visitors, but you should call for an appointment (Mariscal Las Heras 658, 511.265.21.01). misionmisericordia.com

4

Dublin: The owners of posh department store Brown Thomas believe customers would rather go naked than wear fur. Its stores in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, and Galway now sell only the synthetic kind. The flagship in Dublin (88–95 Grafton St.) was under increasing pressure from animal rights protesters — not surprising in a country that has hatched its fair share of pioneering eco-designers. The move placed this Bergdorf ’s of the Emerald Isle on the same side of the ethical line with other fur-free British retailers like Harvey Nichols, Topshop, and Marks & Spencer, and fashion designers including Stella McCartney. brownthomas.com

5

New York: Quick, what kind of business would be least likely to inhabit a former butcher shop? Cruelty-free shoe seller, you say? You got it. No cows, alligators, or snakes were harmed in the making of the open-toed pumps, men’s loafers, and crescent-shaped hobo bags sold at MooShoes, a shoe and accessories store opened in 2001 by sisters Erica and Sara Kubersky. The duo’s merchandise is made with a polyurethane synthetic microfiber that moves and breathes just like leather. Their business has been so successful that it has outgrown two locations. The former butcher shop is no more; now MooShoes grazes in a much more apropos pasture: 78 Orchard St., in Lower Manhattan. mooshoes.com

6

Houston: At Green by Adeline (5136 Richmond Ave.) designer Adeline Sung custom-designs ballgowns made from allnatural materials like bamboo, organic cotton, soy, hemp, and wood pulp. Sung has been around fashion her whole life — her father was a garment designer for the Chinese government and her mother a seamstress who taught clothing design. Later Sung studied fashion design at the Paris Fashion Institute and Istituto di Moda Burgo in Milan, Italy. Clients in Asia and Houston have been wearing her couture fashions for more than 20 years. Who better to bring eco-friendly fashion to traditionally minded Houston? greenbyadeline.com

7

London: In 2005 Londoner Penny Cooke opted to fill a void in the city’s shopping scene. Equa, in trendy Islington, was London’s first Fairtrade-certified, all eco-friendly boutique. Pass beneath the cheery blue façade at 28 Camden Passage and into the calm beige interior stocked with beautifully designed selections from Britain’s premier eco-friendly designers. There are Debbi Little party dresses made from 1950s parachute silk, luxurious alpaca sweaters from Ciel, and hemp/Tencel frocks from Enamore — the brand known for its frilly knicker-cami combos made from “peace” silk (made without harm to the silkworm). equaclothing.com

Getting There: All the destinations covered in “Go to Town” can be reached by flying Continental Airlines. To book your trip, visit Continental Airlines Vacations at covacations.com.