Oh, my what a busy weekend, dear readers! As you know, the DCGF was awash in eco-friendliness at the DC Green Festival. We knew our “turn a t-shirt into a reusable shopping bag” project would be fun, but we didn’t know it would be darn near the most popular project at the festival. Over 130 t-shirts were transformed and given another life as a stylish shopping bag, like the one at left that echoed the popular refrain, “I used to be a t-shirt.” Tie dye, plain colors, ironic sayings, goofy prints, and all sorts of customization abounded as happy kids, teens, and adults walked away with their new product.

All of this got me to thinking about different types of recycled and repurposed bags, beyond just the typical canvas grocery store variety. Awhile back an intrepid reader requested that I find a fashionable alternative to the typical messenger bag. This has proven quite a challenge. How do you transition from bicycle to bar scene and stay in style?

That has turned out to be quite a tough question to answer. I’ve found a few suggestions that I think at the very least will spark a discussion as to, “What is she carrying?” as opposed to “I can’t believe she’s carrying that ugly thing.”

At right is the Peter Island Pack bag from the Ella Vickers Recycled Sailcloth Collection. Yep, the bag’s comprised of recycled sails, making each bag unique. I think the tapered top and refined silhouette (it’s only 13″ tall and 5″ deep) makes this a chicer alternative to most backpacks. It costs $119, but will wear like iron for years of use.

If you need an edgier alternative, R.E.Load Baggage offers fully customizable bags in a variety of sizes, like the Courier model at left. The velcro colors alone include red, orange, black, yellow, brown, baby blue, royal blue, gray, navy blue (slightly lighter than midnight), green (kelly), and white. Awesome!

You basically build your bag from lining to trim to one-of-a-kind appliques and embroideries. Prices vary according to size and details, but the average price is about $200. I would totally love to put Good Willy on one of these babies!

Some of the bags are made of recycled banners and other materials, and you can even send them a jpg of what you want it to look like. The possibilities are virtually endless.

Not everybody needs a full-size bag to carry around with them all the time, though. i happen to have several friends who are photographers, but their ugly black pleather bags are a constant source of frustration. Sure, they’re practical, but where’s the fun?

Enter the Lowepro Terraclime 50, a sweet little lilac camera bag that’s over 95% recycled. Five PET bottles are used in the making of this model and there are various other sizes available. The bag retails for just $29.99, also comes in black or green, and is so much better looking than those other camera bags!

What other great options are out there? I’m so ready to go home and start stitching away at my own t-shirts. As soon as I recover from this weekend…

Any purchase made at a Goodwill Retail Store or on ebay.com funds Goodwill’s mission of training and employment programs for people with disadvantages or disabilities. Copyright Goodwill of Greater Washington, DC Goodwill Fashion Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Just when you’d given up on finding a place that would accept that old Intel486-driven computer (It’s still in the basement, right? Admit it!) along comes the Dell-Goodwill Reconnect partnership. Yippee!

Let me explain: participating Goodwill donation centers in certain parts of the country - including, of course, the DC Metro Area beginning today - will now accept any old computer or computer related equipment for recycling and reuse. This means a couple of things will change. The downside (for some) is that participating Goodwill stores will no longer be selling computers or printers or cords.

But the upside (which is huge) is that participating Goodwill donation centers can now accept any make or model of computer and related equipment in working or non-working condition! All parts that are able to be reused and/or repurposed will be done so by Dell (regardless of original brand) and everything else will be recycled.

So what’s in it for Goodwill, you ask? A lot. Participating Goodwill agencies receive a fixed amount of proceeds per every pound of computer equipment they recycle, which will be greater than what they would have earned had they sold the items outright on the sales floor. That’s more money for Goodwill’s mission and more job training and placement at a time when unemployment rates are at an all time high in some areas.

Equally important is the environmental impact. Goodwill is one of the nation’s biggest recyclers already, and, by committing to cut down on e-waste is such a prolific manner, participating agencies will be making an even more positive impact on their local environments. Everybody wins!

In other green news, the DC Goodwill Fashion Blog has been named one of the Top 50 Green Fashion and Design Blogs by Organicasm (it’s actually the first one listed under “Vintage and Used”) and one of the Top 10 Green Fashion Blogs by Ecoble. Thanks gals!

Be sure to check out both sites for a whole host of other great blogs that offer info on how to engage in a stylish, sustainable lifestyle. Oh, and the “Hi-Tech Bird House,” at right, is by artist Mitch Levy. Isn’t it awesome? Now that’s what I call recycling!

Any purchase made at a Goodwill Retail Store or on ebay.com funds Goodwill’s mission of training and employment programs for people with disadvantages or disabilities.

So I was hanging out at the House of Sweden on Friday night, dear readers, to check out a fashion show put on by Nudie Jeans. I’d heard of the brand just in passing and wasn’t particularly interesting in their actual jeans, but rather in the promise of “18th century Swedish costumes made out of worn-out jeans.” I imagined lots of denim recycled and repurposed into really amazing looking dresses and coats, maybe even a few things I’d want to wear. Sweet.
Unfortunately, all of the “costumes” to be seen that night had already been shown on the invitation, at right. Everything else was just skinny jeans and t-shirts. Um, yawn!

I mean, don’t get me wrong: it’s great that these jeans didn’t end up in a landfill somewhere, but perhaps a few more ensembles - especially ones that could be streetwear - would have been a welcome interruption from the endless parade of hipster looks that otherwise filled the nearly half hour (!) runway show. I would love to have seen that front dresses’ corset turned into a vest, for example.

Recycled clothing, for the most part, takes more mundane forms for the average shopper. Unless you go the DIY route, the offerings include pieces like the Eco Fleece Hooded Wrap Jacket, at left, from Gaiam. I love the plum color (it’s also available in a charcoal gray) and the fact that it’s made from recycled water bottles.

It looks super soft; perfect for the weekend. But the price tag - $100 - is cost prohibitive for many eco fashionistas. This definitely has to be an investment item.

Elsewhere, companies like Patagonia utilize a variety of recycled fabrics such as “Synchilla,” which is comprised of up to 86% recycled materials, and Thermogreen insulation (90% recycled) through the Common Threads Recycling Program. These materials can be found in products for men, women, and children, but will cost you a pretty penny. The adorable Baby Reversible Puff-Ball Bunting costs as much as this Gaiam wrap!

The amazingly cool pieces being produced across the pond (i.e. London) by Worn Again (motto: “Our Fashion is Rubbish”) take the concept of recycling to a new level.

Their Worn Again Virgin “Lydia” bag, for example, are made from the following “indredients,” which are listed on a tag inside of the messenger-style satchel: Virgin Atlantic seat covers, seat belts, bicycle inner tubes, factory scrap materials.

Yep, you read that right: seat covers and seat belts! And look how cool it is? The bag at right is one of three colors currently available. But again, the price is pretty high, especially considering the current exchange rate. This one costs £65.00. I’ll let you do the math. Yikes!

If you just want to start small - remember every change makes a difference - you might want to try the Unisex Recycled Cotton-Acrylic Blend Pom-Pom Beanie from American Apparel. At just $18, it’s a piece you can afford to incorporate into your wardrobe right away. Seventy-four percent of the fabrication is recycled cotton. Right on.

Want to make even less of an imprint on the environment. Let’s say it all together: “Buy second hand!” Oh yes, dear readers, there’s nothing like treating the earth right by purchasing clothing that’s already been gently used by others.

Call is recycling, call it up-cycling, call it being thrifty, call it being smart, call it being cheap, call it whatever you want…but it’s hot right now. And you want to be on the front end of the trends, right? The DCGF knows this…

Any purchase made at a Goodwill Retail Store or on ebay.com funds Goodwill’s mission of training and employment programs for people with disadvantages or disabilities.