If you’ve ever thru-hiked or gone through a hippie phase, you’ve likely come across Dr. Bronner’s all-in-one Magic Soaps. These fragrant liquid cleansers boast 18 uses, from shampoo to mouthwash to dishwashing detergent to shaving foam. And it’s aggressively earthy, made from organic and biodegradable ingredients in a recycled plastic bottle.

Now Dr. Bronner has gone fair trade as well, as we discovered via bookmark at a natural-goods store this past weekend. We scanned in the proof above, and because it wouldn’t be Dr. Bronner’s without a ton of fine print about the company’s earnest ideals, the back of the bookmark contained the following pledge:

In implementing the Fair Trade program, we will do the following: First, we will purchase our materials from farmer co-ops or associations which provide collective power and are good partners in implementing community development programs. Such direct and long-term relationships between growers and buyers are a key element of Fair Trade for lasting effect. Then, we will guarantee small farmers a floor price, which covers cost of production and a decent return, even when market prices crash, with an organic premium paid on top. Pricing is transparent to farmers, payments will be on time and credit offered on fair terms. We will make sure that fair wages are paid, the rules of the International Labor Organization on worker representation and work hours are followed, and physical working conditions are more comfortable. Finally, we will pay an extra Fair Trade premium, 10% of the price of materials and labor, into a fund for local development projects such as: education, day care and health care programs; sanitation improvement; organic fertilizer provisions to small growers; and funding for small businesses.

P.S.: If it’s been a while since you’ve bought Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap, it comes in Lavender, Eucalyptus, Rose, Almond, Citrus, Tea Tree, and Baby Mild scents now, in addition to the classic Peppermint. Read up more about the formulations here!

As the bright spot in an otherwise dismal year for retailers, J.Crew reported $357.6-million in sales in the last quarter — up 6 percent over last year.

We can’t help but wonder whether the company owes Michelle Obama a huge “thank you” in that regard.

The First Lady has given her stamp of approval to the brand time and again, whether it’s sporting a J.Crew cardigan and mint green pencil skirt while meeting with Prime Minister Gordon Brown in London (pictured left) or while working the talk show circuit. And for her next magazine cover, she wears another J.Crew skirt and a Gap sweater.

All of which explains why so many ethical designers are reaching out to her. There have been calls for her to shop more black designers, and so far she has shown a willingness to bestow her golden touch on emerging brands.

Personally, we’d love to see her shaking things up in American Apparel tees and in that waist-cinching bamboo dress by the Battalion that Maggie Gyllenhaal wore last year. Her famous arms would look great in it!

We want to give a hearty welcome to new visitors to EthicalStyle.com by way of The Wall Street Journal! We were asked to give our thoughts about Recycle LACMA, a project by a Los Angeles artist to deconstruct vintage clothing sold off by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. We first discussed our ethical objections to the project in July.

Here’s what we had to say now to the WSJ:

Some vintage clothing collectors liken “Recycle Lacma” to vandalism. M.J. Prest, editor in chief of “Ethical Style,” a Web site about recycling and design, says she finds it offensive. “I see it as ruining something that had its own integrity,” she says. “You sort of believe when somebody gives something to a museum, they’re doing it so it would be preserved.”

Our chief complaint is that the art project takes museum-quality vintage and turns it into — pardon the expression — a bunch of useless crap.

The John Anthony fur coat pictured above was nearly 40 years old and in pristine condition before it was made into a Halloween costume sized for an infant. That’s a coat that was built to last decades, and now it’s something that can be worn once (how many growing kids wear the same costume two years in a row?).

So while we respect the artistic process, we argue that what this is cannot be called recycling.

What do you think? Vintage vandalism or is all fair in love and art? Share a comment below!

Ahhh, fall. It might still be August, but our favorite season is right around the corner and we can’t help but eye all the phonebook-sized magazines and catalogs that entice us to buck the recession and splurge.

Unfortunately, that isn’t in the cards this year, so for the newest E.S. issue we came up with a few innovative ways to refresh your favorite items for fall:

• First, new contributor Kara Cook walks you through her step-by-step instructions for turning a long skirt into a sleek strapless dress. She’s our new DIY doyenne, so join us in welcoming Kara to the E.S. team!
• We just finished reading Funmi Odulate’s resource book Shopping for Vintage and found it invaluable for finding the best clothing of yesteryear. We review it here for you wannabe vintage collectors out there.
• Madison offers her take on the classic “wear now, wear later” article. You just might find the perfect piece that transitions you from summer to fall.
• If you read Daily Candy or Lucky magazine, you’ve likely heard of DenimTherapy.com. They’re the people who promise to take any ripped, torn, holey, or otherwise destroyed blue jeans and make them good as new. We put their pie-in-the-sky promises to the test.
• And as always, stop by Seam Ripper and check out what you might have been missing on the E.S. blog!

“I often wear vintage pieces on stage. I perhaps romantically feel a presence in old things. Stories gone before imbue a soulfulness on them. The ongoing search for vintage clothing perhaps reflects somewhat the ongoing search for glamour, glamour itself being a pursuit or a hobby.”

– Roisin Murphy, one of our favorite musicians, as quoted in Funmi Odulate’s book Shopping for Vintage. Above, the singer/songwriter wore Gareth Pugh last fall at Paris Fashion Week. Download “Ramalama Bang Bang” on iTunes and try on everything in your closet.

Bangladesh is home to 4,200 garment factories, but those companies are now taking steps to shed the “sweatshop” label, the AFP reports.

Consultants like Rodney Reed, a British businessman who has been living in Bangladesh for three years, are helping the factories become socially responsible and treat garment workers well:

With signs that the runaway growth in the garment trade is beginning to slow because of the global financial crisis, Reed said Bangladesh could set itself apart from other garment-producing countries by becoming a fair-trade hub.

“In the same way we see organic coffee and organic vegetables in the UK, people pay more money for products if they are environmentally sustainable,” Reed said, adding that fair trade could become vital to the country’s survival as a leading garment producing nation.

“At the moment Bangladesh’s only advantage is its cheap labour, but that may not always be the case. Someplace else will come along offering cheaper labour, most likely sub-Saharan African countries, and shops will send their orders there instead,” he said.

Read more about the pros and cons of overseas sweatshop labor here.

Like many serious fashion lovers, we keep a running list of wishlist items that we hope someday we’ll be able to buy. (My list includes a Cartier watch, a Chanel chain-strap purse, a diamonds-by-the-yard necklace from Tiffany, and a crocodile bag. Drool.)

The one thing these items have in common (besides timelessness)? Huge price tags.

But oddly enough, I recently came across a croc bag (circa 1940s) in a vintage shop. It looked beautiful, but at only $150, I was suspicious. Could it be authentic?

I scoured the internet for information and thought I’d share. According to The Croc Doc Shop, the best way to tell authenticity is to examine the scales. Real scales vary in size and shape symmetrically (they’re taken from the underbelly of the animal), and embossing technology didn’t exist 70 years ago so the age of the item decides in its favor.

To restore suppleness to dried-out crocodile or alligator leather, they recommend applying Pledge furniture polish in a thin layer and buffing dry using a soft cloth. Repairing worn corners is easy with a dab of clear nail polish, which saves you the trouble of having to reglaze the entire bag. Never use glue to repair cracks — it ruins the bag.

Want to ask an expert about a croc bag? Send an email to the Croc Docs here.

Salvatore Ferragamo Vintage Alligator Clutch, $1,795 at Portero.com.

For the vegan stylistas out there — that is, people who won’t wear leather or silk or wool or fur for ethical reasons — fashionable clothing that fit their philosophies can be limited. But the Los Angeles Times interviewed the experts for where to find clothing free of all animal products.

Our favorite was Elizabeth Olsen, the designer behind OlsenHaus:

“I didn’t want to be the brand that only hippies wear,” said Elizabeth Olsen, founder of olsenHaus Pure Vegan footwear in New York. OlsenHaus, which has been in business one year, makes strappy stilettos, ultrasuede ankle boots and colorful ballet flats using a mixture of manmade, plant-based and recycled materials. These are shoes that could easily stroll a red carpet and raise eyebrows — not so much for their ethics but for their stylish ingenuity.

We admit — even though we wear leather shoes (as Madison recently wrote, they hold up the best and are more comfortable than plastic), we have a soft spot for Haus’s clever designs and craftsmanship.

Shown above: Faux-Suede “Balance” Sandal, $205 at OlsenHaus.com.

Make way for Labor Day sales: Coco’s Shoppe just upped the ante by offering 40 percent off everything and free shipping!

It’s no secret that we love Coco. And we love a deal. So consider this a match made in heaven.

Enter code TWEET at checkout to get the discount on brands like Beau Soleil, Burning Torch, Edun, J Brand, and more.

Covet Organic Cotton Tunic, $126 at CocosShoppe.com.

Chloé Jo Berman at GirlieGirlArmy.com has some awesome tips for saving some cash by giving yourself an at-home facial. Don’t worry about spending money on high-end face masks either: Some of the best stuff you can mix up in your own kitchen.

Depending on your skin’s needs, she suggests:

For Bride Glow
This is a traditional Indian mask used for a bride, seven days in advance of marriage.
Mix a half a cup of besan (gram flour), 2 teaspoons of turmeric powder, 2 teaspoons of sandal wood powder, 2 teaspoons of almond oil, add some water to make a paste.

For Dry Skin
Mix an avocado, 2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil with a cup of agave.  Blend and apply.

For Oily Faces
Grab equal parts tomato juice, cucumber juice and lemon juice; add a tablespoon of calamine powder or gram flour to mixture. Combine and pop that sucker on.

Combo Skin
Mix 1½ teaspoon of green clay (French is preferred), ½ teaspoon of kaolin clay, 1½ tablespoon aloe vera gel, 1 tablespoon rosewater, and (last, but not least) 2 drops rose essential oil.  Mix and apply.  You can refridgerate and save this one to use anytime!

Quick Fix
Mix rolled oats or instant oatmeal with a couple tablespoons of any oil you have around (olive, grapeseed, avocado, hazlenut… whatevers clever).  Apply.

Time to bliss out, ladies! (And gents, if you’re man enough to be caught with avocado on your face.)