Last week, Jessica from Pants to Poverty (awesome tagline: “Ridding the World of Bad Pants”) wrote us about the brand’s autumn/winter collection of, yes, underpants made from fair-trade and organic cotton.

She says:

We use transitional cotton, and are Fair Trade certified in Europe. We intend to become fair trade certified in the US as soon as Transfair USA launches their textile certification program. We are also have begun to individually package our pants in recycled, fair trade paper, which makes for a great holiday or Valentine’s day gift. …

Not only are we ethically sourced and eco-friendly produced but we also donate £1 for each pair sold to the garment worker and farmer communities.

We are happy to spread the word! And really, any excuse to use the word “underpants” in a blog post is great.

The ever-fabulous Kristen Bell is on the cover of October’s Lucky magazine and we are absolutely drooling over her shopping picks in the fashion spread detailing her favorite things.

The coolest? An organic hemp shoulder bag by L.A.-based designer Heather Heron. Bell says:

“Heather Heron makes a line of eco-friendly bags that don’t force you to choose between good design and the environment.”

Amen, sister! That’s the holy grail right there, epitomized in the organic Cypress hobo (pictured above) with its slouchy shape and long zipper tassels.

Organic Cypress Bag, $495 at HeatherHeron.org.

Going through Fashion Week withdrawal? Have no fear. Saschie MacLean from VanFashionWeek.com wrote us about the upcoming Vancouver Fashion Week, held from November 3-8 in Canada’s greenest city.

Not only that but the organizers are offering a contest for aspiring eco-designers:

This season Vancouver Fashion Week is proud to present Vancouver’s fourth Eco-Friendly Fashion Design Competition, which aims to promote sustainable fashion sense across the industry. This contest will feature twenty local and international gifted young designers, who are interested in supporting a greener Earth through their creativity and talent.

The Vancouver Eco-Friendly Fashion Design Competition strives to promote sustainable fashion, which is a concept that is becoming more important each year. With the growing concern of the environment, taking care of our planet is becoming an essential aspect of everyday life, and this notion is translating into fashion. The competition is looking for potential young talents that can take ecologically friendly fashion to the next level.

For more information, send an e-mail to info@vanfashionweek.com.

PETA led a protest in Germany earlier this month at the entrance of the ”GDS” international shoe fair in Düsseldorf. Two nude women posed in an oversized shoebox smeared with blood in protest of leather footwear.

As followers of E.S. may have picked up, we don’t have much of a problem with leather due to the fact that it holds up better and uses fewer toxic chemicals in production than the plastic alternatives. We believe it’s important to examine every side of an ethical issue before you make a snap judgment about what you believe.

For followers of PETA, producers of leather, wool, silk, and pearls are every bit as big a target as fur. But it’s not likely (or environmentally friendly) for every designer to switch over to all synthetic materials, so really what activists should be applauding are suppliers who do everything they can to preserve the well-being of their animals. Surely there are those in the leather industry who do.

One story we think is often overlooked in the media is that livestock farmers are often families who have been in the trade for generations. Many (if not most) of them actually do care about their flocks and herds, yet they’re frequently characterized as evil on the level of 1800s plantation owners. We have to ask: Do you believe that’s a realistic portrait?

We might get in trouble for calling ethical fashionistas “label whores” — but we kid, we kid. Is there a better term for those of us who obsessively check for organic seals of approval, avoid anything labeled “dry clean only,” and want to know where our clothes are being made?

Here are some of Issue 23’s offerings:

• When did “label” become synonymous with “designer”?
• Kara sinks her teeth into certification processes for ethical standards in clothes (like organics and fair trade). It’s a pretty big topic, but she takes a hearty bite.
• Madison reviews the issue of counterfeit goods and what big designer names are doing to stem the tide of fake goods from hitting Canal Street and Santee Alley.
• We’ve reported on the fur industry’s Origin Assured initiative before and now the campaign is back for fall with its new Label Me advertisements.
• Finally, getting burned by too much of a good thing is a very real risk that label whores take. We offer a humorous look at fashion victimization.
• Want to read more? Check out Seam Ripper — a round-up of the best of the best from our Behind the Seams blog.

Actress Emma Watson, who plays Hermione in the Harry Potter movie franchise, is launching a fair-trade clothing collection for youths through U.K. retailer People Tree.

The line, due out in February, will be all organic and fair trade. Of the collection, she said:

“I wanted to help People Tree produce a younger range because I was excited by the idea of using fashion as a tool to alleviate poverty and knew it was something I could help make a difference with. It has been the most incredible gap year project.”

The girl’s got undeniable style, and we’re excited to see what she has come up with! We bet she has a talent for design as well as acting.

(via The Frisky)

Laura from T5M.com emailed us today from London Fashion Week with this awesome highlight reel from Estethica!

Watch and learn how the eco-pro’s do ethical fashion on the runway.

It’s the first day of fall — yay! But as much as we love the season, like clockwork the beginning of autumn means frayed split ends and flaky cuticles.

We feel that the mark of a good beauty buy is one you continue to use long after it’s lost the glow of its “new product aura.” Last September, we discovered Kiehls’s Superbly Restorative Argan Skin Salve and we’re happy to report that we’re still dipping into our tub to save our skin and hair from certain elemental destruction.

Argan oil is the critical main ingredient in that hair-perfecting and cultish Moroccan Oil, but Kiehls’s source is cheaper and organic and fairly traded from Morocco’s Atlas Mountain Region. And the earthy scents of eucalyptus, patchouli, and cedarwood are certain to make you feel cozy.

Put it on any skin ailment that’s bugging you — it’s great on ingrowns, blisters, and sunburn too. And considering that we’ve owned this for more than a year, you can bet that this wee tub goes a long way.

Superbly Restorative Argan Skin Salve, $25 at Kiehls.com.

The stylist who suddenly quit on Mark Fast last week because he hired three plus models to walk in his show has offered an explanation:

The stylist who walked out on designer Mark Fast because he used “large” models in his fashion show says she quit not because of their generous proportions but because they didn’t have the right walk.

“The walk is very important,’’ says Erika Kurihara.

We didn’t say it was a good explanation. Plus models can’t walk? Please. We can’t help but feel that it’s fashion-industry sentiments like Kurihara’s that are pushing curvier models to diet down.

Take British supermodel Lara Stone as an example, who at a size 4 says she is tired of being “the fat one” and is now taking drastic steps to make herself smaller.

It’s a ridiculous (not to mention disordered) assertion. Just ask Lizzi Miller: Curvy models are having a moment. Don’t lose what makes you stand out.

Barneys New York took a cue from Zoolander and dressed up their mannequins like homeless people — complete with park bench and garbage can.

OMG Blog has the photos and the story:

During my most recent visit to New York, I stopped by Barneys New York for a little shopping, and upon stepping out of the elevator at the Coop floor, this is what faced me: Mannequins with sad clown faces dressed up as homeless people (albeit in expensive duds).

The scene is so accurate down to the last detail that I did a triple take before uncontrollably saying something out loud about how ****ed up it is. We offend people every day here at !! omg blog !! but I think Barneys has us beat with this store display. Which part of “Taste. Luxury. Humor.” is this?

The display has shock value in spades but we can’t help but feel that at a time when many people are at risk of losing their homes, the message is in poor taste.

(via Racked)