Sometimes the best ideas strike purely by happenstance. Take the colorful “Electric Love” rings by Grain, a Seattle-area jewelry company. Co-designer James Minola whipped this up from scrap electrical wire while waiting for his partner, Chelsea Green, to finish an art class. Ms. Green’s friends admired the ring so much that they’ve added it as a permanent addition to their jewelry line.

Made to order from upcycled electrical wire from a building-materials supplier on Bainbridge Island, the hand-knotted ring comes in a rainbow of bright colors. From an email the designers sent us:

“Electric Love gives a second life to something that was headed for a landfill,” says Minola, “It is a small gesture but one that we always consider in our design work.”

Also, Grain is a member of 1% for the Planet, an association of businesses around the globe pledging to donate at least 1% of their annual sales to environmental groups. Feel-good all around.

“Electric Love” Rings, $19 at GrainDesign.com.

Coming in scents like juicy mango and bright lemon, these bars are made with natural oils and butters that melt on contact with your skin. Formulated with coconut butter, mango butter, apricot oil, shea butter, and pistachio butter, all the ingredients are grown on a small family farm in Placerville, Calif.

Each bar comes in a tin and is hand-stamped with a bee motif in the small size, or a sunflower design for the large.

The company is a member of Co-op America, Farm Trails, CAFF, and Buy Fresh-Buy Local, and founder Laura Owens is a certified master herbalist, so you’ll give your support to a non-GMO farm with your purchase.

Owens Acres Lemon Lotion Bar, $6.95 at WorldofGood.com.

The deliciousness of a three-day weekend looms just within reach, and the writers at E.S. wish you all a happy Independence Day.

On that note, want more inspirational stories on free-thinking designers showing serious moxie? We’ve got you covered for reading material:

• Indie rocker Morrissey offers his candid reasons for why he makes allowances for leather shoes, even though he’s a vegan.
• These small businesses are sticking to their ideals and succeeding at every turn.
• Help silk weavers in Thailand achieve financial independence by buying one of these fair-trade silk shirts and scarves by Kohtrad. Part of the proceeds support microfinance programs overseas through Kiva.org.
• Want to know what you’re really getting when you buy organic? Independent third-party certification is the way to go.
• Maggie Gyllenhaal, our favorite independent movie star, also shows serious commitment to eco-ideals in fashion.

Enjoy the break, and we’ll be back at you on Tuesday.

The “Alba” design is the quintessential timeless satchel in a seasonless burgundy shade. We can easily envision ourselves carrying this throughout the year, from summer happy hour to braving the masses while Christmas shopping.

It’s also designed with the multitasking woman in mind, with pockets galore and enough space for books and files. It’s the perfect balance between form and function, and it’s made right here at a small business in the USA.

Brown too basic for you? It also comes in a soothing sea green.

Paulina Carcach “Alba” Lambskin Satchel, $141 at Etsy.com.

It’s been a few months since it was published in Forbes magazine, but we only just now saw this profile on eco-designer Susan Woo. We were impressed by the ways she’s imbued her designs with her personal environmental and moral values as well as her sense of style.

Observe:

Does the greening of fashion cause you to shudder as thoughts of hemp and recycled underwear cross your mind? Not to worry. Susan Woo–that is, her eponymous label–is proof that the right design can transform the usual sustainable fabrics like alpaca wool, vegetable-tanned leather, organic cotton jersey and sustainable silk crepe into clothes that make a woman look glamorous, sexy and in control.

Also striking is her commitment to fair labor. All her clothes are designed in a workshop in New York City, under her watchful eye. Born to Korean-immigrant parents, this Manhattan native says she always keeps the difficulties that immigrants face in perspective–doing so diminishes the challenges she faces in keeping her business alive. After all, tripling her first-year revenues in the face of a recession is no mean feat.

This is precisely what more designers ought to consider doing, we’d argue, especially because it make the delineation between artist and person seamless. Meaning: As people, all designers have their individual causes and principles. Why not structure their work in such a way that they can bring the spotlight to their personal priorities?

Now we have another negative to add to Column B. On Gawker.com, a tipster leaked the company’s confidentiality agreement, which must be signed by all new hires and limits employees’ ability to report questionable behavior. From the legalese:

You understand that the Company is a high profile publicly traded company that is vulnerable from a media perspective. You also understand that that the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, Dov Charney, is considered an international business celebrity and has become one of the most recognized CEOs in the fashion industry. …

Further, you agree not to disparage the Company or Mr. Charney in public or online on blogs or any other similar media. Further, you understand and agree that all communications concerning Confidential Information in public, even with fellow employees of the Company, that are or reasonably could be overheard by a third party (e.g., and without limitation, in bars and restaurants) shall be deemed a breach of this Confidentiality Agreement. …

In the event of any breach by you (or your agents) of this Confidentiality Agreement, you shall pay as liquidated damages, and not as a penalty, the sum of One Million Dollars ($1,000,000) for each such breach, which the parties agree represents reasonable compensation for the harm incurred as a result of such breach.

The contract seems explicitly designed to protect Mr. Charney, who is no stranger to accusations of sexual harassment and unethical accounting practices. We can’t help but wonder what he has to hide if he’s willing to threaten his employees with a million-dollar penalty for speaking up.

“It’s happening like crazy,” Karen Young, chief executive of the Young Group, a consulting company that works with beauty brands, said of the increased prevalence of food in skin care. “We’re learning more and more about skin and nature, and about the interaction between the two.” Young said segments of the U.S. beauty industry are increasingly leaning toward natural, organic and homegrown products as customers veer away from chemicals and synthetics.

“In other parts of the world, it is normal to use food and elements of nature for medicinal or beauty purposes,” she said. “In America we are just waking up to that now.”

The article cites brands like the Body Deli out of Palm Desert, Calif., and Farmhouse Fresh from Frisco, Tex. One maker we can vouch for is Elique Organic Skin Food, which sources its foodie-quality ingredients from Los Angeles’s famed farmers markets. And coming this summer, Elique’s founder Elisha Reverby will be offering classes out of her salon in Venice, Calif., to teach students how to make their own eco-beauty products at home (details TBA here). Sign us up!

All of Moop’s bags are stitched by hand using grown-in-the-USA cotton. In fact, she’s known for having quite a following on Etsy.

To celebrate its third anniversary and the introduction of its organic cotton Market Bags, Moop is offering 10 percent off all orders through Wednesday. Just enter coupon code MOOPLOVESYOU during checkout.

Market Bag in Organic Bright Cherry Red, $113 at MoopShop.com.

Says an AA press release:

“We’re passionate about and inspired by the unique nature of vintage items here at American Apparel and have amassed a really amazing collection of one-of-a-kind vintage pieces. We decided to switch from the difficult auction platform to our own webstore, not only to showcase our vintage findings to our online shoppers, but also to better meet the growing demand for the line,” said Iris Alonzo, a creative director for American Apparel.

We especially admire the innovative spirit evident in California Select’s reworked garments, deconstructed from deadstock and vintage fabrics and occasionally modernized with new materials. The dress pictured here, for example — you’d never guess it was upcycled from vintage cranberry polyester!

California Select Original Cut Out Schoolgirl Dress, $55 at AmericanApparel.net.

China has long been the stronghold for American clothing companies on the prowl for cheap manufacturing, but decades of exporting labor to Guangdong has had an inevitable side effect: Chinese workers have gotten so skilled, they can command more money.

So apparel companies — particularly sneaker brands like New Balance, Saucony, and Keds — are now looking elsewhere to keep costs down and profits high. And Indonesia is looking pretty attractive for growth potential, reports The Boston Globe:

China once lured American companies to build plants in its economic zones near its large coastal cities with low costs and a seemingly endless number of workers, but it is becoming a more challenging place to do business for some industries. Chinese are getting more skilled, and are finding business opportunities inland, so fewer people are moving to the zones.

And the labor shortage is driving up costs: In the export hub of Guangdong province, several cities last month increased their minimum wages by up to 20 percent. Workers there now earn up to $160 a month, compared with laborers in Indonesia who make roughly $100 to $120 a month.

Other brands mentioned in the article include Mizuno, Saucony, Nike, Reebok, and Adidas. To compare, New Balance operates a factory in Massachusetts where workers earn up to $12 an hour with full benefits. That’s quite a difference, even taking cost of living into account.