What a beautifully designed scarf! Created by Elsbeth Joy Nielsen of the Netherlands, Silk Story is made from one of the forms of Peace Silk. Nielsen created a technique that doesn’t destroy the silkworms to obtain their silk. This design is one of many selected by journalist and curator Marcus Fairs for his 2009 publication, Green Design: Creative Sustainable Designs for the 21st Century. Fairs chose Nielsen’s design along with 19 others for an article on innovative eco-designs from The Independent a few years ago. You can see the other selections here.

credits: thanks to Elsbeth Joy Nielsen, The Independent

Ethos Paris is an eco fashion house founded in 2002 that only uses materials that are both fair trade certified and organic. The collections are mostly made from cotton, raffia and alpaca. While alpaca is an animal-based product, it is sourced and produced by an Indigenous collective in Bolivia. Zippers are free of nickel. Coconut, wood or seashell are used for buttons. The preference is to design garments that minimize fastening devices to keep clothing wear simple.

In 2007 the company launched the Botanical Impressions collection made from 100% herbal dyes that are ayurvedic or natural. Founders Ann and Leslie Leroux abide by regulatory organizations such as Eko, Ecocert and Bioport. Company goals include “Put an end to the clothing industry’s exploitative sweat shops by establishing genuine partnerships with producers and uniting forces to bring about positive economic and social change.” and “Respect for the consumer through business transparency and product quality.” Look for more Ethos Paris at the Paris Ethical Fashion Show and Portland Fashion Week coming this October. In the meantime, enjoy this short video with music by the Japanese pop group, Yaneka.