Green Festival Expo Part 1 : Eco & Vegan Fashion Brands
The last time I visited the Jacob Javits Center was for Comic Con. A super fun, colorful experience where half the visitors are dressed as their favorite superhero or villain. This time my visit to center was for the 6th annual Green Festival Expo which was just as awesome, all shades of green, and nothing but everyday superheroes trying to save the world.
On limited time, my mission was to focus on eco & vegan fashion brands and here's what I found.
Cecilia & Jennifer of BGG Knits and winners of the 2017 Green Festival Expo Brand Award!
Urban knit wear; knitted by a women's cooperative in Peru and made from Alpaca wool and ecological cotton. The wool is harvested in the summer when the Alpaca descend from Peruvian mountains and are sheared to escape the heat. The wool is then shipped 15 hours away to the women's cooperative, who they like to call "the knitting ninjas," and they hand craft each garment.
Congratulations to BGG Knits for winning the 2017 Green Festival Award for most exciting brand and recognition of sustainable practices!
Stacey, founder of Veerah, holding a heel made from recycled plastic bottles!
Shoes, fabulous vegan shoes! Made from a variety of fabrics: vegan leather, microfiber, organic cotton, and polyester that is made from recycled plastic bottles. Every layer of the shoe is carefully thought out to be cruelty free. The heels come in various heights, the classic design is timeless and what's great is the interchangeable accessories you can play with. I'm a fan of the tassels.
Womans wear, accessories and jewelry; made of all natural, organic and ethically sourced fabrics: cotton, silk, cashmere and wool. Hand stamped using non-toxic dyes and crafted by 5th and 6th generation artisians in India who take pride in their work.
Radhika (right), founder and CEO of Gartika.
Carmen Anderson
Soft jersey knit basics; made with modal rayon, a regenerative cellulose fiber produced from beech trees and bamboo. They're classic, comfortable and made in the USA.
Bobo Jewelry
This LA based company uses all natural gemstones and crafts each piece in the USA. Their jewelry is stunning.
Yoga bags, handbags and accessories; the materials are not organic but each point of production is done with local resources and made in the USA. When they purchase their fabric, it's usually the end of the bolt so they may produce 1 to 4 bags in a particular design, making them all unique. And each bag comes with an inspirational quote inside.
Linda, founder of Canopy Verde
Vegan leather & organic cotton wallets & handbags; they use eco friendly dyes that are chemical free, and minimizing waste is their priority in design and production.
Heather & Tara, My Boo & You
100% organic cotton shirts & onesies for kids. They use lead free inks and are made in the USA.
There was one brand I missed, Tenacious Tees, sorry guys! I can't find a website for them, but it's another one to look out for. Also, I was occasionally distracted by other vendors, but I'll save the rest for next time.
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