Earlier this week I proclaimed my desire to go to Scotland to see Highland Cattle in their indigenous habitat.  Today I found Re-Dress, an Irish organization that utilizes education, cooperative practices and public events to encourage ethical fashion practices.  If I stumble across an ethical English designer tomorrow, that’s it, I give in, I’m flying to the British Isles.

(Dear Universe: I’d like to fly to the British Isles, please, so feel free to send an awesome designer my way.  Also, a free plane ticket.)

Re-dress was founded in 2008 by Rosie O’ Reilly, Kellie Dalton and Kate Nolan, three ladies that have a passion for their home country of Ireland and wanted to promote ethical, local fashion practices.  They created Re-dress to do just that.  Here’s their mission:

“Better Fashion is – aesthetically and creatively inspiring, environmental respectful acknowledging the limitations of our world’s resources & respectful of  the rights of the people manufacturing and creating garments globally.
Better Fashion is measured by its merits, not its profit margins and it starts with you.”

Since 2008, Re-dress has focused on consumer education and awareness through their public events, art installations, and their Better Fashion work: Better Fashion Week, Better Fashion Resources and Better Fashion Industry.  They even have a full list of fabric definitions!  My favorite of their consumer awareness projects, however, is their made in Ireland swing tag.

It’s simple, really: every single product with the made in Ireland swing tag is guaranteed to be made in Ireland. If you live in Ireland, choosing products with this swing tag means you’re buying locally, and guarantees that your purchase helps the Irish economy.  It also guarantees a type of quality and ethics not always found in fashion cooperatives:

“Successful applicants of the made in Ireland project are expected to commit to:

• Achieve best practice standards in their own fields.
• Aspire to provide the highest quality of design, finish, service & presentation in their products.
• Ensure the highest standard of accountability within their production facilities including the recognition and application of employment rights and labour standards.
• Apsire to increase their manufacturing and production capacity here in Ireland.”

The made in Ireland website lists its members – all Irish fashion and jewelry designers, of course – on its website.  Because I love eye candy (and I know you do too), here are some of my favorites:

eilis boyle

eilisboyle.com

Emma Manley

emmamanley.com

Heather Finn

heatherfinn.com

Lisa Shawgi

lisashawgi.com

Sinead Doyle

sineaddoyle.com

You can find the rest of the made in Ireland members here.

We’re really excited about 2012, and from what we’re reading on Facebook and Twitter, pretty much everyone else is too. (Was 2011 that bad?) To celebrate, we’re featuring our favorite unique, handmade calendars, made by independent designers on Etsy. You can see all of the calendars we’ve featured here!

That’s a polar bear in a plaid shirt.  Yep.  So good.

Corella Design calls this an animal lover’s calendar, but I think it’s more of a strange conversation piece.  I want to have a Valentine’s Day party just so I can hear someone say, “…is that a wolf wearing a hat?”

Winter is coming, okay?!*

—

*Does that make April “The Bear and the Maiden Fair”?

Along with a GoGoGirlfriend subscription (a monthly sample box – see Lindsay’s review of GoGoGirlfriend for more information), I just signed up for regular deliveries of samples through MyGlam, and it seems I managed to do so in time to get their January box…which had a “back to nature” theme!

Image via MyGlam…and since they only open up membership every so often, if you want in I recommend following them on Facebook!

While I love my box as a whole, I’m a little uncertain about one of the products I received: Wen Sweet Almond Mint Cleansing Conditioner.

But before I go on, did anyone else hear “Wen” and immediately think of the original definition of the word?  You know, an abnormal growth or a cyst that typically protrudes from the face?  Not sexy, Wen.  Not sexy.

Here’s what MyGlam says about Wen (the cleansing conditioner, not the cyst on your face):

“Wen is a single step Cleansing Conditioner with natural ingredients. The most important thing about Wen is actually what it’s NOT. It’s not a shampoo.

“Wen avoids sodium laurel sulfate and other damaging detergents usually found in shampoos, so it won’t strip hair and scalp of natural oils. The astringent and antibacterial properties found in the Cleansing Conditioner thoroughly cleanse the hair without lather or harsh ingredients. It’s designed to add sheen, luster, moister, manageability and helps enhance color retention.

“Wen is the creation of the celebrity stylist, Chaz Dean, and is the must have hair product for stars such as Alyssa Milano. It can be used for straight, wavy, curly, color treated or ethnic hair!”

I’m…skeptical.  I’ve heard some great reviews of Wen, but most of them have been from people that have only been using it for a few days or those that don’t really pay attention to what’s in their shampoo.  (Wen doesn’t use sodium laurel sulfate, but it does use potentially harmful chemicals, including fragrance and PEG-60, so it’s only sort of eco-friendly.)  I’ve also read bad reviews of Wen, criticizing everything from how oily it made their hair to automatic billing issues after ordering.

Guys, I’m nervous!  Before I open this package, I am hoping someone reading this will come forward and tell me about their experience with Wen.  Did you love it?  Hate it?  Get billed a million dollars for it?

We’re really excited about 2012, and from what we’re reading on Facebook and Twitter, pretty much everyone else is too. (Was 2011 that bad?) To celebrate, we’re featuring our favorite unique, handmade calendars, made by independent designers on Etsy. You can see all of the calendars we’ve featured here!

Hello, little cow.  Let’s go get a coffee.

This calendar features hand drawn and painted British wildlife prints, including nocturnal owls, a blue tit in mid-flight and that adorable highland cow.

I think I’m in love.

—

Second image via the American Highland Cattle Association.

We’re really excited about 2012, and from what we’re reading on Facebook and Twitter, pretty much everyone else is too. (Was 2011 that bad?) To celebrate, we’re featuring our favorite unique, handmade calendars, made by independent designers on Etsy. You can see all of the calendars we’ve featured here!

One of my “must see” countries is Greece.  This 2012 calendar by stephmel features original photographs of Greece, which has me looking at plane tickets.

What countries are on your must-see list?

You may have noticed our new advertiser, New Factory, Friend, hanging out with us over there in the sidebar. I’m excited to officially “introduce” them to you, because I think you’ll really like them!

And by “them” I really mean she: the enigmatic Max Schroder, owner and founder of New Factory, Friend (which I also sometimes call NFF). I’ve been chatting with Max for months as she’s altered and tweaked her growing business into something really amazing: a line of classic wrap tops and button-down shirts made using socially responsible practices and sustainable materials, all produced in the USA.

New Factory, Friend: Eco-Friendly Wrap Tops

“Where does the name New Factory, Friend come from? The name is an homage to the Japanese designers Rei Kawakubo, Issey Miyake, and Yohji Yamamoto who continually inspire and broaden the limits of what we think is possible in how we view the world.”

Along with their worldly name, New Factory, Friend has a dedication to its local roots.  Everything is manufactured in the San Francisco area, and every person that helps create an NFF organic or hemp top is paid a fair wage.  They also donate a percentage of their profits to a local organization, Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center, which supports fledgling entrepreneurs in every aspect of their business creation, and to KIVA, which supports entrepreneurs worldwide.

New Factory, Friend: Eco-Friendly Button-Up Shirts

NFF’s collection is inspired by classic mid-twentieth-century button down shirts, sewn with a modern twist and added functionality for the present day.  Their goal is to make button-downs and wraps that fit today’s woman, both aesthetically and functionally.

Botton-down shirts and wraps used to be two styles I feared.  If you have large breasts, you know that fear as well as I do: it’s called the gap, and it falls squarely between the buttonholes of my shirt, right at the bustline – or, in a wrap, makes me afraid that a “wardrobe malfunction” could happen at any moment.  (I just can’t keep ‘em contained.)  However, with their modern styling and interesting details, New Factory, Friend actually got me wondering if maybe, just maybe, I could try a wrap again.

Do you want to try a wrap?  Because you can.  For free.

Oh yeah, baby.  It’s time for a giveaway!

New Factory, Friend: Wrap Giveaway!

This is the J Church wrap, which is named after the train line that rumbles by Max’s house each day.  It’s made of 100% Surplus Slub Rayon and, of course, all manufacturing is done in the USA.  The J Church wrap is available in black or silver grey, and if you win, you get to choose which color and size you’ll receive.

Entering is easy:

• Go to New Factory, Friend’s online store and comment on this post with your favorite design.  (I adore the Dalva wrap in navy.)
• While you’re at it, check out their Fabric Guide, which is really informative, and their Fit and Style Guide, which makes my boobs less afraid of exposure every time I read it.

If you want extra entries…

• Follow New Factory, Friend on Facebook;
• Follow Awakened Aesthetic on Tumblr; and/or
• Subscribe to The Ethical Rag, our bi-monthly newsletter that is also currently running a giveaway.  Easy peasy!

When you’re all set,  fill out the form below.  Don’t forget your name and email address, so I can contact you if you win!

We’re really excited about 2012, and from what we’re reading on Facebook and Twitter, pretty much everyone else is too. (Was 2011 that bad?) To celebrate, we’re featuring our favorite unique, handmade calendars, made by independent designers on Etsy. You can see all of the calendars we’ve featured here!

There is something so unbelievably comforting about linen. The feeling, the look, the smell – they sell bottles of it in the home fragrance aisle! It’s such a natural-feeling fabric, and can be super luxe, or very rustic and earthy. So why not make a calendar out of it, right?

…Right?

The inks are water based, the linen is sustainable and unbleached, and the screen-printing and calligraphy are hand-crafted and adorable. I love the font or handwriting or penmanship of the artist – each month is so… beautifully written! And each month is accompanied by a tiny sketch. I would love to hang this exactly as it’s shown in the photos – clothespins on a piece of twine or yarn. Also great for a garden shed! The artist suggests using the calendar as a tea towel after the year ends. Too cute!

2012 Linen Calendar by diva pyari is available on Etsy for $22.

I’ve spent the past two days holed up at Awakened Aesthetic HQ – a.k.a. my house.  Why?  Because it’s snowing!

It’s snowing a lot, actually…especially for Seattle.  It’s also sleeting, and freezing raining, and snowing some more.  My non-blog office has been closed for the past two days, and when I step outside I’m met with a layer of snow over a layer of ice over another layer of snow.  My boyfriend, dog and I went on A Trek Through The Park near our house earlier this evening, until we realized how unenthused Ned was with the idea of sometimes treading on top of, and sometimes falling through, that first layer of ice into a pile of snow.  Sorry, mister.

I’m writing this post on Thursday night, so who knows if I’ll be back at the office by the time you all read this…but either way, I thought I’d show you some of my favorite snow pictures from the past couple of days.  (These were originally posted at the West Seattle Blog – my ‘hood! – unless otherwise noted.)

We’ll start with a pretty photo of Longfellow Creek.

An Anna’s Hummingbird (they winter here).

Snow chicken!

I think I know which tree this is, and it’s a mere block and a half from my house.  The ice that encircled the branches of the trees grew throughout the evening – I wish I’d snapped a photo of the ice-encased rose hips I saw!

This photo of blooming witch hazel and a pair of Steller’s Jays, on the other hand, I couldn’t place if I tried.  It  must have been taken yesterday, before the hard freeze.

The above two photos were quickly snapped by my boyfriend as we walked through our neighborhood, sizing up the damage the snow and ice had done.  Take a close look at the stones in the first photo: they’re covered with a solid half-inch of ice!

It seems that everyone in this area hates crows, but I don’t mind them.  Don’t get me wrong: the first time I saw a raven I fell madly in love.  Still, these little guys aren’t so bad.

Looking out toward downtown.  Can you see the Space Needle?

We’re really excited about 2012, and from what we’re reading on Facebook and Twitter, pretty much everyone else is too. (Was 2011 that bad?) To celebrate, we’re featuring our favorite unique, handmade calendars, made by independent designers on Etsy. You can see all of the calendars we’ve featured here!

Paper Fashion is absolutely,without question, my favorite Etsy find so far this year.

“My name is Kathryn Elyse Rodgers, better known as Katie! I am an apparel designer in Boston, MA who happens to love and admire fashion illustration. I’m not referring to the common ‘fashion illustration’ you see today (or even what I do everyday at work), but the dying art of hand drawn and painted fashion renderings. I have a passion and love for them, and will continue to practice this art for the rest of my life.”

This is Katie’s 2012 calendar, which DesignLoveFest turned into a pretty damned adorable gif.  Beautiful!

I love being pale.

No, really!  It’s great to know that, unlike my mother (whose generation didn’t know how bad constant tanning could be), I likely won’t get skin cancer, and that as I age, my skin won’t lose elasticity as quickly.  I’m a fan of summer sunscreen, avoiding tanning beds, and slathering on moisturizer after any unexpected burns…but I realize that it’s not enough.  If I really want to keep my skin from getting sun damaged, I’ve got to wear sunscreen all over, all year.

Even…on…my hands?  Huh.  Okay.

The immaculate pale beauty, Dita Von Teese, is also an eco-icon due to her love of vintage!

When I first mentioned this post to Lindsay, she revealed that she was also looking to be paler in 2012.

“I want to have like 0% sun damage on my skin.”

Twinsies!

I have to admit, there’s an aesthetic component for me, too: I want my arms to be the same color as my legs.  My legs could flag down airplanes, they’re so bright white.  They also don’t want to get any color, so I figure it’s best to just give in and enjoy their blinding beauty.

How are there people with so few blemishes on their skin?  I thought I saw a mole, then realized I just need to clean my computer screen.

My first step in the journey to be pale was to research sunscreen and other SPF-related products.  The Environmental Working Group puts out a comprehensive list of the best sunscreens for the eco-conscious, as well as information on which sunscreens are crap, which use too many chemicals, and which sunscreens are best for the environment.

 Best Beach & Sport Sunscreen

“Our top-rated sunscreens all contain the minerals zinc or titanium. They are the right choice for people who are looking for the best UVA protection without any sunscreen chemical considered to be a potential hormone disruptor. None of the products contain oxybenzone or vitamin A and none are sprayed or powdered.”

Confidential to EWG: I’m sort of developing a crush on you.  Keep talking like that and I’ll buy you dinner.

There are so many sunscreens on EWG’s list that I’ve decided to feature only a few of the brands I’m most familiar with.  For the whole list, click here.

Alba Botanica Mineral Sunblock, Fragrance Free SPF 30

Coppertone Sensitive Skin Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50

SPF Fifty! And it’s Coppertone, so you know it works.

LaVanila The Healthy Sunscreen SPF 40 Face Cream

The thought of using this face cream makes my rosacea stand up and take notice…but it’s worth a shot.

Speaking of rosacea, I guess I could use sunscreen on my body and makeup with SPF on my face…is that splitting hairs?

Jane Iredale PurePressed Base

Organic Wear Liquid Foundation SPF 15

Physicians Formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 Powder Foundation

Aaaaand I just realized that I can get almost all of these products – the eco-friendly makeup with SPF and the eco-friendly sunscreens – at the drugstore. Score.

If I want to go really crazy, I could pair some of this makeup with an eco-moisturizer with SPF. You can really layer this stuff on! (Don’t go too crazy, though: there are fewer chemicals in the products listed here and on EWG’s website, but it’s still best to use an amount of SPF protection that corresponds with the amount of time you’ll be in the sun.)

Now for the obvious question: If it’s so easy, why haven’t I been wearing sunscreen all along?

Image credits: Dita Von Teese, Evan Rachel Wood, Natalie Portman.