There are varying opinions as to the origin of Valentine’s Day. Some experts state that it originated from St. Valentine, a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity. He died on February 14, 269 A.D., the same day that had been devoted to love lotteries. Legend also says that St. Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer’s daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it “From Your Valentine“.

Other aspects of the story say that Saint Valentine served as a priest at the temple during the reign of Emperor Claudius. Claudius then had Valentine jailed for defying him. In 496 A.D. Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honor St. Valentine. Gradually, February 14 became the date for exchanging love messages and St. Valentine became the patron saint of lovers.

The date was marked by sending poems and simple gifts such as flowers. There was often a social gathering or a ball.

In the United States, Miss Esther Howland is given credit for sending the first valentine cards. Commercial valentines were introduced in the 1800’s and now the date is very commercialized. The town of Loveland, Colorado, does a large post office business around February 14. The spirit of good continues as valentines are sent out with sentimental verses and children exchange valentine cards at school.

Valentine’s Day started in the time of the Roman Empire. In ancient Rome, February 14th was a holiday to honor Juno. Juno was the Queen of the Roman Gods and Goddesses. The Romans also knew her as the Goddess of women and marriage. The following day, February 15th, began the Feast of Lupercalia.

The lives of young boys and girls were strictly separate. However, one of the customs of the young people was name drawing. On the eve of the festival of Lupercalia the names of Roman girls were written on slips of paper and placed into jars.

Each young man would draw a girl’s name from the jar and would then be partners for the duration of the festival with the girl whom he chose. Sometimes the pairing of the children lasted an entire year, and often, they would fall in love and would later marry.

Under the rule of Emperor Claudius II Rome was involved in many bloody and unpopular campaigns. Claudius the Cruel was having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his military leagues. He believed that the reason was that roman men did not want to leave their loves or families. As a result, Claudius canceled all marriages and engagements in Rome.

The good Saint Valentine was a priest at Rome in the days of Claudius II. He and Saint Marius aided the Christian martyrs and secretly married couples, and for this kind deed Saint Valentine was apprehended and dragged before the Prefect of Rome, who condemned him to be beaten to death with clubs and to have his head cut off.

He suffered martyrdom on the 14th day of February, about the year 270. At that time it was the custom in Rome, a very ancient custom, indeed, to celebrate in the month of February the Lupercalia, feasts in honor of a heathen god. On these occasions, amidst a variety of pagan ceremonies, the names of young women were placed in a box, from which they were drawn by the men as chance directed.

The pastors of the early Christian Church in Rome endeavored to do away with the pagan element in these feasts by substituting the names of saints for those of maidens. And as the Lupercalia began about the middle of February, the pastors appear to have chosen Saint Valentine’s Day for the celebration of this new feast.

So it seems that the custom of young men choosing maidens for valentines, or saints as patrons for the coming year, arose in this way.

Hundreds of years ago in England, many children dressed up as adults on Valentine’s Day. They went singing from home to home. One verse they sang was:

Good morning to you, valentine;
Curl your locks as I do mine —
Two before and three behind.
Good morning to you, valentine.

And to mention a few traditions…In Wales wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on February 14th. Hearts, keys and keyholes were favorite decorations on the spoons. The decoration meant, “You unlock my heart!”  In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. To wear your heart on your sleeve now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling.

In some countries, a young woman may receive a gift of clothing from a young man. If she keeps the gift, it means she will marry him. Some people used to believe that if a woman saw a robin flying overhead on Valentine’s Day, it meant she would marry a sailor. If she saw a sparrow, she would marry a poor man and be very happy. If she saw a goldfinch, she would marry a millionaire.

A love seat is a wide chair. It was first made to seat one woman and her wide dress. Later, the love seat or courting seat had two sections, often in an S-shape. In this way, a couple could sit together — but not too closely!Think of five or six names of boys or girls you might marry, As you twist the stem of an apple, recite the names until the stem comes off. You will marry the person whose name you were saying when the stem fell off. Pick a dandelion that has gone to seed. Take a deep breath and blow the seeds into the wind. Count the seeds that remain on the stem. That is the number of children you will have.

f you cut an apple in half and count how many seeds are inside, you will also know how many children you will have.

Joelle’s Tips

Valentine Cards Courtesy of:

Victorian Valentine Cards

Victorian Valentine Cards

Though consumers are slowing their spending, when the global economy stabilizes, luxury online retailers may be the first to benefit.

That’s because, though late to jump on the e-commerce bandwagon, luxury goods companies cater to the growing number of ultra-affluent shoppers who prefer to buy their Dolce & Gabbana dresses, Louis Vuitton handbags and Hermès ties online.

That’s according to a June 2008 study released last month by Google in conjunction with Stevens, PA-based luxury-market research firm Unity Marketing. Both aimed to determine the impact of the Internet on shopping behavior.

And as a company that relies on revenue from search ads, Google also wants to prove to luxury retailers that advertising online this holiday season is worthwhile.The study says that those who prefer to shop online are richer, younger and spend more on luxury goods overall than those who prefer to shop in brick-and-mortar stores.

This is key to online retailers that rely on the rich. Though the Dow Jones Industrial Average has dropped below 10,000 the ultra-affluent are still expected to spend.

Still, spending—both online and off—is about to drop. On Oct, 8, Discover Financial Services released the results of its U.S. Spending Monitor, which dipped for September. Of the 15,000 Americans surveyed, 56% rated the economy as poor, and nearly 70% think it’s getting worse. And 51% are expecting to spend less on discretionary purchases in the next month. Those surveyed were chosen randomly.

Although the Google/Unity Marketing survey was conducted before the stock market’s historic slide, those behind it believe it still reflects the agenda of the ultra-affluent, or those with a net worth of $1 million or more, plus a yearly income of $250,000 for married people and $175,000 for single people. The study surveyed 1,000 people, aged 24-64.

They were then divided into two groups: those who made their last luxury goods purchase on the Internet and those who made their last luxury purchase in-store.

Somewhat surprisingly, those who last partook in Internet shopping earned more per year on average—$1.3 million, compared with $460,000 for in-store shoppers. Their average net worth was also much higher: $21.7 million for online shoppers, compared with $3.4 million for in-store shoppers.

They were also younger—40.3 years old, on average, compared with 44.3 years—and they spent more on luxury goods within the last year ($114,632 on average for online shoppers, compared with $23,000 for in-store shoppers).

Luxury goods expert Pam Danziger, president of Unity Marketing, says the disparate numbers have a lot to do with efficiency. Presumably, the richer you are, the less time you have to spend shopping. Doing it online is more convenient. “Time is the ultimate luxury,” says Danziger.

Department store Saks Fifth Avenue is so confident in its ability to grow online that it has signed a deal with New York-based E4X—a company that develops easy-to-use Web systems for brands that want to begin selling goods in countries other than their own—to launch a Saks e-commerce site in Canada.

Other luxury retailers on the forefront of e-commerce, according to Danziger and her partners at Google, include Christian Louboutin—designer of those coveted red-bottom shoes—and knit suit maker St. John. Louboutin recently moved one of his personal appearances–very popular among devotees–to his online boutique run by SaksFifthAvenue.com. And St. John keeps its followers busy with an online store run by Neiman Marcus, and also includes lots of insider knowledge on its Web site, ranging from runway clips to an online lifestyle magazine published four times a year.

As Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, says, it’s hard for those making $60,000 a year to cut back on consumption that much. But for those with a salary of $1 million a year or more, they have the ability to trade down: from business class to economy, Louis Vuitton to Coach. “They have room to fall.”

Joelle’s tips:

The source: Why Spending Online May Bounce Back First Lauren Sherman, 10.08.08,

Related Articles: This Holiday Season Luxury Shoppers Will Take the Lead in Internet Shopping

On Line Luxury Websites:   Net-a-porter /  Vivre / Blue Fly

Celebrities and discerning couples are charmed by the country’s fine cuisine as well as its art and traditions. Destination weddings are a growing trend, more stylish than ever before , offering couples the opportunity to mix their culture with local customs creating their very own special atmosphere.

Italy is the top of the list of preferred locations and for very good reasons: an enviable list of excellent wines, sublime cuisine, gorgeous cities, fascinating small villages, a fabulous climate and an admired lifestyle.

Getting married in Italy is becoming extremely popular in cities such as New York, London , Amsterdam,where one wedding out of ten is abroad. Couples coming from far away see the planning of the event as a very important affair and they want each minor detail to be looked at. They rely on professional consultants to source a venue that matches their personality and to design a one-of-a-kind event.

Symbol of antique splendor and fine elegance, the country offers numerous ideas for a wedding celebration. Tuscany is still one of the favorite places but a growing number of international couples are now choosing Sicily and the South of Italy for their special day. Tired of the usual castles and conventional palaces, untouched by the grimy hand of mass tourism.

The recent boom of eco-weddings has created a thrst for unspoilt venues such as the farm house San Martino in Montepulciano, , whose core and philosophy is total respect for the environment. The farm produces saffrons, extra vergin olive oil, cereals and grass strictly following the methods of biodynamic/homeopathic agriculture. Similarly Il casale il Cannito in Paestum near Salerno,has been recently restored according to the rules of bio-architecture,using exclusively natural and ecological materials.

The small hotels are paradise for sustainable events. The love for bucolic weddings,with a shabby chic style,is recently on the increase. A hidden gem, Villa Col di Casale in Umbria, is a oasis of elegance and fabulous taste, perfect for intimate weddings surrounded by nature.

There are also plenty of options for brides and grooms with an appetite for trendy spaces. The Caol Ishka Hotel in Siracusa,can certainly satisfy their requirements.Hidden in the sicilian countryside,this lovely residence combines the traditional Sicilian Masseria with a warm modern design.

Located in the verdant hills of Montone,not far from Gubbio, in Umbria, The tower of Moravola, , is a stylish retreat with classic Umbrian views.The state of-the-art-watchtower offers fairytale infinity pool and seven peaceful rooms characterized by unique furniture, glass doors and glamorous bathrooms. A quite haven for both trendy and spiritual weddings. In addition, to the main reception that normally lasts until early in the morning, celebrations tend to involve a welcome dinner the night before and a farewell brunch the following day.

To guarantee optimum results and flawless service,couples choose professional caterers such as Covivium Firenze, that cater for high profile events everywhere in Italy.

Creative flower designers are hired for the decorations and stunning scenographies like Milan and Rome based Tea Rose. The musical entertainment for the events is handled by specialized agencies such as Alma Project, a team of experts that can source both classical quartets and cool dj.

One of my favorite, is the pianist Luigi Gordon Lovisoni, who a specialist in Scarlatti plays in ex churches, castles and wearing impeccable brocade costumes d’epoque during his performances.

It is then extremely important to select the right photographer, who will be given the major task of creating a suitable reportage of the event. A great name is Eliana Maffei, in Florence, and Wedding Photos in italy.

And finally the coordination of each single detail is left to the wedding planner. Young urban professionals have now a very busy life and especially if they choose to host their big day abroad,they welcome the assistance of professionals consultant to ensure that the wedding celebration is stylish, classy and perfect.

Chic weddings, offers a handmade boutique service to international couples who would like to get married in Italy and are looking for unique and glamorous ideas. To reward guests coming from far away,the wedding celebration should be fabulous and fun…and Italy can certainly provide the ideal setting for an unforgettable party.

I have contacted Eva Trevisan the luxury planning coordinator from Chic Weddings in Amsterdam and probably will go for a nice dinner in the great and charming Duch city to find more about her story and how she and her London partner Carla Boatto, (the author of this article) coordinate and discover these small treasures in the beloved peninsula, an increasing choice and trend among uber-young couples who certainly know how to make their Italian long-life -vows- dream come true.

Source and Credits: Ulisse Magazine -Vip and Chic -July 2008 Clara Boatto

Photography and images courtesy: Chic weddings : Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini- Simone Santi-Vanessa Later-Den Hollander -Villa Col Casale-Il Cannito-Caol Ishka Hotel-Torre di Moravola- Luigi Gordon
Joelle’s Tips:

The wedding planners:

Chic Weddings

Eva Trevisan
email: eva@chicweddings.eu
Mobile (Holland) : +31 641287337
Mobile (Italy) : +39 3471057041

Clara Boatto
email: clara@chicweddings.eu
Mobile (UK) : +44 7940308737
Mobile (Italy) : +39 3487692697

Rosa Spatola – Spirito Italiano -Wedding Made in Italy -

Mail to:mail@spiritoitaliano.co.uk

Tel: +39 1424 728906

“We often say we are what we eat, or we are what we wear?” —Dana Thomas

McDonalds continues to surprise – and impress – us with its shameless and opportunistic ideas above its station…

Traditional luxury brand strategy depends on brands knowing their place, but increasingly the grammar of luxury brands is being used by brands far outside the luxury universe. Nobody is working harder than McDonalds to investigate opportunities here…
Last year, they began a $1B to update the look of restaurants in Europe — (via New York Times)

They recently took on a price war with Starbucks, whose hasty reaction with heavy discounting suggested that they had suffered a direct hit. Smelling blood, last week McDonalds launched their Unsnobby Coffee Intervention.

And now McDonalds appears to have upped the ante once again… British fashion designer, Bruce Oldfield, has just revamped the McDonalds uniforms, complete with Louis Vuitton-esque palate, and and an LV-ish logo…

It’s a particularly interesting ‘tribute’, since last year Dana Thomas described Louis Vuitton as the “McDonald’s of the luxury industry” in her book Deluxe.

Interestingly, at a time when logos are more visible than ever at Louis Vuitton, the designer for McDonald’s was asked not to use the iconic ‘golden arches’ for the new uniforms…

The pattern bears more than a passing resemblance to the Louis Vuitton logo, but Mr Oldfield insisted it was not deliberate. “I wanted to use the golden arches but I was told I couldn’t because of company policy, so I had to have a re-think. I think it looks chic and modern, and the girls look really good. — (Via The Telegraph, UK)

Burning fossil fuels such as natural gas, coal, oil and gasoline raises the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and carbon dioxide is a major contributor to the greenhouse effect and global warming.

You can help to reduce the demand for fossil fuels, which in turn reduces global warming, by using energy more wisely. Here are 10 simple actions you can take to help reduce global warming.

1. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Do your part to reduce waste by choosing reusable products instead of disposables. Buying products with minimal packaging (including the economy size when that makes sense for you) will help to reduce waste. And whenever you can, recycle paper, plastic, newspaper, glass and aluminum cans. If there isn’t a recycling program at your workplace, school, or in your community, ask about starting one. By recycling half of your household waste, you can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.
2. Use Less Heat and Air Conditioning

Adding insulation to your walls and attic, and installing weather stripping or caulking around doors and windows can lower your heating costs more than 25 percent, by reducing the amount of energy you need to heat and cool your home.
Turn down the heat while you’re sleeping at night or away during the day, and keep temperatures moderate at all times. Setting your thermostat just 2 degrees lower in winter and higher in summer could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide each year.

3. Change a Light Bulb

Wherever practical, replace regular light bulbs with compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. Replacing just one 60-watt incandescent light bulb with a CFL will save you $30 over the life of the bulb. CFLs also last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs, use two-thirds less energy, and give off 70 percent less heat.
If every U.S. family replaced one regular light bulb with a CFL, it would eliminate 90 billion pounds of greenhouse gases, the same as taking 7.5 million cars off the road.

4. Drive Less and Drive Smart

Less driving means fewer emissions. Besides saving gasoline, walking and biking are great forms of exercise. Explore your community’s mass transit system, and check out options for carpooling to work or school.
When you do drive, make sure your car is running efficiently. For example, keeping your tires properly inflated can improve your gas mileage by more than 3 percent. Every gallon of gas you save not only helps your budget, it also keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

5. Buy Energy-Efficient Products

When it’s time to buy a new car, choose one that offers good gas mileage. Home appliances now come in a range of energy-efficient models, and compact florescent bulbs are designed to provide more natural-looking light while using far less energy than standard light bulbs.
Avoid products that come with excess packaging, especially molded plastic and other packaging that can’t be recycled. If you reduce your household garbage by 10 percent, you can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.

6. Use Less Hot Water

Set your water heater at 120 degrees to save energy, and wrap it in an insulating blanket if it is more than 5 years old. Buy low-flow showerheads to save hot water and about 350 pounds of carbon dioxide yearly. Wash your clothes in warm or cold water to reduce your use of hot water and the energy required to produce it. That change alone can save at least 500 pounds of carbon dioxide annually in most households. Use the energy-saving settings on your dishwasher and let the dishes air-dry.
7. Use the “Off” Switch

Save electricity and reduce global warming by turning off lights when you leave a room, and using only as much light as you need. And remember to turn off your television, video player, stereo and computer when you’re not using them.
It’s also a good idea to turn off the water when you’re not using it. While brushing your teeth, shampooing the dog or washing your car, turn off the water until you actually need it for rinsing. You’ll reduce your water bill and help to conserve a vital resource.

8. Plant a Tree (I just did!)

If you have the means to plant a tree, start digging. During photosynthesis, trees and other plants absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. They are an integral part of the natural atmospheric exchange cycle here on Earth, but there are too few of them to fully counter the increases in carbon dioxide caused by automobile traffic, manufacturing and other human activities. A single tree will absorb approximately one ton of carbon dioxide during its lifetime.
9. Get a Report Card from Your Utility Company

Many utility companies provide free home energy audits to help consumers identify areas in their homes that may not be energy efficient. In addition, many utility companies offer rebate programs to help pay for the cost of energy-efficient upgrades.
10. Encourage Others to Conserve

Share information about recycling and energy conservation with your friends, neighbors and co-workers, and take opportunities to encourage public officials to establish programs and policies that are good for the environment.
These 10 steps will take you a long way toward reducing your energy use and your monthly budget. And less energy use means less dependence on the fossil fuels that create greenhouse gases and contribute to global warming.

Larry West Via About.com

By the year 2050, nearly 80% of the earth’s population will reside in urban centers.

Applying the most conservative estimates to current demographic trends, the human population will increase by about 3 billion people during the interim. An estimated 10⁹ hectares of new land (about 20% more land than is represented by the country of Brazil) will be needed to grow enough food to feed them, if traditional farming practices continue as they are practiced today.

Vertical farms may not be as practical as green roofs, but the idea of food being grown right in the city doesn’t get any more local than this. New York magazine asked four architects to dream up proposals for a lot on Canal Street and Work AC came up with this.

“We thought we’d bring the farm back to the city and stretch it vertically,” says Work AC co-principal Dan Wood. “We are interested in urban farming and the notion of trying to make our cities more sustainable by cutting the miles (food travels),” adds his co-principal and wife Amale Andraos. Underneath is what appears to be a farmers market, selling what grows above. Artists would be commissioned to design the columns that hold it up and define the space under: “We show a Brancusi, but it could be anyone,” says Wood.

Other vertical farms like Gordon Graff’s Sky Farm is proposed for downtown Toronto’s theatre district. It’s got 58 floors, 2.7 million square feet of floor area and 8 million square feet of growing area. It can produce as much as a thousand acre farm, feeding 35 thousand people per year and providing tomatoes to throw at the latest dud at the Princess of Wales Theatre to the east, and olives for the Club District to the north. Sky Farm Proposed for Downtown Toronto.

A Columbia professor believes that converting skyscrapers into crop farms could help reduce global warming and make New York cleaner. It’s a vision straight out of Futurama where he says ” cities already have the density and infrastructure needed to support vertical farms, and super-green skyscrapers could supply not just food but energy, creating a truly self-sustaining environment, Imagine an urban highrise CSA where we just walk across the street from our highrise to the next to pick our dinner” Futurama Farming in New York

Robots tend crops that grow on floating platforms around a sea city of the future. Water from the ocean would evaporate, rise to the base of the platforms (leaving the salt behind), and feed the crops.” Wayback Machine 1984: The Future of Agriculture

Daekwon Park designed a prefab system (see photo Gallery) : “Clipping onto the exterior of existing buildings, a series of prefabricated modules serving different functions would be stacked on top of each other, adding a layer of green space for gardening, wind turbines or social uses to make new green façades and infrastructures.” Retrofitting our Skyscrapers For Food and Power

Weburbanist has great coverage of Pierre Sartoux of Atelier SOA’s vertical farm.”r. A light-shading skin wraps around the structure and opens to admit sunlight at particular locations for various functional (and aesthetic) purposes. The building’s air, heating and cooling systems are wind-driven and circulate oxygen and carbon dioxide between growing and living spaces.

The simple but reinforced structure is designed to handle additional dead loads from the weight of growing floors and also serve to make the entire building more durable (and thus sustainable). Urban Design Proposals for 3D City Farms: Sustainable, Ecological and Agricultural Skyscrapers

Advantages? As Mike from Treehugger in the Future of Agriculture says : No more use of pesticides, herbicides, oil-based fertilizers, and to give a break to a lot of land that we have been stressing for decades than as an extra food source.

The food would grow quite a bit closer to you the consumer, something that will become more important as oil prices keep rising and transportation on long distances becomes a luxury (no more kiwis from New Zealand in Canada during the winter).

As Voltaire said : “Il faut cultiver son jardin!”

The German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ, German only) published an article on space junk. The shocking image is an eye opener.

Humankind continues to repeat the mistake of strewing waste into common spaces (no pun intended) without a thought to the consequences, leaving costs we don’t want to pay today for the future generations. The FAS article spurred curiosity, leading us to find even more spectacular video and potential solutions to the problem.
The ESA Space Debris Accumulation video depicts the tragic build up of space debris from 1957 through 2000. According to ESA’s resident space debris expert, Walter Flury, the 10,000 pieces of space litter catalogued at the end of 2003 break into the following categories:

• 41% — miscellaneous fragments
• 22% — old spacecraft
• 13% — mission related objects
• 7% — operational spacecraft
• 7% — rocket bodies

Doing the math, that is 93% pure junk and only 7% useful satellites circling the earth. More disturbing, 50,000 uncatalogued objects larger than 1 cm (the largest size which modern shielding can likely deflect) are estimated to be spinning through space at hypervelocities.

So what can be done? Guidelines do exist, published by the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC). The guidelines limit creation of debris in normal operations, and promote “disposal” either by deorbiting junk back towards earth, where it usually burns up in the atmosphere, or by putting space junk into “graveyard” orbits above the commercially important low-Earth and geostationary orbit zones. But more needs to be done. Via Tree Hugger

On earth fortunately, there are huge supporters of the trash-to-treasure approach to design. Using repurposed, discarded, and recycled materials is not only eco-friendly and gives new life to seemingly useless material, but provides an interesting critique on modern consumer-based culture and individual value systems. In that spirit, here are five favorite chairs made from trash, reused materials, and other such refuse.

1. A LA LATA LOUNGER : by Carlos Alberto Montana Hoyos Carlos Alberto Montana Hoyos’ sleekly styled lounge chair is a feat of both recycling and hand-crafted construction. Meticulously assembled using 1739 recycled aluminum can tabs, Hoyos’ unique lounge chair incorporates traditional handicraft techniques with cutting-edge contemporary design.

2. RD4 CHAIR by Richard G. Liddle/Cohda Designs
Combining green design sensibility and the freehand aesthetic of an architect’s sketch (RD stands for ‘roughly drawn’), Richard G. Liddle’s magnificent RD4 Chair is made from 100% wasted plastic, which yields a very comfortable seat in a super-cool form.

3. INKUKU PLASTIC BAG CHAIR by Ryan Frank
While most of us green-minded consumers have hopefully switched to reusable shopping bags by now, plastic shopping bags continue to be a huge source of waste. But Ryan Frank’s Inkuku chair (which means “chicken” in Zulu), turns these pesky bags into design material using a traditional African craft technique. The result is a very brightly colored (and especially green) seat.

4. HUMAN NEST CHAIR by Emily Pilloton
One of the eye-catching green pieces from HauteGREEN 2006, Emily Pilloton’s Human Nest chair takes bird-based construction to a comfy and oh-so-eco-friendly level- the bowl shaped chair is hand woven and tied using a bamboo frame and dozens of yards of scrap fabric.

5. UHURU SCRAP STOOLEN
One of our BKLYN Design favorites, this darling little stool by Uhuru is constructed from off-cut scrap wood pieces, all held in place using a recycled bike wheel. We love its tongue-in-cheek resemblance to a tree-stump, and love that the wood is recycled even more. Via Inhabitat

Now double check out in advance everything you buy, it will help you eventually picking up the confy place you are going to seat on …..

Once the fashion industry’s awkward outsider, eco-friendly clothing has now become the cool new girl in school. Labels have exchanged scratchy, straw-colored hemp—once de rigueur for eco-friendly style—for sleek bamboo blends and organic denims so soft they even put some cashmeres to shame.

But while we’ve got our pick of super-luxe basics that won’t harm the planet, there are still far fewer all-natural clothing lines that exhibit a truly haute sensibility. A handful of new labels and retailers, however, are following in the footsteps of Danish crusaders Noir, placing an emphasis on sleek tailoring and sophisticated embellishment for a style-conscious urban customer .

The Noir aesthetic is unusually minimal for an eco-fashion label. 50% of their Spring/Summer 08 collection is made from organically certified African cotton and in 2008 they launched their cotton fabric brand Illuminati II which will supply sub-Saharan cotton to luxury brands. They’ve treated the cotton in many ways to create what they call ‘cotton couture’. The coated cotton gives the impression of rubber with a sexy fetishistic appeal, the starched honeycomb cotton creates interesting shapes, while the cotton silks have a luxurious feel.

Apart from creating beautiful clothes Noir has created an ethical collection where a percentage of profits from the clothes go back to Africa to support the cotton workers. The Noir Foundation provides essential medicine and micro loans in a so-called Humane Business Model. “We want to be known as the first brand to turn corporate social responsibility sexy” says Peter Ingwersen the founder of NOIR. IlluminatiII. The label is a member of the U.N. Global Compact adhering to human rights, labour safety, environment and anticorruption politics. It is also affiliated with The International Labour Organization Via Treehugger

Sarah Ratty of Ciel also knows that eco-friendly doesn’t have to mean colorless; her vivid creations only use 100% Azo-free dyes on recycled or eco-certified fabrics. Ratty’s designs—standouts include a metallic-gold party frock and a silk wrap dress hand-printed with a blue flocked pattern—earned her 2007’s UK Fashion Export Award for Ethical Fashion, an honor for which she’s been nominated again this year.

Alongside these pioneering eco-couturiers, there’s also a strong contingent of online retailers devoted to showcasing the cool over the crunchy. Nimli.com carries ethical goods in everything from fashion—The Battalion is currently in stock—and beauty to housewares and furniture. Modify is the place to find Prairie Underground dresses and outerwear along with eco-basics from Park Vogel, Sworn Virgins and Loomstate. Elsewhere, Adili.com is staking its claim as the Shopbop.com of ethical fashion, offering flirty, colorful frocks from Ciel and People Tree, while Fashion-Conscience.com features a magazine-style format and trend reports in the vein of Net-a-Porter.

So if the retail world is catching on, why aren’t more designers following suit? “Eco-fabrics are more expensive than your standard poly/cotton/rayons, so it’s harder to keep prices competitive while also spending money on development,” explains Linda Wong. “Another obstacle eco-labels face is that there are only a handful of fabrications to choose from—for example, it’s really hard to find organic prints. We have to be really creative when it comes to sourcing other trims and details.”

Despite the challenges, Wong and her fellow ecologically-minded designers have proven earth-conscious doesn’t have to mean boring—and if they have their way, it’ll only be a matter of time before other designers start clamoring to join their clique. Via Jc Report

Joelle’s Tips:

More Eco Websites :

Watch Arak Organic 2008 Film, it’s wonderful!

Ecorazzi -The latest in Green Gossips

Green Loop: Green Fashion, Green Style

Fashion Conscience: Eco Trends

This year at the Milan Furniture Fair, apparently there was so much to feast one’s eyes upon!

At the main Salone buildings you could see how mainstream design is reacting to the growing demand for sustainable design and, although not everything is rooted in green, there were definitely some eco-gems.

David Trubridge, Tej Chauhan and Andreu World are just a few of the designers at Milan this year who are moving the notion of luxury one step forward with an eye on energy-efficiency and sustainable materials.

Eco-designer David Trubridge, who works with simple, low-impact natural materials and processes, never disappoints and this year at Milan we are taken by his’ Spiral Islands’ lights and seating. Inspired by the Maori koru force spiral his designs were extremely popular with a long line of people just waiting to catch a glimpse!

The Spiral Island collection fixtures and the seating are as environmentally responsible as possible. The fasteners are aluminum, maintaining the fixture’s physical lightness, while the PETG plastic strips are fully recyclable. All the wood used by David Trubridge for his Spiral Seating is milled from government controlled wood sources in Australia and is held together with non-toxic glues or solvents and aluminum fasteners. The upholstery is made of 100% pure wool colored by nontoxic dyes and stuffed with wool felt made from wool scraps. The interior structure of the seat is maintained with recycled cardboard honeycomb and the entire seat can be deconstructed for ease of recycling at the end of its lifespan.

The eco-friendly nature of David Trubridge’s designs are reflective not only in his products but is integrated through the entire manufacturing process. 70% of the electricity consumed comes from renewable hydro-electric sources, everything is manufactured in New Zealand, and all waste is sorted and sent to separate recycling facilities.

Promoting the origin of raw materials as their ethos, the ‘Urchin’ hand knitted woolen poufs are art of the ‘Flocks’ collection and show at Tuttobenne.
Lotte van Laatum’s ‘Dutch Wood’ Cutting Boards – the cute and clever design offers several different regional cutting board – each in a different wood, and shaped in the Netherlands region from which the wood is sustainably harvested.

Tej Chauhan of Chauhan Studio – developed the’ Sandy DECT ‘eco-phone made out of 100% recycled plastic. Longtime favorites (and prolific furniture-fair exhibitors) Molo have new ‘Soft’ products in the Zona Tortona press area and apparently are all over Milan this year! Stephan Siepermann’s Leaft’ Wall Lamp made from cast plastic leaves using reused materials, at Tuttobenne.

Eco-tech designer Tashiyuki Kita’s ‘Sunplant Solar Generator/Sculpture’, Whirlpool’s Eco-System kitchen, a fantastic concept design which shares heat between components to achieve a 70% reduction in energy consumption. Seekret Pot has an interactive component which tells you the age of the plant without disturbing it, TRØKK16’s Eco-friendly’ Frøy Chair’ is a stunning work of bent-wood design, Anouk Omlo’s ‘Helica Ceramic ‘work is one of the stunners at Milan 2008 this year.

‘Free-range’ furniture designer Ryan Frank ‘S modular bamboo creation, dubbed ‘Zig’, is just one of many designs . If the Zig storage/display system is any indication of what eco-friendly design treats are in store, things are looking very promising.

Zig is made from solid bamboo and will be available in a variety of naturally stained colors to highlight the fun form and intriguing negative spaces. Commissioned by Alberto Bianchi Albrici of the renowned Milanese gallery Post Design, Zig is an exciting development as it represents a keen sense of style and a mean green philosophy. Known for his use of sustainable and salvaged materials, Frank says his designs start with sustainability, “All my furniture I design has some form of eco-sensitivity in the materials and processes I use.”

Frank’s Inkuku (Zulu for “chicken”) chair that put a modern spin on a traditional African craft technique by choosing to use plastic shopping bags and recycled aluminum as the materials. And we were entranced by the Strata line that turned de-constructed old office furniture and FSC-certified wood into new, sleek chairs and tables. Via Inhabitat

Italian Design house Cappellini presented its new ‘eco-sustainable’ range named ‘cappellini love’. The collection boasts a number of designs by Stephen Burks that are produced in africa.