March 1, 2010

Let’s face it, being eco-friendly and fashion forward has not always been synonymous, but times have changed my friends! Eco fashion today is totally stylish as well as being good for the environment.

I was lucky enough to attend the Eco Fashion Forward event in the Vancouver Public Library atrium last weekend where we were treated to a special sneak preview of Eco Fashion Week Vancouver. The show’s featured designs were both chic and sustainable. The models stood high above the crowd striking fierce (I couldn’t resist- they really were fierce!) poses. They wore designs by Adhesif, Kim Cathers (of Project Runway Canada fame, picture 1 above), Nixxi, and WE3 (picture 3 above). The show also featured Ashley Watson’s recycled leather handbags (picture 2 above) and vintage designer jewelery by Dotted Loop.

The show was not only entertaining, but also opened my eyes to some facts. A speaker from the David Suzuki Foundation told the crowd that 4% of our landfills are filled with clothing and textiles waste. I was totally surprised that clothing was such a large percentage of our waste and resolved to shop for more vintage and local designs using sustainable materials.

Handmade Evolution will be reporting from Eco Fashion week itself (date of the shows are to be announced)- so keep checking back with us!

~Posted by: Christine

*Image 2 & 3 above courtesy of: Antonio LaFauci
*Image 1 above courtesy of: Chelzea Bailey

Category: Eco Friendly, Fashion, Vancouver | 1 Comment »
Tags: eco fashion week, Vancouver fashion

February 25, 2010

How lovely is the Spring 2010 collection from Vancouver line Lav & Kush? Their collection is not only designed and manufactured in Vancouver but whenever possible they use sustainable and eco-friendly fabrics, making it a winner in my book. It’s not yet stocked in their online shop, so we can consider this a sneak peek until everything is available. You can see the whole collection here.

~Posted by: Amy

Category: Fashion, Vancouver | No Comments »
Tags: lav & kush, spring 2010, Vancouver fashion

February 22, 2010

I always love receiving emails from Vancouverites who have Etsy shops – but I was especially excited last week when I heard from Kyla of Kove. She’s got a brand new Etsy shop featuring handmade crochet and knit accessories – with cowls, infinity scarves and more. I know what you might be thinking, have you seen the sunshine lately? But you know like I do it’s only a matter of time before it’s rainy and cold and you’ll be happy to have one of these to grab as you head out the door! No doubt we’ll be seeing lots of Kyla and Kove in the months to come – you can visit her Etsy shop here.

~Posted by: Amy

Category: Fashion, Vancouver | No Comments »
Tags: kove, scarf, Vancouver

February 17, 2010

Vancouver is hopping these days – you’ve probably heard by now about a little event we’re hosting! Lots of things to see and do, and it’s wonderful to hear about the local artists who are exhibiting their beautiful goods so that visitors can see more of the diverse talent our province has to offer.

This Thursday through Saturday two open studio events are being held in co-operation, giving visitors a taste of our famed Eastside Culture Crawl. Some of my favorite locals will have their work on display at the Mergatroid building: Flight Path Designs, Bronsino, Patina Designs, and Su Foster. This is by no means an exhaustive list, you’ll find art, pottery, and much more from an extensive list of designers!

Thursday, Feb. 18th and Friday, Feb. 19th: 10am-6pm
Saturday, Feb. 20th: 12pm-5pm
Parker Street Studios (1000 Parker St.), Vancouver
Mergatroid Building (975 Vernon Drive), Vancouver

Category: Events, Vancouver | No Comments »
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February 9, 2010

Obakki’s Spring 2010 line is elegant, refined and infinitely wearable. Designed and manufactured in Vancouver – season after season Obakki never disappoints. While the dresses from this collection may not be in my budget – I can recognize them for what they are – investment pieces. Dresses this beautiful can be worn season after season! See the whole collection here.

~Posted by: Amy

Category: Fashion, Vancouver | No Comments »
Tags: obakki, spring 2010, Vancouver fashion

February 3, 2010

1). Let’s Find Some Beautiful Place to Get Lost – available here at 20 x 200

Got an email this morning from the lovely folks at lily & jae – announcing not only their beautiful Spring 2010 collection, but also a contest for bloggers… I was already planning to cover the Spring 2010 line, because it’s gorgeous and made right here in Vancouver – but this made it even more fun for me. It’s been a long winter, and you can find this blog littered with references to the coming sunshine – but now I’m even thinking more specifically about sunny days – elsewhere – wearing one of these adorable dresses… Getting lost, with not a care in the world.

If you’re a blogger and would like to take part in the contest – all you’ve got to do is come up with a fun post sharing the 2010 collection from lily & jae by Feb. 10th and email it to them at info@lilyandjae.com. Their favorite post wins a $200 gift certificate, and your post will be featured on their site.

Click here to see the full collection.

Posted by: Amy

Category: Fashion, Vancouver | 2 Comments »
Tags: lily + jae, spring 2010, Vancouver fashion

January 25, 2010

Vancouver is not just the city hosting the 2010 Olympics this February – it’s also the home to a lot of wonderful local talent. Athletes – yes, but we’d like to let you know about some of the other talent… Over the years this great city has come to be known not just for the beautiful mountains, parks and ocean views – but also for its artists and burgeoning design community. We’re happy to highlight several fashion designers whose focus is on eco fashion – meaning their designs are manufactured locally and that they use sustainable materials with a lower environmental impact, and in some cases reworked vintage materials.

To celebrate all of this great local talent, Vancouver’s Eco Fashion Week will premiere April 20-22, 2010.

In the meantime, Vancouver Eco Fashion Week is holding a party February 19th with music, art and a sneak preview of the spring lines from these great designers: Adhesif Clothing, Ashley Watson, Dotted Loop, Kim Cathers Elements, Nixxi, and WE3.

This event is in support of Eco Fashion week and tickets are available online here for $45 with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the David Suzuki Foundation.

Date & Locale: Fri. Feb. 19th at 8pm – Promenade at the Vancouver Public Library (350 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC).

To keep up to date with news about the premiere of Vancouver’s Eco Fashion Week and more party details click here.

Pictured above, clockwise from top: 1). Ashley Watson 2). Dotted Loop 3). Nixxi

Posted by: Amy

Category: Eco Friendly, Events, Fashion, Vancouver | No Comments »
Tags: Vancouver fashion, Vancouver's Eco Fashion Week

January 22, 2010

My two favorite words right now, in no particular order, 1). weekend and 2). spring! I can’t complain too much though, we’re having a lot of very seasonable weather lately in Vancouver and that’s been great…

I hope everybody has at least one fun thing planned this weekend! I’ve been daydreaming all week about the weekend and I’ve got a few fun things planned and some to-do’s to take care of too.

One of my funnest to-do’s – must get my Valentine’s cards ordered – here are a few of my favorites from Etsy:

1). fookaDESIGNS 2). Eva Juliet 3). rachel Ink

Saturday night is date night – I heard about “The Main Event” from a friend and it looks great. Lots of restaurants in and around Main Street are participating. They’re all offering set menus of 3 or 4 courses with set prices ($25 – $35 – $45) so we may take the opportunity to try out a new restaurant as there are some really fun choices. All the details and links to the restaurants websites can be found here.

Otherwise I plan to spend some time reading and I’m sure a cup of tea won’t be too far away. Funnily enough, I only “discovered” tea a few months ago, but now I’m so hooked. I don’t have my favorite flavors/brands picked out yet and am considering this shop on Etsy. Such beautiful packaging and the shop’s owner notes that she is a practicing master herbalist… I like how all the health benefits are noted for each of the different teas.

Hope your weekend’s fun!

~Amy

Category: Events, Uncategorized, Vancouver | 3 Comments »
Tags: the main event, valentine, valentines, Vancouver

January 19, 2010

Here at Handmade Evolution it’s important to us to feature local artists and events when we can (from the 3 cities where we have writers – Portland, Toronto, and Vancouver) as well as creators who go that extra mile to create goods that are eco-friendly. I was very pleased this last week when a friend recommended the work of talented Vancouver local, Laura Bucci, to me. Her work is playful yet functional, eco-friendly, and available on Etsy as well as at many stores throughout the Lower Mainland and in the US too. For more on Laura, visit her website here.

~Posted by: Amy Lowry

Category: Fashion, Vancouver | 2 Comments »
Tags: accessories, Eco Friendly, handmade, laura bucci, Vancouver

January 14, 2010

Indie I Do is a different kind of wedding show. A joint production between Vancouver B.C. based lotus events, and Blue Olive Photography, this fantastic event is in it’s 2nd year. If you’re planning a traditional wedding with a twist or a totally different wedding event, this is the one wedding show you’ll want to attend.

Indie I Do brings together over 30 different local vendors. You’ll find Pretty Lulu Bridal with their gorgeous clutches, Something Green showing off trendy and eco-friendly wedding cards, April Cakes yummy and beautiful creations with flavours like Mocha Buttercream, Chocolate Ganache and Caramel Walnut, and many more.

Offering unique products and services, you’re bound to find that special item to make your wedding unforgettable. In an industry dominated by commercial products, Indie I Do offers an innovative opportunity to totally customize your wedding to your personality. We’re excited to be giving away 1 free pass (good for two people) so you can attend this must-see event! For your chance to win please email: info@handmadeevolution.com and let us know why you’re interested in attending – the winner will be selected by a random draw.

Saturday, January 23rd, 2010
11am – 5pm
Heritage Hall
3102 Main Street
Vancouver British Columbia

~Posted by: Christine

Category: Events, Uncategorized, Vancouver | No Comments »
Tags: indie i do, vancouver wedding show