Learn About Eco Friendly Fashions
Ivy Hartman: Green Fashions may counter up an unprofessional image which isn’t suitable for a small business owner or their employees but today’s eco- fashions are all about maintaining your style and image while making conscious choices.
Lorie Allen: Right now, I think as of 2006 the eco fashion industry was at 25 Billion dollar a year business in this country. It is the fastest growing segment of the fashion industry by far.
Ivy Hartman: Lorie Allen is the owner of boutique Chartreuse, a green clothing boutique that provides cutting edge, clothing and accessories that are eco-friendly.
Lorie Allen: In the year and a half that I’ve been doing this, this is what I felt. Nobody buys green just to be green. People buy what meets their needs.
Ivy Hartman: In the world of fashion being earth friendly doesn’t usually counter up an image of slick sophistication.
Lorie Allen: You know there’s the typical green that only buys used clothes. That’s just not realistic but that’s many people only understanding of green is to buy used clothing or that it’s going to be patchwork or tied eye.
Ivy Hartman: But, at this green boutique, earth friendly is fashionable, wearable and washable. From organic cotton shirts and skirts to tops, suits, and sweaters made from bamboo and accessories made from recycled materials. Like old record albums, tires, or vintage upholstery. This is definitely not the look of your typical tree hugger.
Lorie Allen: The thing that’s drawing the men in the first place is the way it looks. You read a few of this labels and you get trend it into the store and anybody is pretty quick because “is this organic, is this earth friendly, is this green. “ I think it’s good to let the customer have a discovery process that look you like it because of the way it looks. Then you felt it and you like to deepen more and then you discovered it was green.
Ivy Hartman: Lorie’s effort to help women look good and feel good extends outside of her boutique.
Lorie Allen: Every year in January, I do what’s called the swapping shop. We have a lot of fun with this event. My customers come in and they bring in their gently used currently styled professional wear that they are no longer using.
Ivy Hartman: In exchange for their suits shoppers receive a 20% discount of the item of their choice in the boutique and there old suits are donated to other women who need them through dress for success.
Lorie Allen: So she gets something new sustainably made she’ll use and wear. She gets rid of something in her closet and instead of throwing it out. It goes through a very worthy cost and supports the local community. So it’s the win- win situation for everyone involved.
Ivy Hartman: As a small business, owner your image is important and looking good is part of making that first impression. Eco- fashion is another way to make your first impression doubly in pack full. Now only by looking your best but when people asked, you can tell them that it’s eco- friendly.
Lorie Allen: Green should be the icing on the cake. It’s the cherry on top of the banana split. You’ve got everything you need. You’ve got a good product to a good price that feels good, it wears well, it’s a classic style that you can get a lot of ware out of and on top of that it was made under fairly for practices. It’s made with sustainable material.
Ivy Hartman: For sbtv.com, I’m Ivy Hartman. Small business is our only business.
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