Indigenous Designs Eco Clothing Product Review

A review of organic clothing makes our 200th product review! Click here to take a look at the other 199 eco product reviews.

Indigenous Designs is an organic apparel company that makes one of a kind fair trade organic clothing made by artisans from around the world. In business since 1994, they sent us (or I should say my wife) a Henley hoody.

It’s hand knitted, a organic cotton / Tencel blend that:
• Falls to mid hip
• Textured rib knit detailing
• Semi-fitted
• Comes in these colors:
-Sky / Pearl
-Navy / Pearl
-Latte / Pearl
-Punch / Pearl

My wife takes over now, saying: ” It’s lovely and thick, soft, and feels handmade (I didn’t tell her it was), nice quality material and very comfy, yet it still still has a stylish and cute design. I love the look of the shirt and the color is great (we got Navy). It’s perfect with jeans.

“The sleeves are a little long but maybe I’m short-armed… It feels very well-made, I would definitely recommend the product and would try some of their other products/styles too.”

So there you go, a thumbs up. It certainly does look nice, and Indigenous Designs have some excellent credentials, take a look at the fibers they use.

Nu IPath Sneakers Are Cooler Than Me

Becuase I’m such a cool skateboarder (ahem) I received some great Nu sneakers (or trainers) from IPATH.

“IPATH (pronounced eye-path) was founded in 1999 as a clear divergence from the over-tech trend in performance skate shoes. IPATH sneakers are as durable and grippy as other similar priced footwear intended for skateboarding, but they tend to have a more understated vibe that appeals to a different consumer. ”

The pair I received were the cream ones, though they’re more green than cream. There is also a green pair available but they’re much darker green. Very, very comfortable they came with a green and cream set of laces in case you wanted to switch and also have Velcro sealed pockets below the tongue, for stashing keys, money or whatever.

They also apparently feature triple-stitched construction in the toe and outside foot area that helps ensure durability and prevent blow-outs as skaters slide their feet against harsh griptape (I’m no skater, but I’m told with confidence that when you ollie, your lead foot turns sideways, so the outside of the upper is sliding against the board). The elasticated tongue also ensures an snug and comfortable fit.

I couldn’t find any downside to them, they do what is asked of them and look good too.

Price-wise they are not cheap at nearly $80 but the quality seems outstanding. Plus they’re made from materials such as hemp, ramie, organic cotton and other recycled and/or sustainable materials. Check them out at IPATH.

DAKINE project BLUE Recon Backpack Review

project BLUE is an initiative by seven of the leading and competitive brands in surfing, who have come together to develop a co-branded, limited edition product line where part of the proceeds (about $2 per item, depending on the item) goes to the non-profit Surfrider Foundation. The goal is to give surfers and beach lovers an easy way to plug into Surfrider’s mission to protect the oceans and beaches.

The brands involved are Billabong, DAKINE, Electric, Famous Wax, Nixon, O’Neill and Reef. The rationale with project BLUE isn’t to get people to buy more t-shirts or backpacks, but rather when their t-shirt or backpack needs replacing, to choose one from the project BLUE initiative.

I was sent the cool looking backpack by DAKINE. Made from 100% recycled plastic bottles (or Polyethylene Terephthalate – PET) is also uses recycled buckles (by Rock Lockster) and non-toxic waterproof fabric for the backing. Even the label is printed on recycled paper.

It’s a very expensive backpack but is a “professional” backpack with a variety of purposeful pockets:
- Seam sealed wetsuit pocket;
- Organizer pocket;
- Cooler pocket;
- Fleece lined sunglasses pocket;
- Tarp wax pocket.

Not sure what the last one is for but it also comes with a limited lifetime warranty. It weighs 2lbs, has a 31L capacity (1900 cubic inches if you’re counting) and is 20×13x8″. Essentially that means it’s a fine size, bigger (well, taller) than other backpacks I own and comes it really useful on hikes though I imagine it would be great for going the beach too. I haven’t made it that far yet. It’s design is pretty funky and the inside is unsurprisingly blue, and the variety or pockets really do come in useful. So unused to a specific sunglasses pocket I thought I had lost my pair until I remembered the special place for them.

Here’s a rundown of the other project BLUE partners and what they have to offer:

Billabong: Their Super Sonic boardshorts, made using the company’s Eco-Supreme Suede fabric, which is made entirely of recycled textiles and plastic soda bottles. To date, more than three million plastic bottles have gone on to become Eco Supreme Suede fabric.

Electric: All of Electric’s polarized sunglasses will fall under the project BLUE initiative in 2009. They’ll be shipped in packaging made from recycled materials, with printing using soy based inks.

Famous Wax: Petrochemical free surf-wax and the Eco-Timmy Curran pro-model traction pad, made from 40 percent recycled foam.

Reef: The Redemption Fanning sandal for men, it features a sole made from recycled car tires, in addition to incorporating other eco-friendly elements into its construction.

Nixon: A special edition of their Lodown tide watch, with the tides of 200 beaches around the world.

O’Neill: Collection of organic cotton t’s and hoodies, printed using soy-based inks, for both men and women.

You can buy the bag from project BLUE or at other online stores like eBags.

Red Robot Organic T-Shirt Eco Product Review

Organic t-shirts and clothing is becoming more and more popular but there is still the challenge of quality and style. I’d not heard of Red Robot before it contacted Life Goggles but the online store sent me a t-shirt speedily and I was eager to give it a try.

And I wasn’t disappointed. Red Robot played it safe and went for a medium but it fits perfectly. Packaged nicely in a paper bag that can easily be reused and recycled, I received a bright yellow shirt with a nice pattern of a wind farm and what I think is a rainbow, but in white. It’s called Mono Turbine and the colour is actually ‘Aspen Gold’. The print is quite thin which means the t-shirt remains flexible; I hate a big, stiff, plasticy print on the front.

The shirt itself is extremely soft and actually quite thick which means it’s warm as well, I think ‘jersey’ is the right name for it. There’s a neat little Red Robot tag on the seam on the left side (not on the right as in the picture) and one at the back of the neck with the little robot character on. Also the Red Robot writing is embroidered into the left sleeve in the same colour as the t-shirt.

Made in Turkey from organic cotton (certified by Skal International), Red Robot’s t-shirts cost around £17.99 and it also sells men’s hoodies and t-shirts and hoodies for women too. The current range is made up of limited editions so take a look.

Denim Jeans Cushion Eco Product Review

New friends to Life Goggles, Eco Emporia, sent us its Denim Jeans Cushion for review.

The company’s straplines are “desirable things from discarded objects” and “handmade by craftspeople with a passion for recycling”, and a quick look around the website you’ll find this to be true. Nothing exemplifies this more than this denim cushion. Basically it’s a pair of old Levi 501 jeans that has been made into a cushion cover.

And it works brilliantly well. The waistband of the jeans is the gap to get the cushion in and out so here aren’t any zips or buttons (unless they’re left on the jeans – each one is unique). Maybe it’s because of the quality of the source material but it’s also very soft and you don’t notice that you’re leaning on denim or anything different from a normal cushion really. It’s very well made too and when you buy one it comes with a gift card with an optional message if it’s a gift but also has something explaining who made it and their background. In this case it was Sarah Baulch.

Having something new made from something old means the quirks are incorporated into the product. For this cushion it means the pockets are still there and if you want you can put things in them, like er the remote control.

No matter how much I liked the cushion, I loved the surprise gift that came with it too. At the risk of spoiling the ’surprise’, I received a set of small envelopes made from old comics. They’re great, I don’t even want to use them to be honest, just show them off to people. It brings back great memories of my youth and while emailing is more eco-friendly than sending letters, it’s time to get that fountain pen out and send a few messages to people I think.

And finally, the packaging, gift cards and even the paper flower used in the packaging is all made from recycled materials, something all companies should aspire to do.

The Denim Jeans Cushion costs £30 from Eco Emporia.

Bring Your Bag Eco Product Review

Bring Your Own Bag is a branded, re-usable bag program designed to help the environment by reducing plastic bag use. The bags are available through retailers and also for companies to buy and brand, and either offer to their customers, or use for promotions.

Made in a variety of colors, and styles they are also made from many materials including non woven
polypropylene, woven polypropylene, post consumer polyester, organic cotton, hemp, jute, linen, and
bamboo. The bags are the type that lay flat but are sturdy when upright. They hold about the same as three traditional US grocery bags (which are smaller than European ones), and are solid and strong.

I got sent four bags, a traditional large bag with a removal card bottom for strength, a wine carrier, a foil lined cooler bag that was zipped at the top, and another bag with a small zipped inner pocket. All were strong, the wine carrier easily coping with 6 bottles of my wife’s finest vintage. Easy to store and pretty handy the only downside is they cannot be easily folded small enough to be kept in a purse, but many bags aren’t.

Take a look at Bring Your Own Bag, plus they have a blog too.

Terratotes From Green-Kits Eco Product Review

Green-kits are made by Eco-Logics, Inc., a Virginia-based company committed to providing earth friendly products of all kinds. Most known for providing ready-made green cleaning kits, they also sell a nice range of sustainable reusable cloth bags that I was sent to test.

The video below (if you’re an RSS reader you can click here to see it) shows the cool bags I was sent, with a special surprise for me at the end!

Featured in the video are the TerraSack Botanical 4-Pack ($32), the Cotton Produce Bag “Produce” ($6), the original signature Terratote ($15), and finally the Personalized Reusable Lunch Bag ($8).

They have a massive variety of reusable grocery bags in all shapes and sizes and different patterns and sale packages so take a look.

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