Living in an Eco-Friendly Material World

Debra Weiss is a big fan of leftovers. Not the kind found after large holiday meals but scraps of cloth and fabric destined for landfills that Weiss collects at her Canoga Park storefront and transforms into outer wear for women. Her Rebe brand sweatshirts are best sellers at retailers around the country, made from recycled fiber that have been re-knitted but not re-dyed. “They have a feminine cut,” Weiss said, holding up one of the shirts. “It fits the body without holding to the body to tightly.” Weiss’s store is among a small but growing sector of the retail industry selling clothing lines made from eco-friendly materials. Hot fashion trends often attract entrepreneurs looking to make a quick buck but independent green clothing retailers in the San Fernando Valley are true believers of an eco-friendly lifestyle. Being green has blossomed from making changes to the home or the vehicle one drives to what one wears and looking good at the same time. Clothing items made from hemp have long been available and now stores stock items made from organic cotton, bamboo, and recycled materials. It’s not just the small independents like Weiss reaping the sales. Saks Fifth Avenue and Barney’s have added eco-friendly clothing. This month retail chains Anthropologie and Target began selling organic cotton shirts, skirts and shorts. “That adds credibility to the smaller stores that are dedicated to it,” said Carrie Pollare, editor of White Apricot, a website promoting eco-friendly clothing and green fashion. Filling a need Those smaller stores have their origins in filling a need that wasn’t met elsewhere. Alegre Ramos started Green and Greener first online in 2006 followed by a store in Valley Village two years later because she didn’t think green products being sold in stores were being vetted well enough to show they lived up to their claims. Green Cradle in Sherman Oaks came about two years ago because Edward Olshansky and his wife tired of so-called organic products using fabrics or ingredients containing chemicals and synthetics. Both stores sell more than just clothing Olshansky offers hard wood cradles, organic mattresses, wool carpeting, water filters, and air purifiers; Ramos stocks bath and body products and toys. “We think of ourselves as a general store and a design store,” said Ramos, who is also an interior designer. At Rebe, Weiss focuses on clothing and handbags she designs with a small offering of art pieces. Some manufacturing is done in a backroom with the remainder taking place elsewhere throughout Los Angeles County. After 25 years in the medical profession, Weiss started Rebe as a wholesaler first and then expanded into what she calls the outlet store. Her designs are what she herself would wear and fit a range from teens to women in their sixties. Jenny Hall, a North Hollywood resident and Rebe customer, likes the whimsical and eclectic elements of Weiss’s designs and appreciates the big pockets and sturdy linings. An actress and singer, Hall designs and makes jewelry from recycled metals (gold, silver and copper) with her husband Jimbob Peltaire at their Valley home; encouraging people to take jewelry they are not wearing and melt it down into a more desirable piece. “It saves money and has the same sentimental value that it had,” said Hall, sporting a pendant shaped like a compact fluorescent lightbulb. Variety of customers The skull rings and necklaces produced by Hall and Peltaire definitely cater to a younger customer base. Olshansky, on the other hand, goes after expectant mothers and young families. Pollare describes customers of eco-friendly retailers as the “modern conscious consumer” not tree huggers or environmental extremists but middle of the roaders who may sport designer jeans but do it while combined with an organic cotton top. “These are people that know we have to do something and want to make small changes,” Pollare said. Ramos promotes Green and Greener as a community gathering place by hosting environmentally-related lectures and classes. If someone has a question about green products, she wants the store to be the place to come for answers. Olshansky also has customers with specific questions about what is truly organic. So he and his wife educate themselves as much as possible on their products to have the right answers and tell the difference between organic products and conventional ones. “Once you open their eyes they run with it,” Olshansky said.