It’s Ok everyone, wearing ‘green’ is becoming more and more stylish. And there are more design businesses out there committed to producing considered eco goods to the forefront of fashion, in a stylish manner. 

VogueVert is a new business set up by a financial advisor Kathy Hamm (so it must make sense in todays climate for change) that currently houses eco accessories designed by a really great list of designers. VogueVert was born out of Kathy Hamm‘s personal search for luxury items that are ethically minded so that she could be proud of wearing them.





VogueVert supports a bunch of the newest eco-designers out there, which is great. Like  A Peace Treaty (image above of their pieces), a business born of two women, Farch Malik a Pakistani Muslim and Dana Arbib a Libyan Jew, who design beautiful high end pieces and employ craftsmen and women in places of socio-political strife.





VogueVert not only supports these designers and in turn cultures and crafts people all over,  $1 of  each sale and 10% of profits will go to the VogueVert Charitable Foundation.  The Foundation will fund scholarships for eco-design students and support the protection of our environment, animals, and women around the globe.


Good idea… don’t you think?


VogueVert website.

Gwyn & Tamra

Luisa Adele Rosa Maria von Amann, an Italian heiress was born in Milan on 23 January 1881. She lived her life following her desire to ”…be a living work of art”.


In 1900 Luisa married Camillo, Marquis Casati Stampa di Soncino and became Luisa, Marquise Casati Stampa di Soncino. The couple had one daughter but lived in separate houses. After 14 years they legally separated, due to Luisa‘s constant adulterous behaviour although they never divorced.

 

Luisa was famous throughout Europe for her extravagant parties, especailly as she hostessed the Ballet Russes, regarded as the best ballet company of the 20th century. This striking six foot tall and thin vision, adorned her neck with live snakes as necklaces and lead around two live cheetahs on diamond encrusted leashes.Luisa‘s eccentric behaviour attracted the well known writers of the day like Jean Cocteau, Cecil Beaton, Gabriele d’Annunzio and Jack Kerouac. Her portrait was painted and sculpted by Giovanni Boldini, Romaine Brooks, Paolo Troubetzkoy and was photographed by Man Ray. The painting above by Augustus John is one of the most popular paintings at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Thousands of these works were commissioned by Casati herself, to ensure her own immortality.





Marchesa Luisa Casati’s extravagant lifestyle literally made her life a riches to rags story, by 1930 she had accumulated a personal debt of over $24 million. Unable to pay back her creditors, Luisa Casati’s personal possessions were auctioned off and she fled to London where she lived out the rest of her life in abject poverty. Casati did manage to immortalise herself and really fulfilled the Shakespearean inscription on her tombstone, “Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety”. She was reportedly buried wearing her usual black with leopardskin and a pair of false eyelashes!


You can read more here.

Have a wonderfuly inspired Monday.

Gwyn 

 
The Cord Chair was originally designed in 1953 and was constructed out of solid maple frames and eight strand braided cord. The chair can hold an amazing 3,800lbs which belies its simple and delicate appearance, it’s all in the tension. As Canada was still recovering financially from an economical downfall, Jacques Guillon used post war salvaged materials such as parachute cording and airplane wings.

 


 
Don’t you just love the combination of transparency and minimalism?

 
The Cord Chair had been out of production for over 40 years until Avenue Road from Toronto put it back into production. The new chair is available in Walnut Veneer or Black Lacquer.

 





 


 
What do you think of it?

 
Gwyn

As a woman who has battled skin problems on and off throughout my life, I’m continually drawn to companies who create skincare products from wholesome ingredients rather than the harsh chemicals are society is growing more accustomed to. Lush is dedicated to creating the best products from the best natural ingredients. For example, their number one selling skin scrub, Ocean Salt, has an ingredient list that includes:

 
·      Sea salt

·      Fresh grapefruit

·      Fresh lime

·      Avocado

 



I also couldn’t help but notice the relatively reasonable prices available from Lush. While major department stores are selling bottles of heavily-marketed and chemically-infused perfumes, Lush has a variety of perfumes, all made from essential oils like sweet orange or lemongrass, that are priced at an average of $10. Also a major plus about their perfume line is that their solid state makes them completely acceptable for carry-on luggage (always something I think about when it comes to purchasing cosmetics).

 
On the Lush website, you’ll notice the brand is also heavily involved with ethical campaigns that work to eliminate animal cruelty. Right now Lush is working to ban the shark fin trade by educating consumers about the issue and selling products whose proceeds go towards Shark Saver’s efforts.

 
Have you tried any products from Lush?

All photos from here.

http://www.lushusa.com/

The man stops and makes a temporary home in Naphia Village, Laos. He collects scrap metal left behind form the 250-260 million bombs that were dropped. From these scraps he fashions spoons using moulds made wood and ash.





This traveler teaches a village member, who goes on to teach his son, by today there are 10 families who subsidies their subsistence farming with their earnings from re-purposing scrap metal.





peaceBOMB bracelets have been developed through the collaboration of spoon makers, the RISE Project, and ARTICLE 22, a social enterprise that supports sustainable development through design thinking. Every time someone buys a bracelet they are supporting artisan families, the community development fund and helps clear unexploded ordnance. Watch some lovely videos explaining the story. Pretty cool zero to hero story in my book.





Have you heard of other projects like this? Let us know? I would love to hear and share more stories like this, old or new…


www.peace-bomb.com


Gwyn

“We know that natural does not mean boring, and that interiors make a house a home.”

If you have not yet heard of Rubie Green, then you are in store for a treat. Having been featured in O Magazine, Vogue Living, In Style and now the Gallant & Jones blog, Rubie Green is an eco-friendly home décor line that has made its mark on the world of interior design and accessories.









While working her dream job at Domino (may the ground-breaking magazine rest in piece), Rubie Green founder Michelle Adams realized there had yet to be a business established that developed “eco-friendly textiles in classic prints”. With ambition, know-how and grit, Adams ceased the opportunity and developed Rubie Green, a home product line produced with 100% organic cotton. At RubieGreen.com, you’ll find vibrant upholstery fabrics, pillow covers and accessories that are both on trend and classic in design. From florals to stripes to chevron, you’ll find a fabric design that suits your tastes. I personally have had Rubie Green’s Ellie Bag on my wish list for months. It’s pink chevron design is the perfect pouch for my lipstick, notebook and reigning in my purse chaos. What Rubie Green design do you have your eye?





Amy


All photos from here. 

Paul Smith, from Nottingham in the UK, was originally aiming his sites at a career in cycling, he was addicted. Unfortunately he had a terrible accident and ended up in hospital for 6 moths where he made some friends and afterwards started hanging out  with them in a pub close to the art college. Paul suddenly entered a world of music, art and colour. Paul Smith, after some years managing clothing boutiques, opened his first store in 1970, with some savings and encouragement from his wife (a former Royal College of Art student). He started to take tailoring classes in the evenings and by 1976 he was showing his first collection in Paris under the Paul Smith label.








Paul Smith designs are a lovely combination of traditional and classic tailoring and shapes mixed with his sense of humour, love of vintage, colour and STRIPES. He has been in business for over 40 years and continues to be both designer and chairman.


Have you ever been to one of his stores? There is one in Bermondsey, London that I used to visit with a fantastic array of vintage finds and fun products that would sit aside his clothing and accessories, all running within the theme of his latest collection, I loved that place.


Look at all these fun products with Paul Smith stripes…




















Do you like stripes?


Gwyn

Breakfast in Bed: It’s a no-brainer in pleasing the mother in your home.  Before planning out the menu, take a moment to consult with your local grocer as to what foods are in-season and what is grown locally. By doing so, you’ll ensure fresher ingredients (and making yours and her taste buds all the more pleased) along with a smaller carbon footprint for your gift as locally grown foods take less energy to transport to your local market.  Don’t forget to serve your starwberries and pancakes creation or eggs benedict on a Gallant & Jones Niagara White Oak Tray because afterall, presentation is everything.







Perfume: The next go-to gift that many leap to this time of year is perfume.  Several of the department store perfumes have up to 100 chemicals listed as ingredients, many of which can cause breathing challenges and allergies for users. With JustMinerals Chamomile Nerolie solid perfume, your gift is long lasting, moisturizing, and consists of whole ingredients that are a pleasure to wear.






Flowers: Another essential aspect to your Mother’s Day celebration is a bouquet of flowers. While this can be purchased nearly anywhere, purchasing flowers that were grown locally keeps your bouquet fresher longer and again reduces the energy spent in transporting the goods. See here for tips on how to purchase local bouquets with ease.


Are any of these gifts ones you would like to receive or are likely to give this year? What are some fond gifts you’ve been giver/receiver of in past Mother’s Days?




Amy


Photos from here, here and here.

Wanted to start this Monday with some news… We are proud to present FieldCandy tents! We have added them to our website and they will go live for sale tomorrow. We are so thrilled to promote such a wonderful idea and concept, their designs are so fun and their concept revolutionary to the world of serious camping.






These tents are honestly amazing. A cotton inner allows for great air flow and the outer sheet is digitally printed with great designs and specially coated to resist bad weather and high winds.

Look at all the great designs and let us know what you think please? Tamra and my favourite is the shed one shown in the first image, would look so cute at the bottom of the garden





























Watch this space for fun collaborations in the future and pass on the news to your outdoor enthusiast friends?

xox Gwyn & Tamra

www.gallantandjones.com