sustainable style foundation*

Creating provocative designs from themes in the news, Headline Shirts are all designed, stitched, printed and washed sweat-shop free on either American Apparel or The Apparel Agent shirts. Most of their shirts are printed with water-based ink; in addition to designing clothing, they also contribute a portion of each sale to progressive nonprofits. [Headline Shirts]

It doesn't get much hipper than Loomstate's 100% organic cotton denim. Designed for people who want responsible clothes and are committed to treading lightly on the earth, Rogan Gregory and Scott Hahn think sustainability is the way forward, and have a pair of the most comfortable jeans you've ever worn with your name on them to prove it. [Loomstate]

Using only organic cotton, designer Jenny Hwa creates sophisticated activewear with the goal of transforming the uninspiring activewear market with a fashion-forward, organic cotton collection for stylish gym and yoga mavens. The alluring fit and organic textiles for the fashionably conscious set. Taking an ecological stance, while creating frocks with beckoning silhouettes and charming details are Loyale's signature criterion. [Loyale Clothing]

Taking hemp from hippy to hip, Lucien Pellat Finet designed his first luxury streetwear collection in 1994. Delighting hipsters from New York to Paris with all-organic vegetable dies and ultra-hip, Lucien even has a design-your-own cashmere sweaters and tops on his website. [Lucien Pellat Finet]

A strong supporter of breast cancer and children's causes especially in the Bay Area, Margaret O'Leary's bamboo silk and hemp/silk blended knitwear and fashions look good and do good. With boutiques in New York and Seattle as well as San Francisco, her upscale apparel and accessories is available all around the country. Her luxurious knitwear and unique sportswear is as stylish as it is comfortable. [Margaret O'Leary]

Featuring kids' and women's 100% organic cotton t-shirts, each shirt by Speak Clothing features an American Sign Language hand symbol. A fun and creative introduction to this unique style of communication, a percentage of each sale will go directly to a program that benefits children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Words like "play", "laugh", "run" and "breathe" are silk-screened; the shirts can be found in San Fran and at SSF pal 3r Living in NYC. [Speak Clothing]

Sir Paul & Linda's daughter designs conscious high-fashion that eschews both leather and fur. Her brand includes women's ready-to-wear, accessories and eyewear, and can be found in her flagship stores in NYC, LA and London. Stella was named the Organic Style Woman of the Year in 2005 for her achievements in fashion and social consciousness. [Stella McCartney]

Using only organic cotton for their green-produced, downtown-inspired apparel, Stewart+Brown mix environmental consciousness with good, cool design. A member of 1% For The Planet, their cashmere also comes from a fledgling Mongolian cashmere co-op run by herders who process the woolly stuff themselves, and many of their materials also come from factory surplus; materials that would otherwise be tossed or just left to gather dust in a warehouse are given a stylish second chance. [Stewart+Brown]

Meaning fish scales in Portuguese, Escama bags are made from recycled aluminum can tabs, giving the appearance similar to the scales of a fish. The bags are handmade by two women’s cooperatives located in economically depressed ‘satellite cities’ of Brasília, Brazil; inside each bag is a card with the name of the artist who crocheted the piece. The bags are available in boutiques and stores from New York to Los Angeles to San Francisco and Seattle, and many place in between. [Escama]