Vegan Fashion!

My friend Melissa is working with a clothing company called "Livity Outernational," and this weekend she had a trunk sale at her house. Because I teach yoga, she hooked me up with a pro-deal and gave me a few pieces for free, but I really loved the clothes and had to purchase something for myself too! These clothes feel really amazing - the fabrics are strong and natural and cozy. Best of all, they are made with the environment in mind!

The first piece Melissa picked out for me is this awesome hoodie. Honestly, I have hardly taken it off for the last 3 days! It's made of hemp and recycled plastic bottles! How cool. I love the slightly fitted waist, the warmth and strength of the fabric, the stylish and chunky zipper pull, the big hood that kept my head dry in the rain today, and the THUMBHOLES, which keep my hands warm. Thumbholes are the best!

This is the one I bought. I fell in love with this fabric - a combo of soy, hemp, and organic cotton. It's a perfect underlayer: silky, warm and it even has more thumbholes! Plus, I like the light silvery grey color.


This Lotus design is technically a men's tee, but I can't be bothered with gender normalities! I love the dark green-grey color and the long fit. When I am teaching yoga (and practicing), I'm always raising my arms above my head, or doing headstand or whatever... and I really prefer long tees that don't flop down and expose my midriff to the world! Modesty, please! This tee is made of a hemp-organic cotton blend that is soft and stretchy and warm but breathable.

Last but not least! Knee-highs! What fun! I made Snoopy get in the picture with me, but he was not cooporating and wouldn't look at the camera. These fun socks are organic cotton-hemp-lycra. They are warm and funny and very comfy.

These clothes are made in China, but Melissa assures me that the owner of Livity travels there often to ensure that the factory is seriously doing everything right - for their workers and for the environment. Personally, my commitment to veganism comes from ethical concerns for animals, but protecting the environment is an extension of that concern. Melissa taught me about how hemp is a great fabric for clothes because it's strong, breathable, doesn't require pesticides, and uses WAY less water than cotton (esp organic cotton). Still, all the items I brought home are hemp combined with something else. In my experience, hemp on it's own is a bit rough, like linen.

One thing Melissa and I talked about is how hard it is to be truly ethical in our lives. These clothes are made from really carefully harvested low-impact natural fabrics or recycled post-consumer fabrics, but still require production in China and the resulting trans-continental shipping to be economically viable. I think it's like veganism, and how we do our best - and feel good about doing what we can do. I never purchase non-vegan ingredients, but then when I found out that things like matches and paper towels aren't even vegan... sometimes I just remind myself that the changes I can make are making a difference!