HESSNATUR

HESSNATUR SILK TEE When it comes to morphing an ethical clothing company into an ethical fashion brand, it’s important to have all of the right elements – pure production, ethical mission and, of course, good design. When I ventured to downtown New York City to view hessnatur's spring/summer 2010 collection, there was one thing that was very clear about their mission this season: the designs are timeless and don’t skimp on quality. The birth of Heinz Hess' ethical clothing brand came about by humble means back in 1976. When German naturalist Hess couldn't find organic clothing for his newborn son, he decided to create his own line. Since then hessnatur, based out of the German village of Butzbach, has worked with a handful of suppliers to offer completely pure clothing at a reasonable price. And now, the German company is bringing the dream of Heinz Hess to America. In the brand’s latest initiative, they gave emerging designers the chance to create a new design for a limited edition 100 percent organic cotton tee in hessnatur and Planet Green's Design Challenge. Out of five finalists, California-based Lindsay Seligman won the honor of having her "One Life" tee shirt design produced at Grameen Knitwear (an affiliate of Grameen Bank founded by 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Muhammad Yunus) in Dhaka, Bangladesh. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each tee shirt go to the Grameen Shikkha project which works to eradicate poverty through education. The tee is online available for $20. To see the creative process behind Eco-Tee Design Challenge winner Lindsay’s design, watch this video: HESSNATUR PURE SILK GEORGETTE DRESS While this is certainly a nice way for the brand to make its foray into America, all hessnatur's designs are made from 100 percent natural fibers, including cotton, linen, silk, wool, cashmere, alpaca and mohair. What's more impressive is that the entire “textile chain,” from the way the fibers are grown, to how the fabrics and clothes are produced, to the conditions of the people who cultivate and manufacture them, is totally transparent at hessnatur. They will only work with partners who protect the rights of workers and pay them a fair wage. And most importantly, they ensure that your skin never comes into contact with toxic chemicals. Demand for hessnatur clothing, led its founder Hess to initiate organic cotton farming projects, the world's first in Sekem, Egypt, followed by projects in Peru, Senegal, Turkey and Burkina Faso. The brand's fibers are grown and cultivated without artificial fertilizers and pesticides, anything, in fact, that harms the people who wear the cotton or the people who grow it. Beyond cotton, Hess began to work with partners who developed organic linen, silk and wool, adhering to the same strict measures as the cotton. In 2002, hessnatur set the standard for humane labor conditions in the clothing industry with the Clean Clothes Campaign. And in 2005 they were the first German company to be certified by the FairWear organization an innovative system for control and inspection that ensures humane production. In terms of process, all hessnatur natural fibers go through the same processing as our organic fibers, all the way to the finished garment. The brand uses pure, natural fibers -- organic whenever possible -- and made from renewable resources like cotton, linen, hemp, ramie, wool -- no PVC or Teflon are used anywhere. HESSNATUR SILK TUNIC To add flair to these styles, the brand enlisted fashion designer Miguel Adrover as creative director back in 2007 to bring the company from a clothing brand to a fashion company. After seeing these designs in person, a few of my favorites from the spring/summer 2010 hessnatur line - made mostly from silk and organic cotton - include the flowing, vibrant multi-colored Silk Dress ($210) as well as the multicolored Pure Silk Georgette Dress ($220). Besides the playful designs that can be worn by 20-somethings and 60-somethings alike, particularly with pure silk georgette Silk Tunic ($130), hessnatur's basics are also a key to their lasting success. Each of their basics - including tees, henleys, tanks and cardigans - comes in four to five colors (generally a new one - or two - is added each season). Other staples like the perfect-for-work lightweight wool tee and the heavy jersey silk tee ($68) are certainly affordable without sacrificing style.