While a reworked Young Talent Time returned to our screens this week, the only young talents we need to know about are the ones who have been busily burrowing away in preparation for today’s grand opening of Evergreen: fresh sustainable fashion at Sydney’s Object Gallery. Showcasing the works of both emerging and established eco designers from Australia and abroad, Evergreen runs from today, January 27th until Sunday, March 25th, giving you plenty of time to head along and admire the designs – both bold and beautiful. But this exhibition is about much more than just pretty dresses: Evergreen aims to educate its visitors on just how difficult it is to transform an industry driven by waste and excess. You’ll learn not only ways in which the exhibition’s designers are burning the torch for more sustainable and ethical fashion, but how you, as a consumer, can too. And we’re all for that!
Sandra Dieckmann, we love you! As if this London-based illustrator and creator of wildly mesmerising animal folks and fairytale worlds couldn’t impress us enough, she also works as a part-time manager of the RSPCA – saving the lives of real animals! A stop by her website and Etsy/BigCartel stores is a must – we’re particularly loving her Endangered Animals Postcard Set, printed on 100% recycled paper and highlighting the beauty of creatures whose presence on this earth is sadly too fragile. With her cat Little Crumb by her side (yep, that’s its real name!), we can’t wait to see what splendid creations the lovely Sandra comes up with next.
Australia Day might be a celebration of national identity, but trust us, there are more ways to say it than just by eating lamb! Never mind draping an Australian flag around your shoulders, either. What you need to flaunt your national pride is to get familiar with locally-designed and produced fashion. Australia is home to lots of labels that are ethical, environmentally-friendly, socially-responsible and promote local industry. And they are making beautiful clothes right here in your backyard! What more could an Aussie girl want? Here is our little pick of what’s on offer in your capital city… {continue reading…}
It’s never much fun saying goodbye to an old friend. But these are happy tears, we swear! With the exciting news that Angela D’Alton, the founder of our favourite online design store Leeloo, is moving on to bigger and brighter things (a job at handmade haven Etsy!) comes the announcement that the website will be closing up shop at the end of this week. On behalf of everyone here at Peppermint, we want to give a HUGE thank you to Angela (and her lovely sidekick, Renee) for their ongoing support and wish them the best of luck in their new adventures. If you’d like to purchase a back issue of Peppermint from Leeloo (along with a multitude of unique designer goodies), best get your skates on! Check out here to snap up a back issue before Friday. Goodbye lovely Leeloo, and good luck!
What’s on this weekend in your neck of the woods? Don’t forget to check the Peppermint Events page for listings of markets, fairs, workshops, sales and many more eco, organic, fair trade and fashion events coming up in 2012! If you want to spread the word about something that’s happening in your area (or you’d like to advertise as a ‘featured event’ for a fee of $50), simply drop us a line at hello@peppermintmag.com. {Image from here}.
Amanda Niehaus is the brains behind Easy Peasy Organic, a website devoted to sharing recipes, projects and ideas about sustainable living (for a true taste of her work, see the delicious smoothie recipe we’ve shared in the post below). Talking to Amanda about the evolution of her blog, her family and her personal ethos, we learnt that the road to Easy Peasy hasn’t been all that straight-forward… {continue reading…}
Feeling that summer heat? A glass of icy goodness might be just what the doctor ordered! Smoothies are an old favourite but don’t have to be packed with fat, artificial colours and faux flavours (bubblegum flavoured milk? Eek). Smoothie recipes are easy to invent and adapt depending on what’s in season and what you have in the fridge. If you need a helping hand, there are some great websites out there with tips and tricks for creating healthy smoothies made from raw, organic and vitamin-rich ingredients. This recipe for Chocolate Avocado Smoothies comes courtesy of smoothie extraordinaire Amanda Niehaus, author of Easy Peasy Organic. As we say here at Peppermint, it would be unhealthy not to drink one of these. Promise us you’ll try the popsicles too!
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Its no secret that Peppermint’s favourite colour is green. Looking at these vibrant colours, however, we are tempted to broaden our palette! The earthy tones and vibrant hues produced by natural dyes owe to their extraction from leaves, plants, fruits and minerals using processes that are easier on the environment than the harsh chemicals and industrial techniques used in the manufacture of most textiles. If you want to learn more about natural dyes or even try your hand at using them, Beautiful Silks’ Natural Dye Symposium is an ideal place to start. Scheduled for June/July in Melbourne, Natural Colours in the City offers workshops in weaving, dying and knitting plus lectures by leaders in the natural dyes field like India Flint, Donna Walariki and David Higgins. Tickets are limited and selling fast, so visit their website for more information.
Ah, that age old question – paper or plastic? We are paper lovers through and through, but wouldn’t it be nice to have the best of both worlds? These gorgeous paper bags made from cultivated timber and hand-sewn in Tuscany are thick, sturdy and hold their shape, making them perfect for use over and over again. Believe it or not, you can even wash them! When they aren’t filled with delicious produce, craft supplies or growing herbs inside, you can store them flat and save on kitchen cupboard space too. The bags are available to purchase in Australia on Hard To Find. They’ve got clever, stylish storage solutions in the bag!
Thanks to Marks & Spencer, British high street fashion just got a little bit greener. The UK power brand has just announced the launch of its new campaign My Urban Green (@myurbangreen), which – in partnership with environmental charity Groundwork – aims at developing and supporting Greener Living Spaces amongst local urban communities. This isn’t something completely new: Marks & Spencer and Groundwork have been burrowing away at this initiative for the past three years, but in 2012 they will be kicking it into full gear with the goal of delivering 850 community green space activities and events across the UK by September, including engaging a whopping 135,000 people to support them. Activities on the agenda include green space maintenance, tree planting, community clean ups and gatherings, all in the hope, says Groundwork Chief Executive Tony Hawkhead, of finding “increasingly creative ways of protecting these much loved local spaces.” Amen. Now who’s going to be the first Australian brand to do the same? {Image from here}.
