The Amazon rainsforests are being taken over by big oil companies.  They are not only trying to destroy the Amazon rainforests, but the indigenous people who have lived there for thousands of years in Ecuador. Unite your voice with others and take action now!  

http://amazonwatch.org/take-action/stop-the-11th-round-oil-auction-in-ecuador 

This is a great short documentary about our planet's desperate need for sustainability.  Please watch and share with your friends.

Some people were having some problems wearing their braided scarves correctly, so I posted a short video.  If you ever have any more questions that I did not answer in my blog feel free to email me anytime!

Enjoy!

xoxo,

Landis

Did you know Pinepple leaves can be turned into a woven fabric?  

During the Spanish take over in the Philippines in the 16th century, Piña cloth was actually more valuable than gold or silver and no other jewel could compete with it. From 1800 onwards, Manila was the most elegant city in Asia and all lavish ceremonies like christening and wedding occasions bore their touch of pineapple. Each strand is painstakingly knotted by hand and loom woven manually to produce piña cloth that is soft, and usually in ivory color. 

This Pina cloth has been used in the Philippines for centuries, and is now making it's way on the runways.  

Filipino designers are using pina fabric for domestic ethnic designs (like the barong). Recently, Philippine fibers have been promoted to top fashion houses and piña pineapple fabric was officially re-introduced to the world.

Global fashion designers are always searching for innovative materials and new ideas to give them an edge in the industry. Pina fibers have the potential to greatly influence fashion and a sustainable way of using fibers without the use of chemicals. 

Check out this Up-Cycling tutorial at the Eco Chic Design Awards in Hong Hong.  This wonderful designer, Orsola de Castro of Estethica, talks about the environmental impacts of textile production and how to take the right steps in up-cycling fabrics with in the fashion industry.  

I was contacted by a wonderful woman named Sabina today on my LLA website.  She works for a wonderful website called Marlandiashop.com.   They are an exclusive U.S. distributor of Retalhos Carocas Sandals, which are made from recycled materials from woman in the slums of Brazil.  Marla Guttman, founded Marlandiashop.com after visiting the fashion house of Retalhos Cariocas in Rio, as a destination for sustainable fashion worldwide, and as a vehicle to amplify the voices of women born into Brazil's slum communities.

Silvinha Oliveirafrom, founder retalhoscariocas.com, grew up in the slums in Rio, and eventually got out of the favelas by getting into a fashion school of design.  After she graduated, she wanted to provide woman with in the favelas opportunities to use their skills, and train them to transform flip-flops with recycled and sourced fabrics into sandals and apparel.

It's important to support awesome companies making a positive social change through fashion!  

Please check out the great video on how fair trade, recycled fabrics can transform into beautiful sandals! 

You can buy your sandals directly through Marlandiashop.com, and please visit retalhoscariocas.com for the official manufacturer info.