Archive for the ‘airdye’ Category.

going green never looked so chic

Last Friday evening AirDye® made its second appearance in a Costello Tagliapietra show during New York’s Fall Ready-to-Wear 2010 Fashion Week. (The plaid-clad duo also used AirDye in their spring 2010 collection.) We love working with Jeffery and Robert–they really know how to use color and fabric to achieve some of the best-styled clothing out there.

Of course, we’ve just got to share a few shots from the show, which unfortunately don’t do justice to what Style.com calls “their beautiful palette of desert-sunset hues.” Nor can you see how the duo plays up contrasts in the back of a piece, but we hope you’re as impressed with the collection as we are.

(photos from Coutorture/Getty)

So, now that you’ve seen some of the collection, here’s what a few of the fashionistas who were at the show said:

Women’s Wear Daily:

Going green never looked so chic, as Jeffrey Costello and Robert Tagliapietra presented a collection of their signature softly draped and pleated jersey dresses and separates in a dusty palette colored by AirDye, a sustainable dyeing method.

Style.com’s Meenal Minstry:

Spiraled and compressed folds added substance and weight to one look’s waist, while on another the pleats seemed almost spontaneously draped around the body. The designers tried out an interesting new technique on their signature jersey dresses and tops, anchoring them with woven silk backs, usually in a contrasting color plucked from their beautiful palette of desert-sunset hues. But for all that, there was actually a gorgeous simplicity to this collection. It marked both a return to their founding vision and a step forward.

NBC New York’s Catherine Blair Pfander on The Thread:

Conceived in a sophisticated palette of rosy browns, golds, and a multi-colored circle print called “Ghosts” (developed by AirDye, which developed a technique of dying fabric without water), the collection was composed primarily of draped dresses and skirt-n-top sets, with a few metallic pants thrown into the mix.  We were digging the “secretarial geisha” vibe, driven home by messy top knots and orangey-red lips.

“The storyline is of this young girl embarking on her life, taking that trans-Siberian train from Russia to Japan.  It’s a young, hopeful attitude,” says Robert.

The clothes did feel youthful–and the styling cast a charming, naive glow to the collection–but off the runway, we think this will prove an utterly ageless collection, with pieces that mothers and daughters will swap.  These are clothes to make women feel beautiful and intelligent. Honestly, who wants to feel any other way?

Second City Style, blogger Carol Calacci:

You have to marvel at how these two burly bears could be the designers of such modern, clean, soft and elegant pieces for women. The intricate gathering, weaving and perfect draping included a lot emphasis on the backs of the dresses this season, which unfortunately you cannot see from the runway shots….I especially like their use of two tones together, which seems to be one of their trademarks, for example the whole back of a dress may be a darker tone of the front.

Ana Louisa on the Grown-Up Shoes blog:

This may strike you as strange while you scroll down this page (of photos): nothing dramatic is happening here. Nothing crazy or mind blowing. But to me, this show is perfection. The simplicity of it, the gorgeous draping, the simple but flattering cuts and shapes are utterly delightful. The prints are incredible but even the solid colors are gorgeous.

What do you think, are these pieces you’d wear? And is sustainability ever going to have a larger role in the fashion world?

video of the costello tagliapietra show from swarovski.tv

Just have to share this with all our AirDye fans. I know you all want to see the show from Friday night and here’s the entire collection courtesy of Swarovski.tv.

Swarovski video of Costello Tagliapietra ss10

meet julieapple

We’re thrilled to see the AirDye® gospel spreading as more and more environmentally responsible companies adopt our technology.

Our latest addition is New York-based JulieApple, a purveyor of green handbags, totes, and travel bags. Owner and designer Julianne Applegate is hardly a fashion novice—she’s worked with an impressive roster of heavy hitters, from Diane Von Furstenberg to Stella McCartney. While she’s been in the game for a while, it’s her concept that’s novel—Julie Apple is committed to using organic fabrics, recycled nautical materials, and most recently AirDye technology for all of her printed purses.

JulieApple's Yoga-a-gogo Bag

The Yoga-a-GoGo (above) bag is a personal favorite. With a tote this cute, there’s half a shot we’d actually pull it out the closet every once and a while.

we have a lot to say

T-shirt purveyors A Lot to Say—a company that already leads the industry in environmental sustainability, socially aware messaging, and general awesomeness (okay, that last one is just my opinion)—has gotten even greener as of late.

A Lot To Say Tshirts

They already use 100 percent recycled plastic bottles (rPET) to make their shirts, which reduces energy consumption by 80 percent. Plus, they are a completely American-made line—no sweatshops or monster carbon footprint from shipping tees across the ocean. So how did they attain even greener credentials? As a continued commitment to sustainability, the company recently adopted AirDye® technology for all of their clothing. AirDye doesn’t use any water in the dyeing phase—a step that currently costs the world’s resources 2.4 trillion gallons of water a year.

Last week, the non-profit National Green Energy Council bestowed its first ever green apparel endorsement to A Lot to Say.

Congrats to a well-deserving company. Keep up the good work.

AirDye® in action

Thanks to the glory of YouTube, you can finally see AirDye® technology in action. In the video below, we’re simultaneously dyeing and printing logos on athletic shirts. We’re able to accomplish both with one simple pass through rolls of recycled paper saturated with black dye. And, as always, we’re not using any water in the process.

We’re no Spielberg, so you’ll have to forgive the rough editing. After solving the water crisis, learning QuickTime is at the top of our to-do list—we promise.