The Costello Tagliapietra Spring 2010 show during New York’s Fashion Week was a sell out.  Behind the scenes, our team was delighted to see how, in just four weeks, Jeffery Costello’s photographs of sunsets and lakes were reinterpreted into rich multidimensional designs.

After the show, the media also thought the new collection was a hit. Here’s a sample of what they had to say:

Costello Tagliapietra “went back to their roots with a marked focus on lovely drapes and lush color—with an added dollop of Earth-friendly fashion technology this time around.”
-Style.com

“Comfortable, gorgeous, eco-friendly designs? If that’s not beautiful, we don’t know what is.”
-Vogue

“The comfortable yet form fitting dresses — inspired by colors found in the natural environment — were breathtaking; reminiscent of grecian goddesses, curve-complimenting, and the idyllic attire for a warm Summer night.”
-Treehugger.com

“Everyone’s trying to do their part to ‘go green,’ but this season Jeffrey Costello and Robert Tagliapietra turned out a collection of eco-friendly clothes, without sacrificing beauty and design…”
-Womens Wear Daily (WWD.com)

“The color palette was dazzling…CT used sun-bleached shades of orange, mustard, violet, moss green and taupe to spectacular effect — the colors grab one’s attention, but it is the dresses’ construction that keeps it….But perhaps the coolest element of many of the dresses was their fabric. In an enviromental-friendly choice, CT used exclusive fabrics from AirDye, a new technology that dyes and prints textiles without using any water.
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-The Plain Dealer

Overall a small, simple collection, but the lush palette was entirely unique.
-NBC New York

“The colors were organic and intense. The innovative fabric of this season is AirDye”
-Second City Style

“…at Milk, Costello Tagliapietra, known for its gentle silhouettes and masterful draping techniques, thought about sustainability by debuting the ingenious AirDye technology which allows fabrics to be dyed without water.
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-The National Newspaper, U.A.E.

“The sunset-hued fabrics, gorgeous and dyed with a special technique that uses no water and creates no toxins / waste.
”
-NylonMag.com

“Jeffrey Costello took photos of the lake and sunset in Brooklyn, and then he and design partner Robert Tagliapietra worked with Air-Dye to print the digital artwork on fabric without using water. The result? Absolutely stunning, colorful, earth-friendly fashion.”
-ThinkThruFashion

Now that we know what the media and the bloggers have to say, what you think of the collection?

More and more broadly available, recycled PET is a growing trend in eco-friendly fabrics. We’re taking a look at the process and advantages of recycled plastic fiber.

Read part 1: how plastic trash becomes fabric

landfill to retail

Once a drink bottle is collected, it is sent off to a processing facility. There, the bottle is cut into small pieces called flake and then washed. PET flake is then melted into a liquid and shaped into a long, thin fiber. These fibers are spun into yarn in the same manner as materials such as cotton, wool, and other natural products. These yarns are now 100 percent recycled polyester.

By using recycled plastic instead of new petroleum, over 60 percent of the energy is saved without any additional harm to the environment. No other fiber is produced with less impact.

Recycled polyester can also help the environment through the use of AirDye® technology. This process uses no water and much less energy to add color and designs to the fabric. Conventional dye and printing methods pollute over 15 gallons of water for a simple t-shirt in addition to introducing a number of hazardous chemicals and by-products into the environment. AirDye technology makes a great looking product without all those problems and the color lasts as long as the garment.

Manufacturers of apparel and other products are beginning to look at recycled polyester as not just the best alternative to natural fibers, but a better choice. This material is available, easy to work with, affordable, and provides consumers with the better environmental product.

Better for the Planet and Better for You

Another area where recycled polyester can help make a positive change is in the use and care of a garment made from it. A cotton shirt holds water. A lot of it. And if you are wearing it during a workout or caught in the rain, you know what we’re talking about. Polyester sheds the water. This is makes it more comfortable to wear. But consider what happens in the wash. A shirt that holds less water is easier to clean and dry. It takes less than half the energy and water to wash a shirt made from polyester as it does one made of cotton.

Polyester is also tougher than cotton. A polyester shirt lasts longer; up to five times longer. A longer life means buying fewer shirts, which means less resources consumed. Not to mention the money you save.

Lastly, what do you do with your shirt when you can no longer use it? The first and most obvious choice is to pass it on to someone who can. So, a shirt that lasts longer is even more important. But, what then? The ability to recycle that same shirt into yet more RPET and recycled polyester and back into a new garment is key. No products going to landfill.

How many times can a product come back again and again? We honestly don’t know–generations, at the very least. This brings new meaning to the term “hand me down.”

Recycled Polyester and You

Each shirt, bedspread, or handbag we make is one less made from the earth’s very limited resources. We know that not everything a person buys can be made from recycled trash. But for those products that can be, and that not only work as well, but even better; it seems obvious to us what to do. And we think that many of you agree with us.

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.

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.

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.

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.

It’s a beautiful Friday morning and we have a weekend of summer bliss ahead, so we thought it appropriate to blog about eco-swimwear today. As more and more designers adopt AirDye®, we’re finally beginning to see products hit stores. We’re so excited—today you can actually shop for swimsuits dyed with our technology.

Miss Peaches swimwear is a completely eco-friendly line of ravishing retro bathing suits, dyed using AirDye technology. Capitalizing on AirDye technology’s ability to print different patterns on two sides of a single fabric, all of Miss Peaches’ swimsuits are completely reversible. (What recessionista can resist a two-for-one-deal?) And, because the dye is part of the fabric rather than a layer on top of it, chlorine will have no affect on the color. Ever. Designs include snakeskin / paisley combinations and stripes / plaid. Extra bonus of using two-sided printing? Zero chance of a wet swimsuit being see-through.

Check out Miss Peaches’ website to view their full collection of swimsuits and cover-ups, all dyed with AirDye technology.

Happy sunning!