Eco Fashion World

Rarely the subject of multipage editorials, the t-shirt was always a bit more of a common pleasure. However, it’s difficult to deny the basic’s longstanding appeal. The humble T-shirt--far from being relegated to being worn only on laundry days--has emerged as a go-to item well into fall. Shown layered over longer-sleeved tees, or under fall’s big-ticket items like cardigans and boyfriend blazers, the t-shirt has become a year-round pillar of a fashionable wardrobe.

Designers have long since moved beyond slapping on a logo for a quick buck to creating beautiful graphic t-shirts. The simple form of the t-shirt makes it the perfect backdrop for bold and unusual designs. Because of this, eco-fashion lines also embrace the manufacturing of t-shirts as a relatively low cost entrée into the fashion business. Big names in the field, like Loomstate Organic and EDUN still offer t-shirts in a variety of prints.

Of course, t-shirts have long been used as a personal billboard for ideas and messages; they then evolved as an avenue for exploring irony and cheekiness through tweaking the idea of t-shirts as a window to the wearer’s brain. Be Love brings the personal and Ascension Originals provides the faux-vintage, humorous t-shirts.

Taking t-shirts to the ultimate level of background material, companies have begun to collaborate with artists for the graphic designs. Eco-houses often do this co-op style, like Germany’s Armed Angels and Blake Hamster. For an added bonus: prints are limited edition, bringing an air of exclusivity to the realm of the t-shirt.

Similarly, individualizing t-shirts has become an art form. May we recommend a little something called tie-dye? Just kidding, custom-printing options using environmentally correct dyes and ethically produced t-shirts are out there—like from Skreened —including up-to-the-minute prints like “Kanye Stole My Thunder”.

There is no need to buy a heavily embellished, torn and tied t-shirt, because you most likely already own everything you need to make one, and reusing is just Environmentalism 101. DIY ideas for converting unflattering, boxy tees into form-fitting one-offs abound on the Internet:

Teen Vogue Kat Von D, and Closet Control.

Channel your inner Meredith Grey and perform cutting-edge surgery on your not-quite-right shirts. Post-op results include skirts, aprons, bags, halters, gloves, and just about anything else you can imagine. Check out About.com’s directory of surgical interventions.

Paraguay’s Giannyl is the Internet guru for transforming t-shirts into anything seriously sexy–slinky dresses, bikinis, undergarments, one-sleeved tops—her site flows over with ideas for at-home projects at Giannyl.com.

Adapting an airy t-shirt to cold climates is easy. This fall, try out a moto-style jacket in cotton like from The Battalion or Fin.

Spun’s menswear inspired cardigan can be left open to display those beautiful graphic prints, or top off with a skinny boyfriend blazer like one from designers John Patrick Organic or Alexis Lamontagna. These trends are also easily found in vintage and thrift stores—check out the men’s sections, too, for the original boyfriend-style items. Take layering to new levels with piled on jewelry, scarves, and hats. The casual ease and unassuming nature of the t-shirt make it a perfect backdrop for any fashion exploration.

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