First Discovery
This weekend I went on a mission to find environmental-friendly fashion. I went to both the Oaks Mall and Downtown Gainesville, and did not find much in terms of retail clothing. I began to wonder if there were any eco-fashions in Gainesville.
I went back to the Gainesville Magazine article, and with a closer inspection found a tiny list of stores. These stores were hidden in places that I had not seen before. I called the first one on the list, Alternatives Global Marketplace.
I spoke with Donna Kruger, store manager, and she offered to show me around the store. It was exactly what I was looking for, offering many environmental-friendly products. I found not only eco-friendly clothing, but accessories as well.
They offer both clothing for men and women, using eco-friendly fabrics and dyes. Most of the dyes used on the fabrics are vegetable dyes. This is an important aspect of all the apparel, they use darker colors, which is more eco-friendly.
There are also garments in lighter colors, that were made of recycled silk saris. Many of the products are made of reusable materials. Especially the bags, which are made from things like rice bags, coffee bags or even rubber tires.
Hemp is another material that is used to make apparel, totes and bags. Most of the products are made in other countries and fair trade, which is another important aspect of the store.
The jewelry fascinated me the most, which included necklaces, bracelets and earrings. There are pieces made of nuts from the tagua palm tree, as an alternative to ivory. Also there are necklaces made of recycled paper, a line called Bead for Life.
There were so many products that were environmental-friendly, and I wonder if there is more out there.
