DAILY DANNY

Washing Baseball Caps

The other day, I was thinking, "How on Earth do you wash a baseball cap?"

Putting it in the washing machine would just tumble it to bits and take the shape out of it completely.  And scrubbing it by hand would be too arduous and probably do a not-so-good job.

So, I did a little research online and found out in some usergroups that running your baseball caps in the dishwasher was the solution.   Just run it on a regular cycle (without detergent) and then let air dry when it's done.

I did this with my baseball caps and found it worked!   I did run it in my clothes dryer on the drying rack so it didn't tumble.  It came out smelling fresh and looked just like new.

Tote Bag Winner

Congrats to "KIEREN" for winning the handmade tote bag.   Many thanks to all of you for entering.   I have learned that we all love chocolate, wine and tofu on this blog! 

I chose a number at random to pick this contest's winner; if they left a way to contact them, they won! 

Congrats to Kieren for leaving "Fruit. Berries. Wine" as her additions to the grocery list.

Plenty more contests to come!

Handmade Grocery Tote

I had some fun recently with some custom silkscreening and decided to take some organic cotton reusable tote bags that I picked up from EcoBags and customize them a bit.

I made three totes and have decided to give one lucky reader of this blog one of them as a prize!

Leave me a comment:   What ingredient would you add to this grocery list?

Someone will be picked at random and be sure to leave a way that I can contact you.   Winner will be notified by this email address: dannyblog@aol.com.   So no spammers emailng commenters!

Good luck!

Stella Garden Party

I always thought Stella McCartney represented the ultimate in eco-chic, so when I got an invite to attend her Spring collection preview at the Jefferson Market Garden in NYC, I hopped on the train and headed to the city.    In the past, Stella has been so gracious to me, allowing me to host various fundraisers and even my own book launch parties in her shops in NYC and Los Angeles.    This showing was no exception to what a great hostess she is...    You can read more about the presentation at Fashion Week Daily's website.

But here are some fun pics from the "picnic" in the park:

A group of us---editors, stylists, reporters---fought for the models' attention.  All I got was the lovely girl on the end.  

Both of my friends who attended said the same thing: "the models look like they're 12."    Youth aside, you hvae to love this handmade bag.  

You forget for a moment you're at a fashion presentation: here are models chatting on a Smith and Hawken bench under an arbor of flowering roses.   Stella, fyi, donated five McCartney rose bushes to the garden, too!

And then it was over.   Something funny about a model walking away from a "picnic" in high heels.

I love Stella and her efforts to be kind to animals and to the planet.  Lots of organic cotton in this collection, and as always, leather-free "veggie" shoes. 

Fun time, fun show... and a real treat.

Isaac's Re-Dying Denim Tips

I recently stopped by the offices of designer Isaac Mizrahi.   

You might know him as the fashion designer who has the upscale women's and men's lines.... and also designed the lesser priced line for Target stores for a few years.    He's now in charge of the mega-brand Liz Claiborne and still doing lots of fun and exciting things to bring fashion to the masses.

At his offices, I shared some cool tips on how to go green including my new Simmons Natural Care by Danny Seo mattress and showed some other cool eco products that are coming out.   We filmed it as a webisode that will be online in a few weeks.  I'll post the link when it's up.

But in the guest room at this offices, I picked up a mini-magazine he published called "Isaac's Style Book."   Inside the book I found an amazing project I just had to share.

If yo have a pair of light blue jeans that fit really well, but look terribly dated, you can re-dye them yourself into dark denim jeans.   It's a quick and easy way to update jeans without tossing them out!

Here's Isaac's tips:

1.   Prepare a dye bath by filling a large stockpot with 3 gallons of hot water and dissolve 1 bottle of RIT Pearl Gray dye.  Add 1/2 Cup of salt and stir to dissolve.

2.  Wet the jeans thoroughly with hot tap water.   Uncrumple and add to dye bath.  Add more water for jeans to float freely.

3.  Place stockpot on stovetop and bring dye bath and jeans to a simmer.  COOK jeans for 10 minutes, stirring often.  Remove carefully from stockpot and rinse in warm, then gradually cooler water, until water runs clear.  Clean stockpot immediately (or it will be dyed).   Launder jeans in warm water with detergent and line dry.   Repeat for darker jeans.

Quiz Week: Dry Cleaning Shirts

How many dress shirts do you dry clean every week?

A:    I wash and press them myself.

B:    Just a few

C:    My frequent dry cleaning punch card is full

ANSWER:  It’s well-known that dry cleaning is bad for the environment.    Almost 95% of traditional dry cleaners use a chemical called Perc, which is a solvent to get all the stains and spots out of clothes.    Perc, unfortunately, is a carcinogen which has been linked to bladder and cervical cancer and eye, nose, throat and skin irritations.   Even freshly dry cleaned clothes brought home, the perc residue can continue to offset into your own home.   And not to mention the waste of plastic bags and wire hangers for your clothes.

The solution isn’t wrinkled shirts:  It’s machine washable wrinkle-resistant shirts.    100% cotton dress shirts are woven with a resin---which gives the fabric “memory”---which minimizes wrinkles and gives it a smooth appearance after washing.    Many dress shirts are now made with this technology, so you can wash them in energy-efficient cold water at home along with an eco-friendly detergent.    No more dry cleaning and always perfect wrinkle-free shirts.   

Congrats JCPenney!

Many congrats to all my friends, colleagues, associates and friends at JCPenney for the launch of their biggest brand to date: American Living. 

I had the lovely opportunity to attend the launch party last night in New York City at Skylight Studios down on Hudson Street on the West Side.    The beautiful space was decorated superbly and the musical talent---the Rascal Flatts---was a wonderful treat.      

So chic and stylish!

Beautiful floral arrangements were throughout the event.    These giant forsythia branches looked so gorgeous in the room.

American Living bedding: quintessential Americana charm.  Love the hay bales underneath the bed.

The funny part?  I have those lanterns in my own house!   How funny to see these metal lanterns hanging from the ceiling; I have them scattered across my front porch and inside the house.      

Stellar Stella

 

I've been a fan of Stella McCartney for a very long time.   She recently partnered with luggage/tote/handbag manufacturer Le Sport Sac to create a capsule collection made entirely out of recycled materials.

One of the cutest items to come out of the collection is this children's bunny backpack.   It's made from 100% recycled "eco polyester" material (which I theorize is respun nylon from plastic water and soda bottles).    It's a such a cute and fresh approach towards green design, isn't it?

Yes, it's a bit pricey ($120), and I can't imagine giving this to my 2-year-old niece to play around with... but still, it's moving green design into the right direction. 

Deer Screen Printing

I recently found an image of a pencil sketch deer head that I really liked and had my local screen printer make a silkscreen for me.    Here's what the finished image looks like printed onto a reusable canvas shopping bag.   Isn't it cute?

The process of doing custom screen printing is surprisingly easy and not expensive at all.  The best thing to do is to find an image you love, have a screen made, and then print lots and lots of shirts, bags, and fabrics with the image.   The real cost is all the set-up, not the actual printing, so it pays to be prepared and show up with an armload of things to print on.

Here's the screen ready to go.    The actual cutting of the image of the screen is done digitally.  Unfortunately, I missed the part when she made the screen, but I just love the contrast of the green film and yellow cut out areas.   I was tempted to buy the frame and screen together and just hang it up as art.

Here's the screen used with white ink.    After a quick pass, the ink collects at the end of the screen and can be used over and over until you run out of ink.

And here's the same deer head image on a grey t-shirt.   I love the clean white image on the heather-y grey shirt.   I bought a three pack of shirts and made multiples.   

And here's the shirt drying.   It dries very quickly in just minutes.   When it's dried, it then gets pressed with a very high-heat iron to permanently set the ink into the shirt.   And voila!

After we made this white t-shirt set, I then had 15 tote bags made with black ink and a tiny screen that read just "DANNY SEO."   Those tote bags are being brought to Las Vegas this month as gift bags (filled with my books, custom soy candles and other goodies) when we launch my new line of eco mattresses with Simmons.   But more on that later!

Bio Umbrella?

A fun new eco product came in the mail today for me try out and test.

It's called the BRELLI, and it's an "eco-chic umbrella that packs a style punch rain or shine."  In other words, it's the world's first 100% biodegradable umbrella.

The umbrella features a certified biodegradable "plastic" canopy.    The innovative new material has a unique composition which allows it to totally biodegrade in landfill environments.     Made from a bio-plastic that comes from renewable resources, the Brelli will breakdown in landfills in just 1 to 2 years (it takes hundreds of years for a traditional umbrella to breakdown).    And the rest of the umbrella is made from renewable and natural bamboo.

So, you might be wondering: will it degrade if it gets wet?   No, it won't.   In fact, it's quite strong and actually very large... so it does a good job at keeping you dry.

I'm going to test this out for a bit.   But given the fact so many umbrellas I have are either A: very cheap and flimsy when I bought them out of a desperation from a NYC street vendor or B: lost.... this might be a good eco-solution.     Plus, maybe because it's so unique and different, I won't lose it as quickly.

Well, we'll see.

www.thebrelli.com

Plastic Bag Rehab

I've been working away with Method cleaning products for a bit now.  We just wrapped a photo shoot where I recycled their entire packaging into fun and exciting craft projects.  You'll have to check them out at www.methodhome.com.

Another fun collaboration was this Plastic Bag Rehab reusable tote bag we created together.     Don't you love the design and color?

The bags are not for sale, but part of a holiday promotion we're doing where if you purchase $20 worth of Method products between now and the Christmas holiday, we'll send you this bag free (minus shipping and handling).   You can learn more at methodhome.com in a few days...

What I LOVE about this tote is that it folds up incredibly small, so you can stash it in your car's glove compartment or in your handbag or--in my case---briefcase.    And it's super strong and durable, so it holds really heavy groceries, too.

Tell me whatcha think. 

UPDATED:   The eco recycling projects I've done for Method are not up yet on methodhome.com.  I'll let you know when we post them up.     In the meantime, I'll post a sneak peek later this day at one of my favorite projects we've done.

Donate Away!

This goes under the file: Who knew?   This tip is from my new one-a-day calendar "Do Just One Thing."  You can find it on amazon.com if you want to pick one up....

No need to be too picky when donating clothes to charity.  Only about 10% of donated clothes ever end up for resale in thrift shops; the rest is sold to textile recyclers.   Ripped jeans, way-too-faded t-shirts and other worn-out clothes are recycled into cleaning cloths and other industrial items by these recyclers.   They pay charitable organizations like Goodwill and the Salvation Army a fee for the old clothes, which adds up to a significant amount of money for their charitable works.   So clear your closets clean and give away.

So when you donate that high school tie-dye shirt, super ripped jeans and really-shrunken polo shirt, don't stress.    You're still helping and doing your part.

Recycled Tires

I've seen lots of products in the marketplace made from recycled tires.   And I'm glad.    There are million of tires being discarded every year and it's imperative we find solutions to recycle them.   I've read stories where tires get crushed and used in roadways.   Or they are shredded and made into doormats.    Some have even become mulch used in playgrounds as soft and rot-resistant surfaces.

All good ideas.

But I like seeing artisanal quality items that make use of unusual materials.    At the NY International Gift Fair, I saw these Israeli made recycled tire journals and wallets.     Nothing new in the design world...but I loved the cleanliness and simplicity of the design.     You can tell the design painstakingly went through discarded tires to find the most interesting markings and surfaces to work with.

I may have to get one of these wallets for myself.

I'm not a Plastic Bag: I'm Marc Jacobs!

I love the fact everybody is talking about reusable shopping bags when you go grocery shopping.

Recently, I went to my store and the I said to the checkout clerk, "I brought my own bags."  As she was ringing up my purchases and handed the bag to the bagboy teenager, she said, "hey, do you bring your own bags?" to him.   He said he tries and they both admitted to being a bit more mindful of reusing bags.   WHOA, I thought.   That never would've happened last year.

So, the hunt for cool and stylish tote bags continues.  Here are two great examples from American designer Marc Jacobs.    They are $12 and available in Marc Jacobs stores around the country: New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and San Francisco.      Room, sturdy and totally reusable.  Pick up a few (I'm partial to the London one) and always have a stash of stylish and practical bags to use.   

Hemp Ipod Covers

In New York City last week, lots of public relations agencies were having something called a Holiday Press Preview.   Basically, lots of magazine editors---including myself---are planning our December/January issues now and we get a sneak peek at what's coming out this holiday season.

Since I'm always on the hunt for green and gorgeous items, I thought I'd share this little gem: hemp Ipod covers.   Don't you love the colors?   

And since they're hemp, they will last a long longer than canvas since hemp is 1 1/2 times stronger than cotton.    Plus, it's eco-friendly since no chemical fertilizers or pesticides are needed to grow hemp.

Now if I could only remember who makes these!!!   I have to go through my notes... once I find it, I'll update this post with the ordering info.

My Men's Fashion Past

Tomorrow, I'm moderating a panel discussion in New York City at the ENK show about eco-friendly menswear.   

A lot of you probably don't know this, but a few years ago, I actually co-designed a menswear line called VETERAN that had a New York Fashion Week debut.     One show.   One crazy show.

I thought I'd share some of the eco-fashions I came up with as I dig through some old archives on my computer.  This upcoming panel discussion is like a blast from the past: it really has me thinking about the process of creating the Veteran line.

Okay, first up.   This deer-caught-in-the-headlights model is sporting a veteran duffel bag; a wide leather belt was recycled into a VETERAN strap that held the recycled sports shirt duffel (not pictured).  His pants were made from recycled windbreakers.

Oh, what man wouldn't want a blazer made from recycled vintage basketball sweatshirts?    And it was my brilliant idea to have the models sport rat-tail hair extensions.  I don't know why.

Well, his face says it all.   Vintage patches all sewn together to make a tank top.   I actualy did this myself and it took forever to make.  I wonder where it is today... Interesting, yes.    Practical?   no.

And a neutral blazer made from recycled painter's tarp fabric.  Yep, from Home Depot.   With two leather belts sewn on front as closures.     See the pie chart on the left side?   The models were lit up on the runway by overhead projectors.     Yes, my budget was that low.

Okay, I mock my own work.  But I do think some of the idea are creative and it does make sense why I'm constantly recycling old things into new objects for the home.    I guess it explains my continued interest in being resourceful in my everyday life.   I am glad I took a stab at designing menswear (might I add with no training or schooling), but I probably would never do it again.  It's so much work!    So whenever I buy a new suit or jacket, I am definitely much more appreciative of all the hard work that goes into fashion design.

Fall into the (Organic) Gap

Back when I was a teenager, one of my first jobs was working at the Gap.   Correction: The Gap Outlet.  I was first put on the cash register to ring people up and was quickly moved to the lowest of jobs: greeter.   You see, the Gap Outlet would have specials all the time, like 20% off sweaters.    But when people would come to my register, I would hold a heavy sweatshir upt and be like, "well, this is LIKE a sweater, so I guess it's 20% off."    Pretty soon, customers would wait in line just to be at my register.   And that didn't go well with the managers.

Anyway, I strolled into the Gap store recently and saw a rack of 100% organic cotton t-shirts in the men's section.    How great, I thought.  Gap going organic!    But when I tried on a shirt, my reaction was this: Eh.

The shirt seems different from their classic t-shirts.    The color looked dirty; it's a beige-y, natural color.   And it was the only item in the store during their Big Summer Sale that was still full-price.   Who pays full price at The Gap?

It reminds me of the RED campaign Gap is a part of.   I bought some RED items to support the cause but I quickly donated them back to charity at my local Goodwill.   I'm a Gap medium sweatshirt, but the Red sweatshirt was cut strange.   It was bigger and smaller in all the wrong areas.   

I just wish The Gap used the same patterns for their classic pieces for their "cause-related" pieces, like the RED items and the organic t's.    Then, we'd be talking.  Correction: shopping.

What do you think?   Shouldn't organic come in nice colors, cuts and style to really work?

I'm Not a Plastic Bag

You've probably heard quite a bit about Anya Hindmarch's "I'm not a Plastic Bag" tote bags.   She made them to be used as a reusable grocery store bag and sold them dirt cheap for $15 a piece.     There have been stories of customers waiting in crazy lines to buy a bag, only to have it sell-out instantly.  If you can see in this sign, the window says it all: SOLD OUT. 

There's been some criticism about the bag: it's made overseas, so lots of fuel is used to ship it, and it's not made from organic fabrics.  I think people need to stop looking for what's wrong with this bag and celebrate what's so great about it:  People are obsessed with bringing their own bag to stores and not using those ridiculous plastic shopping bags.   To me, the I'm Not a Plastic Bag tote is what the early Toyota Prius was: a stylish and practical alternative that wasn't just green, but better.

If you can't get your hands on one of these bags, don't worry.   There are lots of great reusable tote bags out there.    My favorite one (and the one I use over and over) is the LL Bean Camo Boat and Tote bag.   It's lined and water-resistant and super-strong.  I can fill it up with a whole basket's worth of groceries and not worry about the bag ripping to pieces.

But there are many more options out there. What's your favorite bag?  What bag is not a plastic bag to you?

Return to Non-Sender: Sneakers

This is a recycling program that's been around for a long-time and something i do about every 8 or 9 months a year.

Nike has a program called Reuse-a-Shoe where they take any-brand sneakers (non-metal shoes...so golf shoes and soccer shoes are not accepted) and recycle them into soft-surface playground and sports field material.

They literally rip shoes apart and use all the rubber to create an Astro-turf type recycled material that has some give to it; when a child falls on the surface, it absorbs shock and helps protect them more than, say, a concrete covered ground.

When I went out and bought new running shoes, I just reuse the box as the mailing box. My old Puma sneakers (they sure don't look old in the above pic...but trust me, they were worn out) needed to be replaced, I just bought a new pair, packed it up in the box, and wrapped it all up in brown, recycled kraft paper.

If you have some old shoes, you can go to Nikebiz.com to see a group of locations near that take old sneakers for recycling.    It's mostly Niketown stores, so if you live near one, feel free to drop off.  Otherwise, you can snail-mail them to:

Nike Recycling Center
c/o Reuse-A-Shoe
26755 SW 95th Ave.
Wilsonville, OR 97070

Stellar Stella

Sometimes, I feel like I'm totally out of place in environments where I should totally feel I'm in the right place.

I recently attended a luncheon for the launch of a new organic skin care line by designer Stella McCartney.   It's called CARE BY STELLA MCCARTNEY, and it's a truly 100% organic skin care that will debut later this year in the United States.

At the lunch, I was wearing a different "hat" of sorts: as guest editor of the upcoming green issue of ELLE magazine.   

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm used to being a magazine editor---producing stories, booking celebrities, managing photo shoots.   But working at a global fashion icon like ELLE is a whole different world.

First, it's interesting to be one of the only guys in a room full of beauty editors.    I think being a beauty editor has got to be one of those jobs that is fabulous at first---the FREE PRODUCTS!  FREE SAMPLES!   TRY IT BEFORE THE PUBLIC DOES!---that wears off pretty quickly.   Case in point: I think beauty editors go from a breakfast product launch, to a lunch launch, cocktails launch and then dinner with a beauty advertiser.     All you do is eat.    After a while, I bet all they want is a fluffer-nutter sandwich at their desk.   So, this might explain the itsy-bitsy lunch Stella's folks served:

It was delicious.   It was 100% organic.    But it was also four bites of food.   And still...every other plate in the room was hardly eaten because you know the other editors either had A: another lunch to attend for a revolutionary skin care product or B: a 3PM tea and scones meeting to discuss some starlet's new perfume.    The seat next to me was empty and there WAS a moment, where I thought... "should I eat there plate of food, too?"

Anyway, I digress.  I've been trying the free samples of Stella's line (hey, they tell me it's unisex) and I have to say it really is amazing.   It smells like--well---organic essential oils.    There's all sorts of eco certifiactions symbols, literature and notices on the packaging...which is reassuring.

Anyway, I'll post more things on this blog about my ELLE adventures.    The issue comes out April 22nd 2007.    Which is Earth Day.      And it's---sigh---my 30th birthday, too.

Cool Find: Hemp Sneakers

If you're green like me, you know that hemp is a great eco-friendly choice.    It can be grown without pesticides, herbicides or insecticides and it's 1 1/2 times stronger than cotton.  It also resists bacterial growth (e.g. odoor) and lasts a long time.

The bad side: a lot of hemp clothes and shoes are, well, not so stylish.  So you can imagine my happiness when I found these sneakers.

Converse has been making these lace-free slip on sneakers for about a year now.  I started with my first pair when I saw them in NYC in a limited edition line designed by John Varvatos.    Er, "limited editon" is a fancy way of saying "overpriced."   But nevertheless, I still loved them.

So when Converse came out with a hemp version of the sneaker at a LOWER price, you know I was first in line to buy 'em.    These are my new travel sneakers; they slip on and off at the airport and they pack beautifully.    They make a men's and women's version in different colors, too.  Check it out at www.converse.com.   (PS-They run BIG... I bought an 8.5 and I'm a 9.5 size...)

Belted Bag

It seems to happen like clockwork.    When I'm in NYC, about once a month, someone will stop me and ask "where did you get that briefcase?"     And when I tell them that I made it, it has inevitably turned to them either A: asking if I would make and sell them one or B: sell the bag right on the spot to them.   

A while ago, I had this idea that you could make an entire briefcase out of just belts, a hole punch and hemp twine.     I bought tons of old leather belts from Goodwill and used an existing bag I had as a template; I just cut strips of leather to the exact size, punched some holes along the edge and stitched the pieces of leather together.

Once the front and back pieces were complete, I stitched one very, very long belt along the edge to the two pieces to make the strap to carry the whole thing...and, well, VOILA!    A belted bag...

The reason I don't make more of these is quite simple, really...    It took me a week to make.    Not to mention my hands were cramped and sore from all the punching and stitching.    So, if I were to start making these for sale at a retail store, I would need to charge $5000 for a bag.     There is an easier variation on this project in Simply Green Parties, where I show you to make leather coasters for a party.

But, if you want one, why not try to make it?    (PS-There HAS TO BE an easier way tto make this bag.  If you can think of it, lemme know!)

Blast from the Past: To Boot

Back when I was an editor at Organic Style magazine (er, and when the magazine actually existed...), part of my job was to go out into the field and find new products and discover stylish eco "stuff" that was out there.  Often, many designers didn't even know they were doing something green.

Case in point: Cynthia Rowley.    Whimsical fashion designer....well-regarded in the fashion community...saying "Swell" this and "Swell" that.    You get the idea.   Not exactly a treehugging designer.

For one of her collections, she collected old LL Bean hunting boots off of Ebay and repurposed them with a gold ink pen.  All up and down the sides she doodled this stencil pattern.    From my zip disc scouting shot files, I present you a crafty way to update your LL Bean boots.

August is a time for savings...

A few years ago, the eco-friendly fashion line EDUN was met with much fanfare.   Designer Rogan Gregory was the genius behind it and it didn't hurt that music superstar Bono was also involved.

Edun can be found in upscale shops like Barney's New York and Saks Fifth Avenue.   So, translation: it's pricey.

But eco-fashion loving freaks (myself included) can still stock up on Edun and save money, too.    A recent visit to both department stores revealed racks of heavily discounted Edun clothes.    From $400 for an organic cotton jacket to $70.    Pretty good.   Like I always say: eco can be ecological AND economical.