As the demand for organic cotton is much higher than the global supply, and because many retailers want to introduce organic lines, H&M are tying to broaden the range of sustainable materials that they’ll use. They plan to use recycled wool, polyester and textile waste.

The Garden Collection has a sort of 70’s flower girl look to it – very pretty and also wearable. The collection will hit their stores around March 25th  – I can’t wait!

I love the Carta Necessaire purse (pictured). All the purses are gorgeous and the really cool thing about cork, is that it’s waterproof and washable. So this Spring – cork is the new must-have!

So why is deforestation so bad for our planet? People have got to eat (most Americans love to eat beef), and with a population expanding exponentially, there’s no more room for cattle to craze. So in order to meet demand, enormous areas of the rainforest are shaved to the ground to provide room for the cows (80% of the forest is cut solely for beef production).  This is one of the main reasons why we might want to cut down considerably on how much beef we eat. Almost as large, are the areas of rainforest that are cleared to grow soy crops – this food isn’t for the locals or even for humans, it’s simply grown and shipped across the globe to fatten up cows for our burgers – another reason to cut the beef.

Deforestation accounts for over 20% of global carbon emissions and as we all know, trees are the lungs of the earth – without them, we’re dead. I love what The Forest Disclosure Project is doing. They are backed by powerful financial institutions and are asking huge companies to disclose their “Forest Footprint” (total amount of deforestation caused by their company). Many companies did not respond to this organization, probably because supply chains are so complex, that many don’t even know.

The Forest Disclosure project is another way for us as consumers to get an idea of the true sustainable commitment of a given company. With every company now touting it’s eco-friendly initiatives, it’s important to be able to sort the green-warriors from the green-washers. Top performers in sustainability include BMW, L’Oreal, and Marks & Spencer (which happens to be the best store for lingerie on the planet!).

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#2 Pick is The Blossom Dress by PureT I also love their Stripey Brocklyn t-shirt (pictured right).

#3 Pick is The Empire Maternity Tank by Jessica Scott. Created from soft, velvety organic fabric, this is an easy-to-sling-on piece, which will work for both daytime fun and evening glam.

THE WINNER OF THE REBAGZ GIVEAWAY IS KIM MARKER – CONGRATULATIONS!

DON’T FORGET TO CHECK THIS WEEK’S NEWSLETTER FOR OUR NEXT GIVEAWAY.

1. They fit beautifully and  are extremely flattering. You don’t get that baggy bottom thing happening after a few hours of wear. If I want a snug streamlined fit, I often have to go for a nylon/spandex fabric and I hate the feel of it against my skin. Bhakti Wear is made from 100% organic cotton and a little lycra, and feels beautiful on your skin. The tops come with a hidden bra, which is fabulous.

2. Their designs are gorgeous. Beauty is so often in the detail and I appreciate the work that’s gone into making these pieces extra special.

3. I love the spiritual aspect of the company and their products. They even sell meditation beads (malas) in healing stones. You can learn how to use them on their website.

4. They manufacture in the U.S.

Here is the company’s  back story. I’m all about the back story of the small companies that I promote – it’s one of the first things I ask, as so many of the lovely green products that we can buy today, have been created by people with extraordinary stories.

Back Story of Bhakti Wear
I guess it all first started with the music of Krishna Das and Jai Uttal coupled with the teachings of Ram Dass – a deep resonance of Truth as if something lost had been found again. My husband, Kevin, and I were yoga instructors at the time and we found ourselves drawn to the traditions of yoga, especially bhakti yoga. The seeds for Bhakti Ware grew out of our first visit to India in 2004. We had done a lot of reading, but nothing really prepares you for the real thing. It’s a country of extremes; a mixture of magic and heart-breaking hardship. We were high up in the foothills of the Himalayas and were taken aback by how fearlessly open the average person on the street was. We began to see how daily puja acted as a reminder that everything is sacred. People would be attracted to those attributes of the Divine Personality that best suited their temperament; many forms, one Love.

When we returned to LA we made a couple of t-shirts with the image of Hanuman on them. Before we knew it we were making more for our friends. I remember we went to see Ammachi and Kevin was wearing his Hanuman shirt. A woman with a young boy came up and asked where she could get one. Long story short, we made one for her son and in the process of the exchange we recommended reading the Ramayana. A month or so later the boy’s mother wrote us to say how grateful she was and how the Ramayana, with its ageless wisdom and wealth of spiritual guidance, had been so meaningful for her and her son. It was then that we realized what a wonderful way to spread a positive message clothing could actually be.

From the onset, we began making our women’s yoga wear out of organic cotton mixed with lycra and setting a portion of every sale aside for seva. The Bhakti Ware website was set up so that people could learn about the various deities, the Ramayana, how to use mala beads for meditation,…  We focus on making the best clothing possible, constantly raising the bar for quality and art. The clothes have been more or less advertising themselves, word of mouth has spread and here we are. We feel very blessed.