Thursday, June 17, 2010

man fashion

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When it comes to fashion, girls have all the fun! There’re 50 selections for a woman with any comparable item for a man. In the realm of eco-fashion, the opportunity for a guy to both achieve a look of refinement while being earth-friendly has been practically non-existent. The only options the male species has had in the past are the causal, but unremarkable, organic cotton t-shirt, or perhaps a pair of organic cotton jeans that lacked a sense of flair – not every greenie guy wants to simply blend into the background with his wardrobe and in the it’s-best-to-impress-business-world of the urban jungle, there’s a necessity to stand out.

With the launch of Loudermilk Men from the LA-based eco- extraordinaire fashionista Linda Loudermilk, “the fearless urban male who doesn’t need a gas guzzler to prove himself” can go green with clothing “grounded in sharp tailoring and clean lines”. “It’s a mix of Saville Row inspired suitings, with t-shirts and dress shirts to mix and match”.

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Linda says it best, “Loudermilk Men is made in the tradition of the most expensive suit you can buy. It has a very British look combined with a gothic Belgian flair. My menswear is designed for men who are not afraid to express themselves through their clothing.”

Linda has pioneered the use of sustainable fabrics in the fashion world for years with designs appearing upon the runways of the planet – creating women’s collections that have the same explosive and sexuality as any of the leading fashion houses in the world. Her eye is refined and extremely European though her roots are deep within the southern states of America. Her inventions aren’t inspired “by some predictable sense of patchouli-smelling do-gooderism. The ingenius sustainable fabrics she's developed and sourced for Loudermilk, the brand, reflect the respect Linda Loudermilk, the woman and artist, has for nature.” Her willingness to embrace both the darkness and the brightness of environmentalism is a contribution to the green movement by displaying to other big named fashion designers that sustainable materials are a real option. With the Loudermilk Men collection, Linda continues to push her “Fierce Heart” into new arenas by offering the man, that appreciates high-end fashion design, an unapologetic ways to express himself that may not sit well with the conventional mentality of the neo-green wave…but nevermind that, Linda is introducing to a world-in-need a brave alternative – and, hopefully, giving the green movement a much needed makeover.

Highlights of the collection are unexpected use of color, simple deconstructions and reconstructions, tone on tone details, fitted high waisted jackets and whimsical lines. The collection does have its share of organic cotton (with no pesticides or heavy mineral dyes, of course) – but she also uses the Japanese Sasawashi plant and Manila hemp for her suiting, seaweed-based fabric for the button-down shirts, wood-pulp for jersey shirts and Sasawashi denim for a wonderfully toothy and sturdy denim. “The classic button-down shirt takes on a whole new meaning in seaweed fabric. Not only is it an elegant power shirt but it feeds the skin with oceanic nutrients that boost a sense of confidence.”

The clothing can be worn by anyone – though my feeling is that some people will not see the absolute necessity for green solutions that have disregard the prevailing fashion-sense of conventional eco-responsible garments. Linda plans to open a flagship store in LA in the coming months. For more info – check out

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