Local artist Emily Li Mandri describes her designs as in your face. “There’s nothing subtle about them. They’re meant to make a statement. An art statement,” she says. Known around town as Natty Paint, Emily’s line of hand painted, silkscreened shirts and hoodies has been going strong for almost two years now. She sells at craft shows, local boutiques, and has done a healthy handful of commissions for places like Shine Collective and Bikram Yoga.

When Emily launched Natty Paint, she did it with an eye towards being eco-conscious; using water-based inks and products from American Apparel. Now she’s taken it a step further by producing a vintage line of silkscreened vests, sweaters, dresses, and sweatshirts. And while we may all agree that shopping at thrift stores, consignment shops, and vintage boutiques is inherently more sustainable than buying new, rebuilding a forgotten item into a fresh and wearable piece is indeed an impressive statement in and of itself.

Want your own one-of-a-kind Natty Paint work of art? Visit Emily's web site or, buy online at her Etsy shop.

Images courtesy of the artist

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 9:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Events, Fashion, Shopping
        

Looking for craftwork with a green flavor? There's a new glass gallery opening this month in Baltimore that proclaims itself "100 percent green."

Portable Rainbows Glass Art Gallery, at 6500 Brook Avenue, will get all of its electricity from wind power, purchased through a local renewable energy brokerage, according to scupltor/owner Frances Aubrey. Aubrey says she gets her glass from an environmentally conscious Oregon source, and she volunteers her time in working to get climate-change legislation passed.

Besides its green pedigree, the gallery will be a bit different in its emphasis - featuring methods of creating glass art other than blowing, such as fusing, slumping, casting, and painting. Aubrey says she'll display and sell glasswork from several other local artists as well as her own sculptures and jewelry. Sculptures are to be priced from $300 up, and glass jewelry under $100.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Buy local, Events, Fashion
        

There's a newly green dry cleaner in town: the Glyndon Lord Baltimore Cleaners.  The shop uses GreenEarth Cleaning, a solicone-based solution, which is like sand, instead of perchloroethylene. Perc is used by most dry cleaners and is considered a health and environmental hazard by the Environmental Protection Agency.

A few options for greener cleaning have cropped up in recent years, and experts don't agree that they are all perfect alternatives.

Here's what the Union of Concerned Scientists says about the silicone method: "Silicone cleaning is a proprietary technology that employs a silicone-based solvent to clean clothes. The solvent itself is currently considered safe for the environment because it degrades to sand, water, and carbon dioxide, but it has caused cancer in lab animals in EPA studies. In addition, it is manufactured using chlorine, which can generate harmful dioxin emissions."

The group points to other methods, including wet cleaning, which uses water and special computer-controlled washers and dryers and mild detergent. The EPA considers this among the safest pro cleaning methods. There is also carbon dioxide cleaning that uses liquid CO2 captured as a by-product of industrial processes. It the same stuff used to carbonate soda.

You fashionistas could consider not dry cleaning at all. Some stuff can go in the gentle cycle or be hand washed. You could try that special stuff meant to be used in the dryer in a bag. Or you could try not buying stuff labelled "dry clean only."

For its part, Glyndon Lord Baltimore Cleaners says it continues to research the best methods. In the meantime, operators also recycle hangers and containers, use earth-friendly soaps to clean most wet-cleaned clothes, drive high-mileage diesel vans and supply reusable bags to customers.

Anyone use Glyndon? Other dry cleaners. Or have you found alternative methods that are eco-conscious and actually clean?

Photo courtesy of außerirdische sind gesund via flickr

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 2:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Air Pollution, Fashion, Going Green, Products, Tips
        

Local crafters John and Alexandra of Rational Act Clothing share a down-to-earth vision: to make cool and clever T-shirts from sustainable materials. They print every shirt by hand using water-based inks and organic cotton. Both crafters are relatively new to the local handmade scene – you may have seen them recently at the Crofton Craft Fair or the Highlandtown Wine Festival. Their shirts, which feature local cityscapes and offbeat graphics, are also available at their Etsy shop. To read more about Rational Act Clothing, visit their blog.

(Images courtesy of Rational Act Clothing)

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 4:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Fashion, Products