California Apparel News

Dirt LA is an art-inspired eco luxury brand. Founder and designer Diviya Loomba collaborates with eco-artists to make the prints for the collection. The brand creates high-quality fashion-forward clothing by fusing earth-conscious fabrics and processes with bold, colorful artistic prints.

For the debut collection, which launched exclusively at Ron Herman for Spring 2011, Loomba collaborated with premier Los Angeles–based eco-artist McKenzie to create the colorful prints. McKenzie’s abstract paintings were transferred from the canvas and applied to fabric utilizing a process called Inku Fibre Technology. The process is entirely green—no chemicals are used. The fabric, which is made from recycled water bottles, is produced in Los Angeles and sourced by Loomba’s family’s company, Eagle Fabrics.

The name, Dirt LA, was inspired by the desire to set the brand apart from other moretraditional green companies. “We’re more on the edgy side of being green,” Loomba said. “We focus on the art and being fashion forward, and the green aspect is a perk.”

Cuts are modern, such as off-the-shoulder tops and slouchy tanks for women and V-neck tees for men. Other pieces include T-shirts, dresses, scarves and men’s ties. Wholesale prices range from $30 to $100. According to Loomba, someone who is fashion-minded still thinks from a consumer perspective and is not necessarily picking something because it’s green but simply because they like it. Dirt LA aims to provide the best of both worlds.

The concept goes full circle as Loomba creates clothing that is not only environmentally friendly but gives back to the community. “[Dirt LA also] represents the earth, where we start from and what our foundation is,” she said. The company originated when Loomba started working with organizations that were partnering with charities. She collaborated with McKenzie to create limited-edition products for events such as the Grammy Foundation’s MusiCares gala. McKenzie, who is known as the “Hollywood Charity Artist” for her efforts to raise funds and awareness for various causes, created a one-of-a-kind eco painting of Neil Young, who was honored at the event. The painting was also applied to a special T-shirt. Both items were auctioned at the event, raising more than $28,000 for the foundation.

“The success of the event sparked a lot of interest in the company and what we were doing, and it was not only the art side but also pretty much a full circle where we were creating products that not only were ecofriendly but had more of a fashion-forward sense,” Loomba explained.

Other events have included a collaboration with the American Red Cross in support of Haiti, and, during this year’s Grammy Awards, the pair partnered with Moja Moja to benefit Oxfam America.

The success of the events inspired the creation of the Dirt LA clothing line, which also benefits charities through specific products. For instance, 20 percent of the proceeds from the “Gigi” tank top sold at Ron Herman benefits Santa Monica, Calif.–based Heal the Bay. Today, Dirt LA technically has two divisions. One focuses on wholesale/retail sales, and the other division is geared toward events.

“Originally, when we started the company, our mission was to be creating products that were going to be giving back,” Loomba explained.

For more information, contact Dirt LA at (877) 800-0023 or visit www.dirtla.com. —N. Jayne Seward