EVENTS
CMC Observes Earth Day With Eco-Friendly Pop-Up Shop
Observing Earth Day 2019 at the California Market Center in downtown Los Angeles included a pop-up shop showcasing ecologically sound brands that prioritize quality. Within the main lobby, which joins the center's three buildings, visitors could find an array of products from health-centered food to greeting cards, but many vendors were selling fashion goods.
For Rani Gill of Orange County, Calif.'s Sustain Living, the event provided an opportunity to remind the public that Earth Day should be observed each day—not simply once a year.
"Earth Day emphasizes the importance of sustainability but it's there all the time. You don't do it one day and forget about it tomorrow," she explained.
In addition to selling her own line of clothing—Sustain—Gill also carries pieces from other like-minded brands that feature light dresses and scarves made with natural fibers, such as organic cotton, but are also handwoven and printed by hand.
"It takes time and skills to manufacture sustainable garments, and it requires more money," she said. "Sustainability can mean that you're producing a more expensive product, but it's about supporting your values."
For Jonathan Ohayon, a sales representative for Paris-based sustainable, vegan-bag brand Arsayo, the pop-up shop was an opportunity to show how fashion can be sustainable and cruelty free. While displaying the brand's new line of cork bags, which were also featured during Vegan Fashion Week in February, Ohayon urged other apparel-industry labels to explore more sustainable options.
"We all need to make a change for the environment, the planet and the animals," he said. "Most of the time people feel pressure to change, which makes them not want to look into it. To start to learn more about it and see their own role in this world, they'll find that when they hurt the earth, they are hurting themselves That is why they should be more conscientious."
After launching his collection of sustainable, vegan clothing during Vegan Fashion Week Pào Tea co-founder Taras Abolfathi decided to include fashion pieces in his booth offerings, which also included the company's foundation product—tea. Launched one year ago in Irvine, Calif., Pào Tea was founded by Abolfathi and his girlfriend Vita Tseng, but the couple recently wanted to shift from being a provider of tea and accessories into a lifestyle brand.
Through partnering with independent designers from China who are developing vegan, sustainable clothing, the duo launched Tea-Wear, a collection of brands from Tseng's hometown in the southern Fujian province of China. The clothing is plant dyed and uses materials including linen, cotton and Tencel.
"Our products are all focused on the environment. We don't like single-use things, nor do we don't want to contribute to the demise of our planet," he explained regarding his reasons for participating in the pop-up shop. "I want to offer things that are beautiful to people, so they don't throw them away."
