Monday, July 12, 2010
Sunday, July 4, 2010
AVA BLACK NOW OPEN
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Eightfold Development LLC Announces New Retail Brand
CHICAGO, Illinois—July 5th, 2010—Eightfold Development LLC, a Chicago based development company, announced today that a new retail brand AVA BLACK has opened in Chicago.
AVA BLACK offers affordable, unique and comfortable fashion for women and men with a focus on superior quality and exceptional customer service.
The AVA BLACK retail entity will replace the eco-friendly retail brand SKINSTINCT at Water Tower Place and on North Clark Street in Andersonville.
“SKINSTINCT is our successful eco-friendly label that was launched 3 years ago. We will continue to design, manufacture and wholesale the SKINSTINCT eco- label,” says Topper Hull, Chief Operating Officer of Eightfold Development. “Due to the increase in manufacturing costs and with new governmental changes to the definition and classification of eco-friendly and organic textiles, we feel that our AVA BLACK retail stores will better represent our expanded product offering, which will include both organic and non-organic textiles,” says Hull.
AVA BLACK is a multifaceted company; AVA BLACK will offer manufacturing, wholesale and retail services. AVA BLACK operates two retail locations in Chicago; we work with local designers in manufacturing, wholesale and retail. Many products from our private-label line as well from our designer partners are available in boutiques throughout North America. AVA BLACK searches for local, national and international design talent to offer an ever-changing, eclectic selection of fashionable clothing and accessories.
AVA BLACK operates under a strict triple bottom line philosophy. As a sustainable company; we are committed to protecting the planet by recycling, reducing waste, encouraging designers and manufacturers to reduce the use of harmful textiles and chemicals, and to seek out more eco-friendly ways to bring products to you. We offset the carbon on 100% of our outbound shipments.
AVA BLACK offers women’s clothing including: dresses, jeans, tees, fashion tops, shorts, pants, jackets, sweaters, and more; our fashion accessories include: earrings, necklaces, rings, bracelets, hair accessories, belts, scarves, purses and bags. We also carry men’s clothing including: dress shirts, casual shirts, jeans, shorts, tees, jackets, sweaters and accessories. For the home, AVA BLACK offers affordable accessories to include: candles, reed diffusers, incense and aromatherapy oils.
AVA BLACK has two locations in Chicago. Our Water Tower Place location is in the heart of the downtown shopping district on Michigan Avenue. The other location is in Chicago’s trendy Andersonville neighborhood.
For more information please visit the AVA BLACK web site at shopavablack.com or call 877.299.5415.
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Saturday, May 22, 2010
Skinstinct video is now available on MySpace Video
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| Hello, Skinstinct! Your video, "May 22, 2010", is now available to watch.
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Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
What can I do to be eco-friendly?
What can I do to be eco-friendly?
RE-USE
RE-CYCLE
RE-THINK
1. Turn off the lights when you can take advantage of natural light
2. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs
3. Email a document instead of printing a hard copy
4. Read online media
5. Power down your computer
6. Unplug electronic appliances
7. Use digital storage, such as USB drives
8. Send e-cards
9. Download your software
10. Use notebook computers because they use less energy than desktops
11. Use a lunchbox, reusable drink container, cloth napkin and silverware instead of plastic bags, plastic utensils, disposable containers, paper napkins and those brown bags
12. Teleconference, don't travel
13. Get your bank statement electronically
14. Pay bills by credit card instead of mailing out a check
15. Use refillable pens and reuse office supplies
16. Save packing materials
17. Buy products made from recycled material or those that are biodegradable
18. Walk or bike to work
19. Use public transportation options
20. Car pool
21. Drive hybrid cars
22. Say no to A/C or heater
23. Switch to cold water in restroom
24. Use recycled furniture
25. Skip canned fruits and veggies
26. Cut back use of bottled water
27. Buy organic
28. Buy foods produced locally
29. Support 'green' businesses
30. Use digital cameras
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Earth Day for Earth Hour
| Earth Day for Earth Hour  Earth Day is a month away, but another opportunity to join the fight climate change is just around the corner. On Saturday, March 27 at 8:30 PM, millions of people across the globe will take a stand against climate change by turning off their lights for one hour - Earth Hour. Earth hour is a chance to drive the environmental movement forward with one simple action. More than that, your participation will have impact outside of the usual suspects - you will raise climate awareness amongst your friends, family, and neighbors. Help build environmental awareness - take action this Saturday for Earth Hour. Earth Day Network is proud to be an official supporter of Earth Hour. We know that when millions of dedicated people gather to demand change, it works. Be the difference between the status quo and the substantive change needed for a more sustainable future: join us by taking action during Earth Hour. We can't wait to see the difference you make! Thank you for everything you do, The Team, P.S. Don't forget - Turn off your non-essential lights at 8:30 PM this Saturday for Earth Hour.
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Thursday, March 25, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Do you wear polyester?
Did you know?
POLYESTER
It shouldn't come as a great shock that leisure suits came of age in the era of plastic, Tang, and all things synthetic. The material is made from oil, and the fact that it's manufactured from a nonrenewable resource isn't its only flaw. The production of polyester and of nylon (another oil-based fabric) is energy intensive and releases nitrogen and sulfur oxides along with particulate matter, heavy metals, and carbon monoxide into the air surrounding plants. Some companies, such as Patagonia, have started recycling programs for polyester so they can reuse this material for outdoor clothing (polyester does have some water-repelling properties that make it useful for exercise gear) without adding to its pollution problem. They accept all polyester garments and repurpose them into undergarments and fleece jackets.
P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail
Monday, March 1, 2010
Skinstinct Andersonville - March Event!
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Saturday, February 27, 2010
Bleak future for organic cotton
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Thursday, February 25, 2010
Join our e-list - we are spam free!
Skinstinct Clothing
Skinstinct clothing, skincare and more: Home
skinstinct.com
Skinstinct offers eco-friendly clothing, home and bath accents, skincare and more for men and women
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Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Fashion Feed - Chris Garcia and Skinstinct
FEBRUARY 24, 2010
http://www.stitchfashion.com/blog/?p=4866&cpage=1#comment-615
Kristin Hassan grew up in a family that always liked to make their own things. Her mother and grandmother made their own dresses and curtains.
Hassan felt drawn to the area of design. “It was inevitable that I would get sucked to a sewing machine at some point in my life,” Hassan said.
Hassan attended to the Illinois Art Institute and was one of the original six designers in the Chicago Fashion Incubator
, a program that that aids local fashion designers with resources and mentors so they can succeed in the city.
Hassan has seen a lot of success in her career thus far, but as much as she cares about her progress, she cares just as much about the progress of the Earth. Hassan creates what she calls “Earth-positive” designs. “I thought that if I was going to do a clothing line, I was going to do it as green as possible,” she said. “Our fabrics are organic, we don’t ship anything overseas…It’s kind of a business wide concept.”
Hassan’s company organiK Revolution is not the only clothing brand in Chicago that is looking to be more eco-friendly. More and more companies in the area are incorporating green friendly ways in reducing fashion waste. According to Organic Essentials, conventionally grown cotton production uses 25% of the world’s consumption of insecticides and uses large amounts of water for irrigation; whereas organic cotton is grown using more natural methods, crop rotation and insects that eat other insects, to ensure the stability of crops. However, Chicago businesses are concerned about more than just the fabrics.
“We do sweat shop free, fair wage labor locally,” says Melissa Baswell, designer and President of Mountains of the Moon. “Supporting and producing locally, you are not creating carbon emissions through shipping and you are supporting a local economy.”Mountains of the Moon, like many eco-friendly clothing companies, uses recycled paper and cardboard for hang tags. They have tried to maintain environmentally healthy business. Topper Hull of Eightfold Development, which owns Skinstinct, a boutique focusing on body friendly products, said that being eco-friendly can sometimes be difficult. As a store owner it takes a lot of leg work and research to certify merchandise is environmentally friendly. “It’s a real challenge,” Hull said, “and that’s the reason we aren’t 100% in our organic clothing offering and we have made a decision that probably in 2010 we will be moving less organic because of the economy.”
Hull said that one of the prides of the company is that they have tried to make organic clothing more affordable. Price and availability have been problems for man
y designers, but all three companies see it as an opportunity for more creativity. “It keeps things fresh, because it creates challenges for us,” said Baswell. “What can we do with this? How can we take these fabrics and challenge ourselves to make something that goes beyond stereotypical eco-fashion.”
The city of Chicago has also played a significant role in these clothing companies success. The city has a long way to go, but it’s one of the greenest cities in the Midwest.
Baswell, Hassan and Hull praised Chicago for the way its residents have welcomed the eco-clothing movement. “I think they are embracing the initiative that myself and some other green designers have put forth,” said Hassan. “For the consumers, especially the one’s I’m targeting, the younger generation, I think there is a slow turnaround for them to catch on to it.”The companies are looking toward the future, especially for the fashion industry. Hassan and Baswell both said that the fashion industry is notoriously wasteful, and they think it is time for the world of fashion to go green.
“You got to treat the world the way you want it to be for your kids,” said Hassan. “Everything from construction, housing, to the cleaning products you use in your house, everyone else is making the effort to go green. I don’t think the fashion industry should be an exception.”
-Chris Garcia
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Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Earth Day - 60 Days and Counting
there are less than 60 days until Earth Day 2010. How will you celebrate the EARTH this year?
What are you doing or what are you doing less of? Remember you can make small changes
that make BIG differences.This year we will help you to prepare for EARTH day
by sending you small tips that will make BIG differences
in improving the quality of our planet. And remember a cleaner planet means a better home.
Earth Day Tip #1
Give your computer a rest while you rest.
By shutting your computer off every night
you reduce your electricity consumption.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Join Skinstinct for EARTH HOUR 2010
Click the link to sign up (takes 15 seconds) and to make history!
https://www.myearthhour.org/home?invite=jAdsgb8B2A
On Earth Hour hundreds of millions of people, organizations, corporations and governments around the world will come together to make a bold statement about their concern for climate change by doing something quite simple—turning off their lights for one hour. In the U.S. where we are already feeling the impacts of climate change, Earth Hour sends a clear message that Americans care about this issue and want to turn the lights out on dirty air, dangerous dependency on foreign oil and costly climate change impacts, and make the switch to cleaner air, a strong economic future and a more secure nation.
Participation is easy. By flipping off your lights on March 27th at 8:30 p.m. local time you will be making the switch to a cleaner, more secure nation and prosperous America. View the toolkits, to find out what else you can do to get involved including leading the Earth Hour movement in your community.
Set Your Clock
On Saturday, March 27, 2010 at 8:30 p.m. local time, Earth Hour will once again cascade around the globe, from New Zealand to Hawaii
Sparking a Movement
Since its inception three years ago, Earth Hour’s non-partisan approach has captured the world’s imagination and became a global phenomenon. Nearly one billion people turned out for Earth Hour 2009 – involving 4,100 cities in 87 countries on seven continents.
Last year, 80 million Americans and 318 U.S. cities officially voted for action with their light switch, joining iconic landmarks from around the world that went dark for Earth Hour, including:
· Empire State Building
· Brooklyn Bridge
· Broadway Theater Marquees
· Las Vegas Strip
· United Nations Headquarters
· Golden Gate Bridge
· Seattle’s Space Needle
· Church of Latter-Day Saints Temple
· Gateway Arch in St. Louis
· Great Pyramids of Giza
· Acropolis and Parthenon in Athens
· Christ the Redeemer Statue in Rio de Janeiro
· St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City
· Big Ben and Houses of Parliament in London
· Elysee Palace and Eiffel Tower in Paris
· Beijing’s Birds Nest and Water Cube
· Symphony of Lights in Hong Kong
· Sydney’s Opera House
Thank you,
Topper Hull
Eightfold Development/Skinstinct
845 N Michigan Avenue #5080
Chicago IL 60611
O.312.202.0708
C.312-213-6427
F.419.844.3920
Skype.topper.hull
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