Responsible, Recyclable and Ravishing
Local and international designers, who aim to lessen the worldwide impact of waste, come together under one roof at Not Just Pretty. The small boutique, on Fort Street’s Antique Row, sells fresh and exciting clothing with a unique twist – everything in the store is made from organic or recyclable fibres. The Vancouver based company, Red Flag Design, makes hip, durable bags out of recycled sail cloth, while California’s Blue Canoe favours organic cotton undies and yoga wear.

Eco-friendly Without the Frump
Most of the world’s cotton crops are grown with the help of highly toxic chemicals, but Not Just Pretty designers use organic cotton for their funky t-shirts and skirts. Hemp is another popular fabric at the store. If you thought hemp clothing was for aging deadheads only, think again. Not Just Pretty has a wide range of sleek and chic outfits made from this plant. Hemp grows densely and yields more usable fibre per acre than any other crop in the world. An added bonus is its hardiness – hemp grows, in spite of weeds, without the use of herbicides.

Soy’s Not Just for Stir-Fry Anymore
Maybe you’re a longtime buyer of organic fabrics and cotton and hemp are old hat to you. Why not try soy fabric? A byproduct of tofu-making that can be mashed and made into almost anything, including super-soft veggie cashmere, it’s a new and improved use for soy! You can even try bamboo bottoms. Some varieties of this Asian plant grow 5 cm. a day and produce a high-quality fabric with little cultivation. Don’t forget to check out Not Just Pretty’s environmentally-friendly jewellery collection from Vancouver’s Pyrrha, and skin products from Juice Beauty and John Masters Organics.