July 16, 2007

Green Queen: Linda Loudermilk

Linda Loudermilk has never wavered from her eco chic ethos. She was the first couture-trained fashion designer to go green when she launched her eponymous label in 2002 and started constructing clothes using hemp and organic cotton. "I was confused as a consumer and I wanted some clarity," she says of her earliest endeavors to merge her love and respect for the environment with everyday fashion. Since then, Loudermilk has expanded her repertoire of eco-conscious fabrics to include soy, bamboo, and seaweed-based materials. Her milk-knit cashmeres are sublimely soft. The Stylephile recently caught up with Loudermilk to chat about her fall 2007 collection and future eco emporium on Melrose Avenue.

No one seems to be regulating the green market. Tell us about your Luxury Eco Stamp of Approval, which is bestowed upon products that meet certain criteria including labor practices, energy uses and manufacturing processes.
"We're not claiming to be the experts, but we can gather all the right info and we have been doing R&D for years. I know a lot of scientists in Europe and the inventors in Japan, so I can certify that these products have both craftmanship and a green point of view."

You mention Europe and the Japan. What about research being done in the U.S.? Are we behind?
"We're the last to do it, but we are responding quickly. And we have the resources and the power to move fast. It's definitely getting better."

Do you consult with other designers who are trying to emulate your ethos?
"I do get calls from small and big designers looking to go green. That is part of the reason that I turned Loudermilk into a marketing concept too. It's wonderful to help other designers, but I need to make the donuts too, if you know what I mean."

Your store opens in West Hollywood in October. Which products are you most excited to bring to the public?
"Oh wow. It's hard to choose. I am really excited about solar fashion. We have backpacks and clothes that use solar power to run BlackBerries. They already have solar-powered toys for kids. We'll also have a bedding line that heals your body while you sleep, but I can't give any more away on that."

Your fall 2007 collection manages to be both ethereal and wearable, (see pictures, above and right.) What was your inspiration for the line?
"I was inspired by that bittersweet moment when you see ice caps melting and they morph into sculptures that look like new animals. I thought of the beauty of ice formations in the arctic."

FYI: Variety's excellent new online lifestyle arm--Get A Life--has gone green through July 31st. Check it out here. Over the next two weeks, The Stylephile will be chartreuse, with green content peppered throughout the site.