Reality fashion competition crowns first winner

Tuesday night, NBC's Fashion Star crowned designer Kara Laricks as its first winner. Since the first episode when she designed the cloth necklace-tie accessory that I would've totally rocked, I knew she would win the $6 million collection contract between three department stores.

All season, select up-and-coming fashion designers created unique pieces following a theme set by the three buyers from H+M, Macy's, and Saks Fifth Avenue and the three fashion-forward celeb judges: Jessica Simpson, Nicole Richie, and John Varvatos.

Below are some pieces from Kara's line for the eco-fashionable H+M:

Fashion Star Winning Collection Printed Dress Designed by Kara, $19.95, hmfashionstar.com.

Fashion Star Winning Collection Blouse Designed by Kara, $14.95, hmfashionstar.com.

Fashion Star Winning Collection Shorts Designed by Kara, $19.95, hmfashionstar.com.

Macy's, Nature Conservancy team up to save Amazon rainforest

INC International Concepts Beaded
Print Top, $89.50, macys.com.

Eco-fashion doesn't only encompass using eco-friendly and sustainable fabrics, it can also include regular fashion donating profits to an environmental cause.

Wednesday's episode of ABC's The View revealed the latest trends of the fashion lines associated with Macy's. The island-themed attire and fashion show surrounded Brazil with some of the profits being donated to the Nature Conservancy for "A Magical Journey: Brasil" campaign to save rainforests. The campaign runs from April 22-July 15, 2012.

The conservancy will receive 10% of the sale price of every item sold at O Mercado, a specialty boutique inside 300 Macy's stores nationwide with Brazilian-inspired fashion. Till the end of May, the "Give, Get and Save the Rainforest" at all 800 Macy's stores will encourage customers to give $3 to receive a savings pass for 15-20% off any item storewide. Macy's will donate 100% of those $3 to the conservancy. 

The campaign promotes designers like Isabela Capeto and Art da Terra, both specializing in eco-friendly handmade jewelry.


A list of upcoming promotional events (aka fashion shows) can be found here. Macy's hopes to reach a goal of $1 million to give to the conservancy to save the Amazon rainforest in Brazil.

Vivienne Westwood designs 'War and Peace' shirt for climate refugees

Supermodel extraordinaire Naomi
Campbell wears the "War and Peace"
T-shirt, $40, viviennewestwood.co.uk.

Iconic fashion designer Vivienne Westwood has lent her hand into environmental issues yet again by creating the 100% organic cotton "War and Peace" T-shirt for the Environmental Justice Foundation's "No Place Like Home" campaign. 

Funds will go to assisting the millions of environmental refugees forced from their homes every day due to environmental hardships caused by global climate change. Since this new phenomenon is sweeping the world, countries don't know how to react to the issue, so EJF is trying to spread the word through its campaign. 


From the archives: Vivienne Westwood reveals sustainable line