A year covering sustainable fashion: Ef Magazine’s editor-in-chief reviews 2011

Ef Magazine hosted its launch party at Flock Boutique just over one year ago on Jan. 14, 2011

Malorie Bertrand (Twitter) is Editor-in-Chief of Eco-Fashion Magazine. Growing up in Aylmer, Quebec, Malorie left the Capital region as a child before moving back after university. In addition to her passion for green fashion, she loves staying active, cooking for friends and staying up-to-date on all of Ottawa’s fun happenings.

I was talking to someone not too long ago about Ef’s launch party at Flock Boutique and I couldn’t remember if it had been a year or two years ago. I thought to myself: “It couldn’t have been just a year ago. So much has happened!” But it has been just one year since we introduced Ef to Ottawa’s vibrant community and what a year it has been. Goodness, I managed to say ‘year’ six times in one paragraph.

So being January and all — and with the magazine’s one year anniversary fast approaching (Jan. 14, 2012) — now is as good a time as ever to reflect on the magazine’s achievements in 2011 and goals for 2012.

The launch party on Jan. 14 of last year was hugely successful in many respects thanks to everyone who attended. We met future writers and stylists who would soon contribute to features and photo shoots. We met our new readers who shared their thoughts on sustainable fashion and what they would like to see in Ef. We forged partnerships with local eco-designers, bloggers and business owners. That night was the night we discovered that if you put yourself and your passions out there, the world will respond in great waves of support and enthusiasm.

Model Evie Marshall wears a piece by Samantha Nemiroff Jewellery for Ef's spring photo shoot

Since then, we’ve interviewed eco-model and entrepreneur Summer Rayne Oakes about the launch of Source4Style and we toured Noho’s eco-boutiques with The Green Shows producer Merwin Andrade. We’ve featured the designs of Nixxi, Sans Soucie, U.K.-based Colin Ball Eyewear, Italy-based Quagga and local designers Kania Couture, Sessiedress, Amber Watkins and Samantha Nemiroff, to name a few. Ef was blessed to have contributed articles from Ottawa’s Be Healthy, Be Beautiful and the U.K.’s Offset Warehouse. Ottawa’s passionate fashion bloggers, writers, stylists, models and photographers have been crucial to the success of the magazine so a huge thank you goes out to them – you know who you are!

Aside from the magazine’s editorial focus, we’ve established exciting partnerships with individuals, organizations and businesses. Ef helped promote Lilo Empire’s premier Ecolux Showcase in June. We were honoured to collaborate with Slow Fashion Forward to launch the annual Fashion on Display in October and I was asked to provide guidance on sustainable fashion for the production of a local documentary called Something More Comfortable by Heart Attack Films. Through these opportunities, we’ve witnessd Ottawa’s growing demand for eco-fashion and the market’s promising response.

Window display at Victoire Boutique's Dalhousie location for Fashion on Display

All of this is to say that Ottawa has so much to offer anyone with an idea and the willingness to ask for help. We’ve learned that Ef is not only an online magazine that promotes sustainable fashion; it is an incredible conduit to discover the culture and vibrant creativity of the city of Ottawa. The Hub Ottawa, a truly innovative concept to support social innovation, has been an amazing resource for us. Their unique networking events are inspirational and the best place to meet like-minded, enthusiastic go-getters in the city. Through the Hub Ottawa we’ve met many of our contributors and not mention, great friends.

Ef Magazine's Swapapalooza clothes swap at Bowich drew an eager crowd of sustainable fashionistas

Looking ahead, Ef’s goals for 2012 are to get to know our readers better and give them more ways to interact with us and contribute content. We want to spread our focus more from Ottawa to across Canada and abroad. There are so many talented designers and businesses around the world that we want to highlight this year.

We want to continue to grow our team of contributors so we can provide perspectives from all around and even from the elusive male perspective! And lastly, continue to participate in local/national events that promote sustainable fashion and lifestyle. Oh, we can’t forget – to have fun. This is after all, fashion.|

To mark the beginning of Ef’s second year, we’ve organized a Paper Bag one-year anniversary party at Fresco’s Guest Room for all to attend on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012 from 5-9 p.m. We invite all of our guests to create their own paper bag outfits for a chance to win a prize. We have a couple surprise announcements to make so don’t miss out! This event is a chance for Ef to personally thank all friends, contributors and supporters and to celebrate another year of sustainable style in Ottawa and abroad.

Wow, sounds like a big year of accomplishments, Mal! Here’s to many more. And continue to check out Ef Magazine for everything from the sustainable style field.

When philanthropy gets hairy: Ottawa’s Unshaven Mavens a huge success

unshavenmavens.ca

Malorie Bertrand (Twitter) is Editor-in-Chief of Eco-Fashion Magazine. Growing up in Aylmer, Quebec, Malorie left the Capital region as a child before moving back after university. In addition to her passion for green fashion, she loves staying active, cooking for friends and staying up-to-date on all of Ottawa’s fun happenings. 

It was November 2010.

Mustaches for Kids (M4K) and Movember were just underway, and I was sitting at a table having lunch at Temptation Tea Shop with my hilarious colleagues, Amie Beausoleil and Elizabeth Shilts. I was recounting to them a joke I had made about how women should have a growing campaign too and it should be called Octobush. Amie loved the idea and took my joke and ran with it. I came along for the ride and soon became an active partner in what soon evolved into the hairiest philanthropic initiative of our lives – Unshaven Mavens.

We considered asking women to grow their pubic hair but thankfully, Julyna took that on. Instead, we focused on our pits. We know they’re not exactly ‘sexy’ and hairy pits are synonymous with French women in the 1960’s. But our chosen charity, Rethink Breast Cancer, promotes the importance of checking our underarms for swollen lymph nodes, a potential early sign of breast cancer. Also, we could easily prove our growing efforts by posting progress pit pics on our website without worrying about exposing private parts. Bonus!

So from here, Amie and I came up with the name Unshaven Mavens. It wasn’t until a few weeks later that we clued in that a maven is someone who shares information with others. Perfect! Our unshaven mavens would share information about the importance of early detection of breast cancer in the underarm area, brilliant. We then proceeded to get the campaign rolling and called upon our brothers at M4K to help us with our website and logo.

Amie Beausoleil and Malorie Bertrand of Unshaven Mavens

Over the following months we developed wonderful relationships with our sponsors: Beau’s All Natural Brewing Co., UsedOttawa.com, PSI Print Solutions, Urbanite Jewelry, Jasmine Virani, Flights of Fancy, Thann, Oresta Organic Skin Care, Moksha Yoga Ottawa, Schick, Stella Luna Gelato, Heart & Crown, Green Beaver and Tinted Edge.

With volunteers in tow, we kicked off our month-long campaign at Beau’s Oktoberfest in Vankleek Hill on October 1^st. In partnership with brothers Steve and Phil Beauchesne of Beau’s, Unshaven Mavens sought out as many festival-goers as possible to meet two fundraising goals for the day – $500.00 would get Phil to shave his head and $1,000.00 would get Steve to shave his. To encourage donations and participation, Beau’s agreed to donate $500.00 in gift certificates to the winner of a draw. To enter the draw, people had to donate $40.00 and had the option to also get their head shaved. The festival’s MC, Jay, did an amazing job of rallying the crowds – even getting someone to pay upwards of $200 to have their friend’s eyebrows shaved. Needless to say, the shaving activity was a huge success (we raised $3,000 that weekend alone) and Steve and Phil (our token Shaven Mavericks) are still shocked.

By the end of our campaign kick-off weekend, we had 55 participants and already surpassed our fundraising goal. We were overwhelmed by the positive response.

On Friday, October 28, our inaugural Unshaven Mavens campaign came to a close. We celebrated our efforts with a Red Carpit Bash at the Heart & Crown on Preston Street. Our pink balloons, red carpet and fashionable mavens set the stage for the evening’s main event. Four brave men agreed to be our judges for the “com-pit-ition”. Fadi Ghaby from Thann, Steve Beauchesne from Beau’s, Ryan Redecopp from M4K and Nathan from Heart & Crown took their job very seriously. They diligently inspected each competitor’s armpits and awarded prizes to the Most Pitiful, the Jolie Pit and the Brad Pit. The Pit Boss award went to the maven who raised the most money.

The night was a blast and we were very honoured to have breast cancer survivor, Cat Birch, speak to the crowd. Birch is launching Rethink’s Live, Laugh, Learn program in Ottawa and all of the money raised by Unshaven Mavens will be directed to this program. We are very proud to support this inspiring project and look forward to next year’s campaign.

I think a lot of the success of Unshaven Mavens comes from the fact that we’re encouraging people to laugh at themselves. It’s not that growing your underarm hair is strange or funny, but that promoting it and making it the central focus of a fundraising campaign is something different. Unshaven Mavens gives women the opportunity to be self-deprecating and unite for a great cause. In the spirit of Live Laugh Learn, if we end up encouraging women to laugh at themselves, that’s great and if they more regularly incorporate the underarm in their breast exam, even better.

It’s important to point out the generosity of our city. From the local business sponsors to individual donations and all of our fabulous participants, they all proved that Ottawa has a great, big heart. Without their support and without the involvement of the people of Ottawa, Unshaven Mavens wouldn’t have been the success it turned out to be.

Amie and I are eager to get started on the planning for next year’s campaign with a higher donation goal, more participants, bigger prizes and oodles of fun.

Unshaven Mavens supports Rethink Breast Cancer and raises awareness of the importance of early breast cancer detection by asking its participants to grow their armpit hair for the entire month of October. Lymph nodes are filters that can catch infectious organisms or cancerous tumor cells. When they do, lymph nodes increase in size and are easily felt. An armpit lump in a woman should be checked by a health care provider immediately, as it may be a sign of breast cancer.

Thanks for your contribution, and for all of your hard work Unshaven Mavens team!

How green is Ottawa’s fashion scene? EF’s editor gives us the inside scoop

From EF Magazine's latest photo shoot (Photo credit: Andree-Lise)

Malorie Bertrand (Twitter) is Editor-in-Chief of Eco-Fashion Magazine. Growing up in Aylmer, Quebec, Malorie left the Capital region as a child before moving back after university. In addition to her passion for green fashion, she loves staying active, cooking for friends and staying up-to-date on all of Ottawa’s fun happenings. 

Malorie Bertrand

I launched Ef Magazine in Ottawa last January on the hunch that this city was more stylish and more sustainable than first predicted. When I first landed in Ottawa (three years ago now), I was more focused on securing a permanent job than scoping out the city’s hidden thrift shops and vintage boutiques. To my delight, however, Ottawa’s fashion scene, and more specifically, it’s eco-fashion scene, gradually revealed itself to me without much scouting at all.

It all began with Ef’s launch party at Flock Boutique. I learned of the newly opened Flock Boutique from owners Christina Ballhorn and Bridget Remai. (They’re also owners of Workshop Boutique on Dalhousie St.) While Workshop features clothing and accessories made in Canada and by women, Ballhorn and Remai told me they were opening a second boutique with the same ‘local’ focus. This one, however, would have more merchandise made out of recycled materials – amaaaaazing.

EF Magazine's launch party last January

These lovely ladies graciously shared their fabulous new Flock space with Ef for the launch party. There, I was pleasantly surprised to meet a whole slew of beautiful, talented fashion bloggers and eco-fashion enthusiasts who were eager to learn that an online publication, based out of Ottawa, was focused on promoting sustainable style. Quelle belle surprise.

Even since this initial event, Ottawa’s green fashion scene has blossomed before my eyes. The people I have met and the connections I have made through the launch and subsequent local fashion events have shown me all that this city and its talented community has to offer an eco-fashionista such as myself.

Now for the good stuff. The following are lists to help you navigate your way to the city’s green gems.

Here are but a few second-hand stores in and around the Ottawa that I highly recommend you visit:

1. Value Village (multiple locations)
2. The Salvation Army (multiple locations)
3. St. Vincent de Paul
4. The Clothes Secret
5. May Court Bargain Box
6. Act II Fashions
7. My Sister’s Closet

Consignment stores offer newer, gently used clothing and share the profit from your donated clothing with you when it sells:

1. AMH Style
2. Rikochet Resale
3. Heather’s Designer Consignment
4. Clothes Encounters of a Second Time

Vintage shops cater to anyone looking for a truly unique, high-quality garment from the past, perfect for spicing up any wardrobe:

1. Young Jane’s
2. Ragtime Vintage Clothing
3. Gypsy & Company
4. Funk Your Junk

Eco-fashion boutiques typically boast products that are made in Canada, if not locally, using sustainable, recycled and renewable materials:

1. Flock Boutique
2. Adorit
3. Kania Couture
4. Workshop Boutique
5. Victoire Boutique
6. Green Tree Eco-fashion
7. Clothes by Muriel Dombret
8. Allegro

Aside from fashion businesses, Ottawa isn’t too shabby in the fashion event department either. Coming up from Oct. 6-20 is Fashion on Display, the first event of its kind in Ottawa where local artists will be creating engaging window display’s in some of Ottawa’s eco-boutiques and vintage shops to promote sustainable fashion. And Ottawa Fashion Week, starting Sept. 28, has improved its lineup of designers year-by-year and consistently features at least a handful of designers who use sustainable/recycled materials and local production.

Urban Craft is an incredibly popular monthly craft fair, featuring hand-made treasures and knick-knacks. The Lansdowne Flea Market is a real gem of a sale where you can find everything from vintage hats, costume jewelry and teak furniture to records and killer boots. Wed-by-Hand is a really great alternative wedding show where brides-to-be and their mothers can get tips on how to simplify, DIY and make their wedding as eco-friendly as possible. I do!

A behind-the-scenes look at a one of EF Magazine's first shoots in 2008

So whatever your needs — to save money, to reduce your ecological footprint, to support local designers and businesses or to just feel better knowing that the clothes you wear aren’t contributing to environmental degradation and unfair labour — Ottawa offers you a rich and varied group of eco-fashion locations for you to browse to your heart’s content. 

Wow! A way to feel less guilty about shopping. Thanks, Malorie! Are you checking out any of Ottawa’s upcoming fashion events? Tell us about it.