In one of our offices here, somewhat hidden behind long yellow curtains of felt, you can find what we’ve aptly dubbed the “Yellow Salon”. That’s our fitting room, and it’s where I get to slip into our new shirts, jackets, sweaters, t-shirts, and trousers from the coming Spring/Summer collection for men in 2012. It’s also where Sonja, our lead designer, along with Elena and Irmgard from quality control get to meticulously examine every piece of clothing upon my frame. They pull at the sleeves and prod at the waist to see how the fabric lays, examine the seams and other workmanship details, discuss the neckline, double check measurements, and even go at some with pins and scissors; once in awhile, a good looking sketch on paper just doesn’t look as good as a finished product. The respective corrections and changes are passed on to our manufacturers in order to produce a new prototype which better meets our requirements and concepts. After all, while we want our clothes to follow our social and ecological principles, we also want our customers to like them and look good in them.

What I like about “modeling”? I get an early peek into our men’s collection, and it’s a great way to maintain an overview of our products. I also get the chance to provide some appreciated input regarding fit and comfort. One of the highlights for me this Spring is going to be a “hoodie” sweater made of robust certified organic cotton, with a nice button-down front extending the neckline.

I’ll be in the Yellow Salon again shortly, in preparation for our catalog production starting next week in Croatia. In order to streamline the actual shoot, I’ll be helping with the styling in advance. That is, I get to try on shirts or polos of various colors and combine them with jeans, jackets, or cardigans until we get a harmonious combination. Then we top that off with an accessory, like a nice men’s scarf out of our Nepal project (I can’t wait to get my hands on one of those!). As soon as the ensemble is complete, we document it with the camera and pass it on to the photo team as a reference for staging the collection photos with our catalog models on location. (Ah, catalog models. On location. I haven’t made it that far yet, except for one exception… I’ll tell you about that one later.

Heinz Hess founded hessnatur 35 years ago to create pure organic clothing for his newborn son. As we began, so we continue: to respect the planet and its people, with quality apparel for men, women, children and, yes, babies.  Discover the hessnatur 35% off shop until June 12th.

Together with hobby photographer Miriam, we tried to create a suitable atmosphere for the outfits in and outside the hessnatur store in Butzbach. This is the result:

Organic Cotton Dress

Organic Cotton Blouse

Organic Cotton Denims

Organic Cotton Tee

Organic Cotton Cropped Pant

Organic Cotton Hoodie

Hemp/Organic Cotton Jacket

Organic Cotton Cardigan

Organic Cotton Sweatshirt

Organic Cotton Bib Overall

Organic Cotton Polo

Clodagh has been a constant force in the design world since her beginnings in couture fashion at the age of 17. She began her interior and product design business in New York more than twenty-five years ago. Clodagh Design works across a broad range of design disciplines to produce a wide array of eco-conscious projects and products. Her groundbreaking work has merited a steady stream of accolades and awards from her peers and the press.

Clodagh has been “green” long before it became a trend. She is recognized as a leader in the sustainable movement for her use of non-toxic materials and has aligned herself with hessnatur, who also embrace the same ethics, and fosters relationships which contribute philanthropically to their communities.

The hessnatur by Clodagh collection combines the world’s finest natural textiles from hessnatur with the unique and versatile apparel of green design icon, Clodagh.  It’s created for the modern nomad, the woman whose life knows no boundaries.  Every piece in the collection is mutable and interchangeable, adapting to every situation and experience. The collection can be worn from yoga to dinner, from season to season. Clothing both timeless and effortless are Clodagh hallmarks.

Clodagh takes a holistic approach to design. Inspired by nature, the pieces are tactile and sensual. Inherent in the Clodagh collection is respect for woman’s bodies and the ability to change a look by changing a layer. She does this with an attention to fit, detail, and fabrics that are both lightweight and luxurious. The colors are “not quite” colors, accented by vibrant pops of color derived from nature. She believes in the core principle of hessnatur, that “clothes are more than what you wear, they’re how you choose to live.”

Shop Clodagh Collection here.

Katharina Giese, who supervises our baby collection, introduces our boiled-wool collection in this video, consisting of an overall, jacket, and trousers, and explains the merits of the material.

Enjoy!

A guest appearance by trainee Katharina Rinn:

Before my apprenticeship at hessnatur, fashion for me was either stylish or certified-organic-boring. The fact that fashion can be stylish AND natural is something which I learned, so to speak, “bodily”, during my time here, as you can see in my photos: my favorite outfits.

The outfits not only look good, they feel good. And the best part – they are ecologically and sustainably manufactured. Now that I have been acquainted with clothing production and the textile chain, I can’t really look at a piece of clothing anymore without inevitably wondering about its origin and manufacture.

What really impresses me about hessnatur is that an ecologically sound product can be made at an affordable price. Which means a clear conscience for me, because I know that the people who made my sweater were paid fairly in a socially acceptable working environment. Which says a lot, in a world where prosperity is often based on exploitation.

In 1976, the idea of producing untainted baby clothing was the start of a concept far ahead of its time. Today, it’s the foundation for a socially and environmentally sustainable company, prepared to face the challenges of the 21st century. Thank you for your vision, Heinz Hess.

In continuing our commitment to pure design – green and sustainable – hessnatur is proud to announce the launch of the Eviana Hartman Collection exclusively for hessnatur in Fall 2010.

A young New York designer, Eviana Hartman first caught our attention with her remarkable collection, Bodkin by Eviana Hartman, which won the 2009 inaugural Ecco Domani Sustainable Design Award.  Meeting her and finding her as passionate as we are in the belief that sustainability can, and must, co-exist, we invited Eviana to design a collection just for us – and for you.

Since Eviana creates clothing for women who value comfort and versatility as well as beautiful fashion, we believe you will be as excited as we are when you see her Fall 2010 collection for hessnatur.  The entire collection uses the luxurious, pure and natural fabrics of hessnatur, from cashmere to wool, silk and cotton.  It’s wearable, versatile and, of course, respectful of the environment.

While I always anticipate the arrival of a new season, winter gets old pretty quickly in the Northeast.  So any sign of spring is welcome out in the frigid country.  Seeing the new hessnatur Spring Summer collection appear before my snowdrops,  I’ve already picked out my favorites.

I never thought I’d see a jacket I’d want as much as my natural waxed jacket – I live in that jacket – but this season’s hemp parka is a must for me. I’ll wear it over leggings, jeans and a turtleneck. My kind of relaxed dressing. Naturally (the perfect word for hessnatur clothes!) I look for new pieces in their fabric collections. And not just because of their purity, but because I gravitate toward simplicity with style. The way hessnatur fabrics feel as well as how they look is highest on my dressing particulars. The cotton and linen sweaters are wardrobe essentials for me. The easy pullover in dune, a perfect neutral, check.

And since I live in tees (who doesn’t?), how can I resist the new Love Life tee? Tiny plants and animals forming the globe, isn’t that how we all want to feel? If you need a touch of spring as much as I do, you’ll love the new collection!

Here’s a behind the scenes of fashion photographer, Pete Ruppert, photographing the hessnatur Summer Collection.  We’ll launch the Collection in April.  Take a look at the sneak preview.

Winner

Our winner is Dianne for her comment: “I need some green in my closet to keep up with my son’s green closet. He currently is the only one in the house who has a complete green wardrobe and he’s making his parents look bad! I’ve loved the quality of hessnatur’s clothing for my son and would love to try something in the adult line. As parents normally do we put him first and made sure he’s had everything organic. On one salary that’s been hard but totally worth it. Our dream is that one day the whole family will wear nothing but organic cotton.”

Thanks for joining and it’s never too early to think about next contest!

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

For today’s contest, you have a chance to win the $85, 100% Organic Cotton Cardigan (pictured above) from our Spring Eco-Collection that has just arrived!

Now — want to win? Learn more about entering and walking away with a natural from hessnatur’s Spring Eco-Collection.

How To Enter
1. Just leave a comment below telling why you need some green in your closet. We’re going to judge based on orginality and creativity.

2. That’s it! If you’re the winner, hessnatur will email you and ship the product to the address provided in the commenter’s responsive email.

Good luck everybody. It’s time to start commenting about why you want the Organic Cotton Cardigan!

Contest Rules:
Must be 18 years of age to enter. Please, one entry per person! Giveaway is available to residents of the U.S. only. If we don’t hear from the commenter within twenty-four (24) hours, we’ll go ahead and pick another winner. No substitutions for cash are permitted with these giveaway. By submitting, you are agreeing to the full rules and restrictions. Comments will remain open for entries until Thursday, February 11, at 11:59 p.m. EST.