Summer Luxury

Another gorgeous design by Nixxi. This white halter is made out of a blend of bamboo and organic cotton. One of the best parts? It is made ethically in Vancouver. Available at Ecoeverything Victoria.

"We Day" 2009

Today marked the third annual 'We Day'. It is the largest youth empowerment event of its kind, and it was held today in Vancouver, and will be held again in Toronto on October 5th. How does this connect to us? In many, many ways.....

'We Day' is a Free the Children initiative. Free the Children is a non profit that started in Canada in 1995. A young boy, by the name of Craig Kielburger, started this organization at the age of 12. At the age of TWELVE he got together 11 school friends to start fighting against child labour. What started in 1995 as what seemed like a relatively small movement, has now turned into something that has touched youth worldwide. Free the Children program's are across Canada, empowering youth with knowledge, strength and momentum to know that they can change the world. Along with Free Children, is an initiative called 'Me to We'. Me to We is a clothing line, which we are now selling in our stores. The line directly funds the Free the Children program. 50% of the profits from Me to We sales goes directly to Free the Children. The rest of the profits go back into the growing the clothing line.

This is why we decided to start carrying the Me to We line, as it fully matched our ethics and values. The clothing items are all made in Canada and are all made out of eco-friendly fabrics. However, I don't think we quite realized the impact the clothing line would have until a few months ago. You see, Me to We is more than just clothing...its about relationships, stories and a movement that is changing youth across Canada. Stories from customers who have met Craig Kielburger. Stories from customers whose kids or grand kids have fundraised for Free the Children and have had their lives enriched from the organization. Or, stories from customers who have attended these annual 'We Day' events. The stories have brought people together to talk about real issues, that go beyond just buying a shirt in a local store. The stories have created relationships between customers and our staff, and have most importantly awakened our awareness for what more we could be doing. It is reasons like this that I believe my family does what is does with these smalls businesses here in Victoria and Tofino. There is a movement happening. A movement towards fairly traded products and environmentally friendlier choices being made. We are so proud to be a part of that.

So, with that said.....I hope my mum, a school teacher here in Victoria had an empowering time with her children from school at the We Day celebration today. I also hope her friend, a school teacher in Vancouver had a day to remember as the Dalai Lama spoke at We Day. And, I hope my uncle, the founder of this business I work for, had an enlightening day as he sat in GM place and realized what we are contributing to, and how we can do even more in years to come.

Want to learn more? Click here.

May you all have a 'Me to We' kind of year ahead :)

- Megan

Supplier Spotlight : Lela Designs

Lela Designs, simply put, is a women's golf apparel company. However, we see it as much more than that! Lela Designs is filling a gap in the eco-fashion and clothing world that is much needed. Conservative yet playful, Lela offers our customers with pieces that they can feel smart and sophisticated in, while still staying true to their values. This is because the line is made out of eco-friendly materials like organic cotton and recycled pop bottles or 'P.E.T.' Sure you can wear Lela at the links, but the pieces are also suitable for the office, and some even for an evening out on the town.

Here are our top 10 reasons to wear Lela Designs...

10. You will look fabulous on the links, all while supporting a local, eco company!

9. You will look fabulous at the office, out for drinks, or out on the town, and yes, all while supporting a local, eco company

8. You will be supporting smart entrepreneurial women! Click here to check them out!

7. You will be supporting CAMFED, as Lela supports CAMFED. Check out http://www.camfed.org/

6. You will be supporting the use of bamboo, a renewable, fast growing plant!

5. You will be comfy in the soft bamboo fabrics as they are anti-bacterial and breathable

4. You will be supporting the turning of clear pop bottles into fabric - reducing waste to look good! This is the production of the P.E.T. fabric.

3. You will be supporting cotton grown without pesticides (organic cotton)

2. You will be supporting a local Vancouver based business.

1. You will be buying something made in Canada and sweatshop free!

Want more reasons to wear Lela Designs? Click here to find out!

Lela Designs is available at Fiber Options Naturals in Victoria, and Ecoeverything in Tofino.

Supplier Spotlight : Brandwear Basics

Recently, we have received many comments on how 'great the new colours are' of the new Spring/Summer merchandise that has arrived in our stores. While we have many great suppliers using many gorgeous colour palettes, the splashiest of the splashy very well may be our Brandwear Basics line!

Brandwear is a relatively new line to our stores. Focusing on basics for everyday men and women, the line offers our customers affordable and eco-friendly staple pieces for their wardrobe.

Why are we carrying Brandwear Basics? Many, many reasons!!!....

- Brandwear in our stores is made out of Bamboo - a renewable resource

- It is Made in Canada!
- Even better....it is made in Vancouver...so it is a local BC based business, employing BC residents!

For more information about this line, please feel free to contact us at contact@ecoeverything.com