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Avita Co-op One Year Birthday and Eco Fashion Show
By Alexx Shaw
Hippies, Liberals, Eco-lovers, and press flooded into the invite-only doors of the quaint Avita Co-op store recently waiting for the new line from nine designers, all eco-friendly, to shuffle down the runway. The store was morphed into a relaxed lounge-like atmosphere as a DJ spun smooth melodies, and drinks such as Saki-to-me and Dry were passed around. Soft clothes with luscious colors hung on their racks aching to be grabbed surrounded by shelves with shoes, handbags, jewelry, scarves, and lingerie that yelled "put down your notebook and try me on!" All was complimented by the sterility of the white walls with green vinyl lettering stating things such as 2,000,000,000 trees are cut down every year to make paper for Americans, or As the Earth warms, rising sea levels will engulf coastal areas including 20% of Manhattan, 80% of San Francisco, and 15% of Los Angeles.
Two hours later, after interviews and schmoozing, the fashion show began. Clothing from designers Avita, Urban Fox, Threads 4 Thought, Raw Earth Wild Sky, Eco Skin, Mandala, and Loomstate, with accessories by Unnur, and cosmetics by Moon Star graced the packed-in store with clothes so cute and comfortable looking that the viewers were jealous of the models. Fabrics such as recycled cashmere, organic cotton, bamboo, and organic denim in pinks, greens, blues, yellows, and anything that wasn't a black or neutral took form in boy-short underwear, t-shirts, skinny jeans, sweat clothes, summer dresses, and sweaters, all very thin material, and all flowy yet form fitting. The shoes that stuck out in my mind the most were sequined ninja-like slippers that I had admired earlier on a shelf yet fell in love with on the runway; they went with everything, looked incredibly comfortable, and melded girlishness with casual wear. In fact, every outfit being shown did the same thing, easily being worn from day to night, thin enough to layer when the weather gets chillier and chic enough to get away with wearing them during the chillier weather.
Amanda Shi, owner of Avita Co-op and head designer for their namesake, Avita, has been designing for seven years, yet only opened the store in 2007. Her clothes are reasonably priced from $60 - $180 in order for the public to be more inspired to purchase eco-friendly products. Explaining that 50% of water pollution in our society is caused by the textile industry, all of Avita's merchandise is made with organic or recycled materials, which are antibacterial and biodegradable, for regular cotton is covered in chemicals from dyes, and pesticides from the growing. To my surprise, a fellow Otis College of Art and Design colleague, Margarita Portney, is also currently designing for Avita, and as the regimented, boot camp-like college boasts one of the top fashion programs in the US, this, to me, aids in Avita's credibility and aesthetic beauty in their clothing.
Moon Star cosmetics, mainly sold at Avita, but also at Candice Held downtown, La Beaute in Chicago, and Eva Perfumeria in Spain, are concocted with 100% minerals derived from rivers in Spain with absolutely no added chemical dyes, fragrances, shimmers, or mess. In business for only a year and a half, Jade, the creator, hands me a sample of a sheer lip gloss containing peptides to heal and moisturize which is a perfect nude to my olive with yellow undertoned skin that I can never seem to find the correct color for. Her foundations and powders are said to be non-cakey, and even men dabble because there is absolutely no shimmer within them, so the look is flawless. The dark eye shadows create no mirror images above the crease, and every mascara and eyeliner are water resistant so no matter if you're sweating, crying, or have allergies that manifest through tearing eyes, neither product will smear.
Avita Co-op is a hidden treasure in Hollywood that stays away from pretentiousness, and gets down to the heart of the matter faced in society today: How to make an eco-statement without looking like you're making an eco-statement by covering yourself with palm frawns and fig leaves. The designs, colors, fabrics, and accessories are fresh, young, versatile, and fairly cheap. Avita Co-op is located at 8213 West 3rd street!
