Linda Loudermilk is a green trail blazer in the fashion industry — committed not only to making clothes out of environmentally friendly fabrics, but making beautiful clothing in general.
Nature is Linda’s muse. It is the core of the materials she uses and the designs that she creates. From sasawashi, a linen-like fabric made from Japanese leaf rich with anti-allergen and anti-bacterial properties, to bamboo pointelle, a butter-soft, highly sustainable fabric, Linda works tirelessly to find and develop the highest quality, most ecologically sound textiles. Organic cotton, reclaimed antique lace, lenpur (wood pulp), soya and bamboo: the list is ever-growing and changing.
Linda was educated in costume design and fashion design at Oxford Universtiy and Colorado Institute of Art respectively. She began showing couture in Paris in 2002 before returning to the US to launch her eco-collection. She partnered with Aveda, Global Green, Velocity, and Helena Durst to show her collection under the tents in Bryant Park during the Spring 2006 Fashion Week last September.
On a visit to her showroom in February, I was able to view the collection that is now selling in stores. Along with her lava inspired looks was a line of jewelry made with ancient carved stones and recycled silver. Last I heard, Loudermilk was hoping to unveil an eco-luxury store in Los Angeles and is also launching a denim line. With all of this, we are waiting to see what else she may have up her organic sleeve.
10 Responses to “SUSTAINABLE STYLE SUNDAYS: Linda Loudermilk”
get the free Inhabitat newsletter
more popular stories >
more popular stories >
more popular stories >
amazing
How about a sustainable body weight.
[...] Los Angeles based Linda Loudermilk showed here in NYC on Thursday just before the official start of Fashion Week. The designer presented forty-three looks that seemed to leave no manifestation of eco-fiber unexplored. The collection included bamboo wool, wood pulp, Ingeo, hemp, organic cotton fur, Sea Cell, reclaimed textiles, silk and Oeko-Tex fabrications. Loudermilk even used human hair as trim, which we don’t know whether to classify as an innovative or odd interpretation of sustainability. While there were strong pieces, the collection felt somewhat unfocused at times. There was an iceberg influence evident that resulted in several interesting jackets with sculptural, cubed sleeves. Standouts in the show were the floor length train coat in rice paper wool that had pleating at the natural waist and hip, the iceberg dress in hemp satin and silk tulle and her more accessible one shoulder, ruffled silk chiffon pieces. She also carried over some shapes from her Spring collection, such as the wrap dress with obie belt in organic cotton denim. The butterfly medicine blanket in reclaimed cotton could be the perfect accessory for curling up by the fire and is reminiscent of Derek Lam’s blanket wraps from his “Winter in Carmel” collection of Fall 2005. The designer should be lauded for the ambitious size of her collection and the array of ecological textiles she works with. It is good to see her return to the runway as she is an important success story for sustainability in fashion. [...]
Hi, I would love to know who represents Linda, I would like to purchase her fashions for my store.
Madeline Amato
i wish her things could be purchased online.
having looked and looked i have only found a couple of places and nowhere with the entire line.
i’m a huge fan with nowhere to shop.
her duds are incredible.
Hi Hilary,
Have you tried Kaight? http://kaightshop.com/designer.html She carries a good selection of the Loudermilk line, not to mention many other eco-friendly designers. The Autumn/Winter line is now on sale and new merchandise for Spring should be arriving shortly. If all else fails contact the company directly.
good luck!
Jill Danyelle
[...] conscious methods. But the next time you covet the latest NaturevsFuture corn-based dress or Linda Loudermilk bamboo and silk trousers, consider this: the majority of a garment’s ecological impact occurs [...]
[...] In 2004 worldwide, 2.2 million deaths were attributed to unsafe water. Eco fashion designer Linda Loudermilk’s lovely water droplet necklace is designed to raise awareness and support for clean water issues. [...]
[...] Glassware which I’ve posted about here before; Water Droplet Necklace by Eco fashion designer Linda Loudermilk. Purchasing one of these necklaces supports a donation to the YEW Foundation to fund clean water [...]
[...] LOUDERMILK WATER NECKLACE Eco-fashion designer Linda Loudermilk is trying to raise awareness about water issues with her lovely water droplet necklace, and what [...]