From fashion brands to music... reflections about who cares about the environment

If Patagonia is probably one of the biggest reference in terms eco-design in the world of clothing(they were the first to care about the ecological impact of their gear, 30 years ago) , few brands are involved in that kind of process. Strangely enough, surf brands are not as involved as one could have expected. Most surfers are, though... like Jack Johnson (a good friend of Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia's founder, just listen to his songs). You can hear that kind of 'eco-conscious' lyrics in John Butler's Trio or Les Cowboys Fringuants' songs (listen to 'Plus rien'...) also. I'll work on a selection of involved artists later (they're more and more every day). The biggest and most visible involved artist must be Bono, from U2. He recently launched the (RED) campaign to fight AIDS in Africa, and has his own fashion brand, Edun (see, there's a strong link between music and fashion!).
Some famous brands start to communicate about their social and environmental involvement. Timberland spent 10 years (and a lot of money) acting for local communities in cooperation with associations, and is progressively changing its whole supply chain to incorportate eco-friendly materials (they developped a specific shoe sole with Vibram, named EcoStep) in their garments and accessories. A much smaller brand, still in the outerwear industry, named Ailin, defines itself as 'eco-activist'...
That makes a few links for you to check out!
www.ailin.com
www.edun.ie
www.jackjohnsonmusic.com
www.joinred.com
www.johnbutlertrio.com
www.cowboysfringants.com
www.timberlandserve.com