Published by Mira Torres under Weekly Rewind

Aha! Pow! Cling! We’ve had several light bulb moments this week at Green By Design. Moments of clarity have ignited in our eco-conscious minds and we’re delighted to see that sustainable fashion has found its niche in the technological world with handbags and mainstream design. Also, to get your own green realizations going, we sat down with two of the most intelligent designers we’ve ever encountered. Whether your own light bulb is solar-powered or LED, read on to get illuminated!

"lightbulb moment" self portraits by Kimiko Yoshida

We have big names coming in to start off our week. Diane Von Furstenberg, Loeffler Randall, and eight more of today’s hottest fashion names collaborate with Elle magazine, and the Portable Light Project, to auction off hybrids of designer/solar bags for a worthy cause. The Portable Light Project creates and sends solar kits worldwide so that people existing in poverty and lacking electricity can “create and own energy harvesting bags, blankets, and clothing using local materials and traditional weaving and sewing techniques in an open source model.”

With “A Tale of Two Bags”, we take a look at sustainable accessories with more solar bags. Since accessories are the next new frontier in sustainable fashion, we introduce Noon Solar Bags and Carga No Waste Bags. Organic, hand-dyed, and no waste, this is a military style accessory that we don’t mind seeing all over the runways right now.

Then we get down and dirty with the idea of wearable technology via an interview with “textile enchantress,” Lynne Bruning. An excellent conversation that included an intriguing intersection of fashion, imagination, technology, hacker DIY power, her fashion show at Maker Faire, and so much more.

Lucky us! We get to decorate the week with another incredible interview: Tara St. James, founder of Study NY. Study NY is a creative collective, not just a label. Study NY also incubates artists, film-makers, graphic designers and other creative types, all of whom use recycled and organic materials to keep their carbon footprint small. Also, check out The Square Project which uses zero waste as a primary guiding principle and the geometric shape of the square as the central motif of the designs.

More links?

How is your Green By Design Summer Light Challenge going? Let us know on www.gbd-slc.com and our GBD-SLC facebook page and don’t forget to hashtag your experience on twitter with #10pcs91days!

Join the contest! STAY VOCAL and Ebay’s World of Good have collaborated for a contest that wants to include your original design and interpretation of “world of good.”

Another ethical collaboration for a good cause?Supermodel Joy Bryant teams up with Botkier and Oxfam. 50 percent of the retail price has been pledged to fight hunger through Oxfam International’s foundation.

Lead in your faux-leather purse? Scary! Oakland, CA-based nonprofit Center for Environmental Health tested women’s faux leather handbags, wallets, and other accessories last year, and found dozens containing high levels of lead that exceed the federal safety standard for lead in paint. Read about it here.

Bags made out of pulltabs? Ecsama Studio has been getting worldwide recognition for their Pop Top, handmade purses.

Have a great weekend!