Rain Tees and Rue La La!

BY raintees

October 18, 2011

Rain Tees is super stoked to be a part of a special auction taking place on the Rue La La website in October – better known as a fashionista’s dream. The site is invitation only, but comes with loads of great perks for their users.

Members have the chance to shop exclusive designer brands, and premier boutiques, for a limited amount of time saving up to 70% on products.

Rain Tees will be part of an incredible auction on Rue La La, that will reach more than 4.4 million people! The seriously lucky winning bidder gets to spend the day with our own Rain Tees contributor, Lara Eurdolian, which includes a VIP tour of Elle Magazine to meet with editors, as well as a shopping spree, beauty package and culinary experience, with all of the proceeds from the sale going to the It Gets Better Project.

Oh and of course the winner gets a beautiful Rain Tee as well!

If you’re not already a member of Rue La La, you can get your special invite from them here: Rue La La – You’re Invited!

By
Maria Garcia
NYC Fashion District Fashion Examiner and Rain Tees Contributor

Meet the Stylist!

BY raintees

September 13, 2011

Los Angeles based stylist, Tiffany Soleil Moises, has studied fashion, hair design and marketing for over 10 years and works closely with the Rain Tees team on their LA based shoots and shows.

She also styled Rain Tees founder, Beth Doane, earlier this year for her shoot in downtown LA for the book 100 Making a Difference with celebrity photographer John Russo, and it was Tiffany’s love for hair that led her to a rare opportunity to apprentice under the owners of the acclaimed Cush Salon in Beverly Hills.

She has also worked as a platform artist under Julio Romano, who is known for his work with Madonna, Marc Jacobs, Aerosmith, the cast of Friends, Extreme Makeover, and American Idol, among others. Tiffany’s core mission with her work is to show that since everyone is beautiful, everyone should feel beautiful inside and out. She points out that, “Feeling beautiful isn’t about adhering to a certain look or abiding by fads. It’s about being joyous and attractive in your own skin, drawing eyes when you enter a room and having a glow of confidence.” We couldn’t agree more!

Every person deserves to discover and explore their own extraordinary beauty and that’s what Tiffany does so well with every one of her clients. It’s just one of the reasons we are happy to have her on our team too!

To learn more about Tiffany or book a session visit: www.TIFFSTYLE.com

Or contact tiffany@tiffstyle.com

By
Beth Doane
Rain Tees Founder

100 Making a Difference

BY raintees

September 13, 2011

John Russo is an incredible photographer, working with talent such as Angelina Jolie, Will Smith, and Julia Roberts, and he has been featured on covers of Vogue, Elle, GQ, Esquire, Marie Claire as well as many other top publications.

What is amazing about John though is that he is not only successful and powerful in the industry, but he is also committed to giving back. His first Book, About Face, is a collection of Type 55 Polaroid portraits of today’s most prominent male actors. The publisher, Pixie Press Worldwide, donated a percentage of profits from every About Face book to the charity Smile Train, which provides free surgeries to children with cleft lip and cleft palates around the world.

His second charity book, 100 Making A Difference, features Rain Tees founder Beth Doane alongside luminaries such as Sophia Loren, Mark Wahlberg, Jeff Bridges, Dwayne Johnson, Kyle Busch, Blake Mycoskie, and Prince Edward, and highlights the work of people like them who truly make a difference in the world through their philanthropy.

Visit 100 Making A Difference for more information and stay tuned for updates on when the book will be released for sale.

To view more of John Russo’s photography please visit www.johnrussophoto.com.

By
Beth Doane
Rain Tees Founder

Hair Fix, Inc.

BY raintees

August 11, 2011

At Rain Tees we love finding companies started by women for women (and hey, maybe a few good men too!) that do amazing things and are getting seriously noticed for it.

This past week we couldn’t help but notice Gina Grega’s company Hair Fix, Inc., founded in 2006 with the belief that a fabulous, tinted dry shampoo that contained only the highest quality organic ingredients while being free of animal products/testing, talc, perfume or chemicals could be had by all divine beings who craved such a rare and splendid thing.

Well we craved and now we are in love because when trekking through a steamy jungle or hiking around an African desert delivering school supplies, a shower is not always an easy thing to come by. Gross, we know. But at least now our locks can look hot. Hair Fix is officially here and it even smells like heaven!

Hair Fix also recently launched their Lip Fix Lip Balm and Skin Fix Soap lines and they plan on adding additional personal care products later this year.

Hair Fix has also donated thousands of dollars to non-profits working to better the lives of people and animals. What’s not to love?

Learn more at My Hair Fix.

By
Beth Doane
Rain Tees Founder

For Eco Boys!

BY raintees

August 9, 2011

While Rain Tees is a 100% eco luxury line for women and children, our male counterparts have some great eco-friendly options as well!

If your guy’s go-to outfit is a great pair of a jeans and a tee he can live in, there are a ton of sustainable clothing companies providing amazing options all while keeping it green!

Check out 4 Stroke for rugged and easy to wear jeans, or Loomstate which offers cotton tees, jeans, pants, jackets, and sweaters. Howies has a strong influence on sports like skateboarding and surfing with eco-friendly jeans, t-shirts, and sportswear, and for the Vegan enthusiasts, Saucony has added a great line of Vegan running shoes!


4 Stroke: Veneto New Skin Tailored Straight

Loomstate: Clint Hoodie

Howies: Find Some Place tee

Saucony: Men's Pro Grid Mirage

Also check out Blink-182’s Tom Delonge who introduced cruelty-free Vegan line Macbeth.

Macbeth: Studio Project collaboration shoe with Davey Havok and Zu Boutique

By
Raissa Wagner
Rain Tees Contributor

Fendi’s Eco Fashion

BY raintees

August 2, 2011

So you thought that eco fashion couldn’t be couture? Think again. Carmina Campus takes creative recycling and applies it to fashion and design – and it’s straight from the Fendi family! Maria Ilaria Venturini Fendi, third generation of the Fendi line, created Carmina Campus and has partnered with the International Trade Centre and Ethical Fashion Africa to promote development of working opportunities for communities of marginalized women in Kenya and Uganda. Ilaria’s specific focus on the environment uses recycled and re-used materials in an innovative and rather distinctive way to create ethically produced accessories.

A major part of Carmina Campus’ production is located in Italy, like most of the Fendi line, but most notably are the products semi-finished in Africa.

Recently, Ilaria presented collections produced 100% in Africa using eco-friendly materials that enable hundreds of artisan women to improve their lives both economically and socially. Additionally, Carmina Campus sends skilled accessory design professionals to train those involved with the Ethical Fashion Africa program.


With the goal to benefit people and communities while minimizing the impact on the environment, Ethical Fashion strives to take an active role in poverty reduction, sustainable livelihood creation, and counteracting environmental concerns. They call this the ‘Revolution in Consumerism’ and it’s changing the market and disclosing opportunities for informal manufacturers to become part of the global supply chain both domestically and regionally.

“Carmina Campus – Not Charity, Just Work”

This new approach is designed to promote sustainable business rather than aid dependency and it’s no wonder why Carmina Campus’ slogan tagged on several styles of the “100% Made in Africa” collection read NOT CHARITY, JUST WORK.

Ilaria Fendi has shed light on sustainable living for African communities while also sharing her love of fashion in an eco-conscious way. We here at Rain Tees invite and encourage you to check out Carmina Campus and support what they do for both the environment and the women of Africa, which is a region we have launched into this year as well.

By
Raissa Wagner
Rain Tees Contributor

Rain Tees at the 3rd Annual Sustainable Fashion Show!

BY raintees

April 25, 2011

On Friday, April 8th, 2011 the Environmental Issues Commission at the University of Michigan hosted their 3rd Annual Sustainable Fashion Show.

The show was held in Ann Arbor, Michigan at the University’s Union from 7PM to 9PM and Rain Tees was delighted to be a part of it for the second year in a row and contribute to spreading the word on sustainability around campus.

Coordinator Leena Jube stated, “In previous years, we have had only 30-40 garments; this year, we had 78 garments, lighting, free eco-friendly totes with our EIC logo on it. This major difference this year is expanding the fashion show to be a bigger event, so we could attract more people. We want to continue for people to see the importance of buying eco-friendly clothing and that there are several places for them to shop to make those choices.”

Along with Rain Tees, other companies featured this year were Orchid Lane, 10000 Villages, Fair Tee’s, Perpetua, Vintage Twin, Star Vintage, The Get Up, Maggie’s Organics, Bivouac, and student designers, Laura Gillmore, Christina Daniels, and Alicia Chiaravalli.

With fun activities like a water challenge station (tap water vs. bottled water) and live coverage from Wolv TV, the feedback was extremely positive.

Not only is the University of Michigan one of the top universities in the world with one of the top 10 hospitals in the United States, they are also a school committed to being eco-conscious. They are also the first in the world to offer a dual degree in engineering and environmental science with their engineering Sustainable Systems degree.

Special thanks to Leena Jube for asking us to be involved, and to Emily Rheume, Sabrina Yee, Melissa Wickman (pictured above) for rocking Rain Tees on the runway!

By
Erin McLaughlin
Associate Editor

Give the Gift of Futurenatural

BY raintees

December 3, 2010

Emma Pezzack is founder of FutureNatural, an online beauty store devoted to the finest organic and natural products in the world. Voted  “Green Girls Fantasy” by Teen Vogue,  “Best Online Beauty Store” by Treehugger, and “Our Favorite New Store” by Nylon Magazine.

Live well. Do good. Look gorgeous. What divine darling wouldn’t want that motto? Well, natural beauty extraordinaire, Emma Pezzack, turned the sweet saying into an online dream store for the best organic and natural brands in the world – think “Sephora” for a generation that wants the glam without the gross chemicals lurking in most of our conventional beauty products.

Emma grew up on an organic on a farm in Australia and then moved to New Zealand where ‘green’ is a way of life for many. She eventually shifted her sights to Sydney where she began to train at the world-renowned school for makeup artistry, Film Makeup Technology.

As a makeup artist and eventual Fashion Stylist/Creative Director, and with more than twenty years spent working directly in the beauty and fashion industries, she’s been involved in everything from fashion editorial to TV commercials, fashion magazine covers, and print advertising and packaging.

Throughout her diverse career she has been responsible for applying makeup to hundreds of womens’ faces and in doing so became increasingly alarmed and uncomfortable with the chemicals (often carcinogenic ones – eek!) in our everyday personal care products and beloved cosmetics brands.

Armed with her expertise and a desire to empower others to become aware of how their purchases affect their overall health, their environment, and cute and innocent animals, her online mecca for all things naturally gorgeous, Futurenatural, was born.

In conjunction with her sleek and ever-informative Futurenatural blog, Emma is committed to showcasing the most stellar trends,  brands, and product reviews while offering savvy surveillance from the modern side of organic and natural beauty.

Knowing that the body identifies organic and natural ingredients as sources of nutrients and absorbs them accordingly, Emma ensures that every product sold on FutureNatural is as safe as it is effective, luxurious, beautifully designed and of course, sexy.

Some of Emma’s favorite lines include Kahina Giving Beauty, which is handmade in Morocco, Strange Invisible Perfumes, which are unbelievably exquisite and free of the petrochemicals and neurotoxins (that would be stuff that messes with our nerve function and stuff made from petroleum – ewww!) found in most perfumes. She also can’t live without the All Nighter hair powder which is an essential for every maven in need of a morning after fix now and again.

So what are you waiting for? Tis’ the season for cheer and gifts from the heart so go Futurenatural and enjoy the absolute best natural brands from all over the world.

***Special Offer*** All orders over $35 will receive a free nail polish of your choice (value $7)  Simply choose your color, add it to your shopping cart & voila – it’ll ship free! (Note: The price will show up during checkout but customers will NOT be charged during processing). Please also use code “ANDIRA” during check out for the next 72 hours only for the promotion to apply!

Do You Kayu?

BY raintees

May 26, 2010

Meet Kayu, my eco fabulous shades that come in a delicious tone of sustainably harvested bamboo.

Kayu is an ecological and ethical line of sunglasses handcrafted in Asia that are not only straight up stylish and eco conscious but are also preventing blindness in third world countries. Talk about that for a sales pitch! Need I say more?

Actually, a lot more should be said as it turns out that 80% of blindness is curable or preventable, yet 36 million people in the world are needlessly blind.

Avoidable blindness is also most common in the poorest of the poor and has far-reaching implications that touch on all aspects of human development: social, economic, and quality of life.

Since eliminating preventable blindness is considered one of the world’s most critical problems and persists due to a lack of funds, Kayu designer, Jaime Lim, decided to do something about it.

Jamie was born in America and grew up in Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong surrounded by a unique contrasting environment of Eastern and Western aesthetic – and great richness and poverty.

Inspired by the beauty of the region and touched by the inequality she witnessed, Jamie created Kayu to give sight to those in need.

As Jamie says, “It’s easy. You buy a pair of glasses, you restore a patient’s sight.”

With that in mind how could I turn down protecting my own baby blues while saving someone else’s in the process AND being true to the environment?

I say get yourself some Kayu! They come with free karma. ;-)   To find out more about Kayu and Jamie, please visit Kayu Design.

By
Beth Doane
Rain Tees Founder and Designer

Why Is Eco Clothing So Important?

BY raintees

May 21, 2010

Like it or not, the conventional textile industry is sadly one of the most polluting industries in the world.

Because of this, over the past five years we have seen a dramatic increase in consumer demand for apparel that utilizes planet friendly fabrics.

More than a quarter of the world’s insecticides are used for growing conventional cotton and these toxic chemicals kill countless animals, plants, animals, and insects, while polluting our soil and waterways. Pesticides also cause more than 5 million poisonings globally every year for farmers and their families (mostly in third world countries) and they even contain known carcinogens.

What’s worse is that not only are pesticides ridiculously dangerous, they are also really expensive and, ironically, it’s money from our United States taxes that pays to remove these harmful chemicals from our waterways so they don’t leak into our drinking water. How backwards is that?

The EPA has even stepped in on more than one occasion where pesticide run-off has killed hundreds of thousands of fish in our waterways. If diluted runoff is killing our fish, why are we okay with it sprayed all over our foods and cotton crops?

The more emphasis we can put on organic and eco-conscious buying as consumers, the more companies will respond with products that reflect a healthy planet and healthy people.

How can I buy Eco Apparel on a Budget?

I hear this one all the time and trust me I know how you feel.  It’s true that apparel, foods, and even household products that are better for us, and for the planet, can be significantly more expensive because they are not produced in the same quantities as conventional products.

The truth is that the more we consume products that reflect how we think and the changes we want to see in our world, the stronger the message is to larger corporations that they need to step it up and re-evaluate their products.

Luckily for us fashionistas out there who want to wear clothes that reflect our values, there are amazing fashion forward pieces to be found. Check out some of my favorite eco retailers below that are truly green and offer comfortable, sexy, and budget friendly fashion.

Nimli www.nimli.com

MyEarth360 www.myearth360.com

Econscious Market www.econsciousmarket.com

Earth Girls Boutique www.earthgirlsboutique.com

The Greenloop www.thegreenloop.com

Visionary Boutique www.visionaryboutique.com

Twig and Twill www.twigandtwill.com

Eco Boutique www.shopecoboutique.com

By
Beth Doane
Rain Tees Founder and Designer