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Knickers to Global Warming
Us females all have one or two favorite pairs of knickers. You know, those pretty, yet comfy ones that feel special and just lift your spirits.
Londoner Sarah Smith designs panties that are not only girl-friendly favorites, but ecologically friendly, too. “I’ve always enjoyed designing underwear,” she says. “I’d worked with fashion designers before, but had found it a bit soulless. I wanted meaning.” So she came up with her personal cocktail of humorous design, sensual organic fabrics and strong ethical principles. The end result: Green Knickers.
Her best-selling design is printed with an “eat organic” slogan. But my favorite pair has little planet Earths in thermochromic – or heat sensitive - ink. As the fabric warms up on a warm tush, the globes turn solid blue, like all the world’s land has been submerged beneath rising sea levels – just like real (future) effects of climate change! No joke.
Smith employs a technically difficult and time-consuming printing method, hence the small range of exclusive designs. But they are all bound to gain favorite-knickers-status in any female underwear drawer.
All the while, Sarah strives to imbue the business with an all-embracing ecological ethic – from the choice of suppliers to the methods of production; from reducing “knickermiles” (the distance each panty travels) to promoting the virtues of cold washing in her funny homemade movies. “Ultimately, the ecological cost of clothing is 85% down to washing,” Sarah explains.
The panties have been for sale on the web since September 2006. By the middle of next year, Green Knickers should become a wholesaler, says Sarah, and will send out more of its witty designs to selected boutiques.
