My tour of the Green Living Show included visiting many local vendors but also business owners from out of town. Some of my faves include local store Freedom Clothing Collective, Eco-Handbags.ca from Montreal, Earth Lab Cosmetics from B.C., Richmond Plains (wines from New Zealand), and Flora Lee.
The ladies from Freedom Clothing Collective have been supporting local artists and designers for the past six years; “specifically those that work with ecologically friendly materials and refurbished-reclaimed-redesigned clothes. The Freedom crew relishes in finding designs and antiques with unique stories.” They are located on Bloor St. West of Ossington… I have found some great buys at the store, including a Franco Mirabelli work-appropriate dress and a super cute summer halter dress along with some great earrings.
Eco-Handbags.ca are an on-line store that sells one-of-a-kind, fashionable, eco-friendly handbags. They are based in Montreal and have a great selection of bags for every occasion. Marisa was quite helpful and full of information… The picture above is of me holding my ultra cute clutch, made of Truck Tire Inner Tubes.
Earth Lab Cosmetics is a home-based cosmetics company created by Diane Peterson and Jennifer MacDougall. Their mineral-based line is great! They have natural lip glosses, raw mascara, and many other products; all of which are paraben, toxic chemicals, preservatives FREE. I had a little “make-over” at the show with Diane showing me their products and giving me great information about each one of them. I was quite impressed with the line and recommend it to all, especially if you have sensitive skin or deal with allergic reactions to various things. Right now, the line is not yet available in Toronto but I suggest you contact the Carrot Common and tell them you want to carry this line. I am currently using their mascara and lip gloss… they are both great and light; perfect for the spring/summer months.
Richmond Plains wines are certified organic and biodynamically made. That was the “new” term I learned at the show. Lars Jersen, Director of Sales/Marketing and owner was gracious enough to explain the term to me… It essentially stems from biodynamic agriculture, which essentially treats the farms as a whole entity part of a holistic system. “Everything from insects, to other large animals living on the land, to the water, to the sun, to the stars and moon, are seen as integrally connected to the health of the vineyard and the grapes themselves.” It was nice for him to take the time while I sampled some Pinot Noir… quite nice, actually.
FloraLee is a very new business venture that sells eco-cosmetics from various brands; some new and some already established. This was their first marketing show and from the crowd at the booth, they had a great response. I’m looking forward to hearing more about this project; it sounds promising.
There were many more vendors and I sampled so much more but I just wanted to share of those that stood out for me. This is my second year going to the Green Living Show and I must say it was a well day spent there. There is definitely something for everyone; from talks, to food samples, to activities for the kids. You can see of the picture here. Hope you make it out next year.