Highs and lows from the world of green fashion 2

What? Take away my Aqua Net?!nyki_m via flickrOK, really just one high and one low. It’s been a busy day.

The high, fittingly, is related to hair. When I first saw an email subject line that began “Directional Runway Hair” float into my inbox earlier today, I honest-to-god thought it had something to do with airports. Even when I realized it was fashion-related, my brain was still confused, and I found myself picturing a runway model with “directional” hair shaped like an airplane. But the news here has to do with inhalation, not aviation: A company called John Masters Organics is—deservedly, it would seem—boasting about its ability to create high-fashion ‘dos without “a toxic cocktail of chemical styling products.” (Masters and crew put their gunk to the test at New York Fashion Week’s green shows—find out more about the green scene courtesy of our friends at Inhabitat.)

One need look no further than EWG’s Skin Deep database to realize that everyday cosmetics are full of nasties. Just imagining the cloud of chemicals backstage at a fashion show makes me woozy. So ... here’s to progress, and to companies like Masters that are seeking less-toxic approaches to glamour. Now someone give those models a grass-fed burger, and we’ll be good.

The low for the day is down by the toes: This week, the EPA sued the owner of clothing company North Face for failing to register an antimicrobial agent used in more than 70 styles of shoes (which appear to have been discontinued). Which, bummer about the failing to register part. But more to the point: Really? Do we need antimicrobial shoes? As one staffer put it in our news meeting this morning, “It’s called a shower. Look into it.”

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