Blogger Yuli Ziv On Green Trends and Sustainable Designs

(Yuli Ziv, founder of MyItThings, cofounder of the Style Coalition)

I first talked to Yuli Ziv when she was in the middle of a paparazzi storm. It was Fashion Week in New York and she was just about to enter the Justin Timberlake show. Walking over to her website MyItThings, the Tel Aviv native, now in New York, I saw Ziv had established a green category on her fashion website.  I wanted to know more about that, and also “green” fashion trends for the future. It can’t hurt to ask, right? Here’s our interview:

How does a girl from Israel find herself in the middle of the fashion world in New York?

Yuli Ziv: Personal style expression has always interested me – from watching Sex & The City on a TV screen from my home in Israel to walking on NYC streets later on and watching these women in real life – I’m fascinated by the people that tell a story with their look.  It took me few years to find my own story and what clothes really meant to me, and then I wanted to give a chance to other people to share their story as well – that’s how I founded MyItThings.com.  

Is there any green fashion from Israel or the Middle East making its way to America?

Yuli Ziv: If so, let us know what. Or what you like. I’ve heard about Neutra – the accessories made of recycled tires, and B Nature – the organic baby clothes, which seem to be the biggest trend now. I wish more of the Isreali green designers targeted online fashion outlets like ours to share their vision, as I don’t hear these much often.

Are there any news trends in the green fashion sector? What’s going to be hot for summer 2009? 

I think the entire industry is embracing green – you see more and more mainstream designers indroduce green products as part of their line, and obviously big names like Stella McCartny are really setting an example to the entire market. Green “It” bags are the new staple piece – I’m personally in love with my new Miss June tote which is made of fabric and paillettes – both eco-friendly and stylish. My friends at BagTrends.com are actually planning a special green handbag event in April to introduce some of the best designers and their products on the market.

We notice you have a green section on your blog. What’s most popular? What are people looking for? 

Yuli Ziv: Our green section was born with a launch of Green fashion blogging contest, where we donated 10 trees to Trees For The Future organization for every post about eco-friendly style submitted by users on MyItThings.com. The contest was a huge success and ever since many of our writers post about the latest “It” designer using green materials, or a new way to recycle the clothes and things you love.

Any tips to young designers looking to create sustainable designs? 

Yuli Ziv: Think creatively and know to tell a story with your design. Almost every sustainable or eco-friendly product has a story behind and that’s what people love about it. If you can express both your creativity and have the consumer to participate in your valuable cause – you will have a succesful product in hands.

::MyItThings

More on Yuli Ziv:
An Israeli Takes Fashion Blogging to the Next Level on ISRAEL21c
Jewelry Trends for 2009 on Gallery Atlantic