Image taken from Treehugger.

The good people at Treehugger dug through the web cluster and compiled a list of 50 all natural beauty products we can make ourselves! Some sound a little icky (spoiled yogurt face mask) and some seem like a lot of work, but this list is inspiring us to treat our bodies better with natural ingredients instead of the conventional products with an endless list of chemical names we don't recognize. What better way to know what's in your beauty product than to actually make it yourself? If you go for the natural shampoo, conditioner, and soap, you'll also be doing the pipes and water system a favor by not flushing down chemicals. We'll be stopping by the market after work to get started on our very own skin care!

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Watch the trailer for the film What's Organic About Organic? by Shelley Rogers. Featuring individuals connected to different aspects of the organic world, the film explores how organic agriculture can provide solutions to environmental and health problems, and opening up a discussion about what we're getting when we choose foods labelled as organic over conventional.




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We don't really need any excuses to go to the beach, but this is a great reason to go. Hands Across The Sand is a movement that brings together all different kinds of people to join hands in the name of protecting our coastlines, oceans, and marine wildlife, and protesting offshore oil drilling. In light of the recent Gulf oil spill disaster, partaking in this peaceful protest is more relevant and important than ever. Find a beach near you and join one of the organized events, or organize one yourself. Help set a world record and join the movement tomorrow, June 26!


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One of our designers measuring and making the cuts.

Introducing the Loomstate tie-dye tees with exaggerated arm holes made from Loomstate organic cotton tees. Not only does this give extra ventilation for those super hot days, but it lets you show some skin in an unexpected way.

Our PR assistant shows off her tats and the tee!

Only at the Loomstate Sample Sale, ending today! Come to 91 Franklin before 5pm for some great summer finds.


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Sky Truth, Surfrider Foundation, and Ocean Conservancy have brought us the Gulf Oil Spill Tracker, which literally puts the Oil Spill on the map, according to different categories based on incident reports. Anyone can contribute to the site by downloading the information card to report an incident in your area. Upload the file and other photos online when you get home, and it'll be recorded.


Incidents that have been verified are labelled verified and users can see other incidents in the surrounding area. This tracker effectively makes transparent the severity of the spill and where it is affecting wildlife and our coastlines. For those who don't live in the affected areas, this informative tool gives a realistic perspective and calls for action.

Visit the Tracker here.


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Here at Loomstate, we really appreciate and are grateful for great, fresh food, especially if we know it's organic and locally grown. So for lunch today, we went for Farinella's. Not only are their pizzas, called Palam prepared in the style of those baked in Rome, made fresh when ordered and are perfectly thin and crispy, they use organic and locally grown produce whenever possible. Less time from farm to table means better taste, and it's obvious. We can't get enough!

A Palam. 

If you're strolling in Tribeca and craving for pizza, stop by 90 Worth Street and try a slice. Then come by for our sample sale!

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Trekking & Safari in Tanzania.

Adventure Finder, a new site that helps you find your next outdoorsy adventure. A little like vacation search engines like Travelocity or Expedia, Adventure Finder has a focus on active trips that involve nature and exploring the great outdoors. Choose by destination (Antarctica or Asia?), activity (areal sports or canyoneering?), duration, price, or even based on who is going (families or couples?), and it will show matching results with trip details and information on the travel agency for each trip suggestion.

Screenshot of a trip to Costa Rica.

There are featured trips and destinations, like trekking and safari in Tanzania, or riding elephants and biking through Thailand. Deals are highlighted by destinations, ranging from 10% off volunteer vacations in Galapagos to saving 35% on wild trekking and cruise in Patagonia. They even list a slew of custom trip operators who will create a one-of-a-kind adventure for you!

Kayaking in Antarctica.

This adventure one-stop-shop has effectively eliminated the need to google 20 different trip agencies to see which has the lowest price for the exact trip you're looking for. You might even find yourself going for a completely different vacation than what you were looking for. Bon voyage!


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With all our World Cup posts, you probably already knew that we are soccer fans. But did you know that we made soccer balls? Though not FIFA-approved, they're perfect for throwing and kicking around at the beach, the park, or even when catching a match at an outdoor venue. (Note: They're actually not mini. Fully inflated, they measure at 28" in circumference.) It comes in light and dark recycled denim, and natural, undyed canvas. They come deflated, but your local bike shop (like our friends at Gotham Bikes) could inflate them for you.

Here's to World Cup fever!


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When we stepped out just now to grab lunch, we almost got run over by a critical mass of skateboarding youth up Broadway! This could not be a coincidence, so we came right back with our sandwiches and did a little research (read: googled skateboarding 6/21 nyc). Well, it turns out it's Go Skateboarding Day! where hoards of skateboarding enthusiasts met up at the LES Skate Park to skate over to the KCDC Skate Shop in Williamsburg that also has a mini ramp and acts as a gallery space.


Things like these remind us why we love NYC. Watch out for the cabs, skaters!


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These photographs may look like scenes straight out of a Tim Burton film, but they're actually real trees photographed with infrared. A film or image sensor sensitive to infrared light is used, usually along with an "infrared filter", which lets infrared light through but blocks out all or most of the visible light spectrum. Tree leaves, grass and other foliage have a strong reflecting effect like how snow reflects sunlight, giving them an ethereal glow, known as the "Wood Effect", named after infrared photographer pioneer Robert W. Wood.

Eerie and beautiful, we can stare at these for hours. Enjoy!





Images taken from Treehugger. Read more on Infrared Photography at Wikipedia.

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Running around the city often makes us forget we have this great large park right in front of us. As a celebration of NYC parks and the great outdoors, Adventures NYC is calling for us to get off our butts, go to Central Park tomorrow, and do something active. A ton of activities, from rock-climbing and bike rentals to yoga and obstacle courses, are free, so there's no reason to stay still. Better yet, Global Inheritance has teamed up with The North Face to give participants points for doing one of those activities and being green, like recycling or using a reusable bottle. Rack up enough points and you can win some cool, useful outdoorsy prizes from a lipbalm or ear buds to a sleeping bag or even a tent!

Get to Central Park's Bandshell area tomorrow and have some active fun from 12pm to 4pm.

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Image from GrowNYC Greenmarket.

Our favorite summer spot Hester Street Fair is adding fresh produce from local farms to its already awesome lineup of local goods and prepared foods. Greenmarket, the GrowNYC program that's responsible for the largest open-air farmers markets in the country, is partnering with the Fair to make this weekend destination even more green starting this Sunday.

To start things off right, there will be a cooking demonstration by Broadway East chef Sasha St. Germaine and a delicious assortment of produce and goods to be purchased. Jersey vegetables, fruit, and homemade preserves from Phillips Farm, specialty and wild foraged greens from Woori Farm, orchard fruit, award-winning cider, pies and pastries from Breezy Hill Orchard, and fresh eggs and pasta from Knoll Krest Farm will all be available for purchase! Oh boy, we're already planning a dinner party this Sunday just so we have an excuse to buy all this fresh produce.

We hear there are more exciting green initiatives to come from this little street fair, so keep an eye out!


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Image from Summerstage.org.

Another weekend, another roundup of fun, free events!

Fri 6/18
Miley Cyrus
Rumsey Playfield, Central Park
7 - 9am

Andy Warhol: The Last Decade Exhibit opens
Brooklyn Museum

Sat 6/19
The Morning Benders
The Beach at Governors Island
Doors at 6:00pm
Show at 8:00pm

NYCPride Rally 
Rumsey Playfield, Central Park
4 - 8pm

Sun 6/20
Hester Street Fair Greenmarket Launch:
FARM FRESH Cooking Demonstration by Broadway East chef Sasha St. Germaine
Essex x Hester, Lower East Side
8am - 4pm

Fete De La Musique/Make Music NY Celebration: Salif Keita, Tabou Combo, Lo'Jo
Rumsey Playfield, Central Park
3pm


Vision Festival Begins! 
Gathering of the Tribes, 285 E. 3rd St., 2nd Floor
Afternoon








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Get ready for next week because it's the Loomstate Annual Sample Sale! Mens and womens styles, from organic cotton tees and shirts to bottoms and outerwear, will be up to 75% off. Plus our sibling brand ROGAN will be joining us for the sale.



Here are the details:

Loomstate + ROGAN Annual Sample Sale

Wed. June 23rd to Fri. June 25th
8am to 8pm (Fri. 8am to 5pm)

91 Franklin Street
Ground Floor
NY NY 10013
(between Broadway & Church in TriBeCa)


See you there!

Not only is this Sunday Father's Day, it's also International Surfing Day! In its sixth year, Surfrider Foundation and SURFING Magazine have grown ISD into a worldwide event, bringing together thousands of surfers, their friends and families to celebrate the oceans, spread ocean awareness, and catch a wave. They've had meetings with Governor Shwarzenegger and massive benefit concerts in Japan and Florida, but most of all, they've removed thousands of pounds of trash from beaches over the past six years.



Check out a ISD gathering near you here. They've also partnered with more than a dozen surf-friendly sponsors, like O'Neill, Vans and Reef, to form internet and on-site challenges involving gathering trash or repurposing trash, and prizes for the best submisions. Catch a few waves, meet some new friends, help clean the local beach and maybe even win a wax kit for your board. Sounds like a great Sunday!



Images from International Surfing Day Photos.

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One of Loomstate's favorite new NY band is all-female Open Ocean. Their dreamy tunes have that certain hazy and lazy quality that makes it easy to imagine floating in the ocean and rolling around in the sand. One lucky girl gets to do just that in this summery video "Halcyon Days" from Test Magazine featuring Open Ocean's "Sink or Swim". Listen to more from them here.

Images from Test Magazine.


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Johnnie Sapong at the Loomstate office 
giving our PR Director, Berrin, a quick trim!

Johnnie Sapong, a friend of Loomstate,  hairstylists to the stars,  British Rastafarian,  environmentalist, and "football" fan, talks to us about his new projects, inspirations, and who he's rooting for in the World Cup.

1) Tell us about your new venture
I've just opened a new creative hub in central London called "The Studio". It's a dedicated styling space where clients can come by for a focused one on one service with me for the first time. There's just one bowl, one set of tools and me so we can work together to prescribe the exact treatment just for your hair, whether that's cut, colour, volume, condition, whatever it is. In the same way that each individual's skin needs a different approach and maintenance to make it look it's best, so does your hair and I want to educate my clients how to look after their particular hair so that it continues to look healthy and great between appointments. We're based in an art gallery so it's a really unique space and, I think, really inspiring. By giving people one on one time, there's a real sense of honesty between us - they can tell me exactly what they like, dislike, want or don't want for their look and I can be very honest with them about what's achievable - after that we can enjoy getting to work, have some fun and relax.


Johnnie Sapong at The Studio

2) What are your inspirations at the moment?
70s Playboy - the covers weren't all about being naked, I always thought those girls look wholesome with a great head of hair - they're wonderful.

 3) Berrin mentioned that you use a special ingredient on womens' hair. What's your secret?
A few of the Beauty Editors have nicknamed me "magic hands" or "magic fingers" - maybe it was that?



Johnnie Sapong at The Studio


4) What environmental causes are you focusing on now?
We've been crazy recyclers at home for years. It began with cardboard and plastic and with the kids we've just gone on to do more and more. At school, they have class of the week for the most recycling so it's effected them which is great. My quiet sneaky fix right now is learning about green roofs.

 5) Last, but not least... We hear you're a football fan. What are your plans for the World Cup and who are you rooting for?
My loyalties are split between England and Ghana - my ideal dream would be to have them both in the final and would involve me drinking Guiness whenever the opportunity arose!
This morning, a 25 ft baby humpback whale washed ashore Jones Beach, Long Island. This is the second time in 3 months that a whale had been beached, not to mention similar incidents with other marine life. Unlike the incident in April where a dying whale washed shore and had to be euthanized after failed attempts to bring it back into the water, this one was deceased before washing ashore.


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FIFA World Cup South Africa kicks off tomorrow! 32 teams compete in 4 weeks of soccer matches, starting with the first at 10am EST between South Africa and Mexico. The one game we wouldn't want to miss is Saturday's England vs. USA game at 2:30pm. See the schedule here. You might even want to check out some hot spots, other than your local sports bar, to watch the games.



A pop-up match-viewing hub, PlayBeautiful will be launching off-site at Tonic East, Brinkley's and Cafe Select tomorrow. The hub will settle in at Openhouse Gallery at Mulberry and Kenmare starting on June 20th until the end. Make a reservation online for an "indoor stadium" seat!


ESPN will be popping up around NYC and LA in the ESPN Match Truck. Featuring street food inspired by the different countries playing in the World Cup, the truck will also have a giant HD screen playing all the matches.



PUMA is taking over South Street Seaport starting at 9am tomorrow. Even if you don't wear or like the brand, the sportswear company will have a 4x7 foot video wall in a temporary beer garden. There is also a custom built field for pick-up games, and DJ's spinning and concerts after sundown.



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Workers cleaning oil residue that washed up on Pensacola Beach in Florida on Monday.

One look at the NYT's U.S. front page makes our stomach turn. Continue to voice your opinion against offshore drilling through the Surfrider Foundation here. Also, see other ways to help in our roundup.


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Our Loomstate for Surf Lodge board shorts are getting lots of love! This time in TimeOut NY.

Another great urban farming idea by way of The Farm Proper from San Diego! Using abandoned/defunct shopping carts, a collective artists, designers and backyard "farmers" have begun an experiment growing organic produce in a industrial lot for the local community. Because the carts are more portable than a plot of land, these mini farms have a lot of potential to be moved to different areas to feed different communities. We can already smell the fresh soil/shopping cart combination in Brooklyn taking shape...

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The Loomstate Anton Board Short in Mango is featured in Vevant's "Being Green" story. Check it out here.

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The colorful, beach-ready board shorts from the Loomstate x Surf Lodge collaboration (along with their founders) are featured in the July issue of OCEANS Magazine. Surf's up!



Rose Nbange, a farmer and now a OAF Field Officer.

One Acre Fund is a new organization aimed at helping the poorest East African farmers and their families grow their way out of hunger with an immense focus on accountability and results. Only four years since its official launch, initially serving 38 farm families, OAF now serves 22,000 in East Africa, and 98% of the 12,000 families served in 2009 were repaying program fees. The organization works through women's self-help groups, like the Chilila Women's Self-Help Group pictured below, in rural villages to reach the most severely hunger-affected.

Chilila Women's Self Help Group reaped a record harvest in their first year. 
They were the first to plant chili's, exported to Germany.

Ernest, a farmer in his mushroom hut, which could help provide the income to send his child to college. 

OAF was launched in 2006 after founder Andrew Youn visited Kenya and found that modern agricultural techniques could significantly boost productivity and decrease malnutrition, but that poor farmers had no access to the right tools, seeds, and education to get the most out of their fields. Even more inspiring are the individual participants' stories. 


Read more about One Acre Fund and the farmers.


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Image from  Fast Company.

Nokia just unveiled four inexpensive cellphones for developing nations and a new Bicycle Charger Kit for their line. The device is connected to the wheel via a little bottle dynamo, which generates energy from the pedaling. The device starts working at 4mph and at 7.5mph, the phone could be charging at the same rate as a regular plugged-in charger. Spend ten minutes at 6mph will charge the phone for 28 minutes of talk time or 37 hours of idle time. More details on the device available here.

This would surely be a convenient device for all you cyclists and bike commuters! Now if only someone would make this for the iPhone, the iPod, the Blackberry, and digital cameras...

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