Paper Cut

By Nissa Hanna

What’s Happening

• Paper or fabric? House-Wear chose the former as the material for its Paper Wear clothing collection.

• Artist Laura Sansone created the avant-garde label that uses Tyvek (yep, like the mailing envelopes) as the material for pants, dresses, jackets, and some home accessories.

• So, why Tyvek? It’s strong, soft (and more so with each wash) lightweight, water resistant, breathable, and recyclable.

• Although House-Wear doesn’t start with recycled sheets, it sends scraps to the Tyvek recycling plant and encourages customers to do the same when their Paper Wear items wear out.

What This Means to Business

• Consumers are open, and some are even excited about, unusual fabric options, as long as those garments and products are comfortable, stylish, low-maintenance and durable. A sustainable aspect adds big bonus points.

• Fashionistas are starting to care about what happens to their clothing when it's time to retire pieces from the wardrobe. It's eco-guilt-relieving when brands and retailers provide thread recycling action plans.

More Than a Mode of Transportation, It's a Bikestyle

By Sarah Barker

What’s Happening

• It’s not only cool to pedal, it’s fashionable. Cycle style covers both riders’ wear and riders’ rides.

• American Apparel sells a cape for supercyclists.

• Traditional wicker baskets are being embellished with flower arrangements. Marie-Louise Gustafsson’s detachable Carrie bike basket is not only innovative in design—it also doubles as a shopping basket or a picnic table.

• The Web site Polish Bloggers Cycle Chic posts photos of stylin’ riders, as does the blog Copenhagen Cycle Chic.

What This Means to Business

• Those who roll chic are customizing their rides as an extension of their identity. For conscious En Voguers—those with the constant craving for “cool”—style points are a measure that matters.

Men in Tights

By Katie Anderson

What's Happening

• Unisex dressing? Been there. Guyliner? Done that. Mirdles? Covered it. But even we didn’t see this one coming: mantyhose. That’s right—pantyhose for men.

• Project e-MANcipate, which launched in 2003, is pushing to make it socially acceptable for men to wear pantyhose as an everyday clothing item. The group’s website provides a community for mantyhose donners. It lists “tips for new wearers” and reviews of products from mantyhose makers like Collanto, Gerbe and Comfilon.

• Whether they're for support, aesthetics or just fun, CNN reports that mantyhose sales are booming.

What This Means for Business

• It’s clear that fashion’s gender lines don’t really apply anymore, especially as consumers forgo trends to find their own style. Anything goes in today’s fashion space—the more individually tailored, the better.