GREEN Christmas @ One of a Kind Show

The One of a Kind Show's Green Neighbourhood has almost doubled in size since its inception in 2007. It features some of Canada's most innovative craftspeople including:

Rabbit Green - Dismayed by the amount of kids clothes made overseas, cheaply and in unknown working conditions, they set out create it on their own! Their original, eco-conscious and cool threads for tots are made from reclaimed clothing and each are up-cycled into an original one-of-a-kind item.

Ironwood Bowls - Inspired by the beauty of the natural surroundings of New Brunswick woodlands, their bowls are showcased in a form that can be appreciated by people around the world. Cutting methods from the 1800's are used which allows for very little wasted wood.

League of Lovers and Thieves - Motivated by the evolving state of nature and natural environment, the men's and women's fashions are made from sustainable materials including soy blends, organic cotton, hemp, bamboo and organic wool.

Earth to Body - Earth to Body's handmade all natural skin care cosmetics contain no mineral oils, synthetic substances, synthetic preservatives or dyes. Their products contain only medicinal herbs, essential oils, natural emollients and natural emulsifiers. These products are carefully blended with proven age-old recipes to moisturize, revitalize, and soften the skin.

Truth - Truth makes 100% animal friendly belts, handbags, bracelets, necklaces and bamboo T-shirts. A favorite of many vegans and vegetarians, all Truth products are made in Toronto.

ZUT DESIGN - Modern design with a craftsman's touch. Keeping in mind their goal of protecting the environment, all of the products are made out of recycled rubber and are functional, long lasting and show off the latest in design. They offer products for the office, school, home and travel.

One of a Kind Show & Sale, Nov. 27 - Dec. 7, 2008

Brave Beltworks - Made in Canada

In a highly-stimulated buyers market of frivolous fashion goods, Asian manufacturing and supplies are the norm, cheap labour converts to cheap products and our North American mentality of fast fashion (easy come, easy go) reigns. Lately, many of us want to calm our environment by adapting to ethical options but we certainly do not want to stop shopping!

Fashionably, one of the best ways to help the planet is to buy local, higher quality items with longer lives while considering the manufacturing process.

Scott Irvine, founder of Brave Leather Inc. in his Toronto warehouse

As part of its Spring media showcase, we were invited to the Brave Beltworks production studio for a tour from owner and founder Scott Irvine. With a little business training, a tad of family knowledge, a stint in modelling and a whole heap of passion and pride, Scott's humble beginnings took him from a street vendor to a 100% Canadian manufacturer with his products sold in almost 1400 stores around the world!

Brave Beltworks makes leather belts and cuffs - metallics with studs, patent waist-cinchers, supple sashes, buckled, stitchless and textured - using only the "very best" high-quality leathers and salmon skins (looks like snakeskin), both remains of the food industry. The skins are vegetable-tanned, which although is a slower, more expensive procedure, is a more eco-friendly alternative to dyeing the leather and get better with age. From there, the leather can go through 37 processes to become a belt - all of which is done in the Toronto factory. About 20 employees or 'creative craftspeople' cut, bevel and finish each belt mostly by hand. No detail is left undone - while we were there a woman was hand painting the insides of each hole on the belts! Irvine still makes every sample himself but relies on the expertise of his staff to help nurture the design process.

As a 100% Canadian manufacturing company (For 'Made in Canada' status, 51% of production must be from Cdn sources), Brave rivals the quality and price of any leather accessories company around the world. Irvine says by doing everything in-house, they are able to design and make hundreds of belts a day, while keeping production costs reasonable. Several sales agencies throughout North America fuel sales and a PR company assists with media and events. So although Irvine considers his Brave Belts a niche product, they are being sold in 27 countries around the world with majority sales from larger stores such as Nordstrom's in the U.S. and include celebrity clients such as Jennifer Lopez and Sarah McLaughlin.

"I think 'Made in Canada' really means something to Canadians," Irvine says, "We're really proud of our company and strive to make the very best product there is, in Canada!"

In Toronto, Brave Belts are sold at Over the Rainbow, Holt Renfrew and Mendocino. From $49 to $165.