Jim Finnel
Fallen Cannabis Warrior & Ex News Moderator
When a friend told Isaac Nichelson that everything he was designing for a major surfing apparel company was "destroying the planet," he decided right then and there to change the way the world looks at design. Realizing it was time to conduct "commerce with a conscience" for the sake of our children and future generations, the concept of Livity was born.
The office used to be based in Topanga, but moved to Santa Monica early this year. "Our office has left the Canyon," says Nichelson, "but we haven't. I still live here and so do some of the others." In fact, look for Livity at the Earth Day Festival on April 17-18.
Livity Outernational makes earth-friendly apparel and accessories with organic, renewable and recyclable materials while engaging in fair trade practices. Designed with the green Livity vibe and environment in mind, Nichelsen, a former semi-pro skateboarder and surfer, founded the company in 2001 in Topanga Canyon. He claims he was raised by a counterculture hippie family in Oregon, and made environmental activism his life's mission. With a wide range of products from their famous raffia and hemp Fedora hats to hoodies, T-shirts, bags and outerwear, Livity's apparel and accessories are an expression of the company's solid commitment to activism through conscious living and a positive attitude.
The word "Livity" is Jamaican Patois for a free, healthy and righteous lifestyle of sustainability, unity and freedom and reflects Nichelson's longtime love for Reggae music and Afro-Caribbean culture. The "Outernational" part of the brand represents a diverse world acceptance of all cultures and creeds. Since its inception, Livity has been esteemed as one of the pioneers of the eco-textile and sustainable apparel industries, with products available at retail and online boutiques nationwide and also at larger natural products stores such as Whole Foods.
Livity, with its staff of about 10 people, have struck a chord with the sustainable eco-movement, and created quite a devoted following among its target audience as well as across the country. Trevor Martin, Director of Sales and Marketing, pointed out that "cotton uses more pesticides than any other single crop on earth. In addition, cotton production also uses extreme amounts of water, one of the earth's most precious natural resources." He went on to say that the textile industry is second only to petrochemicals in polluting the earth.
Livity's products are made primarily from recycled hemp organic cotton. Since hemp production is still illegal in the United States, the hemp used in the products comes from China, where high-quality textile grade hemp can be produced for the garments. From 2008 to 2009, the company saw a 250 percent jump in domestic sales. Fueled by the green movement, word of mouth and grass roots marketing, Livity's brand is seen as representative of the conscious eco-lifestyle and everything it stands for.
Sales and Marketing Director Lauren Lilly strives to grow the brand with a comprehensive grass roots marketing effort, maintaining a strong presence at eco-festivals, music festivals, social and media networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, word of mouth and a hands-on approach of creating what Martin calls "informed consumers." Livity apparel can also be seen on several celebrity "ambassadors of the brand" such as Woody Harrelson, Willy Nelson, Ben Harper and Chris Cornell.
The brand has a strong relationship with the Action Sports Environmental Coalition (ASEC), a group that promotes the marketing of sustainable products at various action sports events, and also with groups such as Surfrider Foundation, Green For All and Save The Waves, among others.
And although even the Declaration of Independence is written on hemp paper, it still remains illegal at the present time to grow or mill industrial hemp in the United States. China, however, has been producing hemp products for thousands of years, and the factories there are primarily government run. An average Livity T-shirt is made of 55 percent hemp, and 45 percent organic cotton. By adding this high percentage of hemp, approximately 400 gallons of water are saved per shirt. Livity's clothing, which include hats, T-shirts, sweaters, socks, belts, luggage and more, ranges in price from $6 for socks to $180 for outerwear and also includes products made with a hemp-silk blend and hemp-wool blends, in addition to a new line of T-shirts made from organic cotton and recycled plastic water bottles.
The Livity brand, which has developed a strong following, strives to use the fun of fashion to help propel the environmental green movement. The designs, with a youthful flair, actually appeal to all ages of the market from babies to baby boomers and just about everyone in between. Due to the growing appeal of green products, a strong brand mission and devotion to producing sustainable products, and a low-key but cool vibe to the designs, Livity sees excellent growth potential for the brand in the years ahead. Livity is a company that's truly 110 percent for the planet, supporting and promoting positive social and environmental change, while creating eco-textiles designed for maximum comfort and function while maintaining minimum environmental impact.
For more information on the brand, visit their website at LiViTY Outernational / home page. Livity truly represents the kind of green business that grows beautifully in or out of Topanga.
NewsHawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: topangamessenger.com
Author: Nancy Marsic
Copyright: 2010 Phoenix Rising Inc.
Contact: Topanga Messenger Online - Santa Monica Mountains News and Arts Publication of Topanga Canyon, California
Website: "As Green as it Gets" Livity Lives the Sustainable Lifestyle - Topanga Messenger Newspaper
• Thanks to MedicalNeed for submitting this article
The office used to be based in Topanga, but moved to Santa Monica early this year. "Our office has left the Canyon," says Nichelson, "but we haven't. I still live here and so do some of the others." In fact, look for Livity at the Earth Day Festival on April 17-18.
Livity Outernational makes earth-friendly apparel and accessories with organic, renewable and recyclable materials while engaging in fair trade practices. Designed with the green Livity vibe and environment in mind, Nichelsen, a former semi-pro skateboarder and surfer, founded the company in 2001 in Topanga Canyon. He claims he was raised by a counterculture hippie family in Oregon, and made environmental activism his life's mission. With a wide range of products from their famous raffia and hemp Fedora hats to hoodies, T-shirts, bags and outerwear, Livity's apparel and accessories are an expression of the company's solid commitment to activism through conscious living and a positive attitude.
The word "Livity" is Jamaican Patois for a free, healthy and righteous lifestyle of sustainability, unity and freedom and reflects Nichelson's longtime love for Reggae music and Afro-Caribbean culture. The "Outernational" part of the brand represents a diverse world acceptance of all cultures and creeds. Since its inception, Livity has been esteemed as one of the pioneers of the eco-textile and sustainable apparel industries, with products available at retail and online boutiques nationwide and also at larger natural products stores such as Whole Foods.
Livity, with its staff of about 10 people, have struck a chord with the sustainable eco-movement, and created quite a devoted following among its target audience as well as across the country. Trevor Martin, Director of Sales and Marketing, pointed out that "cotton uses more pesticides than any other single crop on earth. In addition, cotton production also uses extreme amounts of water, one of the earth's most precious natural resources." He went on to say that the textile industry is second only to petrochemicals in polluting the earth.
Livity's products are made primarily from recycled hemp organic cotton. Since hemp production is still illegal in the United States, the hemp used in the products comes from China, where high-quality textile grade hemp can be produced for the garments. From 2008 to 2009, the company saw a 250 percent jump in domestic sales. Fueled by the green movement, word of mouth and grass roots marketing, Livity's brand is seen as representative of the conscious eco-lifestyle and everything it stands for.
Sales and Marketing Director Lauren Lilly strives to grow the brand with a comprehensive grass roots marketing effort, maintaining a strong presence at eco-festivals, music festivals, social and media networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, word of mouth and a hands-on approach of creating what Martin calls "informed consumers." Livity apparel can also be seen on several celebrity "ambassadors of the brand" such as Woody Harrelson, Willy Nelson, Ben Harper and Chris Cornell.
The brand has a strong relationship with the Action Sports Environmental Coalition (ASEC), a group that promotes the marketing of sustainable products at various action sports events, and also with groups such as Surfrider Foundation, Green For All and Save The Waves, among others.
And although even the Declaration of Independence is written on hemp paper, it still remains illegal at the present time to grow or mill industrial hemp in the United States. China, however, has been producing hemp products for thousands of years, and the factories there are primarily government run. An average Livity T-shirt is made of 55 percent hemp, and 45 percent organic cotton. By adding this high percentage of hemp, approximately 400 gallons of water are saved per shirt. Livity's clothing, which include hats, T-shirts, sweaters, socks, belts, luggage and more, ranges in price from $6 for socks to $180 for outerwear and also includes products made with a hemp-silk blend and hemp-wool blends, in addition to a new line of T-shirts made from organic cotton and recycled plastic water bottles.
The Livity brand, which has developed a strong following, strives to use the fun of fashion to help propel the environmental green movement. The designs, with a youthful flair, actually appeal to all ages of the market from babies to baby boomers and just about everyone in between. Due to the growing appeal of green products, a strong brand mission and devotion to producing sustainable products, and a low-key but cool vibe to the designs, Livity sees excellent growth potential for the brand in the years ahead. Livity is a company that's truly 110 percent for the planet, supporting and promoting positive social and environmental change, while creating eco-textiles designed for maximum comfort and function while maintaining minimum environmental impact.
For more information on the brand, visit their website at LiViTY Outernational / home page. Livity truly represents the kind of green business that grows beautifully in or out of Topanga.
NewsHawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: topangamessenger.com
Author: Nancy Marsic
Copyright: 2010 Phoenix Rising Inc.
Contact: Topanga Messenger Online - Santa Monica Mountains News and Arts Publication of Topanga Canyon, California
Website: "As Green as it Gets" Livity Lives the Sustainable Lifestyle - Topanga Messenger Newspaper
• Thanks to MedicalNeed for submitting this article
