Photo courtesy of Global Ghetto Organics.TOPANGA, Calif.- Global Ghetto Organics, a designer and maker of utilitarian sophisticated fashion, is gearing up to introduce an explosion of new designs and apparel to its current collections throughout the coming Fall to Spring seasons.
“Utilitarian sophistication is a design concept of making really nice materials with an upscale feel to them, but can still be worn casually,” said Steve Sas Schwartz, the company’s owner and designer.
Yoga and other aspects of Eastern philosophy inspire many of the graphic designs on the clothing. “My wife is a yoga teacher and she brings a lot of ideas to the designs,” said Mr. Schwartz, who adds that he is also greatly influenced by Native American themes which “have always fascinated” him. Nature motifs are a prominent design element in the company’s collections.
Global Ghetto Organics’ greatest expansion in the coming seasons will be seen in the kinds of apparel that it offers. The company, whose current apparel lines focus on shirts, jackets, and hats, will be expanding into fuller collections for both men and women.
Mr. Schwartz talked about some of what consumers can expect, saying, “For women, our lines will include some amazing skirts and spaghetti strap dresses, along with really cute crop tops.
Photo courtesy of Global Ghetto Organics.
“For men, our lines will include cardigans, trench coats, fitted pants, and shorts. We will be offering a lot of complete outfits. Part of our goal is to make things that can be worn year-round as much as possible.”
Currently, the company’s lines of apparel are made primarily from organic bamboo fabrics with some pieces containing blends of other materials. “As much as possible, we try to use 100 percent bamboo. Our fleece that we use to make our sweatshirts is 100 percent bamboo. It’s a beautiful, super soft fabric that breathes really well.
“Our hats are 100 percent woven bamboo. The tee shirts are blends, with 70 percent bamboo and 30 percent organic cotton. The yoga tops are 94 percent bamboo and six percent lycra/cotton for the stretch,” said Mr. Schwartz.
Bamboo is widely held to contain thermal regulating as well as anti-bacterial properties which remain in the material even after it has been turned into a fabric.
Photo courtesy of Global Ghetto Organics.
In addition, Mr. Schwartz along with other clothing manufacturers favor using bamboo because it can also be grown quickly and without the use of pesticides. This also makes the fabrics hypoallergenic.
Global Ghetto Organics gets its raw bamboo material from China and Vietnam. The company will also soon be introducing other natural fibers such as hemp to its collections, but Mr. Schwartz stresses, “We are really targeting and focusing on bamboo because we develop our own fabrics, and that is really the anchor point of the company.”
Another point of pride for the company is that all of the dyes that it uses for its fabrics are Oeko-Tex Standard 100 compliant, which means that the dyes don’t contain chemicals that are potentially harmful to people and the environment. “It is very important for us to do this,” said Mr. Schwartz.
Global Ghetto Organics’ clothing lines are currently available through the company’s website at ggoclothing.com, as well as at Los Angeles stores, inluding: Abbot Kinney and Boku Mangos.
Reader comments and input are always welcomed!