Trendy Chicago boutiques feature eco-friendly fashion and home decor

Jessa Brinkmeyer said customers find that going green can be gorgeous in her eco-smart fashion boutique.

"When you walk in, you realize you don't have to sacrifice anything in terms of style or fashion in order to be green," she said. "People are pleasantly surprised and shocked about what is being done with these fabrics. It's not boring and basic or uncomfortable and ugly - it's beautiful and aesthetically pleasing. It's like walking into any other boutique."

Her store, Pivot Boutique, located in the Fulton Market District, features dresses, tops, sweaters, coats, pants, skirts and accessories all crafted from materials such as organic cotton, bamboo, soy and ‘peace' silk - silk made without killing silkworms.

Brinkmeyer opened her store in September 2007 as a way to create more of a market for eco-friendly fashion.

"I didn't really feel a presence of eco-fashion in Chicago. There wasn't really anywhere to find the lines or designers I was reading about," she said. "I wanted to support more conscious fashion and thought the best way to bring it to Chicago would be to open a store devoted to it."

With the green scene ever-increasing, eco-trendy stores are popping up throughout the Chicago area.

Eco-lifestyle store A Cooler Planet opened just two months ago in Roscoe Village. Co-owners and sisters Heidi Bailey and Krista White said they wanted their store to be eco-friendly right down to the interior design made of recycled materials, including cardboard walls.

The shop features some clothing and accessories, such as a messenger bags made from bicycle tire inner tube and seat belt straps, but the main focus is on items for the home. Think dishes made from recycled glass bottles, organic bed and bath linens, and even fire-retardant, organic wool mattresses.

Before opening the store, she and Bailey consistently researched products before they bought them, White said. But she said they always had to order from Web sites or drive to several stores to get products they wanted.

"We thought there needed to be a place where they have done the research for you and you can trust everything that you buy there," White said.

Brinkmeyer expects the eco-friendly product industry to increase as environmental awareness increases.

"People are just now starting to think more about their impact on the environment. It's going to become a part of daily life - just how people live," Brinkmeyer said. "This is not a passing fad because these problems aren't going anywhere - they are only going to get worse."

Yet an obvious concern in terms of any ecological product is the cost. Eco-friendly merchandise often costs more because it's more expensive to produce, made of more expensive materials and made within the U.S.

"It's hip to be eco-friendly, recycle and all that stuff right now," said Jodi Rose, assistant manager of the Asinamali fashion boutique in Evanston. "It's a trend, but it needs to become more a part of the every day. It's really hard to encourage everyone to change their ways when we've been living one way for a really long time. People are resistant to change when it comes down to it, especially when it affects their pocketbook."

Asinamali occasionally carries organic clothing and vegan handbags, made without a stitch of leather. She doesn't have any in stock right now, though.

Brinkmeyer and White are banking on interest growing in their products and, so far, both of their businesses are doing well for the short amount of time they have each been open.

"We've had people come in and say, ‘Thank you for opening, we've needed a store like this,'" White said. "Chicago is ready."