Green in the City: Baba chic

Stephanie Wells writing for VINGT paris

Take it from a San Franciscan. Hippies do not great fashionistas make. Yet, am I imagining things? Could this be the elusive green-chic boutique that until now has avoided Paris?

While eco style outposts carpet New York and California, Paris has been fashionably late to jump onboard. Green in the City owner Helene Sananikone approaches eco chic with a refreshing Franco-Asian attraction to refined modern elegance. The absence of flawlessly stylish green and fair trade apparel in the capitol of fashion stirred Sananikone to launch her Marais boutique earlier this year.  Without a doubt, she has created something special.

Stocking a crisp and interesting mix of urbane basics and day-to-play cocktail dresses, Green in the City has a special fondness for upstart eco designers from across the globe. The organic prêt-à-porter collection Kami is designed by Jérôme L'Huillier, previously of Givenchy and Pierre Balmain, and can be found in only a smattering of boutiques worldwide. Another favorite is Japanese independent designer Kaori Yamazaki and her eponymous clothing line. Kaori Yamazaki’s unforced creations are fabricated with entirely organic textiles, produced in small quantities, and are shockingly affordable.

The prices will not set you back for the season and Sananikone is well versed on the production and environmental effects of each line she carries.  Just ask her about Ila, UK based beauty products, and she unfurls a charming anecdote of the method by which the essential oils are extracted by hand, the fruits harvested by goats (yes, really!) and pressed by a stone mill. Add to the mix closet staple Edun, impossible-to-find independent lines and snuggly infant’s wear, plus a guy’s section tucked into a tiny solarium.

Green in the City will not remain under the radar much longer, and will make even the most cynical shopper crack a smile and feel the positive vibes.

Green in the City
7 rue Malher
Paris 4