SANTA MONICA, Calif. (Apr. 25, 2008)—Fred Segal is pitching in to do its part to help the environment.

Guests perused the eco-friendly home decor products while bidding on auction items.

The upscale retailer teamed up with the Heal the Bay non-profit organization to host a silent auction at its Santa Monica location. Guests dined on sushi while bidding on such eco-friendly items as a Smart car and Eco Shack-Yurt. Additional pieces on the block included signed shoe sketches by Jimmy Choo, Stella McCartney, Lanvin, Giuseppe Zanotti and Valentino, bags by Marni and Lockheart, a Vow Energy Prayer Box necklace and more.

A sketch completed and donated by Lanvin

Guests could also purchase raffle tickets for $5 for a chance to win gift baskets, including one that held memorabilia from Fox’s “American Idol” as well as tickets to the filming of an upcoming episode. Since the mission of both Heal the Bay and Madison store owner David Assil is to encourage customers to bring their groceries home in reusable shopping bags rather than plastic bags, the environmental group and Fred Segal created a limited edition canvas tote bag available for $10. All proceeds from the silent auction, tote bag and T-shirt sales will be given to Heal the Bay.

This Yurt was up one eco-friendly item up for auction.

“We need to get people focused that there is a problem,” Assil tells WSAToday.com. “As a part of Fred Segal, we wanted to get involved with the community around us.”

Assil was also responsible for convincing the luxury footwear designers to submit their sketches for the auction. “I told the designers it was for a good cause,” he says. “Plastic bags are everybody’s problem; they end up in the ocean. They got it.”

Jungle Gurl's Natalie Golonka models a Dalaleo handbag made from soda tabs.

Swimsuit designer Natalie Golonka browsed the store’s sustainable home décor selections. Her line, Jungle Gurl, is made from recycled garments, most of which are Hawaiian mumus from the ’60s and ’70s. “Eco is the new black,” she says. “It’s in every magazine.”

Fred Segal Santa Monica continues its eco-friendly endeavors outside of events. The next challenge Assil wants to conquer is finding ways to green the shipping process. He hopes to band together with other retailers and ask companies to cut down on unnecessary waste by no longer sending catalogues, stuffing shoes with paper or adding extra plastic to their boxes.

Madison owner David Assil

“If it becomes fashionable, if one company does it, the rest will follow,” Assil says. “It’s just a matter of breaking through to one or two companies.”

  More Industry News Articles