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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Catherine Hanson
Event & Media Relations, i’m eco friendly™
(323) 630-0876 media@imecofriendly.com

 

THEY'RE ECO FRIENDLY:
Design Duo Announce Collaboration with Upmarket Tote Company

SANTA MONICA, CA  (June 10, 2008) - Recent Art Center College of Design graduates and best friends combine their talent and personal convictions to create tote designs for local eco-accessories brand.

Anya Farquhar and Sarah LaVoie met on the first day, in their first class, at college. They immediately found they had lots of things in common including personal and professional goals, thoughts on social, environmental and political issues, taste in clothes—even nutrition (they are both vegetarian).

Needless to say, they have been inseparable ever since. However, even though they always hoped they’d get to work together, often bouncing ideas off each other, they never officially teamed up on a project.  So when Roman Jaster, i’m eco friendly’s creative director, tapped Anya, to design the company’s debut collection, Farquhar knew she wanted this to be a collaboration with LaVoie.

i’m eco friendly™ was born from the principle that one need not sacrifice style in order to live green, and moreover, that reusable bags do not belong just at the grocery store or farmer’s market, but also at the boutique and retail store. So the team has plans to produce illustrations with a little playfulness in mind. With the design duo’s outlook aligning with that of the i’m eco friendly™ brand, they are on a quest to provide premium and colorful custom carryalls that communicate a message beyond words and generate discussions among friends and strangers. In short, it is a perfect fit for Farquhar and LaVoie, both of whom are staunch believers in using their work as a communication tool and catalyst for positive change.

Both in their early twenties, these two women set a great example for younger girls, making sure that their professional choices mirror their life approach. Both LaVoie and Farquhar agree on yet another point: their desire to design products that serve as subtle reminders of the greater impact we all have in making graceful and deliberate steps towards a more verdant future.

About Anya Farquhar
A 2007 graduate of Art Center College of Design with a BFA in Graphic Design, Ms. Farquhar has been involved in various social design projects, including some for the United Nations and the Ford Foundation. Dedicated to using design as a tool for improving human wellbeing and livelihood, she is equally focused on decreasing her own environmental footprint. Anya is a firm believer that the way we choose to treat our environment has an effect on the quality of life each of us aspires to within our own community. Ms. Farquhar considers designing for i’m eco friendly™ a way to align her personal and professional interests and provide a tool for communication, thus increasing awareness.

About Sarah Lavoie
Born and raised in Pasadena, California, and also a graduate of Art Center College of Design with a BFA in Illustration, LaVoie is committed to living her life in a sustainable and considerate way, a fact apparent in her choices as she concentrates on socially and environmentally responsible design. She was recently part of a group project with Designmatters and MPALA Community Trust of Kenya, which set out to teach the illiterate nomadic tribes of Kenya about HIV/AIDS prevention through both illustration and product design. Nature is something Sarah has always been equally passionate about; she lives each day with the goal of conserving and protecting it—both in her personal life as well as professional choices. Ms. LaVoie’s focus and primary goal as an artist is to spread awareness and create design that inspires change.

About i’m eco friendly™
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, i’m eco friendly™ is an upscale eco-accessories brand offering, reusable bags for stylish and conscientious consumers. The company is committed to operating “vertically green” (i.e. aggressively sourcing green vendors to fulfill its business needs in order to achieve a meaningful neutral carbon footprint, and thus magnifying its positive impact in society and our planet). For more information visit: www.imecofriendly.com