Baja Sweaters and Hippie Poncho Pullovers

Image by Nick Sherman via FlickrBy Juan Cuervo

Hippies and surfers alike love baja sweaters, which are commonly known as baja hoodies or drug rugs. These very famous baja sweatshirts were first made popular in the 70's by hippies and California surfers. They went away for a few years but have made a comeback in the last couple years and they are now being worn by everyone in every state. It is difficult to go anywhere now without seeing a baja pullover being worn by someone. Hippies are known for starting fashion trends like bell bottoms and tie dye clothing.

The Mexican baja hoodie has a very distinguishable look to it. They always have a hood and they have vertical stripes going up and down but there are horizontal stripes on the pocket that is in the front for the hands. They are typically made out of 100% acrylic but there are some that are made of 100% cotton but they are much harder to come across. Another popular material is 50% acrylic, 40% polyester and 10% cotton. They baja pullovers go as large as 3X but they are very hard to find online.

The baja poncho was known as a drug rug hoodie for a long time because most people that wore them tended to use drugs. But now they are more commonly seen on college students and high school kids. If you are looking for a gift for anyone in your family, you just simply can't go wrong with buying them an authentic Mexican sweater poncho.

You can buy a baja sweater online at Mexican Threads, the #1 store online for baja sweaters.

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Earth Shoes - Back From the Past

Image by akseabird via FlickrBy Charlotte J Wilson

Earth shoes are a range of footwear that includes sandals, shoes, clogs and running shoes. These shoes are designed to give your legs and indeed your whole body a workout without going to the gym.

The original Earth shoes were designed in 1957 by Anne Kalso, a Danish yoga instructor who travelled to a monastery in Santos Brazil to further her studies. Whilst she was there she observed the superb posture of the Brazilian Indians with their heel prints in the sand which were lower than their toe prints. With the help of a Portuguese shoemaker, Kalso trialled her designs of the no-heel shoes, sometimes hiking more than 500 miles.

In 1968 Kalso opened a retail store in Copenhagen and began selling the "Kelso Minus Heel" shoe.

Americans Raymond and Eleanor Jacobs discovered the comfort of these shoes whilst holidaying in Europe in 1969 and negotiated with Kalso to market the shoe in the USA.

Earth Shoes were launched in the United States in April 1970 and the brand expanded through word of mouth. Impressed customers began to open more stores of their own throughout the country. So popular were the shoes that the company could not keep up with demand. By 1975 there were over 135 stores throughout the United States. In 1976-77 a legal battle ensued after store owners filed a lawsuit against the company regarding store locations and the lack of sufficient stock to keep up with demand. A legal battle ensued and the brand disappeared but did not die.

During the 1990's European footwear designer and manufacturer Michel Meynard was looking for an opportunity to launch his own brand and happened on a billboard with a model wearing Earth styled shoes. Over a four year period Meynard Designs Inc. secured all related rights to Earth brand from a variety of people formerly associated with Kalso Systemette Inc. and redeveloped and redefined Earth Brand for a more upscale market.

In 2001, after a quarter of a century Earth Brand footwear was reintroduced to the marketplace. In 2002 Earth Footwear was named "Brand of the Year" at the WSA show in Las Vegas. Later the same year Earth launched its first ever Earth Classic Collection in response to consumer demand.

The Earth shoes of the 1970s were somewhat limited and dowdy versions that were adored by the health- conscious but not so much by the style conscious.

Happily the modern version of Earth Shoes come in a much more stylish and colourful range so that customers can enjoy the comfort but still look great.

Each and every pair of Earth shoes features a 3.7 degree incline which helps you to strengthen your body with every step. This natural angle re-distributes body weight - strengthening, toning and engaging muscles throughout the body. The footwear features reinforced support through the arch to complement the 3.7 degree incline. This arch support maximises the effectiveness of the heel design to promote a very natural walking action. A form-fitting footbed with Biofoam cushioning inside all Earth footwear provides exceptional comfort. This material moulds to the shape of the foot, displacing and absorbing shock with each step.

The style, comfort and health benefits that come with wearing Earth Shoes will make you glad that they're back from the past.

Charlotte Wilson has been sharing her experiences with various fashion brands and retail stores such as online shoes retailer Sarenza UK, through article writing for over 10 years. To view a range of fashionable footwear including the latest Earth Shoes collection, visit the Sarenza website.

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Eco Friendly Shoes - Are Consumers Buying Them

By Carl Fraser

Now that many brands of shoes are offering Eco-Friendly ranges of their products, are consumers willing to change their buying habits to help the environment?

The manufacture of footwear does have an impact on the environment. The sourcing of raw materials, bleaching used and other parts of the manufacturing process can all be harmful. Plus, once you've finished wearing the shoes, disposal can also be a big issue.

These, together with the sheer number of shoes consumers are now buying, and the transportation of them around the World, all add up to making some brands of shoes very non-eco.

The previously nice market of eco-friendly shoes is now joined by some leading brands, who offer these alongside their traditional ranges. These often use FSC-certified rubber and materials such as organic cotton, and colour the shoes using non-bleaching processes.

Inevitably, due to the extra processes involved, eco-friendly shoes often cost slightly more than their standard counterparts, so in these days of environmental awareness, are shoe-buying customers choosing to pay slightly more for shoes that have been made with the planet in mind?

There are indications that they may not be. In a recent survey of over five hundred shoe buyers in the United Kingdom, only three% said that Eco Friendly methods were very important to them when deciding what shoes to buy. For them, the most important factors were the price and the brand, with over 40% opting for price as the main issue on whether to buy.

These findings are also supported with search results from Google, this with terms such as 'eco friendly shoes' getting a low number of searches, and showing no signs of increasing significantly.

However, some brands like Patagonia do seem to be doing well with eco-friendly ranges. They have managed to remain with an eco-friendly agenda, yet produce commercially appealing shoes that are proving popular with more and more consumers.

So, while it does appear that, especially in these current financial times, many customers are opting to put price before production methods, the signs are there that the footwear industry is starting to take its environmental responsibilities onboard.

Carl Fraser is Managing Director of Totally Commerce Ltd, owners of http://www.TotallyShoes.co.uk - Retailers of leading brand footwear in the UK.

Totally Commerce Ltd also operate several other websites in different business areas.

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