Drape this luxurious cardigan over a tank top or fitted dress for an extra touch of elegance. Photo credits: Jim Morrison

When EF first interviewed Lara Stephenson, designer of ever-growing Revolve Clothing Co., her designs were sold in a handful of stores in Canada and one or two in the U.S. A year later, and Revolve clothing has stretched its branches further across North American to more and more stores. EF wants to start off by congratulating Lara on her great success and for being featured on Treehugger.com as one of the top “20 Green Designers You’ve Never Heard Of (But Oh You Will)”.

Lara Stephenson’s Revolve Clothing follows the motto that a cool and calm exterior reflects a cool and calm interior. The spiritual West African symbols and soothing messages of unity, wisdom, and knowledge printed on her pieces all reflect Stephenson’s zen-like demeanor and spiritual take on eco-fashion. Revolve Clothing has a simplistic, Asian style that allows each piece to flow well from street to formal work wear. It is this flexibility inherent in her clothing that Stephenson wishes to communicate to her clientele. “I’ve always been drawn to that clean aesthetic because I think that a clean garment is a flexible garment. Often a piece can only be worn one or two ways if it’s a fancier style but when it’s clean and streamlined, you can layer lots of things together.”

Stephenson puts a great deal of thought into every detail of her pieces. She knows the importance of catering to her spiritually minded customers, keeping her designs simple and sleek while adding little pleasant surprises such as a conveniently hidden pocket or adjustable strap. “I’m a very cerebral person so I think about how a person can wear a piece and have a lot of options on how to wear it. I might add a strap to allow for different sleeve lengths” explains Stephenson.

Slip into this dress either loose or with a belt for day and night looks. Photo credits: Jim Morrison

A student of the International Academy of Design, Toronto-based Stephenson started her first label in 2003 with a friend from school, launching a premier fall collection in 2004. After a couple of seasons, she took a break to regroup and launched Revolve in the summer of 2006 with a new brand and a new message. She focused strictly on knit garments, tops, tunics, dresses, and adorable little jackets. Spring 2008 marked Revolve’s switch to eco-friendly fabrics. Stephenson had wanted to use organic fabrics from the start but the availability of such fabrics was scarce at the beginning of the eco-fashion boom.

“The community of eco-designers is certainly growing, says Stephenson. Even designers who aren’t completely eco are starting to add organic garments and to pick up on bamboo fabrics and adding them to their conventional fabrics. I understand that they’re not willing to make the total switch because it does limit your fabric options quite a bit but it’s nice to see that more and more designers are recognizing the need to go green.”

This past spring/summer 2009 season saw the birth of Honor, a sub-label of Revolve dedicated to and inspired by Lara’s late mother, Dr. Honorata Migriño Stephenson. Honor’s clean aesthetic is reminiscent of Revolve but reflects Lara’s mother’s personal style with an absence of the silk screened graphics seen
throughout the Revolve collection.

Pair this adorable top with an A-line skirt and this season's knee-high boots. Photo credits: Jim Morrison

As if Stephenson weren’t busy enough with Revolve, she has also recently opened a shop called IDO: Independent Designers Outlet on Dundas West. The store sells overstock of past collections by Canadian labels and features a convenient basement for her work studio . 

*Revolve Clothing will donate a portion of its profits to L.I.F.E. for Health, a non-profit charitable organization founded by Honorata in 1990. L.I.F.E. for Health offers Livelihood, Infrastructure, Food and Education programs in her native Philippines, and in 2009 will introduce programs in Rwanda. (http://www.revolveyourworld.com/about/)

Revolve Clothing is offered in these national store locations:

ALBERTA

Meese Clothing
31D Perron Street
St. Albert

Photo credits: Jim Morrison

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Life of Riley
3697 Main Street
Vancouver

Paradise
613 Johnson Street
Victoria

NOVA SCOTIA

Biscuit
1661 Argyle Street
Halifax

Sweet Pea Boutique
1542 Queen Street
Halifax

ONTARIO

Distill
55 Mill Street (The Distillery District)
Toronto

Fraiche
348 Queen St. West
Toronto

IDO: Independent Designers Outlet
(past collections)
1418 Dundas St. West
Toronto

My Bump Maternity
944 Kingston Road
Toronto

Trixie
2313 Bloor St. West
Toronto

Envy Boutique
1645 Wyandotte St. East
Windsor

USA
Carbon

2643 Connecticut Ave NW
Washington DC

ONLINE RETAILERS
Revolve Online Shop
Green is Black
2960
Mudshark
Ecocentrik Apparel