One look at Mountains of the Moon website will entice anyone who loves fashion and the earth to drool…even just a little.

Recently, our own EcoDiva had the opportunity to interview the company’s wonderfully passionate (and very talented) founder and designer, Melissa Baswell (shown above).

Here’s how it went:

EcoDiva: What does your logo and company name symbolize?

MB: There is actually a lot involved in the symbology of the name.

Moon was my first word as a baby, and I have always had a fascination with the moon. And as much as I consider myself a city girl and love Chicago, I have also lived in places like southern Oregon and deep in the Rockies in Colorado, and I feel incredibly alive in the mountains.

Our logo shows the Chicago city skyline with a mountain range in the background, inside of a moon.

Obviously this symbolizes the name of the company, but it also represents my efforts to design clothing that respects nature without sacrificing its ability to make the most metropolitan woman feel chic and fashion forward.

Every piece of clothing I design has some sort of city inspiration combined with something earth-inspired. One day I was walking down the street and saw this beautiful yellow wildflower blooming in between the cracks of a city sidewalk, and I remember thinking, “this is exactly what I am trying to do with Mountains of the Moon.”

EcoDiva: Tell me about your personal journey to green.

MB: I have always been an environmentalist, since I was born, because of my parents. My mom was a weaver and natural fiber artist and always very into growing our own food, and my dad loved hiking and photographing nature. We were composting and recycling before most people even knew what those terms meant. When I was in high school, I was president of my school’s eco-preservation club, and in college I interned with an environmental nonprofit organization. I started sewing when I was very young too, and was always interested in recycling clothing and working with sustainable fabrics. So for me, eco-fashion is really all I’ve ever known as a designer.

EcoDiva: In this new market of green fashion, what makes your products and your company unique?

MB: I think the main thing that makes Mountains of the Moon different in the eco-fashion industry is that we do create pieces that are on the designer end of the spectrum that can be considered on trend, but we always take into consideration that truly sustainable fashion can’t be “out of style” in one season. So a great deal of effort is made into designing collections that the most fashion-obsessed woman will be proud to wear that season, but that will also be something she can wear in five years and still feel chic.

We’re also unique in that we have two different lines: Mountains of the Moon Eco.Fashion and Melissa Baswell Eco.Luxury. The MotM line is more casual (but still very stylish and not stereotypically “granola”) and has a lower price point than the Melissa Baswell line, which consists of slightly more “formal” pieces made with really luxurious fabrics (including a 233 thread-count printed organic cotton sateen for summer ’09). Everyone should be able to wear sustainable fashion and feel beautiful in it, and there needs to be sustainable fashion available for every occasion, so it’s important to me to have a wide range of styles available in a wide range of prices.

EcoDiva: What are your some of your “green” personal and business practices?

MB: Personally, I have been a vegetarian since I was 15, and I try to eat local and organic food as much as possible. At home, we recycle and make a very conscious effort not to be wasteful in anything, whether water consumption or producing garbage. We are very big on reusing too. Obviously, I also wear eco-friendly clothing, including clothing made from sustainable fabrics and thrift store clothing as well.

With Mountains of the Moon, it is important to us to be green every step of the way, and not to just play on the eco-fashion term because it’s a trend right now. I use only sustainable materials like organic cotton and hemp in my designs, and we also produce locally, which keeps our carbon footprint low. Everything from our business cards to our shipping materials are reused or recycled, and we try to be very creative in this process. The hang tags on the Melissa Baswell line, for example, are essentially recycled business cards with left-over fabric that we turn into book marks, so people aren’t just pulling off the hang tags and throwing them away. We also organize joint events with local environmental organizations, and when we throw our seasonal launch parties, we do so at place like organic restaurants, where we’re able to join forces to really make a statement about the importance of respecting the environment. We make regular donations to a number of environmental organizations as well.

EcoDiva: Why is this important to you personally?

MB: Our culture is one that is based on mass consumption, and when you stop and take a moment to focus on the truly profound ways that the earth has been devastated as a result of this, I think it’s impossible not to want to do something. Participating in an eco-conscious lifestyle has been instilled in me from a very young age, so anything I can do, whether personally or through my work, seems natural, as well as necessary.

EcoDiva: What would your friends/other people be surprised to learn about you?

MB: That I really do enjoy relaxing! I work so much, and it’s sort of an ongoing joke with my friends and family that I don’t know how to just “do nothing.” But I can’t think of anything I’d rather do than just hang out with my boyfriend and my dog and not think for a while.

EcoDiva: What organic beauty/fashion products do you use & recommend?

MB: That could be a pretty long list! Alba Pineapple Cleanser is my one must have. It’s vegan, organic, and cleanses and exfoliates incredibly well.

EcoDiva: What books, movies, or CDs have been most helpful or inspiring to you?

MB:  For books, I’d say “On the Road” and anything by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. For movies, most recently Slumdog Millionaire, and anything with Audrey Hepburn. Music is definitely my biggest inspiration. I love everything from the Grateful Dead to Johnny Cash to MGMT. My new favorite is the Uglysuit. My boyfriend works in the music industry so I get to see a lot of live music, and even travel the world for it.

EcoDiva: Who designs the line and what is the inspiration for the designs?

MB:  I do all of the designing, and in addition to the city/nature contrast that is an obvious inspiration for my work, I also find a lot inspiration in vintage fashion, especially from the 50s and 60s, when there was a lot of clean lines and flattering cuts. This is part of the whole sustainability concept for me, because I feel like a lot of fashion from that period is timeless and still very wearable today. Timeless fashion doesn’t end up in landfills.

EcoDiva: Do you have an eco-fashion or beauty tip that you would like to share?

MB:  Invest in a few well-made, eco-friendly clothing pieces that are timeless and versatile. You don’t need a closet as big as a room. If you get bored and want to spruce up these key pieces, or if you are a fashionista who likes to stay on top of trends, visit a thrift store from time to time, and find scarves, vests, and other accessories or clothing pieces to compliment these wardrobe staples. Not only are you being sustainable, you are channeling your fashion creativity!

EcoDiva: Where does one buy your products?

MB:  My designs can be purchased directly at www.mountainsofthemoon.com, as well also at national boutiques and as in Japan, Sweden, the UK and Australia. Locally in Chicago, they can be found at Pivot Boutique, Earth Girls Boutique, and Verdessence. .

EcoDiva: What’s your current obsession?

MB: Drab, earthy colors paired with bright colors – not just in fashion, but in everything! Gray with bright summery yellow in particular.

EcoDiva: Who inspires you?

MB: My amazing 13 year-old black lab/chow Leary, who has all kinds of health problems, but never stops wagging his tail! I am also constantly inspired by the Tibetan people, who have had to endure really horrific tragedies, but still manage to practice compassion every single day.

EcoDiva: How do you get things done?

MB: I work way too much! I am not ashamed to admit that I am trying to learn how to create more of a balance between free time/life and work. Mountains of the Moon is my passion, but life can’t be all about work and nothing else. Right now, it seems impossible to have more free time, but it is important.

EcoDiva: What would you like to revolutionize?

MB: Well, when I started out, I said I was going to revolutionize the world of fashion by making eco-fashion high-fashion. But I think many of us in the design world have worked toward this, and it’s finally coming around. It’s just the beginning though. I think that any indie or eco-designer will tell you that we have a lot more work to do in order to really create a really substantial positive shift in the fashion industry’s paradigm.

EcoDiva: What’s the best green advice you ever received, and who gave it to you?

MB: If your best friend lent you a really beautiful dress to wear to a special event, you would make sure to return the dress in the same (or better) condition as it was in when you borrowed it. In the same way, you’re borrowing the earth, and it is your responsibility to treat it with the same respect as you would that dress. That came from my mom, when I was a little girl, and I shared it with many a littering neighborhood friend over the years!

Thank-you Melissa Baswell. For more info on Mountains of the Moon, follow me.