Leanimal's apparel puts green materials to good use

With homegrown labels such as Emily Katz and Sameunderneath, Portland is quickly becoming the center of the eco-friendly fashion world. Case in point is Leanne Marshall of Leanimal, who uses eco-friendly materials like hemp and organic cotton as much for their textural complexity as for their environmental gold stars.

Marshall, who began designing her own ballet costumes at the age of 12, is a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Design in San Francisco. Just two years old, the Leanimal label has already won design accolades from fashion shows and publications in Multnomah County, and it's stocked by trendsetting Portland boutique Foundation Garments.

Taking a decidedly feminine approach to design, Leanimal designs incorporate lovely, ladylike details such as pintucks, ruching and pleats, sometimes offered up in bold, jewel-toned shades of eggplant, cobalt blue and ruby red.

Pioneer Square boutique Violette plans to carry the chic line of flirty dresses, happy bubble skirts and ruffled blouses this spring, but in the meantime, Seattle shoppers can purchase two Leanimal statement pieces at her online Etsy shop.

The Bella coat ($255) creates a ladylike silhouette with a nipped-in waist, high ruffled collar and poodle-esque skirt. The Rosandra Collection Dress ($285) is a cream dream of organic cotton, hemp and cotton jersey gathered into a cloudlike concoction of pleats along the collar.

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