Affectionately called the Green Queen, Deborah Lindquist has been known to dress a celebrity or two in her recycled and vintage fabrics. Although she is modest, we discovered that her creations have been worn by beauties Charlize Theron, Jessica Simpson, Jessica Alba, Alyssa Milano, Demi Moore, Wendie Malick, and Gwen Stefani.

She dressed Rihanna for a video without even knowing who she was. The singer’s stylist hooked them up.

Sharon Stone requested an intro to Deborah and asked if she would stop into her photo shoot for More magazine (with Deborah’s designs) to hang out. The designer only had a few minutes because she was concerned about her production schedule. As it turns out, Sharon admired the sweater that Deborah was wearing so much; she asked if she could buy it (a one of a kind.) Talk about taking the shirt off someone’s back! (The sweater has been worn in public and seen in many magazines.)

Her work reflects beauty and creativity, while being kind to the environment. It’s how she lives her life.

Although Deborah’s favorite material is vintage cashmere (she even designs dogs’ sweaters with it), her favorite eco material is hemp. “It’s grown without pesticides and herbicides.”

We first met at a wedding expo run by Alyson Dutch (Consumer Events) and hosted at the Viceroy Hotel. Our second meeting was in Deborah’s Valley studio, where she wound up after bases in New York City, Marina del Rey, and Topanga Canyon.

What great stories I was besieged with. After producing a fashion show for a cancer charity event, the designer was approached to create a dress consisting of candy wrappers. Naturally it was pink and worn by a model that resembles Sandra Bullock.

Her look book is almost as large as the state of Texas! There were photos of her designs in a variety of Vogue magazines (Swedish, French, Australian, and Canadian) that a fashionista would drool over. “As a brand it’s difficult to have to learn new things every day. I actually bought my own website, designed and write it too.”

She specializes in bridal gowns and of course she designed her own wedding gown (a cut velvet, ‘20s inspired). But sadly her husband passed away. The good news is she is happily ensconced in another long-term relationship.

“I’ve been in the business 30 years.” You’d never know it as she is the epitome of youth. It’s probably her Minnesota farm upbringing and healthy living. Her grandmother taught her to use a sewing machine at the age of five and she practiced making doll dresses and later prom dresses.

“I found some material (Milanese mesh) in a trim store in New York and thought this would make a cool belt. It was edgy and interesting.” She quit her full-time fashion job and started her own business in her studio apartment.

How times have changed. “Retail is not doing well, nor are many businesses. I figure, a woman needs to buy a wedding dress. Why not eco?”

Watch out wedding designer Vera Wang!

Sue Facter owns a news agency that specializes in the luxury brand whose work appears in USA Today, Los Angeles Times, and Women’s Day Australia, as well as on broadcasts and the web.