Eco Fashion World

‘Don’t buy clothes! Stop all consumerism! Why not protect this gift of life while we have it? Maybe surprisingly, it was Vivienne Westwood saying this after presenting her last collection during London Fashion Week in February.

‘There is no beauty in the finest cloth if it makes hunger and unhappiness’ (Mahatma Gandhi)

The great thing about working with students around the world who do research on ethical fashion, is the free flowing inspiration. The other day, Ishwari called me from London where she is writing her master thesis. She approached me last year after finishing her BA in fashion design at an Indian institute about which school she should choose to continue her studies. We have been working together since and often exchange ideas on our favourite topic.

There was a time in my life that I was close to another man than M.A. We had a great relationship and lots of fun, but then I fell in love with eco fashion. What started as a hobby grew into a community, a foundation and eventually a business. I worked 80 hours a week and did not make time anymore for my partner. When he had to go overseas, the physical detachment grew into an emotional one and we drifted apart. In the midst of the entrepreneurial heat, just before opening my own eco fashion store, I broke up with him. By that time I was married to my business and had forgotten about the romantic love I shared with this wonderful human.

Canada is home to more than a handful of amazing eco designers and last week I got the chance to see some of their work. In Ottawa, designers Bridget and Christina found it challenging to find suitable venues to sell their own handcrafted products and they opened Workshop Boutique. The store offers handbags, accessories, clothing, home accessories and giftware from local designers. With my pants becoming too tight, I was delighted to find Hug me bamboo and organic cotton cropped leggings to give space to that growing belly.

Attending trade shows throughout the year gives you some hints as to where we should be looking at when it comes to a more sensible fashion scene in the future. If I had to pick one personal highlight from the last edition of Texworld – held in Paris just last week, I’d say meeting Lena Swiadek, editor-in-chief of GoodLife Poland, a fresh eco lifestyle magazine from Poland. Lena browsed the fair looking for insights on new and eco fabrics with a big smile and a remarkably bright look in her eyes.

Karl Weick already said it decades ago: organizations exist to keep people busy. Organizations have ‘borders’ which theoretically separates the entity from its environment and within these borders, members adhere to rules from above. Communities of practice come into being based on a totally different process of ‘organizing’. This concept refers to a group of people who share a common interest. Through the process of sharing information and experiences, the members of this group learn from each other. In my opinion, the ethical fashion movement is first and foremost a community of practice in which people get involved because of their passion for a common theme and which allows them to develop themselves personally and professionally. And here Weick echoes again: people feel part of this community of practice because they derive meaning from it. The exchange of stories helps them to shape their identity as agents of change within this community and in the wider environment.

In 2003 I visited New York for the first time. Being overwhelmed by the magnificent energy of this city, I started a street research for hiphonest fashion. A handful of underground organic T-shirts labels and some re-vintage designers were what I found at that time. Not really a store full of eco fashion yet.

The sun shines, the moon glows,
the tides rise, the rain falls
-and a new baby is welcomed to our spinning world.
(Debra Frasier)