Eco Fashion World

Along with Tine Luyt, the initiator of the website Modebewust, I gave a lecture about Sustainable Design for international students from the prestigious Dutch Design Academy in Eindhoven yesterday. We were very pleased to be invited to this inspiring industrial building that used to be the Philips Light Factory. Tine and I talked about some developments in sustainable design and we gave the students some tips and examples. The aim was to see some innovative eco designs of these great students in the near future.

'This village, this is my world'

My grandmother always had a weak health but a strong character. She was born in the 1920's during the first wave of female liberation. My grandparents only had three kids, a disgrace in the catholic village where they lived. My mum recalls that the priest came visiting them to ask what was wrong. Nothing was wrong, my grandmother just had other priorities. Like opening her own fashion store. After years of being at home with the kids, she transformed my granddad's business into a lingerie shop. Women from all over the region came to her for their corsets and suspenders. I imagine that while their kids played with my mum and uncles, these ladies giggled as they were trying on the sexy tents my grandmum offered.

My mum gave me this beautiful quilt for my birthday. It's made of hundreds of pieces of fabric in my favorite colors. Bit by bit sewn together in blocks with a red square at the heart of every block. Hours of labor and love she put into this quilt. My mum knows what her daughter needs in Swiss winters, being far away from home.

Today was a HUGE day for Green with Fashion! Maybe it had something to do with the beautiful weather we are experiencing in Philadelphia today, or maybe it's just pure luck. Either way, our list of contributing designers skyrocketed from 19 to 24 in literally the span of an hour. I was just hoping that we would break 20 for the event... after all "20 designers" sounds so much prettier than "19 designers" -- but "24 locally- and nationally-known designers" sure sounds amazing as well!

My good friend -and excellent photographer, Pablo Wünsch Blanco www.auslandia.com and myself, came across Baruc Corazón timeless cotton shirts about this time of the year, just two years ago. We were wandering the streets of the Chueca district, downtown Madrid, when the entrance of a brand new cozy store called 3 Góngoras caught our eyes. Curious and hungry for beauty as we are, we went in to discover Baruc’s permanent collection: a set of shirts, kurtas and kaftans which has recently expanded to relaxed jackets and pants, and elegant polo-shirts and blazers. Since then, Baruc’s name has been in and out my professional life as one of Spain’s most visionary designers and certainly one of the most meaning driven. His garments stand out for their exquisite natural fabrics, smart, durable and unisex cuts, and the feeling you are purchasing something for the rest of your life. A true contender for both slow fashion and aesthetics. Just yesterday, I entered Baruc’s showroom and store in Madrid for the first time and I could experience all of those qualities exuding from each and every piece, the warmth in the atmosphere, rounded up by the interior design and the attentive and joyful service of his assistant – who happened to be an old student of mine from IED. Pure joy.

Let me first get you all caught up with my planning. Originally, the event was going to be a regular charity fashion show, focusing on local Philadelphia designers and boutiques. But then, after learning about Arcadia Boutique, I shifted my focus to eco fashion. 3 weeks and several hundred emails later, I am delighted to say that I have 18 great eco-conscious designers signed on for the event.

One of the great brands that will be participating is Bag the Habit, a company that creates stylish reusable shopping bags. Not only will they be participating in the event, they have donated a bag to be raffled off, as well!

What strikes me being back in Rio is the poverty that hits you in the face similarly to the humid heat. It's sometimes difficult to acknowledge the relevance of working in eco fashion when I see children begging on the streets with just a rag on their body. It makes me think I should devote all my energy to education and getting as many kids to school as possible. Because who cares about eco, when you can't even buy your child a decent shirt?

Kim and I met on our way to Izmir, Turkey, one warm September afternoon, just about three years ago. We embarked for our first Organic Exchange Global Conference. She was part of one of the most exciting projects on sustainable fashion that was taking place in The Netherlands, and I had just dropped into the organic textile world. The image of those intense days together, amidst so many special and inspiring people, thought provoking speeches from leading international companies and fun evenings by the sea, come back to me today as I get the confirmation from the Organic Exchange (OE) itself: I will start working as its business development manager in Europe in a few days. I can’t help the excitement! OE is an international organization committed to expanding organic agriculture, with a specific focus on increasing the production and use of organically grown fibers such as cotton. Its long term goal is to grow the amount of certified organic land farmed for fiber production by 50% per year. To support these efforts, the OE brings together brands and retailers with their business partners, farmers and key stakeholders to learn about the social and environmental benefits of organic agriculture, and to develop new business models and tools that support greater use of organic inputs. Consumer awareness is also one of its aims. So it seems we closed the first part of the loop…back together through EFW, let’s see what comes next!