Eco Fashion World

Given the current global economic crisis and the daily scrutiny of consumer buying trends and glossy marketing strategies, EFW's March magazine turns its focus to the role of 'trends' in the eco fashion world as a means to better understand how designers are redefining and adapting to the changing climate. On one hand, trends can often be a vehicle for examining better ways of doing things via textile innovation and sustainable technologies, and on the flip side, the term carries with it pejorative connotations with its to season-to-season fickleness and 'make it new' agenda.

"Everyone designs who devises courses of action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones", this is the definition of the word "designer" provided by psychologist Herbert Simon.  And as far as fashion designers go, John Patrick is certainly a powerful force for changing the existing situation! The Vogue-CFDA nominee works from the root up and from the inside out to create a line that gives all its meaning to the term Organic.

We can think of no better way to celebrate the momentum and spirit of the past year in eco fashion than by highlighting the sculpturally innovative work of London-based designer, Ada Zanditon. The stand out London College of Fashion graduate is all about originality when it comes to fusing imaginative narrative themes with sustainable materials and fabrication methods. With stints working for Alexander McQueen and Gareth Pugh neatly tucked in her back pocket, Zanditon is cutting an impressive path though the field of ethical fashion and eco couture. Inspired while a design student by fashion maverick, Katherine Hamnett, it’s exciting to see the bold directions that this up-and-coming star has taken with her ethical collections and novel design concepts.

Although less than two years old, Izzy Lane is the up and coming British label that has the ethical fashion world a-buzz. With luxurious materials and timeless silhouettes, Izzy Lane offers the green answer to modern working women’s dilemmas. In the wake of her recent RSPCA Good Business Award, we caught up with founder Isobel Davies to chat about style, sustainability and the sheep that inspired it all. Find out everything you’ve ever wanted to know about wool but never dared to ask!

Amidst the controversy and the clichés, one can sometimes forget that China is also a country with a rich ancestral spiritual tradition. A tradition that can sometimes resurface in the most surprising places, like in the work of one of China’s most successful designers: Ma Ke. Following her intuition of creating simple organic designs using sustainable fabrics and hand made artisan production, Ma Ke has fashioned two unique collections. Launched in 1996, Exception de Mixmind is a line of sophisticated minimalist daywear distributed in 58 namesake stores and corners throughout China. Ma Ke’s latest endeavour Wu Yong (Useless) was invited to launch at Paris Fashion Week in 2007 and has since been accumulating accolades from the design and art communities. Ma Ke was awarded the title of ‘Best Asian Fashion Designer’ at the 2007 Elle Style Awards. In 2008 she was invited to show her work at London’s prestigious Victoria&Albert Museum and at Paris Haute Couture Week. She is also the subject of the film “Useless” by Jia Zhang-Ke, a poetic documentary contrasting the artful creation of Ma Ke’s collection with the lives of China’s garment factory workers. We caught up with Ma Ke in an online interview.

Red carpet moment, follow the rainbow dress!…Except we’re not on the red carpet…and the world’s divas haven’t yet discovered Leila Hafzi’s show-stopping gowns. However, judging from the audience’s reaction at the Ethical Fashion Show in Paris, and the awards that keep pilling up, we know it’s only a matter of time.