Eco Fashion World

It’s green, it grows in the wild, it stings and you can make fabric out of it. Guess what it is! It’s stinging-nettle, a plant that most of us would have never imagined making fabric from. But nettle fiber is not the only thread that triggers our imagination; nowadays you can indulge in many luxurious fabrics weaved from the most exotic plants. To celebrate the Year of Natural Fibers, we take you on a little trip around the world to highlight some of our favorite discoveries. Whether you're a designer or simply a fashion addict, you're going to love these fibers and fabrics!

And you have! It's time to look at the year behind you and give yourself a big old pat on the back, open that champagne and take a moment to look at what you've accomplished!

What? Who? You don't remember doing anything special?… I'm not so sure about that! Think real hard, did you do at least one of these things this year: Feel the thrill of vintage shopping? Buy a gift in a fair-trade shop? Choose some organic cotton underwear instead of some made from conventional cotton? Carry a reusable bag for your shopping? Said no to fur? Cleaned out your closet and gave your unwanted items to a charity shop?

“Just like the first industrial revolution started in the fashion industry, so will the second that leads us to sustainability.” (William McDonough and Michael Braungart, authors of Cradle to Cradle)

NO, NO, NO was the word popping all over Victor & Rolf's last collection. Whether painted on the models’ faces or embossed in 3D on a jacket, it was time for a catwalk statement: NO to the disposable culture of fast fashion.

The Olympics, Free Tibet, environmental pollution and an economic growth of 10% per year: China is full of contradictions. But when it comes to ethical production, China surprises us with some exciting developments.

First up is the April launch of the Sustainable Fashion Business Forum (SFBF); eleven Hong Kong clothing manufacturers have teamed up with the Clothing Industry Training Authority (CITA) to share information and devise new ways to make the trade more environmentally friendly. The group supplies big brands such as Marks & Spencer, Gap and H&M and has several essential items on the agenda. One of them is to set up a carbon accounting standard in collaboration with WWF Hong Kong.

Stepping hesitantly into the world of eco fashion because of the color issue? Feeling like there aren’t enough hue options offered, or wondering if those brighter colors really are eco friendly? Greening the dyeing process of their garments is indeed one of the hardest nuts to crack for eco conscious brands. Many of them dive into natural dyes nowadays: a good reason to take a closer look at this process.

Natural dyes are dyes primarily obtained from sources found in nature. Did you know, for example, that a great source for natural dyes can be found right in your own backyard? It’s not surprising—roots, nuts and flowers are just a few common ways to get many colors like yellow, orange, blue, red, green, brown and grey.