Eco Fashion World

Topshop and British wool label, Izzy Lane, have paired up to launch a premium coat range for the fall season. The line includes three different styles that are covetable for cold winters. The coats are made from Wensleydale and Shetland sheep that Lane saved and raised on her North Yorkshire property.

Tara St.James

 

Tara St James is an incredible designer and mentor. After working as the creative director for Covet, Tara launched her own label Study in 2009 and has swiftly established herself as a key innovator in the ethical fashion scene. Her intelligent zero waste designs and constant collaborations with artists and textile designers are probably the key components to her success. A firm believer in open sourcing, Tara has also set up the Study Hall project, throwing interns into the deep end. Each intern is given the skills and guidance to create their own collections which they then sell to stockists.

Read full article...

"To live with your heart, be brave, excited and spontaneous!" That's the philosophy behind the fun, feminine and whimsical Melbourne based dress designers, Nut & Bright , a breath of fresh air in Australia's most unpredictable Summer.

February the 10th saw two legendry ethical brands launch an exquisitely designed collection in New York. The accidental hero of ethical fashion in London, Christopher Raeburn launched his new collaboration collection called 'Remade in Switzerland' with Swiss adventure brand giant Victorinox. The debut collection was presented with a feature film taken of his de- and re- construction process.

Adorn yourself in exotic one-of-a-kind sustainable eco jewels from the Amazon rainforest.

Regina Landim Noppe is a Brazilian Canadian now living in Canada who has a degree in international trade and ever since moving to Canada has wanted to import exotic and sassy Brazilian fashion into the Canadian fashion market.

SUITE TA BU

The green movement is about so many things, but an undeniable characteristic of the movement can be described as a time for creative expulsion. The challenge to find solutions to our environmental issues has allowed us a platform to search deep in our souls to come up with new and healthier ways to do things. The fashion and beauty industries are taking a strong initiative and What Is Suite Ta Bu is a prime example of this.

The future of conscious fashion is now teeming with ancient touches as illustrated at London Fashion Week (LFW) this past Monday with Ada Zanditon’s ‘Pyramora’ S/S 2011 presentation. EFW has been following Ada’s journey since 2008 , and this award-winning ethical fashion designer has boldly ventured above and beyond our expectations with her ability to fuse textile innovation with sustainable fabric sourcing and fair trade standards. This latest collection by Ada features the hybridization of themes linked to modern day eco travel in Egypt and the fragile coral reefs of the Red Sea. Rich in details and (bio)diverse in attitude, this talented young designer does not waste a bit of material in the conceptual and structural execution of her avant-garde ideas.

If you want to opt for street chic influenced by a noticeable dose of modern architecture, check out Bodkin's sleek collections. Good, smart design with comfort in mind form simple silhouettes that you can take from day into night.

Bodkin pushes the envelope a little further each season with new fabrications in the ethical arena such as post-consumer recycled polyester, recycled wool, fine organic cottons, salvaged textiles, and hand loomed weaves from collectives in India.

In 2007, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Edun, an ethical fashion company founded by Ali Hewson and her husband Bono of U2, established the Conservation Cotton Initiative (CCI). This alliance was formed to improve the livelihoods of communities in Africa by investing in sustainably harvested “conservation cotton.” The program promotes development of eco-friendly cotton farming around high biodiversity areas to enhance incomes and economic development, improve resource management, and protect wildlife.

More than a century after Emily Davison threw herself at the mercy of the king’s horse in the name of women's suffrage, you’d be forgiven for hoping that it’s only Michelle Obama who still forces herself to play the vicar’s wife role of tracing her husband’s mighty steps with a plate of cucumber sandwiches. The wealthiest novelist in Britain is a woman (JK Rowling), the poet laureate is a woman (Carol Ann Duffy), and the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition was recently curated by a woman (Tracy Emin). Why then is Lauren Podoll letting her husband front their highly successful, jointly run, ethical fashion brand, Josh Podoll, and thus confining herself to the image of secretary or worse - muse?

The Andean Collection, a New York-based jewelry company that creates chic and ethically produced statement jewelry designed collaboratively by NYC designers and indigenous artisans of Ecuador, has unveiled its latest line of stunning natural jewelry.

Sitting down with Adhesif founder Melissa Ferreira means getting insights in the whole eco fashion and recycling movement. She is a designer, entrepreneur and stylist, but also a strong thinker and activist. And this makes our conversation go way beyond the aesthetics of her designs.

She can’t recall being any different as a child: she was always very involved with her community. ‘Everyone was from somewhere else and spoke different languages, but we did not let that stop us as kids and all played together’. That continued as she moved from Montreal to Vancouver at the age of twelve. ‘We all have to find our own value and we can make a difference if we immerse ourselves in a group of people who feel and think in a similar way’. The move also brought her signature style into being: a European, vintage inspired feel fused with the environmentalist approach that is at the heart of the city of Vancouver. Every Adhesif piece is unique, hand-made from vintage cloth and in most cases sewn by Melissa’s mum, her strongest supporter and business partner in Adhesif.

Last month Vancouver Fashion Week took place with designer Angela Saxena showing her Lav and Kush A/W 2010collection on the catwalk. We caught up with her about the inspiration for her designs and the dynamics of running her eco fashion brand.

Headquarted in Canada, Oliberté has launched the first international footwear company to work exclusively in Africa. Designs for men and women shoes are urban-casual inspired and sold online and in select stores this spring in Canada and the United States. Founder and President Tal Dehtiar has already been recognized with the International Youth Foundation ‘Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award’ and nominated for the YMCA Peace Award, Canada's Top 40 under 40 and Ernst and Yong's Social Entrepreneur of the Year. Last week I had the privilege of meeting him in his workspace in Oakville.

The ethical issues surrounding the ever controversial topic of 'plus size' models were challenged by designer Mark Fast at this years’ London Fashion Week. From his disapproving stylist, who quit following Marks decision to use the plus size models, to the critical views of the fashion world, Mark had his work cut out for him! "A lot of people think it's not appropriate to use plus-size models," he said. "But I met these girls and I loved their charisma. They're just jewels, you know?"

Last Tuesday night saw seventeen “alumni” fashion designers being honored by Gen Art at the classic Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, LA. Hosted by the organization that has served as a springboard for emerging talent, the event was a kick-off to LA Fashion Week. I followed up with one of the designers, who helms an eco-friendly line made from vintage garments and fabrics. Raiisa Gerona is founder and chief designer of Brigid Catiis, a line called after her grandmother). In 2008 she was selected as one of 15 green designers for Gen Art’s "Fashionably Natural" runway show featuring Spring/Summer '09 looks. "I felt so lucky," Raiisa exclaimed, "I was just getting started and here was this big runway production hosted by Maggie Gyllenhall, and we got so much exposure."

Since the birth of civilization, jewelry has been a notable part of virtually every culture. You hold a piece of jewelry in your hand and admire the beauty of it. Do you contemplate where it came from? If your precious gems could talk, what would they tell you about their journey? It is something to think about. Historically, the mining associated with some of the most common materials utilized in the fabrication of jewelry, such as gold, silver and diamonds, is unethical and destructive to the earth and the lives of people. In search of a sustainable alternative without sacrificing beauty, talented artistry, innovation and progress have met with knowledge and the desire for a better future and the result is authentic, precious, and beautiful jewelry made of nuts and seeds.