Eco Fashion World

Ok, so we’ve published our share of less “fashiony” items over the past week, with the Primark Protest, the ethical fashion seminar and the launch of a user’s guide to ban the plastic bag, there’s been a lot to report! But here’s one more occasion to flex your inner activista (after that, we promise, it’s all back to organic sparkles and bamboo frills), today is international Buy Nothing Day. The campaign started by the famous Adbusters organization has now spread to the whole world and gives us a much needed 24 hour break from shopping. For those of us caught in a cycle of consumption so deep and dark that we can’t even think of what to do on a day without shopping, or simply if we feel like causing some harmless trouble, both websites have whole lists of suggested Buy Noting Day actions. Although I personally wouldn’t cut up my credit card just yet, the suggestion for throwing a temper tantrum or starting a conga line in the middle of a store sound like a good deal of fun. We also congratulate small shop owners who are taking a stand by closing their stores on the “first day of Christmas shopping”, choosing to follow their beliefs even if it means loosing a bit of revenue. So if you’re in Toronto, today’s not the day to pop into the vegan shoe store Left Feet or the fabulous eco boutique Heart On Your Sleeve, as they’ll be closed to mark the event, their owners probably walking nearby malls dressed as consumer zombies!

If you’re reading these lines, you’ve probably already all but banished plastic bags from your life. So it just drives you up the wall when you see people in line at the checkout carelessly double bagging their purchases, just because they can… However, starting to rant and preach at them like a crazy person might not get the results you hope for. What could get you results however, is following the wise advise that Rebecca Hoskins has gathered in her brand new book Ban the Plastic Bag: A community action plan. Starting with the case study of Modbury in Devon, which became Britain’s first plastic bag-free town in Britain in May 2007, the book explains how any other village town or city could get such policies implemented. It even comes with its very own complimentary organic cotton bag to add to your collection.

December 2-3, Copenhagen, Denmark

Are you an eco fashion professional and lost in the challenges you face? A trip to Denmark might be the way to go in that case! On December 2-3, Organic Exchange and Made-By will host a seminar on Sustainable Fashion in Copenhagen!

And for a little shot of sunshine here are some of the hot happenings that took place in the South hemisphere this month.

Love them or hate them, the holidays are fast approaching and most of us, somehow, will be participating in some form of gift exchanging. So where to start if you’re an ethical fashionista?

First, you can make your true colors known by taking the Buy Handmade pledge to find original gifts for your loved ones and request that others do the same for you. A happy side effect of these belt-tightening times is that several crafty designers are hopping on the sustainability bandwagon and using recycled materials for economic reasons. Of course you will find a plethora of choices on famous online crafting community Etsy but should you want to touch, smell and try on the goodies, here are a few places to go.

PRIMARK is currently bragging about its recent media cover up and this is your chance to protest against that! Campaigning organization Labour Behind the Label and Tara and Stacy from Blood Sweat and T-shirts will lead a stunt in telling PRIMARK that the crisis for workers is not over.

The country where Mahatma Gandhi once created a revolution by wearing a simple locally hand woven cotton garment called the Khadi as a sign of independence is still a leader in terms of textile innovations. From high tech weaving to rediscovering ancient dyeing traditions, India has some interesting new answers for eco fashion design.