Eco Fashion World

The lesso: A long rectangular piece of cloth, brightly coloured and patterned, the traditional attire of Swahili women living along the coastal regions of East Africa. Since 2005, the lesso has taken on a different, rather more international role as the inspiration and centrepiece of clothing brand Lalesso, which is currently taking the fashion world by storm.

Showing this weekend in the Swedish Cultural Center in Paris: Camilla Norrback’s latest collection! The pieces in the autumn/winter 2010 collection are characterized by intricate knits, classic shapes and soft materials, perfect for a Scandinavian winter!

Last week several student led initiatives highlighted ethical fashion in the UK and USA. UCL's fashion society, MODO, held a spectacular show with garments made from a variety of materials including Ikea bags, paperclips, photographs, newspaper and human hair, some wearable and some not so much! The designers were all students at UCL who make clothes in their spare time as part of the society. Sponsors included 10:10, TRAID, Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace.

EFW has made its mark in the eco-fashion industry and will continue to be a portal for the latest technologies, designers and styles in the eco-fashion sector. That being said, we are forming partnerships and stretching beyond the “fashion” industry into all parts of the green spectrum to further demonstrate our commitment in protecting our planet through sustainability.

On a recent trip to a secret island (no joke), I had one of those ‘ah-ha!’ moments about one of my favorite prints. As I reached a secluded part of the beach I realized the sand at a plateau where the tide had last receded, left these incredible patterns of dark sentiment throughout. I couldn’t help but think about ikat prints. I know, ikat is sooooooo last year, but in the world of shopping and dressing green, one-off trends are just one more aspect of fashion we all need to work against. Let’s take a look at ikat as a timeless trend instead, shall we?

If the Eco Fashion Forward party was any indication, Vancouver is about to go to a whole new level with the upcoming Vancouver Eco Fashion Week in April 2010. The event is the brainchild of Miriam Laroche and draws from her 15 years of experience working in the fashion industry. Vancouver Eco Fashion Week seeks to put the “glamour” into the Ethical Fashion scene in Vancouver.

These days, a heated debate on fish leather is taking place on our social networking group on LinkedIn. Although we have written about fish leather before, we feel it is good to stick our nose in this business again.

Salmon is probably the best known fish that is used for making leather. Other species include tilapia, Nile perch, carp and sea bass, among others. The different fish species are identifiable by their shape and the size of the scale pockets. Salmon has for example very small scale pocket patterns. Fish leather is as strong as any other. It is made in a variety of finishes, most popular of which are ruffled and glazed suede. The leather is drum dyed in a rainbow spectrum of colors which allows designers a rich choice to work with.