Eco Fashion World

One of the trailblazers of the “fashion for development” ideas, Bangladeshi fashion designer and former super model Bibi Russell has just launched a new fashion label called Bibi for WE. The initiative is a collaboration between the United Nations Development Program and the Modern Dress Sewing Factory (MDSF) in Cambodia. The products under the Bibi for WE label will initially comprise designer bags meant for a global market. The design will use local materials such as Cambodian silk and will be rich in local cultural motifs. Bibi has trained HIV positive women in the selection of materials, design, finishing and quality control.

Not on the wall but on your back comes this new eco bag by Stella McCartney. Bags made of recycled materials are not a new concept, but have you ever seen a design like this? With X-mas approaching Stella might have envisaged streets full of reindeer, but American animal organizations don’t think that’s a very romantic picture. Even though it’s made out of recycled polyester and other ‘green’ materials.

Set aside those bad lingerie thoughts: even your finest intimates can now be made in a climate friendly way. What do you think of these beautiful pieces made of pinewood from G98? Or for the man in your life some Babygod boxers? For basic pieces you could also trust good old Marks & Spencer. They have been a partner of a Sri Lankan factory for years which is now being advertized as the world’s first for carbon neutrality. MAS Holdings has a hot green date with the global economy and it sounds as good as this model looks. There's no refrigerant-filled compressor for air conditioning. Instead it uses evaporative cooling, which leaves the workplace around four degrees hotter than air-conditioning would—but uses much less energy. The factory includes natural lighting of workspace, green roof, and so on. With the result that it uses 40% less energy than an ordinary factory of the same size. And the electricity it uses is from renewable sources: 90% from a hydro-power plant and 10% from on-site solar panels.

White socks, skin colored bras, leggings and tops that make you look like a sausage. These items ring our fashion alarm bells since all of them are ‘Super Wrong’. But things are even worst when you think that many cotton farmers still don’t get a fair price for their product. To point to this major problem in a fun and provocative way, STICHTING has initiated the ‘Foute Campagne’ (Wrong Campaign). The kick off was a guerilla fashion show in Amsterdam’s chiquest shopping street. Part of the campaign is the ‘Foute Nacht’ that takes place this Saturday September 13 in concert hall Paradiso. Entrance is free for anyone who brings a piece of cloth made of ‘wrong cotton’ (foute katoen). The aim is to create a mountain of socks, T-shirts, towels and other items that will shows visitors how many items are still being made in a bad way. The art collective ‘Vage Gasten’ will make a huge work of art out of the mountain of cotton items. The program looks promising with great DJ’s & bands and celebrities present as ‘wrong friends’ (foute vrienden).

Yes, we’ve been reporting on exciting eco events throughout the summer, but this week, the fun really begins. The Spring 2009 shows are starting today with New York Fashion Week. Last night, the fashion marathon kicked off with a mega green fashion show rallying celebrities and major industry players.

The event marks the launch of the Sierra Club’s Be Eco-Chic campaign, which aims to raise awareness on the environmental responsibility of the fashion industry and provide the public with helpful tips on how they can play their part.

While we may still enjoy hot summer dresses and tops for a few weeks, we all know that grey suit time is approaching again. With days getting shorter, nights for eco shopping on the net become longer. Make sure you get yourself wrapped in one of these sharply cut alternatives to the office suit.

The Guardian recently gave some suggestions to succeed in shopping for office clothes. Like the Amana classic jacket available at Fashion Conscience. Or the Camilla Norrback high waist pencil skirt made of organic cotton. And this brings us to highlight another Scandinavian designer because Noir’s sexy blazers can easily be worn in an office environment.

The perfect man: he’s committed to environmental and social causes, good looking, and he just wants to make your life more comfortable. Ladies, your perfect man is a shoe!

This fall, Toms Shoes is launching several models that have our little hearts beating. They already score points with their ethical production and their “one for one” program that gives a pair of shoes to a destitute child for every pair that you buy. Then you slip them on and feel the joy of walking out in shoes as comfortable as your slippers and you want to wear them every day, luckily with their sturdy construction, you actually can.

Sometimes, a girl just wants to shut down her computer, make herself a cup of tea (or rich almond milk hot chocolate) curl up on the couch and read a paper magazine, or maybe take it with her on her morning commute…no judgment, we like that too!

Luckily, there's now a greener alternative to your favorite glossies. The Dutch already have Green 2 and this August, the chic American eco-lifestyle magazine Boho. Chock-full of sustainable goodies, green tips and inspirational stories, the mag is also printed on 100% post consumer waste paper with natural soy inks.

Emotional ceremonies, dancing till dawn, boozy speeches and too much cake…the summer wedding season is drawing to an end. You have a few more bridesmaid dresses in your closet and of course “you can always shorten them and wear them again” as Katherine Heigl said in the movie 27 dresses or you can learn from your mistakes and become a more eco savvy bride or bridesmaid next year…

Magic in Vegas might more immediately conjure up thoughts of Siegfried and Roy than eco fashion, but it is indeed the latter that we will talk about today. We’ve already told you about tradeshows going green from New York to Berlin, the latest convert is Las Vegas’ giant fashion tradeshow Magic.

Fair trade fashion is more than just a fad - it's a following! If you're a swinging eco-savvy, then this event should feature as a must-do in your social calendar. Join London’s eco-fashionistas and put your footprint on the dance floor.

Mister Earth invites you to attend a two-part stylish summer party on Tuesday August 12th from 5.30 pm at his recently opened eco-bar Surya. The club is the first bar in London where you can dance to save the planet. How, you wonder? Check this out. Surya is an initiative from Club4Climate, a new organization promoting ecotainment.

This is the year! If you don’t wear leather and you’ve been moaning and groaning about the lack of fashionable options and the high cost of the few truly fabulous vegan shoe brands out there, this fall you will finally be rewarded for your patience.

 Of course, waking up at four o’clock in the morning to bid on Stella McCartney boots at half price on E-bay is still an option (not that it’s ever happened to us, of course) but you might just find shoe love amongst our new fall favorites:

If you’re doing a student placement in the fashion industry in the UK this summer, don’t miss this FEI (Fashioning and Ethical Industry) event taking place this Wednesday August 6th between 1.30 - 4.30pm at the London College of Fashion.

Whether you’re doing your placement with a high-street chain or a small ethical company, you will have the opportunity to explore the ethics of the industry, learn about the working conditions in garment manufacture and gain a deeper understanding of issues faced by garment workers. You can register online here.

Imagine riding through the city with the wind blowing through your hair…from LA to Sidney, from Paris to Mumbai, bicycles are picking up speed as the favorite mode of urban transportation. A couple of weeks ago, Paris celebrated the one-year anniversary of the Velib, a city wide public bicycle service. This iconic shot of Agyness Deyn taken last year at the time of the launch captures the essence of the fashion world’s realization that “bikes are the new Ferraris”. And what’s not to like: more hot legs and less smelly gasses! Of course, there is the problem of accessories. A basket to plop your purse in is always nice, but there’s a reason the people who use bicycles the most have a special bag named after them: the messenger. This often shapeless carrier in black nylon with fluorescent accents isn’t normally our cup of tea, so we went on a mission to source a few models that even a cycling starlet like Kate Hudson would be proud to carry.

Who knew that vegan shoes would become such a hot trend? Well, trust a hot Brazilian like Melissa to find the recipe for success by collaborating with today’s edgiest designers.

The latest collaboration to date has just been announced, not with a fashion designer, but with an architect; Zaha Hadid , - the first woman ever to receive the Pritzker Prize for Architecture in 2004 - is taking the plastic medium to structural heights with this spectacular new sandal. The shoe, which is due to launch at a party during London Fashion Week in September, is already creating quite a buzz and even has its own statue. It will be available for sale this fall at London’s trendiest concept store: Dover Street Market.

It seems that the eco-designer is the new must-have item of any good fashion competition. First there was the sustainable designer on Project Runaway, and now the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America)  and VOGUE have announced the ten Finalists for the next CFDA/VOGUE Fashion Fund initiative, and guess what? Organic by John Patrick is in the running! This line of modern classics made from the purest natural materials is certainly one of the head-turners in the world of eco fashion. It’s one of those labels that speaks loudly about fashion and whispers, ever so convincingly, about eco.