Eco Fashion World

Nothing compliments this summer’s obsession with the floaty maxi dress like an equal obsession with enormous collar necklaces. Perhaps Quansah had her fingers firmly on the zeitgeist when she made the transition from beautifully embellished textiles to beautifully bejeweled neckpieces, or perhaps it was just a fortunate coincidence. Either way, the resulting accessories are set to put the ding back into the wedding season.

Our team at Eco Fashion World strongly believes in building relationships, forming partnerships, and creating alliances with like-minded people, organizations and businesses in an effort to educate and inform on sustainable fashion. Our family here at EFW is ever growing and changing, molding to the growth and progress of the eco fashion industry while pushing boundaries and doing what we love. Recently, we forged a partnership with Eco Fashion Week Vancouver as they are in full swing preparation mode for fashion week taking place September 28 – 30.

HAPPY COW

Who doesn’t need a bag? Overloaded pockets and sore shoulders are a drag so whether it’s for hiking, a concert, a cocktail party, a night on the town or trips to the beach this summer – here are a few bags you should definitely check out. Happy Cow – Handcrafted from recycled scraps of leather, Happy Cow hip bags, belt bags, shoulder bags and hobo bags are all stylish and perfect “for people on the mooove,” as their slogan suggests. They have practicality covered with individual compartments for cell phone, keys, and other personal items. Your hands are free for whatever your adventure requires. Available in various colors such as goes-with-everything chocolate, dark brown and black as well as other fun colors such as dirty dark red and mustard available in select styles.

Me to We Style is a new Canada based social enterprise that is committed to providing ethically manufactured, quality apparel for the socially conscious consumer. Their product line is locally produced, sweat-shop free, made using certified organic cotton and viscose from bamboo, and created to inspire a focus that is less on “Me” and more on “We” – our communities, our nations, and our world.

NATURE BABY

As a soon-to-be mom I am currently immersing myself in the wonderful world of ethical baby products. From diapers to toys, from cradles to the cutest clothes, nowadays there are many choices to give your little one the best with minimal damage to the planet. Let me take you on a world journey to discover some of the companies that make a difference.

Kelly Hoppen is a world renowned interior designer who has been translating inspiration from her travels, particularly her visits to the Far East, into the transformation of interior spaces for over twenty years. Her design philosophy exudes clean elegance represented by a perfectly balanced mixture of natural tones and textures.

Source4Style, a B2B online marketplace that will allow designers in both the fashion and interior design industries to search, compare and purchase sustainable materials from a carefully selected network of suppliers, will preview at the Home Textiles Fabric Sourcing Expo on July 14, 2010 at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

Source4Style, founded in 2009 by model and environmental activist Summer Rayne Oakes, fair trade entrepreneur Benita Singh, and serial entrepreneur Adam Schwartz, recently launched in private beta to a select number of users. The site hosts 25 suppliers from all over the world and over 1000 materials divided into categories such as organic cottons, hand-woven silks, hemp, tree-based/wood, and reclaimed textiles.

Most eco fashion stores I visit are rather small shops, often off the beaten track. But asap is a big two storey space in the midst of a vibrant area in Milan's Garibaldi district. There is a reason for this as Carla Lasorte and her husband Alberto Zanone have developed a vision for asap since 20 years. 'We call our brand 'as sustainable as possible' because we realize that being one hundred percent sustainable is impossible. Instead, we try our best to do as much as we can in our product design, manufacturing processes and distribution. For us, quality is key to sustainability'.

Thieves by Sonja den Elzen caters to an individual with strength accented by sensuality. Edgy and sultry while conscientiously designed, den Elzen’s collections are for the woman with a femme fatale exterior or the male counterpart, both sheltering an earth-loving heart of gold.

Toronto born designer Sonja den Elzen grew up spending most of her extracurricular time outdoors surrounded by nature. den Elzen’s observations and experiences in nature developed into a deep-rooted appreciation for the environment. Her interest in fashion came from looking at editorials in magazines as a child and wishing she could have the beautiful clothing featured in the images.

While on holiday in Southern India in 2007, Lianne Ludlow, a full time journalist at the time who had worked for publications like Glamour and Cosmopolitan, read articles on climate change and environmental concerns. Ludlow felt a rise in demand for more ethical clothing and came up with the idea to create an online boutique sourcing the best in eco fashion from all over the world. She would name it Fashion-Conscience.com.

ASCENSION

Independence Day in the United States was celebrated this past weekend. A day when “red, white and blue” is honored and we reflect on the freedom in America as well as the sacrifices made by many in order for us to have this freedom.

Let us further contemplate our love for America by bouncing around to many of the eco fashion events hosted this summer, remembering that in order to keep our world beautiful, we have to take care of it.

With not one crocheted toilet paper roll in sight, Victoria celebrated its premiere of the cult hit documentary “Handmade Nation” with Iconocraft, an unconventional craft fair featuring local designers and artists.

FYE (For Your Earth) is an eco-friendly sneaker brand launched in 2009 that is setting fashion trends while demonstrating respect for the environment and mankind. The result of several years of careful planning to fulfill a dream of delivering ethical yet fashionable sneakers, FYE shoes are gaining popularity for more than just their good looks.

Different styles of denim just keep revolving back into fashion. Students for the last four decades have known that a few good pairs of jeans are more durable than their lecturer’s latest theorem. Meanwhile, the style of jeans you rummaged out of your aunt’s closet for a ‘1980’s denim party’ last month might just prance down the catwalk again next season.

Sighs of relief across the globe – for many of us, summer is here! For those of you who spent months tucked away in your homes shielded by sweaters and blankets, get ready for shorter hemlines, sun-kissed skin, bright colors and sexy swimwear.

MAGDALENA SCHAFFIN

  As Fashion Week Berlin approaches 7 - 10 July, there is no doubt that the era of sustainability has infiltrated every corner of the world. Green is the future of fashion and here are some events surrounding Fashion Week Berlin that you may want to clear your calendar for:

The little black dress recently experienced a sustainable make over ala Eliza Starbuck’s ‘Little Black Dress’ (LBD) for Bright Young Things. The premiere edition of this timeless fashion staple was launched two weeks ago at Maryam Nassir Zadeh in NYC, and Bright Young Things were on hand to demonstrate their creative interpretations of a garment that already has quite an impressive track record. The cool black dress at the heart of Bright Young Things was conceived in 2009 by independent fashion designer Eliza Starbuck when she teamed up with Sheena Matheiken, founder and fashion plate for the 365-day challenge called The Uniform Project. This now legendary fashion experiment involved wearing one dress every day for an entire year in order to raise charitable funds as well as highlight the potential for maximizing on a single garment via creative accessorizing and the clever use of fashion finds buried or forgotten in one’s closet.