Eco Fashion World

Eloise Grey

Just when you were wondering how designers would go beyond the tencel, bamboo and organic cotton mainstays that populate the shelves, fashion innovators have introduced alternative fabrics and materials like flannels, tweeds, tagua and milk proteins to their repertoires. Similarly to Maroussia Rebecq, founder of Andrea Crews Collection (and interviewed in our Pop&Rock issue), many eco-designers are experimenting with clothing and accessory lines beyond the basics.

Developed in 1991 as a response to the “over-hyped, over-marketed and over-teched sneakers out there,” Simple Shoes will usher in the season with a collection of flannel and plaid shoes. Sassily celebrating the grunge revival, styles will include “Wheelie” and “CARwalk,” with cozy and comfortable sneakers in both high and mid-rise made from plaid wool flannel and recycled car tires. All sneaks are shipped in Simple’s state-of-the-art, back-to-the-future post-consumer recycled boxes.

So far, fall has been all about tweeds in both sustainable and regular fashion. Therefore, it’s not surprising that one of our favorite designers, Eloise Grey, has expanded her Autumn/Winter collection of ethical heritage tweeds from a capsule collection of coats to include jackets, coats and skirts tailored in the UK by Isle of Mull Weavers. 

Andean

These heritage tweeds—launched two years ago—are a breath of fresh air among standard materials, especially since Grey’s style inspiration comes from mid-20th century writers and a 1940’s style revival (as seen in her garments named after writers like Rebecca West and Antonia White). Stay tuned for BBC4’s documentary featuring Grey and the Isle of Mull weavers, airing in October.

Norwegian eco-lox brand, FIN, also plans to experiment with a gauze-like material, based completely on milk proteins, as part of next year's spring/summer collection. The benefits to fabric made from milk proteins? It frees up land that would otherwise have been used to grow cotton.

While fabrics are of course the staples of sustainable design, new materials are even moving beyond fabrics to include accessories. Jewelry designer The Andean Collection just announced its fall line which will be made with colorful, fashion forward pieces from açai, jabon, tagua (vegetable ivory), and huayruro, natural seeds that have sustainably been harvested from the South American rainforest. The new line will be featured at the Ethical Fashion Preview of Nolcha Fashion Week in New York on September 14.

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