Pairing the word “fashion” with the word “ethical” (or worse, “organic”) has perpetually conjured images of shapeless potato sacks or itchy, poorly woven fabrics. But more designers are splashing out with modern takes on eco designs.
22 November 2008
The Globe and Mail
Pairing the word “fashion” with the word “ethical” (or worse, “organic”) has perpetually conjured images of shapeless potato sacks or itchy, poorly woven fabrics.
But more designers are splashing out with modern takes on eco designs. A sign of the times: the first awards show dedicated to ethical fashion, the RE:Fashion Awards, was held in London, England last week.
Using eco-friendly fabrics, reusing materials and paying workers fairly “is no longer unfashionable,” says Pamela Daniels, Director of London’s Ethical Fashion Forum, one of the organizers of the awards and originally from Toronto. The EFF aims to transform the standards of the entire fashion industry within a decade.
There are many hurdles to overcome, she says. “We’re still struggling with the belief that ethical clothing won’t be up to scratch – that you can’t dress somebody for the Oscars in an ethical dress.”
But increasingly, luxury designers are questioning the ecological impacts of conventional fabrics such as cotton, which uses 25 per cent of the world’s pesticides.
In the United States, Linda Loudermilk and Nina Valenti of NatureVsFuture almost exclusively use organic cotton, soy and hemp and high-tech threads such as Tencel, a rayon made in a no-waste process using discarded wood chips.
“I find upcycling the most challenging and creative of the ethical fashion principles,” says Orsola De Castro, winner of the RE:Fashion award for Designer of the Year. She creates dresses from rescued fragments of textiles left on the cutting room floor.
De Castro’s emphasis on the creativity inherent in the ethical fashion movement underscores an important point. These days, customers are not only looking for ethically made clothing but also for attire with individuality and flair.
In this context, items that are truly one of a kind and have a story behind them can compete with cheaply made clothing and the “fast fashion” behemoth on a more equitable footing.
And that’s refashioning of a whole other kind.
Pairing the word “fashion” with the word “ethical” (or worse, “organic”) has perpetually conjured images of shapeless potato sacks or itchy, poorly woven fabrics.
But more designers are splashing out with modern takes on eco designs. A sign of the times: the first awards show dedicated to ethical fashion, the RE:Fashion Awards, was held in London, England last week.
Using eco-friendly fabrics, reusing materials and paying workers fairly “is no longer unfashionable,” says Pamela Daniels, Director of London’s Ethical Fashion Forum, one of the organizers of the awards and originally from Toronto. The EFF aims to transform the standards of the entire fashion industry within a decade.
There are many hurdles to overcome, she says. “We’re still struggling with the belief that ethical clothing won’t be up to scratch – that you can’t dress somebody for the Oscars in an ethical dress.”
But increasingly, luxury designers are questioning the ecological impacts of conventional fabrics such as cotton, which uses 25 per cent of the world’s pesticides.
In the United States, Linda Loudermilk and Nina Valenti of NatureVsFuture almost exclusively use organic cotton, soy and hemp and high-tech threads such as Tencel, a rayon made in a no-waste process using discarded wood chips.
“I find upcycling the most challenging and creative of the ethical fashion principles,” says Orsola De Castro, winner of the RE:Fashion award for Designer of the Year. She creates dresses from rescued fragments of textiles left on the cutting room floor.
De Castro’s emphasis on the creativity inherent in the ethical fashion movement underscores an important point. These days, customers are not only looking for ethically made clothing but also for attire with individuality and flair.
In this context, items that are truly one of a kind and have a story behind them can compete with cheaply made clothing and the “fast fashion” behemoth on a more equitable footing.
And that’s refashioning of a whole other kind.