Eco Fashion: Green is Trendy but It’s Also About the Earth
By Penelope M. Carrington, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va.
Once upon a time, finding clothes made with natural materials by workers paid a fair price required a sacrifice: style.
The limited selection was often shapeless, muted in color and about as swanky as moonshine at a garden party. Oh, but how the fashion world turns.
The "crunchy" clothes of decades past have been given an extreme makeover at the hands of socially and environmentally conscious designers. They’re eschewing fibers and materials grown with pesticides or other environmentally harmful chemicals in favor of au naturel materials nursed by Mother Nature.
It’s a material world: Hemp. Corn. Eucalyptus trees. Soy. Organic cotton. Even the leaf used to roll sushi is now woven into fabric. The linen-like product called Sasawashi is a favorite of Linda Loudermilk, who uses the exotic plant in her "Luxury Eco" designs. Man-made materials are being reincarnated as well. Candy wrappers, soda-can tabs, movie billboards and bar codes make for surprisingly chic handbags and belts at the Ecoist.com. The candy wrapper bags, bikini scrap purses and recycled Kenyan glass bead jewelry at VivaTerra.com also tempt the skeptical. So do the bags Passchal, a Richmond-based company, makes from recycled inner tubes.
Where to buy in Richmond: Those wanting to go eco-shopping for other fashion items in Richmond, meanwhile, will find them in Carytown from 6 to 8 p.m. on Sept. 6 during the green-themed Fashion First event.
Many participating stores will launch eco-friendly lines with special events and discounts. Pink, for example, will debut an organic women’s collection by Stewart+Brown. The Yarn Lounge will highlight organic wools by O-Wool. Que Bella, a shoe boutique, will give discounts for leaving your shoe boxes while customers at Need Supply Co. will save money by donating their old jeans.
‘An Inconvenient Truth’: "We know that the environment is a big issue," said Linda Lee, who taught an eco-fashion class last semester at Virginia Commonwealth University. "The film ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ has put it on the map for us. In fashion, green is the new black."
Lesley Chilcott, the film’s producer, proved as much when she accepted the Oscar for best documentary this year in an emerald green, strapless gown of bamboo and cotton corduroy by Loudermilk. Crunchy, it was not — which is precisely the designer’s goal.
"We aim to give glamour legs, a fabulous look and a slammin’ attitude that stops traffic and shouts the message: Eco can be edgy, loud, fun, playful, feminine (or not) and hyper-cool," the Georgia native told About.com.
With celebrities such as Chilcott wearing green, ethical or eco fashion is getting the kind of high-profile exposure that sends the rest of the world eco shopping. Spreads in Vanity Fair and Vogue point people where to go, while eco-fashion segments during Fashion Week in Paris, New York and London foreshadow trends.
Green is cool: "You remember when cell phones came out and only a few people had them? Now, if you don’t have a cell phone, it’s like not having a TV," said Passchal co-owner Ken Kobrick, a former welder who turns old inner tubes from truck tires into handbags, iPod cases and baby bags for dads.
Kobrick, who works with his fiancee Angela Greene at their Richmond-area home, said the same must-have sentiment is true of all things eco.
"If you’re not into . . . eco something in your life, you’re not with it, and you need to be," he said.
Demand is growing: Google the terms "eco fashion" or "recycled fashion" and the number of links ranges from a quarter million to more than 2 million. The increased demand is pushing businesses and brands to sell organic. Among them are Levi Strauss (jeans), H&M (clothing), Dillard’s (clothing) and Wal-Mart (clothing), the world’s largest buyer of organic cotton, according to Fortune magazine.
Last July, the magazine detailed the story behind the discount chain’s sustainability initiative. The story also noted that sales of organic cotton alone doubled from $245 million in 2001 to $583 million in 2005.
Where it all started: The growth reflects the broadening market pioneered by companies such as Patagonia. The Ventura, Calif.-based company made its name in 1993 with clothing made from recycled plastic bottles. Prana is another California-based company founded about the same time. It, along with Patagonia, takes its eco commitment beyond its products by, for example, buying wind power and donating to environmental charities.
One Richmonder’s thoughts: Such practices are common among the committed, and Sarah Kelley admires them for it. The Richmonder shares a passion for the environment, yet all the eco-fashion hype leaves her wary.
"It’s very trendy right now and I don’t know how I feel about that," said the senior, who created an outfit for Lee’s class using organic cotton donated by Green Textile in Spartanburg, S.C. "It’s a great thing to be doing, but we shouldn’t do it just because it’s a trend . . . being green isn’t just about fashion. It’s about the Earth."
A generational thing: Kelley’s sentiments reflect the reality of her generation: Many grew up with as much awareness about the Internet as the environment and social issues. Weaving the latter into their fashion career fabric, then, is natural — and necessary. Misconceptions about organic garments remain despite design changes and advancements in making natural things (fish skin) wearable (fish leather).
"It’s up to us now, in this generation, to set the stage for what these fashions are going to be because we don’t want [eco fashion] to be a flash in the pan," said graduate Julia Janeczek, of Washington. "We want people in the future [to say], ‘Oh! This is organic and I definitely want it.’"
Contact Penelope M. Carrington at (804) 649-6027 or pcarrington@timesdispatch.com.