From Head To Toe

My last post was a little heavy on the head with its factual insight so here's a little a little peek into whats happening in terms of shoes in the eco-fashion world!

Dolce Vita

Sam Edelman




Bloch Couture

All of these and a lot of other stuff is available at a great little website called www.tobi.com.

Fresh Out The Frying Pan Into The Fire

I'm sorry about this blog post because it is quite dry and absent of much visual stimulation, however I think the topic covered is fantastic so do give it a read it if you have the time/patience!!

The Great Debate: Eco Fashion vs. Fast Fashion by Becky Lyon is quite self explanatory and is pretty much what it says on the box but gives us a very researched and intelligent bit of knowledge. Hats off to her for providing us with this factual inquisition.

Eco-Soldier - Focus on Coopa-Roca

Coopa-Roca are a Brazilian female design duo who maintain a focus on ecological fashion. As of late, they have been spotted collaborating fashion designers, product designers and artists in hopes of trying to extend the reach of their projects. Their collaborations include Carlos Miele, Tord Boontje and Ernesto Neto amongst others but this blog post chooses to focus their collaboration with Osklen. This collaboration, amongst others, has recieved attention by FIT and more importantly is contributing to the bigger concern; the need for sustainable fashion.

It seems that Brazil are regular contributors to the eco-fashion industry but when is the rest of the world going to get their act together? It seems ignorance is more convenience than bliss these days.

Sans Fashion in NY? Eco Soldier Focus

Sans, with their clever yet possibly offsetting play on words, are the next to be jumping on to the New York sustainable fashion bandwagon, and seem to be doing a pretty good job at it too by getting recognition from the likes of FIT.
This tag team consists of Lika Volkova and Alessandro de Vito worked with a 'see through theme' for their SSO8 collection which they expressed sheer materials and experimental designs, not to mention their use of ecologically developed materials and technologies to contribute their 2 cents. Some of the work they churned out was quite interesting so check them out at their website or through the quick visual synopsis below.

A Bright Green Day In Gloomy London Town

It was indeed a bright green day in London on the fashion week front when the legends at Esthetica (LFW's designer space dedicated to sustainable fashion), unveiled the new list of designer collaborations fair trade craft specialists. Collaboration is indeed the way forward to amplify the the impact of green fashion, after all, as Margherita Missoni says, eco-fashion will be a necessity more than a matter of choice within the next few years. Anyhow, the new members to jump on the good ol' green bandwagon at Esthetica include the likes of Thakoon, Richardo Nicoll and Bora Aksu.

Heres a quick look at what Richardo Nicoll had to offer at LFW SSO8









To read more about the Esthetica movement check out an in depth write up here.

Eco-Soldier - Focus on Bassike

Bassike, are an Australasian based project by Deborah Sams and Mary Lou Ryan who are both ex members of the Ksubi team, are working purely with organic cotton jersey in their push towards ecological sustainability within the fashion world.

They represent simplicity yet remain to be effective with their product working with clean cut silhouettes churning out very refreshing and comforting looking products. They work pre-dominantly in luxury basics using interesting shapes and cuts.








Check out them out at their website which links you to their boutique for online shopping or shop for more of their products at http://www.mycatwalk.com.au/pages/bassike.html

Limited Edition... Everywhere?

As one of the many many by-products of Al Gore's documentary, I want everybody to take a look at the initiative launched by Mariel Gamboa.
She is a true Eco-Soldier who has launched the Limited Edition New York Project (LENY), whose primary focus is to mobilize the fashion industry to unite for the greater good. The LENY icons are an alliance of celebrities ranging from the likes of Carla Sozzani to Richard Branson with contributions form Kate Moss, Jade Jagger, Gwenyth Paltrow and many many more.

To get a clearer understand of the project check out the video



The LENY project offer very cool t-shirts and handbags customized by the partnering celebrities. Heres a look at some of them..








There are more to check out on the website so be sure to check this for the signature tees and bags or for more information on the project check out the website.

I hope this initiative and its potential excites you as much as it did me!

Eco-Soldier - Focus on Ksubi

Ksubi (formerly known as Tsubi), are an Australian fashion duo who are renowned for perpetually pushing the boundaries with their fashion shows and managing to piss a lot of people off in the process!
In previous shows, they have let rats loose on the ramp, thrown almost $5,000 in 5 dollar bills into the audience and actually made models jump of a boat maintaining a place in the memory of most who not only attend, but simply hear about the show.

Recently, in an Oyster Magazine interview, Ksubi tell us about their new 'Sad Earth' project which is their "Go Green' initiative.

"We’re used to fucking around a lot and not saying too much. But now we thought it’s about time we said something that was helpful to someone."

The 'Sad Earth' collection will be a completely organic collection with 20% of the proceeds going to develop carbon neutral strategies.
They are going to do an exclusive in America and its great to see Barney's giving them a complete backing.

Check out the interview here

Milestone In Retrospect - Portland Fashion Week 2007

I wanted to take a minute to pay homage to Portland for successfully executing the worlds first all-green fashion week. They showcased 16 nationally and internationally known designers along with 35 independent designers who showcased their collections on the first ever bamboo runway.

However, the icing on the cake has to be the intricate attention to detail the organizers mapped out. This includes eco friendly styling products, energy efficient LED lighting, organic food and wine and even the hotel shuttle and airline partners were green activists!


For a quick recap of the event check the youtube link:

Or you can visit http://www.portlandfashionweek.net/ for detailed information.


A year ago, many people had hoped that the PFW initiative would have been the start of something big and would have some semblance of a snowball effect motivating other designers to act in this direction. With it now being a year down the line, perhaps its time for us to review our new years resolutions?

Eco-Soldier - Focus on Tamsin Lejeune

Tamsin Lejeune is a remarkable woman with so much motivation on the 'Go Green' front that she established the "Ethical Fashion Forum" alongside her work as an ethical fashion consultant and being a teacher to fashion students.

She aligned a web of designers, businesses and organizations whose primary aim is to generate a movement of environmental sustainability in the fashion industry.

These are some of the projects developed under the government of the Ethical Fashion Forum:





To find out more about Tamsin, you can read an in depth interview by BBC Blast here.

Eco-Soldier - Focus on Ecoist

Ecoist is a company based in Miami that is fueled by a philosophy which communicates that shoppers should be able to enjoy a modern lifestyle, consuming their favorite things while doing good for the Earth.

They produce bags, accessories and belts using recycled candy wrappers amongst other mediums to create a distinct (and maybe one day, limited edition?) look.

"Ecoists have no particular age, race, nationality, nor a particular style. Our handbags are worn by different people, at different places, and in different ways"


http://www.ecoist.com/

6 Degrees of Collaboration

Collaboration seems to be the current way to make big waves in the fashion industry. It's always refreshing to see eco-soldiers joining forces to amplify the impact!


Check out the Heart of Green's Passion for Green, Clean and Everything In Between

http://heartofgreen.typepad.com/heart_of_green/ecofashion/index.html



Earlier in 2007, Sao Paulo's Fashion Week unveiled collections showcasing ecological fabrics, but more importantly promoted an organization named e-fabrics who promote protection of ecology and environment within fashion and have also developed a certification label which can be earned by textile companies who fulfill the e-fabrics criteria.

For more on the Sao Paulo's Fashion week check out
http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/005938.html















or for more on e-fabrics go to
http://www.e-fabrics.com.br/ing/