Vancouver Eco-Fashion Week is Here!

“At least 8,000 chemicals are used to turn raw materials into textiles and 25% of the world’s pesticides are used to grow non-organic cotton. This causes irreversible damage to people and the environment, and still two thirds of a garment’s carbon footprint will occur after it is purchased.” Earth Pledge

Vancouver Fashion Week, September 27-30, 2010

Definition: ECO-FASHION: a stigma to the fashion fringe no longer.

Designers are refashioning those old scratchy hemp style pants, shoppers are demanding more knowledge of fashion practices, and companies are jumping on board. Eco-Fashion is now more beautiful than ever with a bounty of organic fabrics, natural dyes and ethical practices to back it up. Now, to me that is the triple “S” ladies, Smart, Sophisticated and Sexy.

Vancouver will host its’ first international eco-fashion event, showcasing designers and trade industry leaders from around the world. There is no other eco show that has taken on design, trade industry and an international focus all in the same arena. Kudos to you Vancouver!

Introducing Vancouver’s Own!

Nicole Bridger

Nicole Bridger Canada’s top eco-fashion designer named by Fashion Takes Action Design Forward Award, brings to the scene a casual chic line made entirely local to Vancouver using organic and renewable fabrics. In an interview with Elle Canada, Nicole says of her time working with Vivienne Westwood, “It was actually Vivienne who showed me that I could use my love for design as a vehicle for the change I wanted to create.” Nicole designs clothes for any woman regardless of age, size, or shape bringing you strong aesthetic pieces.

Kdon

Check out three Vancouver designers sharing the runway. NIXXI,  displays clean silhouettes for the street femme, while KIM CATHERS (Kdon), with her S/S 2011 collection called “dreamcatcher” constructs fashion from reclaimed fabrics. LAV & KUSH aptly named the “flirt of sustainable fashion” brings cute, clean, and urban street style to you.

Red Jade

Red Jade and Peridot Kiss share the eco-luxe runway. RED JADE “love, laugh, play and wear red jade” adds a sophistication to wrap you in. PERIDOT KISS finds your balance between style and comfort with a chic new label.

Australian Fashion in da House!

Pure Pod

So what’s a fashionista to do? “Beware of what you wear,” says Pure Pod an urban chic Australian based collection.  PURE POD brings contemporary aesthetic with an urban influence and an ethos that supports a garden to garment philosophy. There approach is a slow sew process focusing on a collection-by-collection basis of the latest sustainable trends, certifications and knowledge. A pure pod garment is made in a “sweatshop free” environment out of Brisbane Australia and Gold Coast. The sustainable materials in their urban chic sleek designs range from bamboo, organic cotton, hemp, soy, and wool to silk.

Unite States of Sewing

Lara Miller

LARA MILLER (CHICAGO) Personally one of my favorite national designers for her unwavering focus on quality constructed garments and her involvement in the Chicago fashion industry.

Brazil’s Divine Creations

Eden

EDEN ORGANIC MENSWEAR launches a 100% organic, chemical free and colored with natural dyes men’s wear line. This seasons Men’s Collection uses traditional manual cotton harvesting techniques from Brazil, natural dyes extracted from Brazilian flora with a focus of reuniting Brazilian culture, methods and fashion. Eden’s Jeans are dyed with vegetable indigo dyes and use a no chemical wash process unlike a majority of jean brands on the shelves today. Eden will be putting on the only menswear show based on an “organic ocean” runway experience. And I must say, one of the “few” ethical menswear lines on the fashion scene.

London Collective

EMESHA, just launched their new collection at London Fashion Week and is toted as the new sustainable brand to watch. One of the few sporty-luxe labels Emesha grounds her lines in wearable, luxury, smart casuals in eco-friendly materials. ELENA GARCIA blends daring design with traditional technique creating timeless pieces for the timeless spirit.

Elena Garcia

Planet Lover Xtras

This is not your typical fashion week.  This week embodies a schedule from trade to design laying host to fashion show booths from local and international designers, industry practices and manufacturing opportunities, media events and conferences for responsible design, even an audience Q&A session.

Dr. Andrew Weaver

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: NOBEL PRIZE WINNER, DR. ANDREW WEAVER, Professor at the University of Victoria, Dr.Weaver shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore for “their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change.” Dr. Weaver’s talk will be based on his book Keeping our Cool: Canada in a Warming World.

Summer Rayne Oakes

SPEAKER: SUMMER RAYNE OAKES will present a discussion on Eco-Trends: The Art & Science of Sourcing Sustainably. Such a fitting topic from this model on a mission who is in the phases of launching Source4Style a B2B marketplace for sustainable fabrics.  If you missed  Modern Hippie Mag’s one-on-one interview with Summer Rayne Oaks, check out why we are in love with her so much!

Gisele Bundchen

Gisele Bundchen supermodel, super mom, with a stellar line-up of environmental projects from her own natural beauty line Sejaa to eco-friendly sandals, Impanema, is on to another environmental addition to her repertoire with Sigg Canada.  Together they will launch an exclusive model for a reusable water bottle during Vancouver’s Eco-Fashion Week. The proceeds will benefit WaterCan, a leading Canadian charity dedicated to fighting global poverty by helping the world‘s poorest people gain access to clean water, basic sanitation and hygiene.

K-OS

What is fashion without music and a CLOSING NIGHT PARTY featuring DJ SET BY K-OS

There are events planned for both public and people in the trade industry. Get your tickets online

Jerah

Jerah Coviello writes the monthly blog feature, EcoVogue365 and is a guest blogger for Girl Power Hour, covering eco-fashion tips and sustainable clothing for the Earth loving woman. With a background in social sciences, nonprofit, sports, arts and the environment, Jerah brings her passions together with her bodacious mom, in one creative expression. Ecovogue365 is an experimental handcrafted project towards sustainable fashion for the 21st-century woman. Find Ecovogue365 on Facebook and Twitter. It’s more than just fashion, it’s care for people, profit and planet.