Tom Ford, Chanel and Stella McCartney are just a few of the designers who have jumped on the eco-friendly bandwagon.

Eco-entrepreneur Livia Firth, wife of Oscar winning actor Colin Firth, is recruiting the fashion big dogs this award season as she sets up her third annual Green Carpet Challenge. For the last two award seasons, the earth loving green queen has traded in gowns from top fashion designers for more eco-friendly choices.

Firth began the GCC back in 2009 and has been creating more of a buzz every year. This year she’s challenged everyone from Valentino to YSL to create a single eco-friendly gown for events taking place during award season.

“Over the last three years, the Green Carpet Challenge has become an all-consuming passion of mine,” Firth said in an interview for Vogue UK. ”This part of the fashion landscape is so exciting because it’s genuinely revolutionary and relentlessly positive. It is absolutely the right time to take the challenge up a gear, so we are working with our favorite world-class designers and actors as GCC ambassadors.”

The Eco Age owner’s looks will be featured on her Vogue UK blog, Livia Firth, The Green Carpet Challenge. All pieces, including the beautiful Giorgio Armani gown Firth wore for the recent Golden Globes, are upcycled, vintage, or newly designed but eco-friendly. Designers have used their creative juices to produce sustainable pieces for this eco-conscious fashionista. From the Golden Globes to the Oscars, Firth will look stunning as she struts the green on the red carpet events!

Images courtesy of Peter.Lorre {Flickr} and Mother Nature Network. 

The Red Carpet Goes Green is a post from: Modern Hippie Mag

Part of the Fall 11' M2F Collection

Colored jeans are all the rage. Everything from red to green has been hitting the sidewalks, not to mention they dominated the runways.

While colors are in, dyes can be harmful to the earth. Chemicals, such as starch and caustic soda, are produced which can be inhaled by workers and washed away into our waterways destroying aquatic and animal life. Some jean companies are aware of the concerns and are working hard to eliminate our carbon footprint left behind.

Part of the Fall 11' M2F Collection

M2F denim is doing their part by finding resources to reduce toxic chemicals and pollution. Using Made2Fade yarn technology, that is certified free of harmful substances, these jeans are individually colored in a dye bath. The process uses 50% less energy and water while eliminating toxic chemicals that are produced by traditional dyeing methods.

“Our eco-friendly, Made2Fade Technology® Yarn and Clear H20 Colors® Dye Process are leading the way. Together, these dynamic breakthroughs are enabling us to build a denim company committed to preserving the environment.”- M2F website.

M2F denim comes in a wide range of styles and colors with names including eggplant, chili pepper, and purple rain. You can choose the fit and color you want. This fall they have even introduced vests and jackets into the mix. Celebrities like Whitney Port and Maria Menounos have caught on to the green trend, sporting jeans and cut off shorts by the eco-friendly company. The vintage-inspired jeans run about $130 and can be purchased from retailers everywhere.

James Jeans uses organic cotton and a unique dry aging process to create the perfect “worn” look. The dip-dyed jeans are all created with dyes made from plant indigo. Available in a wide range of colors and styles, the patterns are hand-made and have couture draping techniques for a fit all your own.

Named after her husband, Seun Lim founded James Jeans in 2004. The environmentally friendly washes have become a hot commodity for celebrities like Blake Lively, Charlize Theron

, and Jessica Alba
 who want to bring a little green into their lives. The mainstream denim runs anywhere from $120-220 and can be found at places like Barney’s, Shopbop, and the James Jeans website.

Kuyichi Fall 11', Love the World

Kuyichi jeans are taking it one step further. While these jeans don’t have many colors, the sustainable concepts are exciting for the eco-friendly fashion world. According to Women’s Wear Daily, for Spring 2012 Kuyichi is launching three new sustainable styles of the fabric; dry-processed, no-water-wash jeans and one constructed of Tencel, a fabric made of cellulose removed from wood pulp of eucalyptus trees.

The Dutch jean label also plans to increase its organic fabric content to 97%, aiming to make their products as sustainable as possible. “We are constantly experimenting on new sustainable concepts like recycled polyester, Tencel®, spare denim and hemp.”-Kuyichi website.  Retail prices range from $139 to $265 and can be ordered from Yoox.com or a number of places in Europe.

Here are some other great eco-conscious jean brands.

Celebrating new colors, Reuse models show off the bright skinnies

Reuse Jeans: These jeans are constructed from 80% recycled fabric to create a new, stylish pair of jeans. “We recycle fabric from the textile waste stream to manufacture eco-friendly jeans with minimal new material.”- Reuse Jeans website.

Agave Jeans: A look into Agave's Fall 11' collection

Agave Denim:  These jeans are put through the ozone washing process, eliminating toxic chemicals. The husband and wife team created the brand to “design and produce the best tailored, most beautiful and highest quality denim jeans, authentically sewn and hand finished exclusively in California“-Agave website.

Monkee Genes: No slave or child labor, blood, sweat, or tears

Monkee Genes: An organic label out of the UK and the only jean company certified by the Soil Association. The pop art inspired colored jeans are produced with no pesticides and no chemicals. The Monkee Genes’ motto: no slave or child labor, blood, sweat, or tears.

These eco chic jeans will give you the style you want while making the earth, and your closet, a little greener.

Jody

Jody Marich is a stylist/Co-Manager by day and a fashion blogger by night, shinning the light on issues in the fashion world. A published freelancer, Jody created the fashion column “What’s Haute” for Flagler College’s newspaper and updates her own fashion blog, Tickle Me Chic, on a regular basis. She has been featured on Independent Fashion Bloggers and continues to focus on hard-hitting stories in the fashion industry.

Jeans to Dye for is a post from: Modern Hippie Mag

Didn’t get your voice heard the first time around? You’re in luck! We’ve relaunched this giveaway; it will be running until January 31st. Read on for details.

Calling all men! Here is a fantastic new item from Eternal Creation that I have just received fresh from India. Not only is this fabric 100% cotton, like all Eternal Creation clothing, it is Fair Trade. This particular shirt is slim fit and a wonderful mix of blue, green, and brown all tossed together in a vibrant paisley pattern.

At first I noted that the fabric wasn’t extremely soft for 100% cotton, but with a quick wash and dry it turned into a wonderfully soft material. Out of the dryer it had virtually no wrinkles, making it a great on the go option. And the price point was a hit at only $50! Want to win a $50 gift card toward Eternal Creation? Keep reading. This super trendy shirt can be worn on a weekend getaway with loved ones or a night out with the boys.

You might say: who is Eternal Creation? This is a sustainable company born in Dharamsala, in the foothills of the Indian Himalayas. Seventy Tibetan, Nepalese and Indian tailors design and produce clothing in the Himalayan Tailoring Center. Providing the largest employment business in the area, the line has now grown from focusing mostly on woman’s sleepwear and accessories to a much larger company that now sells men’s and children’s wear.

Designer Frances Carrington started this company with a dream and a $5,000 loan that she had received from her father after graduating college. On a volunteer trip to India, Frances became head of the tailoring department at the Norbulingka Institute in Dharamsala and the rest was history. She wanted to stay and use her skills to benefit the local community. Though they started out with very little staff, Eternal Creation is dedicated to growing their workshops rather than outsourcing orders. You know your purchase will assist in improving the lives of recently arrived political refugees by providing jobs, training, health care, and accommodations.

Fall 2011 Collection

Enter to win $50 from Eternal Creation’s online store to spend however you like.

TO WIN YOU MUST

1. Simply leave a comment on this entry telling us who you plan on outfitting with Eternal Creation and why. Best comment wins, so make it inspiring!

2. Subscribe to Your Weekly Vibe to know if you’ve won!

For additional entries, chat us up!

• Follow Eternal Creation on Facebook.
• Blog about this giveaway and link to this post.
• Share this giveaway on your Facebook wall.
• Add Modern Hippie Mag to your Blog Roll or Featured Blogs list.

 More details:

Open to U.S. entrants only. Recipients chosen by Modern Hippie Mag based on one stellar comment. Won something in the last thirty days?  Last month’s winners are ineligible for this giveaway. Giveaway EXTENDED TO 12pm on January 31st, 2012.

Heather

Heather Meade lives in Glastonbury CT, where she has worked as a stylist at a well known men’s fashion boutique for the past decade. She has been eating, breathing and dreaming fashion since she was a little girl. Discovering a new love for eco fashion – from its on trend designs to the ever-expanding eco menswear – Heather will bring you news and reviews on men’s eco-fashion. Along with fashion, Heather has found a new love for Mother Nature and our planet, eating in a more organic fashion, and taking care of her mind, body, and spirit.

Hope Springs Eternal – RELAUNCHED GIVEAWAY is a post from: Modern Hippie Mag

PURE CTIZEN, a flash sale site with a heart, runs members-only flash sales for a limited time – representing the industries leading global eco-brands as well as independently run mom & pop shops. From women’s and men’s fashion to beauty and home care, Pure Citizen will fill your inbox with their Daily Love emails with inspiration from company missions out to change the world. With up to 70% off  favorite brands, what I love the most is the chance to save less and donate more where you can give away a portion of your purchase to their featured non-profit while saving less on your purchased goods. With 20% of Pure customers donating, over $10,000 has been donated this year alone. 

This is a members only site where you can invite friends and earn a $10 credit to your account for each new friend who purchases a Pure good.Pure Citizen vettes companies that adhere to ethiquette standards; handmade, organic, fairly produced, eco-conscious, recycled, cruelty free, made in the USA, one of a kind, vegan, and pure safe products.

Founder Amy Ludwigson, a seeker of all things pure, and idealist, launched the site in 2010. Amy is a giver. She saw a need to engage companies with consumers in a fun way that moved products out of inventory while promoting their brand, bringing consumers closer to conscious shopping at affordable prices, and raising thousands of dollars for their non-profit partners.  Amy says the model is “a win-win for everyone involved.”

Amy says, “Pure Citizen is a place where you can find great items on sale, get your essentials, and shop for your entire life knowing that your purchases are creating a better world.” 

Starting today Pure Citizen features a flash sale of my very own brand, ecovogue365. With a newly launched website and concept, ecovogue365 brings you a way to lessen your fashion footprint. We curate designs that are convertible (meaning multi-functional), that are handmade exclusively for us in small batches of 365, from global designers. Our current designer is Russet. Focusing on the ABC’s of convertible design, she brings you ‘B’ a design that can be worn 20 ways. And soon to bring you ‘C,’ a reversible Caftan for the Spring.

'A' Ripe Scarf in southwestern turquoise

We’ll give you a bit more info on ecovogue365 today at 2! Meanwhile, for Pure Members only Russet designed, ‘A’ Ripe Scarf you can wear three ways while keeping warm this winter. Made from 100% super soft high quality organic cotton t-shirts screen printed with a limited design of a ‘woman of the sea‘ and trimmed with a warm fleece. These come in three colors; southwestern turquoise, pure snow white, or geometric moss. They can be worn three ways; as one open circle, as two wrapped circles around the neck, and off the shoulders. With only a small batch of 96 available for Pure Citizen members at a discounted $35 price this makes a perfect holiday season gift.

'A' Ripe Scarf worn as long circle style

SHOP THIS FLASH SALE 

TODAY ONLY Pure Citizen is GIVING away one ‘A’ RIPE scarf to one lucky winner. To Win! Like Pure Citizen on Facebook or sign up at www.purecitizen.com for their 24 day Christmas Giveaway, new gift everyday / new winner everyday

SALE SALE SALE for the Pure Citizen is a post from: Modern Hippie Mag

Designers from Vancouver Eco-Fashion Week

Below is a gift from me to you that I hope inspires, excites and helps you make your next fashion purchase an eco one! After much research, many questions from you, and exploration of an industry I love, I’ve come up with categories that fall under the eco fashion umbrella. This is your eco-fashion ethiquette shopping guide.

Eco-Fashion is multi-faceted. It does not play host to one definition.  Though the industry is heading in this direction – hurray! Eco-fashion really attracts a “thinking woman;” a woman who chooses to dig deeper into the underpinnings of a beloved but ultimately wasteful industry. Try to make your next fashion purchase an eco one.  Make your footprint a little lighter on the planet and on people. Support a passionate business.

• Handmade

a.k.a. handcrafted, homespun, homesewn. Although this is a complicated one, since every clothing item is made by someone’s hands somewhere in the world, a handmade stamp, label or certification means the item was made with care for construction, a passion for the craft, and in small amounts directly by the designer for the market. Many GenExers and Millenials are taking back the handmade movement. The plus: most items are limited or one-of-a-kind, making your purchase a unique piece. Get to shopping handmade on Etsy.

Image courtesy of madmaven (sxc.hu)

• Eco-Fabrics

This ranges from the well-known organic cotton to the known fabrics of bamboo, wool, hemp, linen to the obscure fabrics called tencel and modal. I will be doing a future article on eco-fabrics. Any garment labeled “certified organic” means it is free of pesticides, herbicides and GMOs. Good for your skin, the farmer and the planet.  If you need to be convinced why organic is worth it, read here.

• Fair Trade

Assists people in the developing world with fair wages, job training, community re-investments, safe working conditions, and empowerment.  Basically, farmers and workers get a better deal by the collaboration of organizations involved in a garment’s life cycle, and by the power of your purchases to reduce poverty. Read more here.

• Eco-Conscious or Energy and Resource Efficient 

These are companies reducing their environmental or carbon footprint. Companies may use alternative energy to power their facilities, earth friendly materials or smart use of materials minimizing waste.  Consumers, you are part of this life cycle too.  Your most heavy energy usage is during the washing phase. Hang dry and save energy.  Read more here.

Image courtesy of hbrinkman (sxc.hu)

• Recycle

Recycled Fibers vs. Recycled Design vs. Recycled Clothing. Since clothing has a pre-consumer and post-consumer life cycle, there are many phases in which recycling can occur. Recycled fibers are part of the pre-consumer phase. They can be broken down into a material, such as plastic bottles (PET), and turned into recycled polyester (PET) to make clothing. Designers are recycling clothing during the pre-consumer phase by deconstructing already made garments into new garment design for the market. To recycle your clothes is part of a post-consumer phase in which you can shop for already worn but new to you clothing from thrift, consignment or vintage stores. Read more here.

• Made in the USA

Garments marked with Made in the USA support our national economy by reducing energy used to transport garments to their destination, as well as creating jobs within our labor market. Most likely, these companies will be headed by small designers who are bringing back the concept of made in America, although there are several big names like American Apparel doing this.  Look for a Garment District in your area or  find out which companies are MADE IN THE USA right here.

• Locally Produced

From made in the USA to made local, this is a way to really support micro fashioneers. Our European neighbors support this lifestyle philosophy in taking some competitive pride in making local. Although more so with food, you will find items marked with where it was made regionally. Not only does this support a small designer, it keeps money circulating within your community.  This may take a little more of the huntress in you to find a local designer but start with your local farmer’s market that may play host to designers.  For a great online spot, check out Sense Of Fashion. 

• Vegan

No animal byproducts (such as leather) used makes a happy cow. Look for companies like Terra Plana.

• Biodegradable

Clothing that can decompose into landfills based on new materials used. This exists, but is still very limited. Check out these 100% biodegradable plant based shows by OneMoment.

Image courtesy of FrenchByte (sxc.hu)

• One of a Kind

Only one, just for you. Go ahead and hunt down yours.

• Limiteds

Limited editions are made in low quantities of numbered editions within a collection.  Limiteds combat the big industry of fast fashion: fashion that produces new trends every season, six months ahead and getting faster. Slow it down with a great online retailer OF A KIND.

• Convertible

The convertibility of a garment is all about the ability to be multi functional, multi-use and worn in multiple ways. This inspires your senses to create your own way to wear it, slims down your wardrobe by getting many garments out of one, and is great for those living a travel for work or play lifestyle.  Check out the new to the scene in November ECOVOGUE365.

• Upcycle

A little different from recycling, upcycling is making matter into a different matter. Take an existing garment and re-structure it into something completely different. For example, an old leather jacket becomes a new to you bag by SHANNON SOUTH of REMADE.

Image courtesy of Ayla87 (sxc.hu)

• Slow Sew

The characteristics of a slow sew movement really envelope all that is eco-fashion. This is a movement of designers producing with the end result in mind: reduced waste. The goal is to create less waste by limiting the amount of output to the consumer. Designers take pride in well-crafted, soulful, and creatively inspired garments. Many of these are limited, one of a kind, support local craftsmanship and use eco fabrics or recycled items. A big proponent of the slow sew movement is Alabama Chanin.

• Planet Friendly Dyes

Natural dyes, low impact dyes, and fiber reactive dyes are all dyeing methods that leave a light footprint on the planet.  These methods reduce the use of toxic chemicals, water usage, and energy to process a garment into a beautiful color.  Check out TINCTORIA.

• Shop Your Closet

There is not a woman out there who does not have a closet of clothes she no longer wears. I encourage you to clear a day, stand in front of that closet, pull out all your clothes onto your bed, hang them around the room and shop. Shift what you no longer wear aside, take what you have remaining and combine items into outfits. Hang the outfits together in your closet. How many usable and wearable outfits you can come up with? If you can not afford a stylist, enlist some girlfriends to have a “girls night out in my closet.” For the clothes you set aside, enlist them on I-Ella.

Share with me your finds or comments below. If you see an eco criteria I am missing, please add on to this and inspire others. Spread the word to your girlfriends and let’s “be the change you want to see in the world” – Gandhi

Jerah

Bringing you the quadro bottom line in eco fashion (people, planet, passion and profit), Modern Hippie Mag’s Eco-Fash Huntress Jerah Lena Coviello explores, delights in, and edits the worldwide scene of sustainable fashion for you. On a journey to define her own eco-fashion, Jerah curates convertible, limited, handmade couture at her company Ecovogue365. You can find her building up the fashion movement in her hometown by hosting pop up swaps, collaborating with the Sarasota Garment District, and growing the sew local scene.

Eco-Fashion Ethiquette Shopping Guide is a post from: Modern Hippie Mag

SWAP

I had the pleasure of sitting with Melissa Massello, General Manager of Events at Swap.com (headquartered in Boston) to talk about swapping as the new shopping. Unfortunately, our podcast recording had some echoing feedback. So I decided to transcribe the interview for you – this was just too cool to resist.

Swap.com is leading the swap movement both online and in communities around the country. Melissa Massello (champagne life on a beer budget) and Amy Chase (punky style), known as The Swapaholics, have hosted dozens of swap events, together and independently, across the U.S.  since the early 90s. Call it retail therapy meets environmental awareness.

Melissa and Amy bring us closer to understanding how we can leverage the items in our homes, our hobbies, and our interests into currency to get new things we want. On their website, they bring us back to a new-old idea that humans used to take part in daily. Before there was currency, there was swapping – the original form of commerce.

You swap in your life whether you know it or not. Say you’re that kid in the cafeteria who wants your friend’s PB&J for a sack of carrot sticks – or your neighbors gave you some old sporting gear to get you started out on your new baseball team – or you have a great girlfriend who opens her closet to you every time she gets new garments.

Swap.com is that girlfriend next door: only now, she is online swapping with lots of people worldwide. It’s an online resource for those who want to host and organize a swap, or skip the event and swap what you got online with what you want from other swappers. Our interview is below.

Melissa, how does Swap.com work?

Swap.com is an online marketplace that spans the globe. We are launching a new version of our site where you can swap anything you have for anything you want. Clothing, books, strollers, power drills, time shares, anything you can think of with swappers from around the world. The website is going through a re-design this October. Right now, you can sign up for an account and swap online in four categories: books, CDs, DVDS, and video games.  In October you will be able to swap anything online from anyone anywhere in the world, really powerful. 

Under the Events tab you can find worldwide listings of  local swaps with a current list of 1,000 registered swaps. Most are taking place in the U.S. There are currently food swaps, books swaps, CD swaps, sporting goods swaps, kid’s swaps, you name it. It is free to list a swap, and we give you a pdf to download to help you get started to create your own swap event in your community.  

Melissa Massello & Amy Chase

How did this all get started?

For Amy and I, when we created the Swapaholics, it was second nature to us. We hosted clothing swaps with our girlfriends and small swaps in our respective communities since the late 90’s.  We started a swap in Boston through a mutual friend who was looking to host a swap for her independent designer’s market.  We planned the entire thing over the phone expecting 75 women, tops.

When we opened the doors we had a line of people going around the block in the middle of a snow storm. Women showed up with nice consignment quality clothing. 268 people was the final head count. We collected and sorted 2 tons of clothing, each person brought about on average 7.5 lbs of clothing and at the end of the night donated more than a ton of clothing to Goodwill.

Have you encountered any stigma about swapping?

Swapping has come a long way thanks to a confluence of current factors; increased environmental awareness, a renewed sense of community, and the recession. When you bring the green, budget and community together, it makes swaps amazing.  But, there is still a stigma, people still think swap meets and flea markets.  The reality is, a swap can be as high end or basic as you make it. We have seen everything from Dolce & Gabbana dresses to swapping vacation homes in St. Martin. It is all about swapping with people who share interests of your own.

Let’s talk about tips to host a swap.  I have attended swaps in the past that were a swap mismatch causing people to walk out the door because of the styles of clothing offered. Who attends seems to be the key to the experience. Can you talk about creating a swap audience – how do you pick the perfect swappers? 

With any party you want to think about your audience.  If you have a community like a PTA or a group of girlfriends from college in the area, you want to bring people together who have similar interests already and expand your circle by asking them to bring a friend. The Secret Sauce is a small swap of half a dozen girls at home in your living room or a big swap. Start small, at home with a mini group of girls, and use it as a focus group like you would with a business plan. Then go big.

Clothing Swap

I read that swapping has rules. Why do swaps need rules?

It is not so much about rules but formats.  If you think your group will be concerned with fairness or quality the popular swap style is a 1 for 1 exchange where a guest brings 3 dresses and gets 3 tokens in return. They can then take out as many items as they brought.  For someone brand new to swapping, I don’t suggest this format. Use the most popular form called a  free for all which is one bag in, one bag out. Not monitored.

Bring a mixed bag of clothing, shoes, jewelry, accessories that will be sorted into a pop up store/boutique.  Organize things in a way where it has a shopping experience feel to it.  This is attractive to the bargain shopper or those who are all about the thrill of the hunt. It has a more social and casual vibe to it. The hybrid model is to do a charity fundraiser.  Great for a non-profit you want to raise money for.  Use a free for all event to set a donation price to gain entrance into the swap.  Or use the one for one model, set everything up as a boutique and have a jar where people can donate a $1 for each item they take out.

What I find most inspiring about swapping is that you mention themed swaps. Themes I never would even think of existing on the swapping scene. Swapping goes way beyond clothes?

Exactly. If you have it and you are interested in it and you know other people  are into these things, you can swap anything; stamps, baseball cards, ski equipment, plants, food, perfume swaps. For example, community centers do sporting goods swaps for kids since they grow out of their equipment so quickly.

We have hosted beauty product swaps with celebrity makeup brands that people buy on impulse at beauty store counters like lipsticks and nail polishes that sit unopened in their closets. From an eco angle you don’t want to throw these in the garbage or down the drain, so swap them.

Courtesy of Cooking Light

Are there plans in the works to do a corporate swap, where a large corporation sponsors or hosts a swap?

Absolutely. We worked with several retail brands in the past through a “seed sponsorship program“ where companies who are interested in making use of liquidated merchandise or a brand new line they want people to find out about, mix items into the swap. This raises awareness where items come from and go to. It is kind of nice – like retail therapy meets recycling.

Elen Silverman

Let’s talk fashion. Most women are sitting on lots of clothing currency in their closets. Do you have any statistics to help women understand how much they have?

Even if a garment is made from eco materials, there are gallons and gallons of water that go into creating clothing in your closet. If you think about all that water going into a new item, by swapping or buying thrifted or vintage (also near and dear to my and Amy’s heart), you are saving the precious resources by getting something used rather than new.

In an informal  survey we did with 100 of our most loyal swappers, they said they thought they had about $1,500 worth of clothing, shoes and accessories unworn in their closets. That is a lot of currency, a month’s rent, that women could start to leveraging for a whole new wardrobe.”

Any last minute tips you can give us about running our own swaps or about Swap.com?

Head over to Swap.com and sign up for our mailing list or register your swap. We have 1.2 million members nationwide and 3 million swapper attendees at our offline events.  Once you are on our mailing list, you will be the first to know about the launch of our new October website.

Thanks to Melissa for taking the time with me and Jaszy to talk about swapping as the new shopping. You have completely inspired me, and tomorrow I will be hosting my very first swap as part of our communities Eco-Day at our first ever Fashion Week.  I decided on the free for all style event. It just looked like too much chaos to resist!

Put together a swap in your area and register it on Swap.com.  Any questions about swapping? Leave a comment below and I would be happy to answer.

Jerah

Bringing you the quadro bottom line in eco fashion (people, planet, passion and profit), Modern Hippie Mag’s Eco-Fash Huntress Jerah Lena Coviello explores, delights in, and edits the worldwide scene of sustainable fashion for you. On a journey to define her own eco-fashion, Jerah curates convertible, limited, handmade couture at her company Ecovogue365. You can find her building up the fashion movement in her hometown by hosting pop up swaps, collaborating with the Sarasota Garment District, and growing the sew local scene.

Swapping is the New Shopping is a post from: Modern Hippie Mag

I begin with a question from Tanya N Tasha Snow. With such a green-saturated market, green washing, and your head spinning with brands bringing you their angle on eco-fashion, this is probably the single most-asked question. Tanya asks, “What is eco-fashion?”

Indradhanush 2008, discarded clothing by Guerra De La Paz

For the simple answer, it is always nice to turn to a Wikipedia definition. The Wiki (which means quick in Hawaiian) defines eco fashion as “sustainable fashion [...] a part of the growing design philosophy and trend of sustainability, the goal of which is to create a system which can be supported indefinitely in terms of environmentalism and social responsibility.”

Eco-Fashion is for the thinking woman. As with any self-evolution, awareness is the first big step. To become aware of your fashion’s impact on the environment and/or social responsibility, you will have to understand a garment’s birth to death life cycle.

“23.8 billion pounds of clothing and textile waste go into landfills each year” – Textile Recycling Organization

For example, let us look at that cotton tee in your closet, a staple Americana piece of which we all own many. Over decades, it is involved in the following processes with the following people:

1. Cotton must first be grown on a farm by farmers, where it is then picked, by pickers or machines, packed and shipped to…
2. A separate facility where cotton is spun by spinners into yarn…
3. Yarn is turned into a textile by knitters through weaving, knitting, crocheting, knotting, etc. Sometimes spinners and knitters work in one facility…
4. The woven fabric is sent for treatment by dyers where the dye process occurs…
5. Fabric is sold to designers or manufacturers…
6. Designers turn the fabric into a garment for sale via retail  (retailers) or wholesale (wholesalers)…
7. You, the consumer, purchase the item online or at your favorite store…
8. It does not end there. The garment is worn and washed, maybe passed down…
9. Eventually it is thrown away into a landfill or donated to charity. Some, who are crafty, decide to re-design their clothing to give it a longer life. Designers may use recycled clothing to recreate a piece for sale. Manufacturers may take back textiles to break them down into reuseable material for new products.
10. The second life provided through the second-hand clothing market in developing countries like Haiti (known as pepe) is growing.

Tribute 2002, discarded clothing by Guerra De La Paz

Each part of the process involves a massive amount of people and energy within the fashion industry who work on creating that single shirt in your closet. In fact, it is The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard. What eco-fashion strives to do is make this process a closed loop system.  A garment should be able to go from step 1 through step 10 and cycle right back into one of these steps.

“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.” – according to Earth Pledge.

Today brands are digging into these processes to change part or their entire brand while matching it to their companies’ philosophy. Do not be confused when you read a hang tag about a fair trade item you want to purchase, a t-shirt made of organic cotton, the newest sneaker made with eco materials, or an item flagged as “made from bamboo.”

The key is: all of these are eco-fashion. Your role is during the consumption phase (step 7-10), but your choices affect steps 1-6 in a major way. Many fashion companies are shifting to focus on a triple bottom line that expands the profit model to incorporate the health of people and planet. A good way to find out about a company’s eco-philosophy is to simply read the About page on their website.

Canopy 2006, discarded fabric, by Guerra De La Paz

The industry at large is working towards an eco-fashion standard.  International industry leaders gather at the Copenhagen : Towards Sustainability Event. The Ethical Fashion Forum is a body dedicated to a sustainable future in fashion. New York City has more eco-fashion going on than L.A., Chicago and London combined. Check out a green show at New York Fashion week each September, join the AFINGO Fashion Forum online, shop made-in-NYC brand Necklush (a must have this winter), or watch the online video of The New York Project by Fashion Me Green.

The next time you make a fashion purchase, make it an eco one. Next week’s Q&A Eco-Fashion Tuesday, will be a very special Eco Fashion Shopping Guide to help you with your future eco-fashion purchases.

If you have any questions, please comment below. I would love to answer them.

Jerah

Bringing you the quadro bottom line in eco fashion (people, planet, passion and profit), Modern Hippie Mag’s Eco-Fash Huntress Jerah Lena Coviello explores, delights in, and edits the worldwide scene of sustainable fashion for you. On a journey to define her own eco-fashion, Jerah curates convertible, limited, handmade couture at her company Ecovogue365. You can find her building up the fashion movement in her hometown by hosting pop up swaps, collaborating with the Sarasota Garment District, and growing the sew local scene.

Q&A Eco-Fashion Tuesdays: Definition of Eco-Fashion is a post from: Modern Hippie Mag

Eco-Fashion Week Vancouver, Runway photo by Maria Hernandez

October 5th to 7th marked the third season of Eco Fashion Week Vancouver, where buyers, media, designers and even the fashion-loving public came together to celebrate eco fashion.

With an ongoing trade show for participating designers and attending buyers, seminars and talks promoting the eco way during the day, and fashion shows in the evening, this season’s EFW has impressed attendees and exhibitors alike. Gastown was the home of EFW this time around, in the open and sleek Storyeum (142 Water Street), a fitting venue, Gastown being centrally located and the home of many independent boutiques, artist studios, and stylish restaurants.

Apart from being well-organized and tailored to the demands of the fashion industry, the most amazing thing about Eco Fashion Week is that it promotes “eco” fashion not as a trend, but as a movement. We all know what a rich industry the fashion industry is, but wasteful is another way to describe it. Fashion need not be wasteful at the same time as successful, and EFW is doing its part in putting out that message.Having completed this season most winningly, the fashion industry locally and internationally is taking notice more and more, and getting ready for the next season to come.

photo courtesy of Natalie Mitchell

We got the inside scoop on one of EFW’s workshops; Why and How to Reuse Fashion: a seminar by Eco Fashion Week founder Myriam Laroche, with coverage from Marika Jewell of String Magazine.

Vancouver Eco Fashion week was full of inspiration and re-invention; it truly showed us how one can still be fashionable in the most conscious ways to our environment. On the last day of shows Myriam Laroche, creator of EFW, held a free seminar as part of the EFW seminar series, and it was a fantastic opportunity to connect with the mind behind this tremendous concept.

It was very inspiring to hear her experience and passion for the fashion industry and how far she has come: she admits to being someone who was never environmentally conscious before, but has evolved into someone that is passionate about spreading the eco message. Through EFW, she has exposed the damage our population creates each year from not reusing or recycling, and by bringing this to light has helped many be aware of water consumption, fabric over-usage, and the harmful dyes that go into this billion dollar industry. Having become aware of all this herself some 5 years ago, it changed her ways completely and is now sharing it with the world.

Myriam Laroche, Photo courtesy of Natalie Mitchell

During the seminar, she also shared her tips for thrift and vintage shopping, which was her talk’s main focus, and she pointed out her shoes and dress were both from Value Village. Her tactic was to interact with her audience, as she believes we all have the knowledge and opinions to share on ways to be eco-friendly, so both Myriam and the audience shared their stories and tips on strategizing when it comes to entering that large store of wonder.

Having some solid advice of her own, she says you must wear your proper Value Village outfit, dubbed ‘the power outfit’: leggings and a tight tank top to try items on on the go. She also advises to make sure you have a large shopping cart because there really is no need to ponder over an item in the aisle–if it catches your eye it’s for a reason, and you must simply throw it in and sort it out once you hit the change rooms.

“When we are there we own that store,” she says with a smile, speaking of her and her friends on their shopping adventures. Lastly, while perusing down the aisles of VV, it is best to feel and touch for the quality of individual pieces, feeling for the luxurious fabrics in those treasures you are hoping for, such as leather, cashmere, fur and silk. And don’t forget the shoes and accessories; the Value Village scarf collection is full of many silken treasures.

A meeting of the minds that left everyone feeling the urge to re-consider one’s clothing consumption. Here’s to taking a true breath of fresh, environmental, and humanitarian air into our wardrobes.

To follow the complete story on Eco Fashion Week Vancouver, check out our friends over at String Magazine.

String Magazine is an online fashion, arts, and music publication based in Vancouver, BC. Its focus lies in nourishing the BC fashion industry and making its contribution to the arts and music community locally. String Magazine exists because it knows that there are many talented individuals in our city and we want to inspire them to create, build, and cultivate their work—and do so right here in BC. String Magazine is for them, about them, and because of them.

Eco Fashion Week Vancouver S/S 2012: Better and Better Every Season is a post from: Modern Hippie Mag

Imaginative and sustainable collections will be a three-day affair at Vancouver’s Eco Fashion Week, kicking off tomorrow in the historic neighborhood of Gastown.  Touting the only fashion week in the world dedicated solely to eco-fashion, design and education, Vancouver holds strong for its third successful season in Canada’s “Green Capital” city.

Vancouver Eco Fashion Week

Kicking off October 5^th at 2pm with an opening Press Party, EFW President and visionary Myriam Laroche will be speaking with Vancouver City Councillor Andrea Reimer about the City’s Green Action Plan, followed by a designer panel with Nicole Bridger, Jeff Garner and Jason Matlo.

With 40 exhibitors and 20 designers, the lineup looks smashing.  Designer Nicole Bridger (of past giveaway fame) is on the scene, along with Sports Illustrated swimwear designer Anna Kosturova, Singapore’s Jujube and up and coming New York designer Titania Iglis.  If you want to see what’s rad on the eco scene of our Canadian counterparts, check out Quebec’s very own eco-label, Harricana par Mariouche.

Titiana Inglis

A very on-trend concept new this season is “The Window.” Both private and public boutique and trade show experiences featuring the best green products in design and manufacturing – set against the backdrop of  “DJ Shopping” brought to you by professional music stylists Girl On Wax. A show where you can look, shop and learn? That’s fashion evolving.

The week ends October 7^th with a runway show by celebrity designer Jeff Garner of Prophetik, reigning forerunner of eco design.

Hopefully, some of our eco-peops who live nearby or are traveling around the area can check out an event or grab a day ticket for an affordable $20 a show.  If you go, email a photo and your thoughts about the event to Jerah@modernhippiemag.com.

For a full schedule of events and more information check out www.ecofashion-week.com.

Jerah

Bringing you the quadro bottom line in eco fashion (people, planet, passion and profit), Modern Hippie Mag’s Eco-Fash Huntress Jerah Lena Coviello explores, delights in, and edits the worldwide scene of sustainable fashion for you. On a journey to define her own eco-fashion, Jerah curates convertible, limited, handmade couture at her company Ecovogue365. You can find her building up the fashion movement in her hometown by hosting pop up swaps, collaborating with the Sarasota Garment District, and growing the sew local scene.

Vancouver Eco-Fashion Week Starts Tomorrow is a post from: Modern Hippie Mag

We Are Eco-Warriors, Elle Magazine

Let’s dig deeper into eco fashion. 

This month is dedicated to knowing your eco fashion questions, wishes, wants and desires.  I am stepping back from writing to you and getting to know you and your understanding of eco-fashion.  The last article I wrote asked the question, “What is your burning eco fashion question?”

Now, taking a deeper look into fashion, (can there be a deeper?), I want to explore your understanding of eco fashion.  Sometimes, I know how difficult it is to quickly think about all the elements that make up eco-fashion.  A definition is in order.  I have been on the ultimate quest for eco-fashion since January 2010 when I launched a handcrafted project for sustainable fashion with my mom. I came to find out that the fashion industry are in discussions to create an “eco-fashion” definition that will set an industry standard for manufacturers, designers, consumers, retailers and writers like myself.  Like the food industry in this country, there was a time not too long ago that “organic” labeling hit the shelves. That movement was so well received by all of you that it encouraged a deeper look into our food systems. Today shopping at a Wholefoods to find out the back story on your fish or catching a new food film Food, Inc. is commonplace.

Mark my words ladies (and gents) fashion is headed in an eco direction. From the brightest minds at the Copenhagen Fashion Summit to the collective of designers at the NOW Showcase in New York, to projects like The Uniform Project, the launch of the AFINGO Fashion Forum, and magazines that follow the pulse of eco-fashion, Ecouterre, and new ones popping up on the scene like SIX Magazine, there is no “one” definition.  There are many, and many discussions lead to amazing solutions. I am going to put my finger on the pulse and give you my best definition of eco-fashion.

Eco-Fashion is…stay tuned for the upcoming article.

In the meantime, like car parts that make a car work, so are the parts that make up eco fashion.  These are the 18 main criteria that make eco-fashion work and more importantly, you can use these criteria to inspire your eco-fashion sense.

1.  HANDCRAFTED

THINK: DIY (Do It Yourself) is a mantra from our hippie foremothers that today is taking on a revolution of it’s own. Welcome back the handmade revolution where you can find stitchers, handcrafters, couturists, and makers taking the DIY world online.  Check out the handmade revolution at Etsy, or get involved in a Sitch ‘N Bitch near you, and the newest on the scene, P.S. I Made This.

2.  SLOW SEW

THINK: Slow movements like the food movement.  Nationally we are really getting in tune with the slow food movement. Use this as a model for the slow sew movement. The goal is to slow down our consumption of fashion, slow down our want for trends, and bring into our wardrobe methodical wearing.

3.  DEAD STOCK

THINK: Left over fabric cuttings that go from the designers table to our landfills. Instead designers are using these off cuts. Support Ruffeo Hearts Lil Snotty (RHLS) and Goodone.

4.  HEIRLOOM PIECES

THINK: Fabrics  or clothing that are past down generation to generation such as  wedding dresses, quilts, hand crocheted lace, hand dyed garments, a 1950’s dress to a pair of 1970’s bell bottoms. What you may have in your closet as an unworn heirloom could be turned into a new wearable modern day piece by Adele. What do you have hiding in your closet?

5.  CONVERTIBLE CLOTHING

THINK: Clothing that can be worn more ways than one. Versatile, reversible or convertible clothing are pieces that put you in the stylist seat.  Ask yourself, “How can I wear this today?” Check out MOHOP shoes.

6.  ORGANIC

THINK: Conventionally grown cotton occupies only 3% of the world’s farmland, but uses 25 % of the worlds chemicals. Buying one organic cotton tee saves 4 oz. of dangerous concentrated pesticides from entering our environment and your skin. Look at Textile Exchange or HA Organic Clothing.

7.  FARM TO FASHION

THINK: Yes your clothes start on the farm (or at least we want them to?).  Cotton, beechwood trees, hemp, bamboo, eucalyptus all begin from a seed.  Polyseter, lycra, spandex, nylon are synthetics created in a factory. From inception to creation, fashion has a process. We must look at the entire process from sustainable farming methods, to manufacturing and designing that lessens our fashion foorptint. Look at Patagonia’s footprint chronicles or  Nature vs. Future.

8.  FAIR TRADE

THINK: Fair Trade Mark was established for you to know the items that you purchase are made with a fair living wage for people in third world countries.  And, one of the only internationally recognized marks in fashion. Clothing lines like Hae Now and Edun focus on fair trade.

9.  MADE IN AMERICA

THINK: Respecting the time honored traditions of a living craft, securing jobs at home, and take the Chanin Challenge “What is the connection of this item to the earth to the hands that make the piece I wear?”

10.  THINK LOCAL

THINK: Drill down from made in America and take stock in locally produced fashion. A big movement of made in L.A. and Made in NYC Garment districts are abrewing. Check out Lara Miller, Liv Grn, and Shift Boutique.

11.  DEMOCRATIZING FASHION

THINK: For the individual at heart. Let the fashion Gestapo know that there are small designers producing beautiful clothes that also have a large fan base. If you really want to stand out in a crowd, grab something from a small designer at Not Just a Label.

12.  RE-DESIGN

THINK: There is nothing more powerful than editing your wardrobe, taking inventory of what you have and figuring out how to re-design your clothing. Sure this may take some sewing skills, but nothing a pair of scissors, needle and thread couldn’t mend. Or add something (embellish) to a pair of old jeans or a top. Patches are in vogue again. Look at Wardrobe ReFashion, Make it and Mend It, and read Born Again Vintage: 25 Ways to Deconstruct, Reinvent and Recycle Your Wardrobe.

13.  LIMITED EDITIONS

THINK: Lessen the copious amounts of fashion in your closet and settle for something limited = a restricted amount of copies produced for you to own. Look at Ideologie.

14.  OF A KIND

THINK: Even more exclusive than limited’s, set your heart on an of a kind original made for you or for a small group. Check out Of A Kind.

15.  EARTH FRIENDLY DYES

THINK: 3 types of textile inks. 1. Solvent 2. Water 3. Plastisol. The first is a petroleum based ink, the second a water based ink that soaks into cloth and the third a PVC dye (plastics) that many manufacturers are phasing out. Companies like TS Designs are experimenting with earth friendly inks while making it their mission.

16.  UPCYCLED OR 17. RECYCLED

THINK: The difference between the two is; upcycling is turning products into new items like taking an old leather coat (Remade USA) and turning it into a purse. Recycling is breaking down materials and turning them into new materials like soda bottle turned into hoodies by Playback.

18.  WOMEN OWNED

THINK: Why is this in the list? This makes the list representative of a bigger philosophical problem every industry must ask themselves today, “How can humans build a permanent sustainable culture?” With women surpassing men in fashion consumption it is hard not to be tempted at a cheap sale made by cheap female labor and farmed by the hands of women. Statistically women are the world’s farmers and sewers. Next time you shop ladies, think about how you are treating one another. It is a fact that when we invest in the world’s girls, they give back. Check out Girl Effect.

Take action now, and leave a comment below with your eco-fashion question?

Last Chance! Get Your Eco-Fashion Questions Answered is a post from: Modern Hippie Mag