There are a lot of words being thrown around these days such as: ethical fashion, eco-fashion, sustainable fashion. But what does it all mean? It means different things to different people however I think Livia Firth nailed it in her article below when she broaches this subject.
Continue reading How do you define Sustainable and Ethical Fashion??
This is a drool worthy post. I absolutely adore Livia Firth and what she has done to bring awareness to the luxury fashion industry in regards to the environment and labour standards. She started a consultancy company called eco-age which works with brands to build sustainability into their supply chain. Part of that is the Green Carpet Challenge in which she partners with luxury power houses to go above and beyond in the creation of a collection that meets her high standards. I have already posted about the gorgeous Gucci bags made of anti-deforestation leather in the Brazilian Amazon, now here are two more luxury designers that have partnered with the Green Carpet Challenge to create stunning pieces that shows the world that not only is sustainability possible it is crucial to the future of our planet and people.
Since high street stores like Zara and H&M get inspiration from luxury runways, my hope is that if luxury fashion puts sustainability at the forefront of their designs than the high street too will have to follow suit.
First up, as if there wasn’t enough to love about Sergio Rossi! He is embracing sustainability and debuted a capsule collection on Sept 3rd. These GORGEOUS stiletto shoes and bags are made out of the first EVER locally sourced organic silk from a family run mill in Italy and lead free swarovski crystals. Take a look:
also in black!
these are my favourite!…
Other notable sustainable features of these stunning shoes is the use of chrome-free leather finishing from Europe and nickel-free metals.
We move on to the stunning display of British-Turkish designer, Erdem Moralioglu, sustainable collection that launched during London’s Fashion Week this past September at The Wallace Collection. The GCC has strict criteria in which the designers have to comply with which means the 12 designs were made from reused, surplus, or sustainably certified materials. However, that didn’t ruffle his feathers as the designs are all very much in tune with Erdem’s feminine, luxury aesthetic.
As quoted in the Telegraph, “I was inspired by the Wallace Collection,” revealed the designer; “I loved the idea of creating a collection that had a really human hand to it.”
You can see in the pics below that each dress was displayed as a work of art..a canvas to be admired.
Ah Cotton…the beautiful, soft substance that we use in our everyday lives. From our sheets, to our towels, to the clothes we wear day in and day out, its something we just cannot live without. As attractive as it is, what lurks behind in the shadows of cotton production is a not so beautiful picture.
Conventional Cotton
Cotton is highly attractive to insects (eg cutworm, army worm, loopers, aphids, whitefly, spider mite and more). Because this effects crops, cotton has become heavily reliant on pesticides…so heavily reliant that it uses 1/4 of the worlds pesticides and are the most pesticide dependent crops in the world. These chemicals get into the soil and water and in turn destroy the environment and also effect the wildlife that come into contact with it. In addition, farmers health are at risk of pesticide poisoning and serious other health issues.
Here are some facts displayed on the effect of pesticides on human health from the site organicconsumers:
So as you can see conventional cotton has a number of unsustainable factors that need to be addressed.
Organic Cotton
In the U.S., one-third of a pound of chemicals is needed just to grow enough conventional cotton for a regular T-shirt. “Organic cotton is a solution to the problem of chemical use in conventional cotton,” says Lynda Grose of the Sustainable Cotton Project. Grose adds, “The ecological goal is to convert fields from chemical controls to biological controls.”
There is a lot of skepticism around organic cotton because textiles don’t have to be certified in order to be called organic. However there are a few certifications to look out for when purchasing organic cotton to ensure its organic from field to finished product such as GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard), Soil Association, and Organic Exchange. Check out the website cottonedon for more detailed information on these certfications.
And we all know about the sweatshops and unfair working conditions of the labourers. These organic certifications have social responsibility and living wages built into their core philosophy and monitoring so it’s not just about the cotton but the people behind the farming and the manufacturing. At least now we have information available to us to make our own informed decisions.
Granted organic cotton is more expensive but we have been brainwashed into thinking that fast and cheap fashion is normal and $5 -$10 for a cotton t-shirt is the going rate, but someone or something else is always paying the price. Organic cotton is about respect for people and planet and is more expensive to produce as it’s much more labour intensive. Cottonedon says “The price of organic includes investments made by farmers who are protecting the environment, maintaining soil fertility, preserving biodiversity and conserving water.”
Below is a chart that lists the major differences between organic cotton and conventional cotton from seed throughout the whole process.
http://www.greencotton.wordpress.com – Sources used for this table include: National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service, Organic Exchange, Organic Trade Association (OTA), and Harmony Art Organic Designs.
Tru Fashion With a Conscience 