Be a green fashion week groupie

Eco-events all over the world

Posted by Summer Rayne Oakes (Guest Contributor) at 2:44 PM on 17 Aug 2007

Read more about: green living | consumerism | fashion

There's a rash of "greener" fashion weeks popping up everywhere for the spring 2008 fashion season. And there must be an alignment of the stars or the higher workings of an omnipotent green god, because there is barely any overlap in dates. If you were so inclined, it would be possible for you to attend every single one of the shows listed below -- though the jet lag and carbon emissions from such an excursion might leave you feeling a bit ... restless.

I'll be in Seattle, Paris, and New York, and maybe San Francisco, so please drop in and say hello if you are nearby.

As enthusiasm for the green design movement continues to grow and the market becomes more robust and sophisticated, it is my (secret) hope to dethrone the Karl Lagerfelds of the world, who went on record to say, "If you want social justice, be a social worker."

Down, down with the status quo. Hear, hear for revolution.

Oslo Fashion Week, August 13-19. Oslo will have a number of sustainable design elements, including presentations highlighting the Norwegian Initiative for Clean & Ethical Fashion (NICE); my S4 Newsletter, compliments of Inger-Mette Stenseth; the Fretex Redesign Project; and a show featuring a slew of eco-fashion designers such as Arne & Carlos, Leila Hafzi, 2(x)ist, The Alpaca Society, and Vera & William.

San Francisco Fashion Week, August 22-26. Being green is a natural way of life in the Bay Area, so it is only natural to see some green design elements in San Francisco Fashion Week. Check out the designers Missing Piece and Velvet Leaf on the runway, and don't miss out on the "Trends in Eco Fashion" workshop on August 26.

London Fashion Week-Estethica Exhibition, September 15-20. This showcase for sustainable designers is in its second year and promises to be bigger and better. Notable brands that pledge sustainable development and fair-trade initiatives, like People Tree, Nahui Ollin, Veja, Katharine Hamnett, Noir, and Fifi Bijoux will be present, as well as some fabulous designers who do some spectacular work out of recycled and organic fabrics, including Again NYC, Ciel, Enamore, and From Somewhere.

Seattle Green Fashion Week, October 2-6. This will be Seattle's first Green Fashion Week, and I'm delighted to be a part of it. Runway designs include some fabulous earth-friendly fashions from Anna Cohen, Lara Miller, Covet, Sling & Stones, and a host of garments from Earth Pledge's Future Fashion initiative.

Paris Ethical Fashion Show, October 11-14. The Ethical Fashion Show is in its fourth year running and will feature a series of conferences, trade show, and runway show open to the public and press. EFS is always impressive because it is the only show that brings in designers from all over the world, including Africa, Asia, and Central and South America -- and has a special focus on sustainable development and design.

LA Fashion Week-EcoNouveau Fest, October 12. This little fun fest will kick off LA Fashion Week. EcoNoveau will feature three eco-fashion designers and will curate musical performances and art exhibits that are designed with the principles of high aesthetics and environmentalism.

New York Design Week-Future Fashion Show, October 17. New York City, House & Garden TV, ABC Carpet & Home, and Earth Pledge will kick off the "green" element of New York Design Week. Many well known eco-fashion designers will be showcased, including Linda Loudermilk, Loomstate, and Bahar Shahpar, but a number of one-off eco-pieces created by the 7th on Sixth crowd will be gracing the runway too. Stick around and tour the sustainable design product stories in the always impressive space of ABC Carpet & Home.

Portland Fashion Week, October 19-24. Portland will kick off a Green Fashion Week in the John Ross Tower, a LEED-certified green building. Anna Cohen, Sameunderneath, and Lizzie Parker will take center stage, while new designers will be unveiled during the festivities.

Barney's Holiday-Go Green, December. Word on the street is that Barney's will be pledging deeper green initiatives this holiday season. All I can say is the trend-makers are starting to do some serious moving and shaking.

For story: Be a green fashion week groupie
5 Comments | Post a Comment

Regarding fashion community . . .

what are your thoughts and suggestions regarding the possibility of motivating the fashion industry to urge use of recycled paper by the print magazines which cover the industry but are also underwritten by the fashion biz through advertising?

I understand that the Sept. Vogue has over 800 pages with no recycled fiber.

Good to see that Lagerfeld is being challenged.

bernardo issel - http://www.NonprofitWatch.org - bernardo (at) NonprofitWatch.org

by NonprofitWatch at 5:54 AM on 18 Aug 2007

Eco-Fashion in Kent, Washington

The other week at 24 Hour Fitness Club I ripped the hem of my nice sweatpants in the rowing machine -- they're blue, with a gold and white stripe.

So, I cut off the legs from just below the knees, Incredible Hulk style. Now, I have some comfortable loose knit kick ass bike shorts that aren't designed like a sausage casing.

Do you think Richard Branson would pay me $200 dollars for them because not only are they "sustainable" (as long as the bottom doesn't wear out), but I now have surplus fabric from the legs that can be reused as a carbon scrubber?

Possibly the best Alternative Energy blog I read: New Energy and Fuel

by jabailo at 1:25 PM on 18 Aug 2007

Recycled Paper for Fashion Magazine

Hi Bernardo, It needs to be done. Aveda is the only company I know that has stood up and said that they will only advertise in magazines that use recycled content. I mention that as much as I can when I talk b/c it's just so smart. Imagine if every company that advertises in a magazines said that? Not only should these values be coming from from companies, they should be coming from the various people that read the magazines.

I'll be heading out to Great Bear National Forest in a few weeks on a conservation mission. It is the largest continguous coastal temperate rainforest and most of the virgin woods get turned into junk mail and magazine paper. A number of companies, non-profits and the Canadian government are putting together a deal to save the forest from logging. Hopefully a story like this will get written about in magazines - and more linkages will be made to paper production and sustainability.

---

John - Incredible Hulk Style. Sounds sexy. ;o)

by Summer Rayne Oakes at 5:21 PM on 21 Aug 2007

More Green Fashion Week Groupie News

I neglected to highlight a couple more shows.

CHICAGO

On September 27, the Foresight Design Initiative, a Chicago-based sustainable design and innovation nonprofit group, will host EcoModa: A
Sustainable Fashion Showcase.

EcoModa will be held in conjunction with Foresight¹s annual Sustainable Convergence ¹07 party, to be held at The Notebaert Nature Museum. Sustainable Convergence draws several hundred people with a lively combination of great food, drinks, and music; a sustainable enterprise fair; an engaging design
component and more.

Designers can submit their design here:
http://www.sustainableconvergence.org

LOS ANGELES

LA will also host another pre-Emmy party where celebs can borrow some eco-baubles for the red carpet.

by Summer Rayne Oakes at 10:48 AM on 26 Aug 2007

For Bernardo Issel

The annual magazine industry show Folio is hosting a recycled paper panel in New York Monday September 24 ~ 2h30 to 3h45 ~ at the Marriot Marquis, with Frank Locantore of the Magazine Paper Project and Robert Brai of Integrated Media Cooperative. General public admission is $12.

Aveda funded the additional cost of 10% recycled stock in June 2006's ELLE green edition... but I don't think they repeated the effort this year. Both Conde Nast and Hachette/Filipacchi are Johnny Come Latety to walking the talk.

Now that the Magazine Paper Project has successfully switched over such illustrious publications at National Geographic to recycled stock, these entrenched fashion publishing houses have no excuse for not switching printers... because you see, that's the real issue... the old printers can't switch to recycled and veggie-inks... they can't retool. A title needs to change printers to get the same, if not superior printing quality for a recycled paper switch. it's about the old buddy system and Union issues.

Join us on the 24th, we expect a large turn-out this year... if only because Paris Hilton is now the face of ForestEthics, thanks to EcoRazzi! If you're in New York, concerned that International Paper wants to clear cut Siberia so we can keep reading ELLE and VOGUE, then please show up!

RemyC.

by RemyC at 5:48 PM on 05 Sep 2007

ADVERTISING POLICY

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