As part of New York City’s Fashion Week, the non-profit group Earth Pledge sponsored a FutureFashion runway show, featuring garments crafted from piña, hemp silk, and black mud-dyed silk—all fibers with a long textile history.

 

But there were newer fibers as well, such as a corn-based version of polyester, and fibers recyled from pop bottles and old clothing.   Designer Donna Karan showed a gown made of peace silk and sasawashi, a yarn made from incorporating flakes of the Japanese kumazasa plant into washi paper during the papermaking process. The paper is then cut into strips and twisted into yarn. 

The FutureFashion show is only one sign of a turning point in the textile industry which, according to Earth Pledge, is one of the most environmentally destructive. Another sign can be found in big-box stores. According to fashion designer Rogan Gregory, green fashion is showing up in the mass markets. He has created a line for Target in organic cotton, bamboo, and hemp. Levi’s now carries a line of organic cotton jeans. And Wal-Mart has become the world’s largest purchaser of organic cotton. According to Leslie Hoffman, Earth Pledge Executive Director, “Sustainability is not a fad; it is a necessity for a healthy future.”

 

For those of us who spent the ‘90s and ‘0s scouring shops for sustainably produced yarns, cloth, and chic clothing, this is good news indeed. Eco-fashion need no longer be confined to sack-shaped hemp dresses and beanie caps. And instead of encountering uncomprehending or irritated stares when we advocate for sustainability in the cloth that covers us, we can now look forward to neutral facial expressions--if not nods of approval.   

But not right away. According to Marshal Cohen, a market analyst with the research firm NPD Group, green fashion still represents less than 1 percent of industry sales. And among buyers, only 18 percent even realize that green fashion exists. The good news is that four years ago that number stood at 6 percent. We are making progress.

 

Sources used in writing this blog: 

"From Hippie to Hip," by Gretel H. Schueller, in Audubon Magazine, Nov/Dec 2009 issue.

http://gliving.com/futurefashions-top-designers-tackle-sustainability/

http://www.earthpledge.org/