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Ecouterre is a website that promotes about eco friendly fashion, designers, and technology. The idea is to inform the public about the advances being made in sustainable fashion. There has also been a new certificate developed that encourages fashion brands and retailers to recycle waste and become more sustainable. Consumers are able to use the certificate to see how their purchase is directly impacting the environment. I think this certificate is such a great idea. Being able to directly see how one's purchase is affecting the environment will definitely encourage more people to shop at retailers that utilize the certificate. 

This story is a bit long but it explains some fashion brands that are actually eco-friendly and not just claiming to be for the buzz that they can get. I noticed their pricing is high, so it reminded me of how in class how the professor mentioned that environmentally friendly programs can cost a lot for institutions I guess its also the same for fashion brands.

My sister will love learning about these companies. Thanks!

A housewares store in New York is displaying sustainable garments created by CFDA fashion designers. Some of those designers received awards for having a business that is at least 30% sustainable. I think it is great that these eco friendly garments are being featured in such a cool, unique way and the fact that they are recruiting and honoring CFDA designers who have created sustainable garments shows that the fashion industry recognizes the importance of going green.

A Minnesota fashion group has created a set of standards for sustainable and "green" fashion. The group hopes to better put the consumer at ease by informing them of the strict standards that are carried out to ensure their garment is ethically made and environmentally sustainable. The group offers their certification requirements free of cost to the designer so it is not difficult or expensive to attain for companies just starting out. 

A set of standards is a good idea. The USDA can set organic standards but most of the environmental harm is from the chemicals used on the textiles later in the cycle.

This article talks mostly about H&M;s low prices and how it might encourage the idea of disposable fashion. It also mentions how H&M is increasing its use of organically grown cotton by 50 percent every year until 2013. They are also working with its Chinese suppliers to reduce water, energy, and toxic-chemical use in its supply chains.

I like the candy wrapper analogy. This is a good issue for fashion students to think about. The most sustainable fashion is to keep wearing the clothes you already own!

Who would have thought that cardboard, steel/tin, recycled fabric and clothing, aluminum, plastics, paper cartons, chipboard, newspaper, mixed papers and glass could be used to design dresses, pantsuits, coats and more? I feel as though more and more people will participate in creating clothing made from recycled products, so long as the word about it continues to spread.

I feel like I've seen these projects before and even used as displays to promote recycling. At my last school, I took a fiber class and the professor had each of us make outfits from recycled materials she offered. It turned out to be a fun project and most of the outfits actually looked good. This is just one of many ways to get people more excited and aware of recycling and reusing materials.

Two years ago at our Earth Day, a student organized a Recycled Fashion Show. She created all the clothing, organized the models, and conducted the show on the quad. Look at page 16 of this report I wrote a few years ago: http://www.lasell.edu/Documents/Reports/2009-2010-Lasell-College-Sustainability-Report.pdf

Sunglasses have become one of the most popular accessories in today's world of fashion. Creating sunglasses from organic processes and materials and donating the proceeds to reforestation efforts, while planting a tree for each parir of glasses that are purchased not only encourages shoppers to stay on trend with purchasing sunglasses, but it raises awareness to our environment and the impact that we can make on it.

They are all sold out on their web page. My kids would break them so fast!

A chemist/fashion designer has created jeans that can make the air cleaner. The jeans are coated with particles of titanium dioxide to neutralize nitrogen oxide emitted by vehicles and factories and the bi product of nitrates washes away in the laundry. Professor Storey, the creator said "Jeans were the ideal item of clothing for their invention because there were more denim jeans on the planet than people." 

Interesting idea. Why don't they put it on paint on buildings or cars instead?

Fashion retailer H&M has been named the biggest user of organic cotton for the second consecutive year. Their increase in the use is part of their plan to use more sustainable cotton in their clothing lines by 2020. The company has been using certified organic cotton for the past 8 years and their clothes are clearly labeled to inform the consumer of their informed choice. 

But the cotton is probably not from the U.S. Only 1% of U.S. cotton is organic.

This is a great way to get people informed on what exactly the fashion industry is doing to the environment. Garments were tested for chemicals that might harm the environment or human health. It found that 89 of the 141 contained detectable levels of nonylphenol ethoxylates or NPEs. The campaign is pushing for fashion brands to commit to zero discharge of all hazardous chemicals by 2020.  

Greenpeace loves doing stuff like this. They try to capture as much free media attention as possible. This one did not get much play though.

The Spanish fast fashion company Zara has come under intense fire recently. This article discusses how Zara has failed to do anything about the hazardous chemicals they are releasing into the same water that residents rely on. They are now being pressured to re-evaluate their environmental policies. Since they produce so many garments every year they have a very profound environmental impact. They hope by setting an example with Zara that it will lead to a toxic-free future. Obviously it's not going to be that simple though. 

The eco-friendly fashion company Edun, run by Bono and his wife, and Diesel are collaborating on a collection that will promote sustainability. All of the garments will be created in Africa, where both companies have programs and charities. I admire the fact that both companies have found a way to give back to and sustain the environment that their garments are coming from. I also appreciate the strict guidelines that Edun holds itself to. I would love to see more fashion brands follow similar guidelines when producing their garments. 

It is no surprise that cotton is not the most sustainable fabric due to the amount of water used to produce this beloved textile. A panel of experts in fashion and sustainability sat down to discuss how attainable true sustainability can be achieved in the fashion world. This article provides a link to a very interesting discussion on the topic. definitely worth watching!

This second article is about how this year in New York fashion week, sustainability was also a new trend. But for different designers and brands sustainability means different things, like being ethical or using environmentally friendly products. It really all depended on the designers and their definition of sustainability.

I have read about people trying to get more information on tags so consumers can make their own decisions. I think people do have different definitions.

The fashion industry is looking to improve how they manufacture textiles to make them more eco-friendly. They use a lot of chemicals in the making of textiles that harm the environment. They began using soy fiber and Tencel. Even though Tencel uses chemicals during production the chemicals can be reused many times. Tencel fibers are also biodegradable! 

I need to read more about the Better Cotton Initiative. Good article!

This article doesn't really apply to my fashion major, but I found it so interesting. It talks about how skateboard have become the leading cause of maple deforestation, even beating out other large sectors like furniture! Bamboo is becoming a more sustainable option for the construction of skateboards because it grows quickly, does not need to be replanted after it is cut down, and helps prevent erosion. Bamboo farms are also helpful in reducing greenhouse gases and producing oxygen.

I would like to see more about the studies that found skateboards the leading cause of maple deforestation. I find that difficult to believe.

The designer of the olympic torch has partnered with the fashion powerhouse Louis Vuitton to create a torch that is both sustainable and intriguing. Not much is known about the torch so far, however it is exciting to see fashion pairing with the olympics.

A workshop was created and being offered free to anyone in Manchester to turn their old clothes and accessories into a new, updated and trendier article for their wardrobe. It encourages consumers to prolong the life of the clothes they purchase instead of disposing them. I wish a workshop like this was offered around here, it sounds like a lot of fun.

It seems like an idea that would be popular in the US. I bet it would be well attended in Boston or San Francisco.