Green With Envy
Green With Envy
Since
fashion is a reflection of the times, it makes sense that designers
should be looking for lasting ways to conserve the environment while
still setting trends. They?re taking into account that the cotton
industry uses 25 percent of the world?s pesticides, with terrible
consequences for wildlife and aquifers; that in an increasingly
profligate society, recycling clothes might be a worthwhile endeavor;
and that PVC, a chemically-produced plastic that doesn?t break down,
perhaps isn?t the slickest of materials after all.
FutureFashion, an initiative pioneered by Earth Pledge and sponsored
by Barneys New York and others, is bringing eco-conscious clothes to a
well-heeled audience. For New York Fashion Week, Earth Pledge presented
a group show featuring everything from casual day wear to ball gowns ?
all made with nature-friendly or secondhand fabrics. ?Design and
creativity don?t have to be sacrificed to make garments that are less
harmful to the earth,? says Julie Gilhart, Barneys? fashion director.
?In fact, developing something sustainable can be a much more creative
process.? Leslie Hoffman, the executive director of Earth Pledge, says
fashion will play a key role in the greening of the planet because of
its ability to set trends across a variety of industries and markets.
She anticipates increasingly innovative textiles and a growing consumer
awareness. Leading by example, she is a compulsive label checker;
launders with cold water and natural detergents; and says line-drying
clothes is a forgotten luxury.
That?s not to say that wearing an eco-statement on your sleeve means
shuffling about in a hemp sack. Hoffman and her team have consulted
with designers like Stella McCartney, Donna Karan
and Rodarte. And FutureFashion compiled a sampler of more than 1,000
sustainable materials available to manufacturers. The idea is to cater
not just to environmentalists but also to demanding luxury hounds. ?New
Zealand wool is a great product, as well as cashmere from Southeast
Asia,? Hoffman says. ?We even list leather that has been tanned in a
responsible way, and fur from the brush-tail possum, which is an animal
that has become a scourge in Australia.? So now what?s your excuse?
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