In the classicly edgy words of Mikey Koffman, Owner of eco fashion PR firm The Gallery Los Angeles, “Go green or go home.” With models like these, I will not be going home. The Gallery pulled off it’s second eco-driven show for LA Fashion Week and proved to the international fashion world once again that sustainable fashion rocks.

Housed in the hubbub of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Culver City, The Green Initiative Humanitarian Fashion Show was more than a mouthful of feel good words. Lady Muse by Mathilde, lilikoi by Barbara Boswell, M The Movement, Rene Geneva, Andira Rain Tees and Vintage China seamlessly blended style, sustainability, and social awareness on the runway. Each designer opened with a dance performance from a different culture, from Breaking to Ballet to Traditional Chinese Ribbon Dance…nice touch. M The Movement repped for men’s eco fashion in a big way. He dressed his opening b-boys as well as his Adonis-like male models in bamboo, soy, organic cotton, and the hot new addition to the world of sustainable fabrics: charcoal. (Apparently bamboo charcoal can be embedded in various fabrics as an odor-absorbing biodegradable blending material.)

Lady Muse kept her designs very French and very recycled, or “rescued” as she called them in her adorable accent. All of the materials used for Mathilde’s pieces were surplus fabrics, including gorgeous metallic brocade, from which she constructed her Victorian era-inspired jackets. lilikoi used hemp silk, bamboo, linen and organic cotton for her wrap dresses mixed with casual tees and sexy pencil skirts.

Vintage China wowed the crowd with the stunning Chinese dancers pictured above and an absolutely gorgeous recycled denim gown a la UK designer Gary Harvey. The pieces by Andira Rain Tees captured the humanitarian work of designers Beth Doane and Bethany Armstrong. They donate school supplies to children in the Amazon and have them illustrate what they see going on in their homeland. These visual impressions, along with the children’s names, are then handprinted in the US onto colorful organic cotton t-shirts and dresses. For every Andira Rain Tee purchased, a tree is planted in the rainforest. Mission meets fashion meets the world at LA Fashion Week…will miracles never cease?

As far as what’s coming up for next season’s Green Initiative, Mikey Koffman is focused on bigger and better. She’s planning on larger venues that can handle more of the kind of live performances that she envisions for the next show. When asked what designers she’ll be taking for the ride, Koffman states, “I’m very much a supporter of the little guy. I really try to gear my shows to the smaller guys who don’t have 50 or 60 grand to produce a show. It would be great to have the bigger brands, but I kinda feel like that defeats the purpose.” The purpose is certainly clear with The Gallery, they will do whatever it takes to turn sustainable clothing design from the latest trend into the new industry standard because, guess what kids…Mikey likes it.

Stylist: Adria Heath
Hair and Makeup: Aveda
Accessories: Terra Plana, Mary Lou’s Vintage Couture, Lou’s kustoms, and Verde Rocks

Watch the The Green Initiative filmed by Diva Village below…