Comments on: Eco Fashion: Are We Making A Difference?

By: Ken

Ken — Tue, 06 May 2008 21:25:22 +0000

Organic produce/fabrics/etc are seeming to get closer to the general affordability level. That’s what we want! Hooray! I mean some days I’m at the store and I see organic food the same price as the “regular” produce… it’s going to go this way with clothing I’m sure!

By: Swap-o-rama-rama: Making A Difference - In The Loop

Swap-o-rama-rama: Making A Difference - In The Loop — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:02:34 +0000

[…] honor of Earth Day 2008, Greenloop begged the question of eco fashion: Are we making a difference? This series continues with this response from Wendy Tremayne, creator of Swap-O-Rama-Rama(who we […]

By: Natural High Lifestyle Making A Difference - In The Loop

Natural High Lifestyle Making A Difference - In The Loop — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:10:44 +0000

[…] Frank Angiuli is the owner of Natural High Lifestyle, a “California Lifestyle” boutique. Natural High supplies ethical clothing, accessories, and yoga gear to the beachtown of Santa Monica, CA. They also have their own eco clothing line which they provide wholesale to quality shops like Fred Segal. Here’s what Frank had to say in response to our article earlier this week, which was a question for both ethical style creators and consumers, Eco Fashion: Are We Making A Difference? […]

By: armedangels blog

armedangels blog — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 06:33:04 +0000

natural high macht kalifornische Strandkultur ökologisch verträglich

(Quelle: natural high via the green loop blog)
Mal ein kleiner Blick nach Übersee, um genau zu sein nach Kalifornien. Neben den Hollywood Stars gibt es dort auch ganz einfache Leute, die sich engagiert für nachhaltigen Umgang mit der Umwelt…

By: Rob Ganger

Rob Ganger — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 19:45:10 +0000

Thanks for starting the fire, Jenn! Measuring results of the burgeoning eco-fashion movement will take time as we make wholesale reevaluations of how we operate as humans on the planet. I became interested in fashion because when I stripped it down to a ‘no matter what happens’ scenario, food/water, shelter, clothing and art were what I was left with no matter what we are in for on Earth. Fashion is accessible because we all (well most) wear clothing every day, all day and we obviously purchase a ton of it. If we can get people across the globe to question where garmets are made, what their social/environmental impacts are, where profits go, are companies living up to their claims, are they good ‘corporate citizens’ with giveback and community programs etc., then I feel these questions have the potential to awaken us to ask those kinds of questions across the board about every aspect of our lives. I feel that the more people ask these types of questions of themselves, the less we will ultimately consume.
I started EcoNouveau http://www.EcoNouveau.com with the intention of artfully showcasing sustainable designers and artists/filmmakers concerned about the environment and social issues that could help us to see the world in a new way. I chose Gary Harvey to be the headliner b/c he’s a couture designer (the first international couture designer to show during LA fashion week no-less!) who works with ALL found materials. I thought this would make a powerful statement to the fashion world in kicking off LA Fashion Week and be inspiring to designers and fashionistas to see how gorgeous a gown could be using recycled/repurposed materials.
So, I think that we are on a journey here that is based upon ethics and integrity and transparency where sustainability is a process, not a destination. World changes may get a lot more dicey and change the game completely, but at minimum I am personally inspired by how many people are working/dedicating their lives to creating a more harmonious and benevolent global society. As a wise Chinese proverb goes– “we can only move the mountain one piece at a time.”

By: Marianne Drowne

Marianne Drowne — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:54:25 +0000

I say “bravo” for the companies who have changed, and “pick up the pace” for those who have not.

Another environmental note is the production of garments and accessories made from endangered species: Siamese crocodiles and pythons. Tis a shame to sacrifice one species just to hold your cell phone and wallet when going out, etc.

By: Aysia Wright

Aysia Wright — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 20:22:05 +0000

Nice topic to broach Jenn, especially in light of many articles I have read recently that question how much good any type of consumption can be for the environment, even if it IS green. So here are my thoughts here…as wandering as they may be.

We have to start somewhere in addressing the morass of environmental nightmares we have created, and from where I sit, we have started. Commerce is the largest part of the global economy, and commerce has been a part of every economy since man became upright. It’s how most of us pay the bills, feed our families, get health care and ultimately survive. Sure, in an environmentally ideal world, we would all wear homespun, farm our backyards, and walk everywhere we need to go. But is this the ideal quality of life we seek? Does it have room for art? Personal expression? Creativity? Yes, you could carve wood scraps, paint hand stretched animal hides (sorry vegans) and the like. But the wow factor here for many is just not there. Sure, fashion can be shallow, catty, wasteful and downright ugly…in more ways than one, but the bottom line is that fashion is a large part of this commerce system that supports us. At the same time, it serves as an outlet for creativity and self expression - both on the part of the designers AND the wearers. Throw in there the fact that MOST of require clothing of some sort of function in modern day society (nudists aside), and fashion doesn’t look to bad. That said, the fashion industry needs to become more sustainable overall- longer lasting garments, eco-friendly textiles, protection of human rights, end of life product planning, efficient, clean manufacturing, and what have we seen? Just that. Since I launched Greenloop in 2004, at a time where just finding enough designers to fill out our offerings was a nearly insurmountable challenge, I have seen this industry explode. At this point, I receive between 10-20 new product submissions a week and MOST of them are authentically green, operating in a sustainable fashion in every capacity they can. Of course, there are a few posers in there…there always will be those trying to jump on the bandwagon without making any true commitment. We call it ‘green-washing’, and it is something we do need to watch our for. Despite this, awareness is growing; demand is growing; third parties are getting involved to ensure products are as green as they claim to be; availability of more sustainable textiles is growing; and soon, sustainable practices in the fashion industry will be a requirement for doing business. I’d say we’re doing good.

Enough rambling for now…

By: Jenn Breckenridge

Jenn Breckenridge — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 19:53:04 +0000

One serious sign of improvement I’ve seen: the organic cotton industry has grown by 53% in the last two years…http://thegreenloopblog.com/2008/01/the-organic-cotton-market-grows-and-grows-and-grows/