The fashion industry heads for greener pastures
with earth-friendly, sustainable runway shows.
Eco chic
April 2011 American Salon
CLOCK WISE, FROM TOP
LEFT: For Aveda’s Green
Backstage program at
Mercedes-Benz Fashion
Week in New York City,
reusable water bottles
replace plastic; models
at Jason Wu, Rodarte
and Christian Siriano
were prepped in an eco-friendly environment that
included local, organic
food; Aveda Global
Educator Janell Geason
preps a model for the
runway.
Last season’s Project Runway winner, gretchen Jones, was onto something. in the finale, the Portland, or-based designer showcased fashions
made from eco-friendly, sustainable fabrics: organic
cottons, silk, bamboo and soy blends dyed with low-impact and natural dye processes. The judges may have
been impressed by her ethics as much as her aesthetics.
The judges knew that green is the new chic. More and
more, designers are embracing sustainability as the
ultimate fashion statement.
Last fall, fashion’s eco-tent got bigger with The green
shows, a three-day event during Mercedes-Benz Fashion
Week in new york City. Ten runway shows featured earth-friendly, fair trade and sustainable fashions from designers
like Luis Valenzuela, whose recycled lampshades and
brick bark creations earned him breathless notice
in Vogue. Backstage, models were prepped with
environmentally friendly makeup and styling products.
Aveda, maker of plant-derived beauty products and
a global leader in corporate stewardship, was backstage
at Fashion Week too, styling shows for Christian siriano
(another Project Runway winner), rodarte and Jason
Wu, among others. it was the third year of Aveda’s green
Backstage program, a partnership that asks designers to
eschew fur on the runway, print programs and invites on
recycled paper, and serve only organic, locally-sourced
food backstage. The initiative also required show runners
to replace bottled water with new york City tap water.
(Aveda provided limited-edition, designer-autographed
EarthLust reusable water bottles for this purpose.)
Pho TogrAPhy: Jon gurinsky
Just last month, a fashion show in rockefeller Center
introduced the 2011 collection from runway to green, a
cooperative effort bringing together some of the world’s
top designers in the name of green fashion. Each house
created a design that honored certain standards of
sustainability and fair trade exclusively for the collection,
which is sold in selected retail stores around the world. A
live auction in partnership with Christie’s raised money for
the natural resources Defense Council and other green
causes on the night of the show, while designers like
gucci, Prada, Balenciaga, Burberry, yves saint Laurent,
Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenberg, Manolo Blahnik,
oscar de la renta and stella McCartney lit up the runway.
There was a little something for every taste and every
style, proving that these days, anyone can wear green.
