In my current unit I have been studying it’s all about working as a designer for a label that is concerned with the issues surrounding sustainability. The term Eco fashion can mean many things, I see it as something has been made that considers environmental issues and social impact a product may have through out its total lifespan. Another term for this is ‘carbon footprint’
Sustainable fashion is all part of sustainable design. The purpose is to create designs that respect the environment and help poorer communities in developing countries. Clothes and accessories that meet the criteria are usually made using organic raw materials such as cotton grown without the use of pesticides; re used materials such as recycled plastic from coke bottles. Eco fashions don’t involve the use of harmful chemicals and bleaches – and are made by people earning fair wages in safe conditions.
Eco fashion has always been seen as green and not very stylish! But over recent years developing techniques and more designers wanting to include these issues in their collections Eco Fashion has a new face designers are now incorporating sustainable practises into modern clothing. On trend fashion but with all sustainable issues covered.
Celebrities, models and designers have really started to promote Eco fashion. One fashion designer who I have looked at Stella McCartney I found particularly interesting I never knew all her clothes considered environmental issues. All Stella McCartney stores, offices and studios in the UK are powered by Ecotricity, a company that invests the money its customers spend on electricity into clean forms of power like wind. Stella McCartney shipping bags are 100% biodegradable. They were developed exclusively for the company so as to degrade without polluting the environment. Stella’s fur policy is totally none existent NO FUR!
It is amazing to see that every thing she does she makes sure the most complex things are done in an ECO friendly way! Even the taxis are booked through an eco company.
So what materials have the most harmful effect of the environment?
The repurposing and recycling of textiles is sometimes considered the most innovative and responsible mode of eco-fashion. By using plastics or past garments to create new on trends this can be a great way of not harming the atmosphere. Although cotton is often viewed as a quintessentially “natural” fibre, its production has, in fact, often been especially damaging this is a big debate in the fashion industry its un matched to any other fabric in terms of comport softness and durability However it is grown with a array of toxic chemicals resulting in the deaths of thousands of people in developing countries! Are we un aware as a consumer that buying a cotton top could result in the death of a person?
Furthermore, waste materials from dyeing processes have historically been one of the most conspicuous forms of pollution. Today, there are a number of sustainable alternatives to harmful dyeing practices. For instance, clothing by Katie Brierley, designer for Isoude, uses natural plant dyes and embraces the disappearing art of traditional hand dyeing.
The use of fur, feathers, and animal skins in fashion is a subject of debate. Long used for warmth and protection, fur is always on and off the catwalks. Increasingly viewed as a luxurious status symbol in the 19th century a lot of viewpoints have changed due to acts of animal cruelty.
Overall and in conclusion to my findings I think companies can do a lot more to help developing countries and the environment. It’s amazing to see how sustainable designers ca n act on these issues and create such fashionable outcomes. I’ve always thought sustainable fashion was just bin bags!
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