Bold Eco Fashion

Piles and piles of plastic everywhere in the form of bags from supermarkets, cables and wiring covers, other packaging materials from consumer products. Environmentalists going frenzy over the accumulation of plastics on earth and campaigners voicing out loud to switch to sustainable resources compared to the use of plastics in our daily lives.

Source: Sci Fashion 

When I was trending on recyclable fashion, I came across this bright picture and thought of sharing this on my blog. The model is wearing a head-dress made out of discarded ethernet cables. Bright as they are, fashion students from Medellin, Columbia came up with this unique dress on the ramp. It closely resembles any server room of an IT firm. Twined and intertwined long lengths of brightly colored cables. 

What a way to promote "Recycle-Reduce-Redesign" and a perfect way to inspire that Recycled Fashion can be colorful too. 

Meryl Streep in Green Gold

On the most fashionable night of Hollywood, all eyes were set on the Gold .. OSCAR !!

We love you Meryl and being nominated 17 times and yet being out there again, your glow seems to out-glow any other kind of glow. When Meryl walked down the Red Carpet in the Gold Dress, I felt that if she stood in front of The Oscar, she is going to be the one to glow out. You can see it right here in this picture. The question was whether Mery, The Iron Lady would walk away with The Oscar or lose it to Rooney Mara, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

Meryl Streep's stunning Gold Dress was designed by Lanvin. It was Lanvin's first custom eco-friendly dress, which was made with Eco Certified Gold Fabric. Meryl took the Green Carpet Challenge being recruited by Livia Firth as one of the celebrities to promote sustainability and eco-consciousness on the Red Carpet. There-after making a strong statement with the most heavily crafted eco-fabric, custom made gold dress.


The gold look was an eye-turner and befitting for all you know, The Iron Lady as she will be known mostly this year after winning The Oscar for the Best Actress, this year, will be remembered for much more. 

Missi Pyle in Peace Silk

"It is such an honor to be on a carpet that's all about glamour, and to have that glamour be sustainable," said Missi.


Winner of Academy Award for the Best Picture: the Artist, Missi Pyle wore a dress made completely out sustainable materials. Made out of peace silk, organic chiffon and lined with vintage lining, the tailor put in a "recycled zipper". The fabric was hand-dyed in an OSHA approved facility using only mineral dyes to achieve the pastel like aqueous shade.

What exactly is "peace silk" ? It is actually Cruelty-Free Silk which is produced from the process that allows the pupae to complete its entire life-cycle before being disturbed. The cocoons are unwound only after the silkworm has completely emerged. Usually, the pupa is killed inside the cocoon to prevent the breakage of the cocoon which leads to having multiple fibers. To have something this beautiful on Missi Pyle marks an extremely strong statement.

It advocated a very relevant message -
Sustainable does not mean Hideous!! It can be beautiful. We as consumers should question our buys. We have a right to think demand sustainability in our daily purchases. We can and should make this conscious choice.

The design was submitted by a Venezuelan born, Miami based designer Valentina Delfino, while the dress was made in Los Angeles by a haute couture tailor Santos. The beautiful dress won the Red Carpet Green Dress Contest which is an environmental awareness campaign and contest for eco-designers. It was started by Suzy Amis Cameron - wife of James Cameron

Sustainable Fashion at The 84th Academy Awards

The 84th Academy Awards held last night got everyone talking about Angelina's Jolie's Leg. Yes, you are still reading the blog on Sustainable Fashion and Retail, but who says, that I cannot write about the  latest social media Buzz!? Aneglina Jolie's Leg not only just got herself a Twitter account with close to around 30,000 followers, but also got a Facebook page. Well worth the laugh for the most sexy lady on the Red Carpet yesternight, but apart from that a lot of other renowned actors and actresses stepped up their game by walking down wearing "Sustainable Fashion" on the Red Carpet. Looks like the new Red Carpet is turning quite Green with age.

Missi Pyle in Peace Silk

Meryl Streep in Green Gold

"Upcycling" & The Latest Buzz in London Fashion Week

Christopher Raeburn, a founding member of Esthetica said, "Recycled fibers, British wool and now accessories - all made in England. The plan is to make clothes of high quality and value." He believes that as a young designer one needs to have an obligation towards sustainability. 

This year's collection included parachute silk dresses. A spotted dress caught my eye for its reclaimed clothing look, while on of them was quite hideous and stood out from the rest. Like many, I moved on believing probably that might have excited a few from the aviation. Accessories included unisex totes and holdballs - all fashionable and sustainable, just like his styling always has been known, yet moving on from his entirely sporty looks. The best part about Christopher's designs were that all designs served "purpose and design".

The expressionless looks of the models in their functionally yet clever footwear brought me to think of something similar I had recently seen - 'Lisbeth Salander' (protagonist in Girl With the Dragon Tattoo). To think of it the book, the movie had it's influence on people and fashion is about people.

Pictures from the Irish Times.Com

Elegant AirDye Wrap dresses - Costello Tagliapietra

"For some reasons, I had been painting chrysanthemums all spring," Jeffery Castello confessed right after their show Fall/Winter 2012 show on Thursday. Robert Tagliapietra, partner and now husband to Jeffery Costello adds, "He was just obsessed with them."

The elegant wrap dresses by Costello Tagliapietra have been defined as 'worth investing' this season for more reasons than one. The duo in popular in their plaid checks more than just played around with some of the vibrant colors from the sketches and used AirDye technique to digitally print patterns onto the vibrant dresses and separates for the Fall/Winter 2012 collection.

© Photo by Vlasic /TreeHugger

© Photo by  Jessica Marati  /EcoSalon

© Photo by  Jessica Marati  /EcoSalon

© Photo by  Randy Brooke /TreeHugger

AirDye technique is a sustainable method of applying color to textiles without usage of water. This makes the whole process environmentally preferable as compared to traditional digital printing and traditional dyeing techniques. This technology also creates more precision in color placement reducing the usage of energy by 85% compared to traditional methods.

Strong abstract prints, rich and yet muted color tones with contemporary usage of trims were a signature of this collection. Elegance beamed through the drapes of the long dresses flowing down the runway of Milk Studios.


The collection is said to be available at Barneys New York and only a few specialty boutiques worldwide.

© Photo by  Jessica Marati  /EcoSalon

© Photo by Slaven Vlasic/TreeHugger

Wool reigns Fall/Winter 2012 - Ethical Luxury

This year 'wool' is seen to reign over the Green Shows' Presentation in New York Fashion  Week. Organic fibers have been the key focus of eco-fashion all along, but it was interesting to see the shift in fabrics being dominated by heritage wool solely throughout the show.

Black organic wool hooded sweater  White organic cotton romper Bamboo By	100% Reclaimed wool batwing coat Printed silk crepe long Stina dress H. Frederickson	100% Wool tweed pants Combo sweater Study NY

For Fall/Winter 2012, designs were simple and yet striking. Extensive use of eco-dying methods were exhibited along with artful drapes of fabric and hair on the Runway. Apart from tones and shades of just green there were to be seen a myriad of other color tones and shades from use of vegetable dyeing sources.

Alpaca hand knit sweater paired with sage organic wool leggings (use of certified organic and sustainable textiles only) Designs by Ajna Designer Beryl Man Photograph by Amanda Silvana Coen for the GreenShows

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Repurposed washed wool sweater with a leather trim accompanied with a black repurposed leather short (popular for the use of cashmere, organic cottons and repurposed leather) Designs by Artists & Revolutionaries Photograph by Amanda Silvana Coen for the GreenShows

Hand woven, hand-dyed organic silk strapless dress (collaboration with Lulan Artisans, Venezuela)  Designs by Luis Valenzuela Fabric Design by Eve Blossom Photograph by Amanda Silvana Coen for the GreenShows