Making a Difference; Leila Hafzi

Edited by Rebecca Alexander

Leila Hafzi is a fashion designer dedicated to making a difference. In 1997, she presented her first collection, introducing the idea of eco and ethical trade to the Norwegian high-end fashion industry. Eleven years later her goal remains unchanged; to champion eco and ethical trade in the fashion industry on a global basis, and continue developing a 100 percent environmentally-friendly production cycle.

 

This season, her company Nepal Productions is presenting a collection drawing inspiration from the global topic of environmental changes; she is also starting a cooperative effort with the Norwegian Peace Corps and Nepal. Several company employees will be working in Katmandu for one year with clothing production, and two of the most skilled tailors from Katmandu will work in Norwegian company facilities.  Hafzi hopes to present her creations as part of Norwegian design in New York, yet another signal that her eco fashion is truly coming into style.

Designer: Bamboo Beautiful

Edited by Rebecca Alexander

Bamboo is like the whiz kid of the botany world. It builds houses, feeds pandas, filters toxins out of the soiland grows up to four feet per day in any climate—and it also makes a pretty great cashmere substitute. Pamplemosses is a new label out of LA that has realized the potential of this overachieving plant and used it to create a line of kitten-soft garments for men, women and babies, proving that luxury doesn’t have to harm the earth.

The brainchild of artist Gene Eu, Pamplemosses was born in November 2006 with a simple goal in mind: “to bring people harmonious products that are comfortable, beautiful, and nurturing to the environment.” To achieve this, each Pamplemosses T-shirt, dress and pair of underwear is crafted from 100% natural bamboo fiber, and is silk screened with Eu’s nature-inspired illustrations in water-based ink. The resulting fabrics are not just super soft, but also hypoallergenic, antibacterial and UV protective—apparently, the only thing they can’t do is make the morning coffee.

The past year’s journey has been a major learning curve for Eu and his team, many of whom come from high-fashion backgrounds. “Working with bamboo is a pretty new approach, and there weren’t any rules for us to follow when we started out,” he explains. But with a growing following among the fashion set and exciting new innovations in fabric color and texture in the works for next year, it looks like their cram session has more than paid off.

Content courtesy of JC Report.