Edited by Lester Brathwaite
As Anna Wintour once tersely said, “Sometimes geeks can be chic.” And thanks to the beloved geek we have a number of ways to go green in the palm of our hands. There are apps that can measure your carbon footprint, help you avoid toxins in your shampoo and even find vegan options at the local Chinese restaurant. Le geek truly is so chic so geek out(!) with these five eco apps.
Edited by Lester Brathwaite
The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) released its Fashion.NYC.2020 report on Tuesday, “designed to examine the state of New York City fashion and the challenges facing the industry over the coming decade.” For the fashion nerd in you, here are some facts and figures about the fashion industry and where it’s headed.
Edited by Lester Brathwaite
Sustainability is a key component in H&M‘s business model, right along with high-profile designer collaborations and co-signing really bad reality television. The company has several initiatives to support its motto of a “more sustainable fashion future,” most visibly its Conscious Collection, which boasts eco-friendly materials such as organic cotton, recycled polyester, recycled plastic, organic linen , Tencel® — a renewable silk-like material made out of cellulose — and its latest addition, organic hemp. With chic staples for him and her starting at $9.99, the Conscious Collection offers a fashionable and affordable way to reduce your carbon footprint and look adorable while doing it. And with Exclusive Conscious, the Collection’s dressier counterpart worn recently by Michelle Williams and Amanda Seyfried, there’s an always-welcome added dose of glamour. H&M’s new spring 2012 Conscious Collection launches April 12 but until then check out the sustainable styles after the jump!
Edited by Jessica Lapidos
In the future there will be a new standard of living. But look at your iPhone (heck, look at your Blackberry) and you’ll know, we live in the future! Which is why Jessica Althoff brought the online store Future:Standard into existence. She only buys cool apparel made super sustainably from independent designers. So, to start living in a way that’s mindful of the environment at present and the future of our world, we got Jessica Althoff’s 10 expert tips on how to tweak your routine to live in a more sustainable way.
Edited by Lester Brathwaite
The annual 1.618 event, founded in 2010, was held in Paris this weekend where the focus was on “Sustainable Luxury.” With the luxury industry under mounting pressure to provide transparency and accountability, 1.618 brought together some 40 firms, foundations and innovators to discuss cleaning up luxury’s act. However, the three largest industry players — LVMH, PPR and Richemont — were largely absent. Since they control the majority of the luxury industry, will luxury ever truly green its ways?
Edited by Jessica Lapidos
Designer Beryl Man has shifted her concerns from Donna Karan’s knitwear and Hussein Chalayan’s collection, to focusing on sustainability within her own label, Ajna. Man creates clothing that makes people think, and that makes the world a better place. Convertible, ever changing garments are made up of artisanal and organic textiles with low-impact dyes. She embraces the philosophy of the Tao: a life of simplicity with non-interference with the natural course of events. With that, Man is doing all in her power to create and produce in a way that won’t disrupt Mother Nature.
Edited by Amanda Gabriele
You could WIN this DLC Brooklyn Toltec Necklace, handcrafted in NYC from sustainable materials, valued at $175. Click to find out more.
Edited by Jessica Lapidos
Runway. Red carpet. Vogue editorials. Ad Campaigns. Silk ruffled into clouds. It all looks effortlessly divine. Design gods like Marc Jacobs and Karl Lagerfeld make designing the most fabulous dresses look like one long cocktail party with Anna Wintour picking up the tab. Well, if you’re a designer you know that making it werq is WORK. Hard, annoying, painful and decidedly unglamorous work. Okay, creating clothing as only you can imagine it is incredibly rewarding, but getting those designs into the world on any sort of scale takes a lot of bitch work.
Edited by Jessica Lapidos
Trying to make it work as a fashion designer? Whether you’re in the very beginning stages of theorizing your business with sketches, or a couple of years into production, Afingo.com is a website that will help you every step of the way. The content is brimming with articles by industry insiders giving tips and instructions for how to accomplish certain necessary steps. It also is a “match.com” for designers and contractors, working tirelessly to pair fashion designers up with the best factories for their needs. Meet your new insider’s fashion bible: Afingo.com.
Edited by Jessica Lapidos
Carrie Parry has had a wild ride of a career, everywhere from learning hand-work techniques from Jonathan Saunders to the entertaining children in a frog suit at the Gifford Circus. Having studied at Central St. Martins, her passion throughout has been design, and now she’s fueled by her resolve to design sustainably. See what Carrie Parry has to say to Fashion Indie about eco and social responsibility, and what it’s like to be part of a traveling circus. And meet her at the Carrie Parry Trunk Show April 14th – 17th at Bloomingdale’s Soho!
