Green Style Arrives Fashionably Late

by Andrea Millar — July 6, 2008

It's very, very recent memory that tells of eco-chick and chic as two very different ways of life. Used to be that ecologically friendly pants meant something made of hemp, maybe with a sewn-in nylon belt with plastic buckle, and legs that were removable to convert them into shorts. Kind of cool, but far from "hot!". And "haute" didn't even enter into it.

But naturally, the green clothes movement has really flowered. Whether you think you fall into one of Ecopreneurist's four green categories (though certainly not the trend-follower, you) or you're stoked that big names have finally slashed the hemp curtain into couture at New York Fashion Week, there's a lot going on.

Greener fashions are usually, but not always, paired with a humanitarian spirit that keeps wages living or otherwise supports their workers (hopefully both!). According to the Green Guide's work-up on seasonless green fashion, Nordstrom's Tsongas are made by African women who would otherwise be a little short on opportunities. American Apparel is well known for their US-based fair work practices, and they also have a 'Sustainable Edition" of all organic cotton that's priced comparably to their other stuff.

As cultural analysis site FastCompany points out, there's also a lot of greenwashing that goes on in the green fashion industry. Look for sustainable materials like hemp, soy, or organic cotton in the tag. That's right, actually look, because even as more brands are getting serious about getting green, more are also interested in the markups. The Green Guide reports that old dependable favorite Maldin Mills has recently started a very successful take-back recycling program, and their fabric was also picked up by Timberland, still the brand of choice of many a rapper and woodsy type.

Another cool aspect of green fashion is that there tends to be greater interaction between the brand and the consumer. Tragically hip environmentalist Josh Dorfman just reported on two companies, Crow and nvohk that encourage greater consumer choice and input. Crow utilizes the neighborhood rock band method by offering a sliding scale for their products, while nvokh is sort of a Co-Op clothing company. You purchase a membership for 50 bucks and then assume whatever level of control you'd like, from logo design to advertising to whatever. And 10% of the profits are donated to environmental organizations. Then of course there's the Olivia Luca line (thanks again FastCompany for the tip!) made by Terri Spaek-Merrick. You can go on her Web site and actually design your dress, picking sustainable fabrics as you go, and the dress is well under the $2000 dollars you might normally pay for that much hand-stitched love. German-based Pamoyo, which uses organic fabrics and vintage whenever possible, actually puts their designs up with the creative commons license, so you can do whatever you want to 'em.