Easy Being Green
Eco-conscious fashion is more beautiful — and important — than you think.
Can the clothes you wear really help the planet? You bet. Especially considering what a huge impact the fashion industry has on the environment. Growing conventional cotton uses about a quarter of the world’s pesticides; fabric dyes can pollute water; and shipping fabrics and apparel around the world generates greenhouse gases.
How you care for your clothing and what you do with your castoffs items is also important. Discarded textiles, which already account for about 5% of the municipal waste stream, are a growing problem.
The news might be alarming, but the solutions are anything but. You definitely don’t have to wear a hideous hemp sack or revamp your whole wardrobe to make a difference. Every little bit helps.
Washing your clothes in cold water can cut a garment’s carbon footprint immensely. Each T-shirt made from 100% organic cotton uses one-third of a pound fewer synthetic chemicals than its conventional-cotton counterpart.
Luckily, you’ll find a lot more than green T-shirts on store shelves. Now, almost every designer is starting to think about sustainability and producing a green line, says Rebecca Luke, co-founder of the Sustainable Style Foundation.
Whether you shop for luxury faux-leather bags, bamboo lingerie and hemp sandals at Stella McCartney or eco-bargains at H&M, Target and Wal-Mart, there’s something for everyone. Look for items made of organic cotton and wool, bamboo, hemp and other sustainable materials. Vintage clothing and accessories are the greenest way to go, and some designers are making new pieces from old ones.
Sources for fabulous environmentally conscious fashion:
American Apparel sells affordable organic-cotton T-shirts made in the U.S.
The Green Loop is a boutique in Portland, Ore., that boasts an extensive selection of stylish green clothing online.
Levi’s sells organic denim jeans that range in price from modest to high-end.
Deborah Lindquist uses vintage cashmere, lace and kimonos to make an eclectic collection of upscale wedding dresses, women’s fashion and dog sweaters.
Loomstate is designer Rogan Gregory’s line of fashionable organic cotton. (Check out his Rogan for Target line of cheap, hip, organic-cotton frocks.)
Loyale produces eco-chic clothing for men, women and children in the U.S. Designer Jenny Hwa uses sustainable and surplus fabrics in her creative fashions.
Stewart + Brown offers stylish apparel made from organic cotton, hemp and Mongolian cashmere. Its line of inventive tote bags is made from surplus organic cotton canvas.
Urban Outfitters features a affordably-priced Urban Renewal line crafted from vintage fabrics.
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