Sneaker Envy

Look down at what’s on your feet right now. Chances are if you’re wearing shoes they’re either comfortable, or hawt!  If you’re like us and have just begun to come down from the recent global eye-candy fest otherwise known as fashion week this one’s for you. On the runway we saw how shoes can compliment, tie together and in some cases outshine an outfit. That said, not much has been written in the world of sustainable fashion about sneaker culture. However,  HVC believes that sneaker collectors have great potential to lead consumer-driven demand for ethical and environmentally responsible footwear production.

Sneaker culture is a world full of history, style and meaning  that this writer will not pretend to be able to capture in such a short format. Suffice it to say, we were blown away by the potential for ethical and environmental responsibility in the footwear industry that we witnessed while attending a week-long series of classes at Ramp Learning Resource Center in Portland, Or.

What struck us is how much sustainable thinking is already going on in the footwear industry (no big surprise to those in the know). These advancements are in-line with innovations in haute couture fashion. Materials and design are the key unifiers here. A good sneaker company will recruit those with fashion industry knowledge to treat their lines like a luxury brand, with  an intelligent consumer as inspiration. This is just the sneaker fan that D’Wayne Edwards, Founder of Pensole School of Footwear Design and former Footwear Design Director,  JORDAN Brand looks to reach.

With global giants like Nike, Adidas, New Balance leading the trend ethical production and sustainable materials selection is on the rise in the sneaker industry. All this  makes perfect sense. As we learned at Ramp, the history of  sneaker culture has a symbiotic relationship with music, fashion and car culture. The selection of   colorways andmaterials mix with footwear design to create visually appealing  and technologically evolving processes. These product conversations, both from a concept of shoe to marketing perspective have great promise to advance the role of  sustainability in sneakers.

The opportunity for  sneaker culture to lead the way in ethical and environmental responsibility exists in its dedicated, consumer driven  desire for customization. Just imagine if those self-proclaimed sneaker fanatics who have made the news lining up outside malls around the world when the newest Air Jordan drops were campaigning for that same shoe to be sustainable? Major corporate social responsibility (CSR) change makers could breathe a collective sigh of relief!

Air Jordan XX3

The Air Jordan XX3 was Nike’s first basketball shoe designed under the company’s “Considered” ethos. The brand also heads up the N7 collection, whose website states that it’s “inspired by Native American wisdom of the Seven Generations: In every deliberation we must consider the impact of our decisions on the seventh generation.” That sounds pretty much like CSR speak to us!

Other brands have followed suit by highlighting ethical and environmental links to their footwear collections.  In researching this piece HVC  learned about the  OAT Shoe brand, who design sneakers that biodegrade. The future of sneaker culture is booming, with women weighing in on the conversation and leading trend indicators reporting that “green” is becoming a new platform with which to personalize your kicks.

We believe in the power for a good product to change the marketplace and sneaker designers have been proving that this is possible for over 30 years. Imagine what the terrain would look like if they could work with customizable ethically produced, environmentally friendly materials? We can’t wait to see it!

Stay tuned for more updates on this topic. Be sure to submit a photo of your favorite sneakers for our next piece on sustainable sneaker culture.  Special thanks goes to Janene Larson, who founded and welcomed us to visit  Ramp in Portland, Or. which the city’s Development Commission states ” is to the Athletic & Outdoor Industry what Hollywood is to the movie industry!”

Here are some great resources on education and sneaker culture:

(Feel free to add your favorites in the comment section below)

Pensole Footwear Design Academy

OSD Live

Sole Theory

The Shoe Game

366 Days of Kicks

Weavers at Work via http://www.flickr.com

Ever wonder where you can find hundreds of people, from around the world discussing the history, artistry and innovations in textiles? The Textile Society of America’s bi-annual conference is the place for textile arts enthusiasts. We were thrilled to discover all the incredible people, crafts and ideas exchanged at their 2010 meeting, held in Lincoln, Nebraska. The next symposium is scheduled for September 19-22 in Washington, D.C.,  an interesting time and place to discuss “the ways politics influence the aesthetics, production, materials, uses, and myriad other aspects of textiles.” Read an excerpt from HVC’s founder’s review of the keynote address, which highlights the work of Sheila Kennedy and her work with the  innovations in sustainable textile design.

Textiles, due in part to their essential role in every-day life, have a history of creating a dialogue across multiple disciplines. As sustainable design gains popularity with global audiences, the environmental and social implications
of the textile arts have gained attention. This desire to understand how textiles impact the development of social responsibility and environmental preservation was illustrated by Keynote Speaker Sheila Kennedy at the 2010 Textile Society of America (TSA) Symposium, Textiles and Settlement: From Plains Space to Cyber Space held last fall in Lincoln, NE.

Kennedy’s address, “Energy-Harvesting Textiles: From Flat to Form,” invited TSA members to examine the ever-evolving world of textiles from a nontraditional vantage point. As a founding Principal of Kennedy & Violich
Architecture Ltd. (KVA) and Professor of the Practice in MIT’s Department of Architecture, Kennedy’s career has been rooted in innovation. At the Symposium she profiled two very different undertakings, the Portable Light
and Soft House projects that were united by their focus on the many uses of solar-powered textiles. Kennedy’s keynote invited TSA members to consider the wide reach and potential that their work with textiles can inspire.

When presenting the designs and final products of both of these energy-harvesting textile projects, Kennedy emphasized the craftsmanship as
being central to their success and integrity. Her address also emphasized
the importance of collaborations between the sciences and the arts, which will benefit the environment as well as the textile arts community. Kennedy’s incorporation of sustainable textiles within an architectural framework
illustrates the potential for creative problem solving across disciplines, resulting in applied art and craft that is able to inspire important social and environmental advancements.

By choosing Kennedy to open the 2010 Symposium, TSA demonstrated innovative thinking, which is symbolic of the partnerships that sustainable textiles continue to provoke. Kennedy’s address affirmed that this is an exciting time for the textile arts, as they are both revisited and discovered by new audiences with an eye towards a sustainable systems framework.

Wangari Muta Maathai Photo Credit: Martin Rowe

In celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, Haute Verte Couture has chosen to honor the life and work of a civil rights activist who fought to protect the natural and cultural values and rights in Kenya. Professor Wangari Muta Maathai (1940-2011) was a champion of civil, environmental and women’s rights who dedicated her life to raise awareness on these causes globally. Some of her more famous accomplishments include leading the Green Belt Movement, serving in Kenya’s Parliament, and winning the Nobel Peace Prize. However, it is Prof. Maathai’s fortitude that enabled her to lead revolutionary women-driven communities to reclaim their traditions and that inspired a global movement of grass-roots environmentalists.

Prof. Maathai  fundamentally understood colonization’s negative effect on the people and land of Kenya. In Lisa Merton and Alan Dater’s film, Taking Root The Vision of Wangari Maathai, Prof. Maathai describes that,

“Culture is coded wisdom…Wisdom that has been accumulated for thousands of years and generations. Some of that wisdom is coded in our ceremonies, it is coded in our values, it is coded in our songs, in our dances, in our plays.”

She used this logic to empower small groups of women to plant trees in lands where there was drought and lack of connection to nature. Prof. Maathai mobilized these women by empowering them with a sense of self-worth and confidence that gave them a chance to see how their dreams could make a difference in their communities and environment.

Her work was not limited to environmental and feminist rights—two huge issues alone—but she was also a champion of civil rights, policy and the quest for democratic politics in Kenya. In Taking Root, Prof. Maathai describes her person ideology. She states,

“Life is a struggle. You walk along and you hope that things will be absolutely wonderful and sometimes they aren’t.  So picking myself by my strings is my way of making sure that no matter how desperate a situation seems hat I don’t completely give up.”

She prevailed in these efforts. At the time of her death, due to a long struggle with cancer, Prof. Maathai had built a legacy can only be described as positivity embodied. She led by example and believed passionately that each of our choices and efforts have the power to make a difference.

While her time on earth was short, she saw and brought to light the important need for remembering the interconnectedness of nature and culture. Prof. Maathai authored multiple books, and gave countless lectures and trainings. But her legacy can be best seen in the hopeful smiles of the women she inspired and the changing landscape of Kenya’s new-again forests.

We at Haute Verte Couture wish Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. a Happy Birthday and hope that you share with us a leader of civil rights and peace who inspires you.

In Lars von Trier‘s film Melancholia (2011) two planets literally collide. The two-act foreplay that preludes this event demands the viewer to meditate on the ultimate question of our human condition. They are forced to examine the question of what happens before the end of the world as we know it? And leave the theater pondering what is left after the earth is destroyed.

While Melancholia does not explicitly focus on sustainable fashion, it uses dress to categorize emotions of the characters and evoke issues of environmental sustainability within their relationship to nature. One of the questions Melancholia explores is how depression can inspire a sense of calmness. This quandary is set against an exquisite backdrop (Louise Drake) with painstaking attention to detail ( Simone Grau) and costume direction that interacts with the natural in almost every shot (Manon Rasmussen.) Melancholia offers fresh look at the role of humans in nature that all of us in the field of sustainability wrestle with at some point.

TheNational Society of Film Critics awarded Kirsten Dunst best actress for her portrayal of Justine and honored the film with Best Picture of the Year 2011 at their ceremony on Saturday. However, it is the global sustainability experts who should take note of the not-so-understated man vs. nature struggle that von Trier and cinematographer, Manuel Alberto Claro, paint in this picture. Melancholia tells the tale of a ruptured family clawing at what becomes the final months of their lives at war with each other as well as the celestial forces that ultimately cause the demise of humanity. While the story is anchored by the relationship between two sisters, each one represents the two planets Earth and Melancholia the planet that will ultimately destroy it.

Charlotte Gainsbourg, who plays Justine’s somewhat level-headed sister, Claire, acts as the film’s ambassador of Earth. Her fear of viewing the fast-approaching planet, Melancholia, through the telescope her husband, John (Kiefer Sutherland) and son Leo (Cameron Spurr) are fixated with is indicative of her inability to envision the end of her own planet. She represents stability, order and structure in the first part of the film, where Earth is the reigning planet. In the second part her character unravels and she becomes as lost as her sister was in the world of Melancholia’s rule.

To the contrary, Justine, who is clinically depressed, and cannot seem to find balance in the first part of the film basks in the blue light cast off by Melancholia during one of the most visually appealing moments of the second part of the film. Her confidence and strength increases the closer that the planet gets, just as her sister’s lessens. Ultimately, it is Justine’s vision of a primitive structure made from sticks where the remaining characters spend their final seconds on film, and we imagine Earth.

In his statement on the film’s official website, von Trier claims that he drew the vision that inspired Melancholia from a beautifully tormented place. Musing that, “With a state of mind as my starting point, I desired to dive headlong into the abyss of German romanticism. Wagner in spades.” In this von Trier succeeds, with his use of pieces from the composer’s opera, Tristan und Isolde, to pin the viewer to their seats and suspend them in a perpetual state of uncertainty as Melancholia approaches. But it is not simply the troubled romance between the two sisters, their parents, or even their lovers that creates this climate of discomfort that prevails while watching the film. It is the consistent unbalanced relationship between man and nature that makes the viewer feel slightly on edge for the almost all of the 136 minutes of Melancholia.

Even Justine’s well-meaning husband Michael (Alexander Skarsgård) who presents her with the gift of an apple orchard to sit in during the times “when she gets sad,” is unable to penetrate the layers of her depression, not to mention her sexual appetite. She lives in an otherworldly state of detachment from the rest of her family, except her nephew, whose child-like honesty and simplicity offers her the only real human companionship throughout the film. Justine identifies with Leo’s peace and finds solace and power in knowing that there is a universe beyond our own. However, she is the only one who von Trier endows with this secret knowledge.

Her subsequent state of loneliness may strike a chord for those working in the field of sustainability. The feeling that Justine attempts to explain to Claire, of intuitively “knowing things” is minimized and dismissed as a separation from the cultural norm throughout the film. While sustainability is arguably a trend, there are still many in our world that discredit and discount the importance of listening to nature. They discredit constructing materials and technology inspired by biomimicry like many sustainable textile artists and designers do, and minimize the impact that we as humans can have in reversing the environmental degradation we have caused thus far.

Melancholia calls to mind the 2001 Thomas Riedelsheimer documentary, Rivers and Tides which profiles the work of artist Andy Goldsworthy. With both of these films shared emotive state of the ephemeral, many of Goldsworthy’s sculptures are constructed of natural objects which captured on film and then destroyed by nature, together they create a commentary on the temporal state of nature itself. While von Trier sets up a romance between people, and arguably planets, Riedelsheimer delves into the relationship that Goldsworthy has with the pieces he creates and then destroys. Goldsworthy would be right at home in Melancholia, sharing Justine’s awe and inspiration of the power of nature to create and destroy. Both characters know that there is nothing that they can do but sit back, relax and enjoy the ride!

General Store 1936, via Flickr.com

Where were you yesterday morning at 4am? Were you camped out and freezing in front of the doors of a big box retailer with 2,000 of your closest friends? Did you leave your Thanksgiving celebration early to make sure that you got the door-busting deals on America’s busiest shopping day of the year? Or were you sleeping soundly because you knew that you’d be visiting local businesses for Small Business Saturday?

In just its second year Small Business Saturday is already making quite an impact on consumers. Over 2 million Facebook followers have pledged to shop at local small businesses on Saturday, November 26, 2011. American Express started this campaign in 2010 to provide advertising materials to local businesses striving to compete with the sales margins of larger stores during the holiday season.

Via SmallBusinessSaturday.com

This year Small Business Saturday includes support from Google and Twitter who together with Facebook and American Express have prepared social media tools geared specifically for small businesses in order to assist them with promotions.

Small Business Saturday certainly comes at a time when America’s entrepreneurs are in need of support. US President Barack Obama noted the importance of this campaign in a message to Small Business Saturday supporters. “These businesses create two out of every three new jobs in America, helping spur economic development in communities across our country and giving millions of families and individuals the opportunity to achieve the American dream.” Obama stated.

Surrounded by Black Friday, popularized for more for the fighting that occurs between customers in stores than the deals it offers and Cyber-Monday where online specials require that no in-person contact is made, Small Business Saturday sets itself apart. The lure of a slow shopping experience which includes conversation, personal attention and local craftsmanship is certainly a welcome break in the chaos that is the holiday season.

And that’s not the only perk. In lieu of a door prize, American Express offers its card members (after they register their card for this promotion) a $25 statement credit when they spend $25 or more on Small Business Saturday at any qualifying small business that accepts American Express. This reward for shopping small certainly sounds easier to obtain than standing in line at the crack of dawn to be one of five people who actually luck out and get limited advertised specials.

So how does this effect the world of sustainable textiles and fashion? Certainly it is fantastic that consumer attention is being paid to developing awareness of all the wonderful small local businesses around us. However what happens next Saturday when the campaign is over, the hoopla has passed and small businesses are unable to compete with larger retailers push for big numbers this season?

There are lots of local small business incentive programs like Supportland or even fantastic campaigns run by local Neighborhood Associations to promote the stores that help to keep these smaller retailers in the public eye throughout the year. Business News Daily contributor, Chad Brooks, noted American Express’s claim that in 2010 “merchants saw a 28 percent rise in sales volume …compared to the same day in 2009.” So the numbers are certainly encouraging.

However, HVC wonders if you will be supporting Small Businesses Saturday today? Let us know what local businesses you supported and how you plan to use your $25 credit from American Express?

For more details on this campaign see the video from Small Business Saturday.

What this old thing? Via Flickr.com

Remember when it used to be a social no-no to say that you were out of work? In 2011, the trend towards joblessness is so high that it’s a rarity to meet someone who  hasn’t been affected by this  global financial crisis. HVC asks its readers, how has the inability to count on a stable income affected your closet? It’s safe to say the trend of buying (and admitting to wearing) vintage is on the rise. More red carpet beauties are boasting of the re-run status of their one-night-only outfits and consignment stores have flooded the streets of well-to-do shopping districts, and they’re keep up with business.

At this rate vintage fashion will become unaffordable for those who are looking to make a good impression in the workplace, or on the job hunt. However, there are  great organizations like Dress for Success   whose website states that their mission is to “promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.” They do this by organizing suit donations in local chapters which have grown to serve 5 countries.

Another iteration of this trend is pop-up shops. These mainstays of Halloween costume shops and holiday gift-giving have begun to fill vacant prime retail storefronts that haven’t found new chains to lease their four walls before the busy September-January sales season. Many are filled Do-It-Yourself artist and independent clothing designers who would have otherwise never had exposure to such great foot-traffic. And there are success stories. Spots like Crafty Wonderland have done so well they’ve been able to keep their doors open year-round.

Now, for resources of getting rid of your old clothing. Leave it to Oprah to have an extensive US-based listing of places to drop your old clothing. But at HVC we always like to learn what ways you are participating in sustainable fashion.

Let us know how the economic crisis has effected your own shopping habits. Have you been re-visiting your closet with hopes of finding something new rather than heading out to “shop?” Or has it been more important than ever to you to spend a bit more for quality that you know will last a life time?

With the bulk of this season’s fashion weeks ended, this is a great time to reflect on what keeps that spark alive in your closet, sketch-book or when you walk down the street.

Let us know what inspires you, because you all certainly inspire us!

Here’s HVC’s list of 5 things that inspire us right now add yours to the comments below, or visit our FB page to post your own list! XOXO HVC

What inspires us today:

1. Looking at things from a different vantage point
2. Long walks in nature
3. Autumn sunsets and the smell of freshly picked apples
4. Textiles new and old
5. Meeting each new day with WONDER!!!

Image via http://berrinsun.wordpress.com

You’ve read about it on HVC a number of times and there’s really no way to become an Ecofashionista without involving Vintage clothing in some way or another. Readers have sent in a number of questions in the 4 months we’ve been online about how to find, incorporate, and celebrate giving clothes a second time around. What’s great is anyone can shop vintage and personalize it to translate your passion for fashion. This post outlines what others are doing and some great ways to find Vintage Haute Couture in your neck of the woods. As always, we love to hear from you, so let us know what your best tips are to incorporating vintage in your daily wardrobe!

Image via The Thrifters

Vintage is everywhere, from the corner thrift shop to the inspiration of your favorite designers. To begin our quest, let’s learn from some of the sites that bring you amazing vintage finds. Daniel Troppy is amazing! He finds great selections and showcases them at his site, The Thrifters. Here you can read about how he searches for his conquests and even contact him for sizing information. We love his witty commentary and you can’t beat his imagination!

Next we move on to social shopping!! Nothing has been more fun to research than the swap! This is such a great way to meet other Ecofashionistas who can breathe life into your style! Internationally swamping is big, but here are a few good resources that can help you to find what you’re looking for.

For German readers Swap in the City is an excellent resource, it looks as though they’re branching out to other European cities soon as well!

Suzie Swapper has been a frequent reader of HVC, and she started on Facebook and is well on her way to launching an international site where you can learn all about the joys of swapping!

If you’re still looking for fun ways to discover vintage fashion,The Vintage Fashion Guild is an excellent resource for those of you who are interested in learning more about where to find vintage fashions in your neck of the woods.

Fun with Vintage Fashion via Vixen Vintage blog

If you’d like some inspiration on how amazing vintage can look, Sally Jane Vintage has some great lookbook-ish shots and LA Vintage’s blog is a terrific source for inspiration on current trends. We also really liked peeking at Easy Fashion in Paris to get inspiration from street culture, similar to Bill Cunningham our patron saint for style!

As some readers may know the most exhilarating way to celebrate Vintage fashion is by going out there and finding it yourself. Nothing beats discovering a crisp YSL suit in your size at a thrift store in the middle of no where  or an original Carolina Herrera gown at an Estate Sale.  So, HVC-ers go out there and score some vintage finds, and send us photos so we can feature you in your best vintage outfit on our site! XOXO HVC

1. You Get a Whole New Shopping Experience: Most of us don’t come out of the womb EcoFashionistas, and while we hope that there will be a day when from the mouth of babes will come, “I’d like that in organic/biodegradable please,” at this point we are a community of the converted. So while tossing last season’s Chanel suit into the Goodwill bin may be a stretch for some there’s a benefit to making your wardrobe more Ecofabulous! Think of all the shopping you get to do.

2. Your Closet Has Just Become More Sustainable:There are closets and then there are CLOSETS. You don’t need to have a walk-in like Carrie’s Sex in the City masterpiece, but whatever the size or status, by changing the way that you shop, you’re also effecting the very nature of your home. This is not limited to just the garments and accessories, but can also encompass your storage options. See, becoming more Ecofantastic can mean a spring cleaning of mass proportions, and this dear EcoFashionistas is good for all!

3. Your Friends Will Beg For Fashion Tips: Ecofashion is new, it’s different, and it’s on trend. So you’ll be just about the hottest thing your friend group has seen and they will want to know how to get your style. This is supremely cool because you’ll now be put in the place of having people ask you about where you got what you’re wearing, and how you look so amazing, which leads us to reason # 4.

4. You are a Pioneer: Seriously, you are! Think of what this means, you’re trying something new, you’re setting the standard for cool in your group of friends and you’re in the spot that you want to be. So yes, maybe EcoFashion won’t help you to snag the person of your dreams (although you NEVER know) but it will help you to share your beliefs about the world with others, whose minds you may just open. Now that’s a pretty sweet exchange for shopping more sustainably.

5. You Will Help EcoFashion Designers Live Their Dreams: We’ll say it again, it’s delightful to be an Ecofashionista! Just think of the numbers of young, talented designers that muscle for a spot at the finest institutes of fashion, or even squeeze their ways into a slot at the Haute Couture designers atelier. These people are sharp and they all deserve a chance. EcoFashion is notorious for assisting young designers to live out their dreams. And it’s a new field so you’re likely to become the collector of something that has real history and carries the spirit of life with it. Not a bad bit of karma to strut around with.

6. It Will Save You Money: Uh huh, we kid you not! Ecofashion is certainly a thrifty way to shine. Since much of the Ecofashion world is laden with reuse and local resources it’s generally much less expensive than you think to wear sustainable materials. Which brings us to our next point.

7. You Clothes Will Last, and Last, and Last: If you’ve been around any type of fast fashion in the last few years then you know the fragility with which we discuss the topic of preserving your clothes and accessories. In short, they don’t last. Even Haute Couture, with its strict attention to detail has seen a decline in the materials available in the last 10 years, and basically it’s just not made how it used to be. EcoFashion is a new area of specialization and therefore there is extra attention paid to the durability of the garments. There is also the concept of recycling materials which extends the ultimate life of any garment you’re buying today.

8. You Are Helping to Save the Environment: And you’re shopping,  do we need to say any more?

9. You’re a More Informed Consumer: Being an EcoFashion Diva is hard work. It means getting the dish on what designers do what, how they’re producing their products and what the life cycle of your beloved new pair of stilettos is. All this work pays off, because if you’re reading this post you’re curious about fashion and it’s just the beginning. Once you know more about what you’re wearing there is no stopping your mind, body, and heart from collecting more information on the realities of what you’re putting on your body. Which when it comes down to it is SUPER important.

10. You’ll Finally Loose Those Last 10lbs: With all that running around you’ll be doing to hunt down great EcoFashion and the countless hours you’ll be spending re-organizing your closet, donating your old  clothes it’s entirely possible. Plus, it’s like finally counting calories after many years, you’re changing your life, so we predict that you’ll see some amazing results. It may not  be those last 10 or 5 lbs,  but it’s entirely possible!!! We do promise that you’ll feel like a million bucks anyhow and sometimes that’s worth more than what the scale says.

Thanks for checking out this list, we hope that you enjoyed it and we can’t wait to hear you tack on your top 10 Reasons why you love being an EcoFashionista. For more information on Ecofashion check out this post to learn about the history, trends and consumption practices of EcoFashion. XOXO HVC

Celeb grunge via batchplease.com

Heading out to an event tonight in Haute Verte Couture style? Aren’t  you thrilled that getting dressed isn’t confined to drab colors and off-trend styles? We can all breathe a sigh of relief that we live in a time when Eco Fashion has expanded into a world where our passion for style, trends, and a variety of materials (not to mention a FULL closet) is satisfied. However, in this article, I ask, what trade-off arises when EcoFashion becomes a commodity.

Dame Vivienne Westwood with Melissa Shoes (Image via Stylefizz.com)

There have been huge strides made in Eco Fashion in the last 15 years. Did you ever think in the grunge era that Vivienne Westwood would be working on vegan/ recycled plastic shoes, or the World Cup soccer match would catalyze a debate about the sustainability of its players uniforms? As recently as in 1990 we could only have dreamed about Harold Tillman’s call to offer tax deductions on Eco Fashion, but Eco Fashion is making its way into the larger world; and with a global thrust towards sustainability as a commodity we are witnessing a time of comprehension of the meaning of “green”. One of the largest areas of this discussion of EcoFashion as a badge of honor can be found in thrift/vintage shopping. Firstly, the two are radically different ways of shopping, thrift store browsing is a way of life for many and it’s benefit to the environment (practice of the 3R’s reduce, reuse, recycle) are merely a secondary asset. Vintage buying is completely different, generally done by those who are looking for a particular designer, trend, or style that has been produced prior to the current fashion cycle. The vintage buyer sometimes has a passion for being an EcoFashionista, but it can also be a secondary component of their desire to acquire well made designer garments at a portion of the price. Since if you’re reading this post you probably know a little bit about Eco Fashion so we’ll move to the idea of buying clothing that looks like EcoFashion.

We’re talking about ripped jeans or oddly stained garments that are new and going for big bucks. So therefore vintage style look with a haute couture price tag. Does this make sense in the world of Eco Fashion? Is it a new type of green washing that is unique to the Eco Fashion world?  Designer partnerships with EcoFriendly labels is something that we find divine, it’s a great way for consumers to enjoy a design by their favorite fashion house that they would not have access to otherwise. But that’s not really what’s at stake here.  This grunge-chic look is an example of  a trend-spanning  cop-out of the “I just appear to be an EcoFashionista” kind. Where celebs and your local divas are wearing garments that look as though they’re vintage. It’s not clear if they’re aware of this relationship between what they’re wearing and they’re origins (punk/grunge origins are too huge of a history to go into in such a tiny post here are some links to nice journal article son the topics) but it would be great to hear what your thoughts are on the place of this trend in fashion. And do you find it necessary to look like you’ve shopped EcoFashion garments even if you haven’t? Is this a new kind of dimension of consumption practice that we need to examine further? As always, we look forward to hearing your thoughts! xoxox HVC