The Ethical Fashion Frontier and The Genius of Place

Indian fashion label, Ela, as featured on Sass Brown's Eco Fashion Talk

Today marks the seven year anniversary of the Ethical Fashion Show in Paris, and to celebrate  the inroads made and phenonmenal efforts on the fashion horizon, I wrote the following piece for Eco Salon, 'Upping the Ante on the Ethical Fashion Frontier'. 

Isabelle Quéhé and Abigail Doan at EcoChic Geneva in 2010

"I met the founder of the Ethical Fashion Show, Isabelle Quéhé, at EcoChic Geneva in January of 2010, and if ever there was a woman who understood why and how global fashion needed to change, it was Isabelle. She spoke of a new dawn in the industry and the heart that needed to permeate all that we consider to be fashionable and sustainable. Now that the Ethical Fashion Show is seven years old, the inroads made are impressive in a world that is stubbornly waking up from the deep slumber of consumption and globalization – but we still have a long way to go. With organizations like the Ethical Fashion Show and their current partners, we just might get there, slowly but surely."


My heartfelt thanks to all of the contributors to this article as well as EcoSalon for offering me a platform to share these ideas.

Feature Interview on The Sugar Diaries

  Abigail Doan at The Land/an art site in New Mexico

 handmade paper, vegetation, and sun-powered lighting

I am thrilled to share news that I recently did an interview on sustainable fashion, living, and art making/crafting for one of Hungary's most stylish blogs, The Sugar Diaries.

Here is an excerpt:

"I think that it is important to take small steps to do those things that are achievable and meaningful in your immediate sphere. This could be something very poetic like trying to start a windowsill garden or repairing old clothes that you like but can no longer wear. Using one’s hands brings one closer to the source of a true existence. Buying green is not the only way to go green. I find that people in my neighborhood here in Sofia, Bulgaria, are living very sustainably in ways that are not necessarily trendy. For example, they till small patches of soil outside of their buildings, use the clothesline for drying garments, and certainly have small bundles of garbage that they take down to the street bins. Some times these bags are so tiny, and they obviously have been able to do this by buying food that does not come in packaging and at a higher cost. I also see the older generation canning lots of vegetables and preserves as well as mending textiles that they hang on their terraces. There is a grace to this way of living that is not about being able to afford eco-friendly clothing or design objects, but makes perfect sense for the environment and a life well-lived. This, for me, is what true sustainability is all about."

You can follow The Sugar Diaries here.

Fischer Clothing Collections for 2011

Fischer Clothing Spring 2011

Designer Kristina Angelozzi of Fischer Clothing is crafting some serious American style that one can be proud of. In these times of global uncertainty and economic blues, it is reassuring to find a designer who understands what it takes to ride out the tidal swells of fashion.

All of the above pieces from Fischer Clothing's Spring 2011 collection are timeless in quality construction, fabric selection, and pure versatility. Looking ahead to Fall 2011, the designer has mixed in more gorgeous prints and modern, soft silhouettes.

 Fischer Clothing Fall 2011

You can shop Fischer Clothing online as well as follow their latest news on Facebook. All images courtesy of the designer.

Photography: Edwin Tse
Hair / Makeup: Stephanie Peterson
Jewelry: Geeta Patel

A Return To Nature Or A New Dawn In Fashion?

Alba 02 / site specific installation in rural Italy by Abigail Doan

I am so honored to be a part of a transformative dialogue on EcoSalon this week in an article written by Amy DuFault for her five part series on the post-recession fashion industry. In this latest installment, Amy asks the important question, "Now more than ever, is eco-fashion inextricably linked to conscious connections with land and place?" Follow this trail for an inspiring read and some valuable insight into fashioning the future and a new dawn in our connectedness with the environment and identity.

Immrama Spring 2011 Collection by Erin Considine

Natural plant dyed fibers and metal detailing by designer Erin Considine

It was such a tremendous pleasure to share a worktable with designer Erin Considine at the Textile Arts Center's 'Good Work' May Day celebration this past Sunday. Erin's handcrafted jewelry designs meld her knowledge of natural plant dyes, fiber crafting, and metal working in the creation of these gorgeous, one-of-a-kind accessories.

I will post a report on Sunday's event on my artist blog tomorrow, but for now, you can enjoy the exquisite images and poetry of Erin's Immrama Spring 2011 collection on her designer website.

*photos by George Barberis

Review of Sasha Duerr's Handbook of Natural Plant Dyes

image via Adie + George

Please enjoy my review of Sasha Duerr's amazing new book, The Handbook of Natural Plant Dyes, on EcoSalon. Here is an excerpt from my exclusive interview:

"Sasha is one of the leading experts on natural plant dyes and home-brewed recipes for creating customized color palettes that also touch on eco-literacy and bio-regional awareness. Identifying non-toxic dye materials that reside in your own kitchen, garden, or urban plot goes hand in hand with all of the focus and research one might put into shopping for and preparing organic foods. This is the first book that really highlights why fashion and food are intertwined, and why we can no longer afford to view textiles and clothing as something other than the underlying fiber of our everyday lives and shared communities."

Learn more at the Permacouture Institute's blog

Youthquake Coat by Prairie Underground

I love this 'Youthquake' coat by Prairie Underground, currently featured on Beklina. Beautifully hand-crafted out of 100% organic cotton oatmeal voile (layers) with an organic cotton oatmeal body, it can be worn either buttoned up or open. A limited production item and exceptionally poetic at that. I love how it almost seems to be recycled from an antique prairie skirt.

By the way, what does the term 'youthquake' mean? Check out this. 

Diana Vreeland, you totally rock.

*images courtesy of Beklina

The 'Make Do Make New' Girls

Aurora necklace by Anita Quansah available at Shrimpton Couture

MAKENEW's smartly curated vintage / thrift clothing and accessory collection - new offerings available bi-monthly

MAKENEW's altered trench coat offers clean lines and chic layering

Gina Michele 'Bones' sweater recycled from a mens' slouchy XL cashmere pull-over

sixer from on Vimeo.

Jill Danyelle's 'Sixer' video where she create a stylishly versatile wardrobe out of Six Items or Less. The girl still has it and then some.

Natural Dyes in Fashion: We Have Come A Long Way Baby

Tinctory's Fall Necklace / silk naturally dyed with fallen autumn leaves

It is ironic that during my childhood I used to turn a bit red in the face when my mother had huge vats of natural dyes brewing in the kitchen. What was I to say to friends who were visiting for a playdate while my mother practiced her alchemy and what appeared to be witchcraft on our country kitchen stove?

Canadian textile artist Mackenzie Frere's plant-dyed yarns for weaving

'Cochineal Plantation' illustration via Philosophy of Science Portal

My mother was also occasionally receiving little packets of cochineal bugs via rural post, and we often stopped the car on the way home from the grocery store to pick seemingly useless roadside weeds. Yes, the thought did cross my mind, “Why couldn’t my mother just be normal and bake layer cakes and shop at the mall.”

Bodkin's A/W09 cotton/jersey dress hand-dyed with the above cornucopia of plant-based dyes

Contemporary eco fashion is definitely celebrating an upswing of interest in natural dyes and plant-based (kitchen) alchemy. Little did I know that several decades ago, my crafty mother was on to something rather timeless and chic. The ancients, of course, utilized natural dyes as an expression of status and luxury, but modern life is indisputably linked to working outside of the home and commuting great distances, not steeping garments in one's own garden clippings and brews. Stop. Think again. We are on a fast-track to slow design goodness these days.

India Flint 'eco-dye' textiles (image via Sparrow Salvage)

There has been a lot of great press recently featuring natural dyes in fashion, interior design, and the delectable crossover with the slow food movement. Sasha Duerr Fossel of The Permacouture Institute has artfully led us down this weedy and seedy path, while India Flint has been an 'eco dye' advocate before it became tried in hue, so to speak. 

Jai's S/S 2011 plant and kitchen-based natural dye R-T-W designs (photo: Lou Rouse/via Treehugger)

It is no coincidence, perhaps, that at a time when we keep inching our design expectations for sustainable fashion forward, we are also genuinely hungry for those things that anchor us to the domestically familiar and the sensory-imbued.

'Harvest Dye Workshop' at the Textile Arts Center in Brooklyn

We have come a long way, Mom, 'Baby', as lovers of process and those memories that bring us gently home again, even if we are far, far away from the proverbial Kansas.

THINK Magazine Autumn 2010

Super fresh one year anniversary / Autumn 2010 edition of THINK magazine. You can find it here.

Let's Walk the Talk of Sustainable Style

Vivienne Westwood with models at the conclusion of her LFW show

It is probably rule number one to not blog about a previous fashion week when the next one is already underway. New York had its moment last week, and now our gaze has drifted over the pond to see what London has on tap. Given that I came across this stunning article on ‘models storming the catwalk to end the tyranny of size zero’ in today’s online version of The Guardian, I must chime in with some additional thoughts on the runway casting of models, and the messages that we send regarding sustainable health and style.

Backstage at Bright Young Things  (photo by Nicole Lenzen)

Size matters as does age, not to mention the ability to age well. When I was having my make-up done backstage prior to the Bright Young Things runway presentation for The GreenShows, I was complimented on having long lashes and healthy hair, which made me feel quite lustrous as a 44 year old woman who is perpetually sleep-deprived due to my toddler twins. It was great to feel special in conjunction with the diversity of lovely models that BYT designer, Eliza Starbuck, had hand-picked. In addition to a line up varying body types, ethnicities, and professional backgrounds, Eliza also included two women considerably older than your average runway nymph.

'Bright Young Things' with Eliza Starbuck (photo by Elisa Hyman)

I really do not have any sort of agenda in terms of why I participated in The GreenShows besides supporting the work of a talented designer and growing community that I believe in (and also wanting to have a bit of dress up play in the process). It is interesting, though, to absorb some of the reactions that I have received since last Tuesday’s show - everything from sisterhood praise to emphatic comments that people who are not models have no business strutting down a runway.

A 'Bright Young Thing' shining bright (photo by Nicole Lenzen)

And to that, I just want to clarify that sustainable fashion is very much about materials, methods, and outreach efforts, but it is also about women and men having healthy relationships with their own bodies and, in turn, the environment. Creative styling and genuine self-awareness are very much a part of the overall equation that feeds the ebb and flow of goods as well as the confidence that informs our purchasing power. 

Pre-show glow (photo by Nicole Lenzen)

As part of the fine tuning of what sustainable fashion might encompass, it seems that we cannot exclude the unique role of the individual, not only in terms of responsible lifestyle choices, but also our ability to fashion ourselves in a way that allows us to participate in the long-term love affair that we have with our clothes, accessories, and most importantly, our self. Until we see ourselves as worthy of sharing the runway, we will continue to remain somewhat disconnected from our surroundings and the resources that fuel fashion houses as much as our true desires.

HACKING Sustainable Fashion Workshop

Do not miss this collaborative art/fashion workshop at Eyebeam 

What is sustainable fashion? Why are design codes important? How do we decode them? 
Curator Sarah Scaturro and interaction designer Giana González will use these questions as a starting point to work with participants to explore how the code for the sustainable fashion movement can be decoded and reassembled. 

The HACKING Couture explorations will be a starting point for this work in progress. In the past, HACKING Couture has reversed engineered fashion labels to create open participation and entrance for all into the fashion system. Now, this process of hacking fashion labels has been expanded - how can we decode a period and/or a movement in order to re-appropriate it for your own purpose? This collaborative workshop between Hacking Couture and independent curator and sustainable fashion expert Sarah Scaturro will explore how we can collaboratively document, decode and reassemble the Eco-fashion movement.

WEDNESDAY, July 14 from 7pm to 9pm.

This will be an informal group session with refreshments and bold creative sustenance. Register here.

Berlin FW: The Key to Isabell de Hillerin

My admiration for  German designer Isabell de Hillerin continues, as per this recent collection entitled, Faded, for Berlin Fashion Week's green showcase The Key.To.

"Pictures and memories of what once was, are bleached by the present. Out of focus but still visible. A thin line between now and then. Structured cuts and sensual materials encase the body in a grey scale of colours with light beige tones. Transparent but still visible. Smooth transitions between shapes and shapelessness." - Isabell de Hillerin

*Isabell de Hillerin

Fashion Summit Copenhagen = NICE

Danish fashion designer Camilla Stærk's 'Spine Rug' crafted out of wool

Fashion Summit Copenhagen

While politicians gather in the Bella Center for the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, the Nordic fashion industry gathers at The Opera House in Copenhagen to participate in this year's most important fashion event – the Fashion Summit – part of the Nordic Initiative Clean and Ethical (NICE) project.

"On the brink of potentially dangerous climate change and with attention on corporate social responsibility soaring to new heights, the world needs innovators who can lead the push toward a more sustainable economy. The fashion industry has the potential to be one such innovator, working proactively to address critical environmental,social, and ethical challenges on a global scale."

The Nordic Initiative Clean and Ethical (NICE) has been established to motivate and assist companies in the Nordic fashion industry in becoming more sustainable. NICE is a groundbreaking collaboration that brings together the entire Nordic fashion industry around the shared goal of incorporating sustainable values, principles, and practices into the industry and making a difference globally.

Fashion Summit Copenhagen will initiate this global process by catalyzing a discussion on the evolution of a successful fashion industry in a world where new business models are required to tackle the growing sustainability challenges facing the planet and our societies. What exactly does a sustainable fashion industry look like and what does it take to get us there?

Keynote speakers will address the issue at the Fashion Summit:

Laurent Claquin, Senior VP, Corporate Social Responsibility at PPR Group
Julie Gilhart, Senior VP, Fashion Director at Barneys New York
Ingrid Schullström, Head of CSR at H&M
Christian Kemp-Griffin, Chief Mission Officer at Edun
Vanessa Friedman, Fashion Editor at Financial Times
Ros Harvey, Global Programme Manager at Better Work
Marjorie Yang, Chairman of Esquel
Peder Michael Pruzan-Jørgensen, Managing Director Europe at BSR

The Uniform Project

If you are not yet following The Uniform Project, now is the time to get on board with this clever and sustainable enterprise.

1 Dress. 365 Days. A fashion philanthropy project.

"Starting May 2009, I have pledged to wear one dress for one year as an exercise in sustainable fashion. There are 7 identical dresses, one for each day of the week. Every day I will reinvent the dress with layers, accessories and all kinds of accouterments, the majority of which will be vintage, hand-made, or hand-me-down goodies.


The Uniform Project is also a year-long fundraiser for the Akanksha Foundation, a grassroots movement that is revolutionizing education in India. At the end of the year, all contributions will go toward Akanksha’s School Project to fund uniforms and other educational expenses for slum children in India."

* The Uniform Project on FaceBook