Eco Fashion In The Park

 Have you every travelled to the top of Manhattan for a fashion show? Highbridge Park was host to an eco fashion event featuring upcycled, recycled runway of sustainable fashion design.

The park does feature a high bridge built in 1848 to carry Croton Aqueduct water across the Harlem River. The park was recently re-opened after 40 years after a 61 million refurbishment. The bridge served as the quarter-mile pedestrian runway to the five fashion designers who showed their eco-friendly fashion collections.

Stylist Gina Constanza organized the community event after discovering her passion for sustainable clothing while working with it for fashion segments on Dominican television. Participating fashion labels included  Sarah Bacchus works natural fabrics, Dominican-born Martin Polanco, Kymistry Designs, Amparo3 and Sohung Designs, whose signature zipper-embellished work is a favorite at Chelsea Market and dominate a few places in my own closet.

The event also included a large clothing swap. The entire community was invited bring gently used clothing to trade with each other in a stylish set-up with help in re-styling. Local businesses provided frozen treats and snacks to keep everyone fed and hydrated. City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez was a collaborator on the fashion show. He helped the get the word out that drew an impressive turnout for a park that wasn't that easy to get to (at least for me).

For anyone who had not seen the re-opened park yet, this was an awesome introduction. The sun was shining, there was a bevy of models in eco-chic fashion that took a long, hot walk down one of the unique runways that the city could offer. For anyone who wanted to learn about being stylish while reducing their carbon footprint, this was a community event that had a lot of heart. Congratulations to all the fabulous peeps in the Heights!

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Shopping in Hanoi: Metiseko

Like the cuisine, the best shopping Hanoi can be found in the fusion of French flavors and Vietnamese handiwork.  Metiseko is a popular destination for chic women's and children's fashion and home decor.    With the stress on the "eko" (eco) part of the collection, the brand features organic and sustainable silks and cottons in their products.

Creative director Florence Mussou designs the collection with the lifestyle of the world traveller as muse.  She herself is French and studied art before journeying to Vietnam.  The pretty prints are stylized graphic interpretations of traditional Vietnamese motifs like dragonflies, lotus leaves and rice.  The goods are environmentally friendly and have a relaxed, happy vibe.

Visiting the Hanoi shop itself was a little oasis from the chaos of mopeds and over stimulation outside.  Situated on Hang Gai, the street of silk, the store staff were all chatty and friendly with a love of the collection.  The boutique is having a party later this week and promotes a wellness lifestyle I think we could all benefit from.

If you can't travel to Hanoi, shop from Metiseko online.

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WEST COAST FAB: M5 Eco Couture

Besides benefitting Entertainment AIDS Alliance, the Fashion Minga event of LA Fashion Week also showcased 5 Southern California design houses. Events like these can be very important to small design houses, because they can help to give them the much needed exposure necessary to succeed in the highly competitive fashion arena. Los Angeles has a vibrant fashion community that marches to its own drummer and often reflect the local culture and concerns.

M5 Eco Couture is a perfect example of a design house that produces clothing that is right in line with LA style and is also fashion with a conscience. Designer Morgan Olson, the founder of and the creative talent behind M5 Eco Couture, definitely has an agenda. An agenda for saving the planet. M5 Eco Couture is all about being Eco-Friendly. Ms. Olson not only designs using resources that are sustainable and wonʼt harm the environment, but a big part of her collections are focused on recycling materials. Making garments out of recycled denim, scarves and other fabrics from used clothing, M5 Eco Couture strives to eliminate the waste that is caused by mass production. It also eliminates the need for producing new fabrics. Manufacturing fabric can pollute the environment with chemicals and dyes used in the process. Ms. Olson tries to use very little to none of packaging materials, with an eye toward reducing the mount of plastic bags and other packing items that end up in our landfills.

M5 Eco Couture presentation at Fashion Minga proved that you can create LA Chic clothing without being detrimental to the environment. A noble cause for fashion and a noble cause for our future.

Reported by Mdivani Monroe of Ladies Who Lunch Travel. Photos by Omri Escalante.
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Toronto Fashion Week: Baby Steinberg Salvage

There is plenty of trashy fashion out there.  How often have you seen very chic fashion made of trash?  Baby Steinberg presented one of my favorite shows during LG Fashion Week with an inventive collection from salvaged materials. 

There were dresses made from pleated coffee filters, braided garbage bags and crocheted cell phone chargers.  Found keys jingled with knitted VHS film.  Discarded take-out bags made a dramatic outfit with feathers and seeds.  Window screen puffed out into a dramatic cocktail dress.  

Baby Steinberg is not a mass-market designer.  She made her reputation creating one-of-a-kind garments for performers and socialites.  She also creates jewelry

A concept like this usually looks like a gimmicky art project.  What made the difference in making this look like a sophisticated runway was the treatment of the materials.  The coffee filters were pleated into delicate shapes to mimic organza flowers popularized by designers like Monique Lhuillier.  The garbage bags were twisted and crocheted into contouring forms like a metallic yarn.  

Photos by Ritika Wahal

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Los Angeles Fashion Week: Green Initiative Spring 2011

Los Angeles Fashion Week started last weekend and what better way to begin my coverage than with The Green Initiative Humanitarian Fashion Show.  The show is sponsored by The Green Youth Movement, an organization founded by Ally Maize with a goal to educate youth on how to be eco friendly.  As Ms. Maize put it at the opening of the show, “We’re the next generation and can and will make a difference”.

The event showcased four labels that concentrate their efforts on eco-friendly fashion: organic and sustainable fabrics, local manufacturing, fair trade practices, non-toxic dyes.  Although these labels all put an emphasis on being eco-friendly, they each have a very distinctive personality.

First up on the runway was Kristinit, by designer Kristina Lenss.

In a collection that covered the bases from daytime casual to dressier pieces, Ms. Lenss turned out a very feminine and versatile line.  Constructed jackets paired with flirty skirts were key to this grouping as were a mix of day to evening dresses.

Next up was , a line with a primary goal to provide jobs for women with HIV in Phnom Pehn, Cambodia. With this noble goal, they produce a line that is very handcrafted and artisanal, emphasizing elegance and comfort.  Using a color palette that is very earthy and natural, Keokjay produced a nice line of mostly casual separates, all with handcrafted details that really stand out.    One look that stood out was a dress with the fabric braided in the front to produce and interesting textural element from which the fabric emerged in soft drapes.

Jonãno followed with a line that was also more geared toward casual wear.  Utilizing mostly natural colors, Jonãno accented the collection with a few shots of mauve, a bright blue and an ethnic-look print.  A “macramé” shawl, an intricately twisted front print dress and a lace sheath dress with a long jacket were standouts in this grouping.

Last, but definitely not least, the Emily Factor line.  While the other lines were all beautifully done, this line kicked it up a notch.  The Central Saint Martins education was definitely apparent here.  Vibrant sophisticated prints were the focal point of this collection, whether draped in fluid dresses or as leggings. This bold use of color was a nice ending to the show. Flowing dresses with an emphasis on drape were knock outs and high waisted “paper bag” pants and shorts were stylishly reminiscent of the 80’s.

All in all, The Green Initiative Humanitarian Fashion Show  made good on its promise of showing us that fashion can be eco-friendly without compromising on style. Let’s hear it for Eco Chic!

Photos & Reporting by Mdivani Monroe

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ECO-CHIC at the Scandinavia House

When you think of ‘green’ fashion and eco-friendly clothes, do you think drab? Shapeless sacks of hemp, faded linens, dragging earth tones? Think again.

At the Scandinavia House, there is a free exhibit until August 21^st, 2010. The Eco-Chic exhibit in Midtown Manhattan's Scandinavia House showcases Sweden’s best designers who follow the principles of sustainable design.

Frumpy, the clothes are not. Julian Red’s lurex/linen trench strikes a very tailored, dramatic silhouette. Anja Hynynen’s delicately knitted gowns are delicately sculpted into ruffles. The comically named Swedish Hasbeens makes ultra-sturdy handmade boots from traditional methods.

The museum doesn’t just serve to present pretty fashion. As you walk around the rooms, you can fill out survey testing your eco-chic knowledge.

The fashions and accessories on display represent multiple disciplines of sustainable fashion. It demonstrates the different fabrications like hemp, organic cotton, linens, etc. These many people know.

Eco-friendly clothing is more than that. Ethical and fair-trade practices of manufacturing are explored. Re-using and re-cycling is updated by mixing vintage with the new and the popular “upcycling” of items. Re-purposing a piece to something fabulous.

Many don’t know that harmful effects that stem from laundry. The simple choice to air dry and hand wash a garment makes a huge impact globally if done en masse.

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Edun's Eco-Chic Party for the Boys

Edun clothing founder Ali Hewson (sans partner/husband Bono) was on hand at Bloomingdale's to introduce the pre-Fall collection for the Men's line Wednesday. The relaxed, stylish collection had super-soft organic cotton tees, dyed with vegetable pigments. Natural linen shirt and pants had a casual chic, washed leather jackets were covet-worthy.

Of course it is not just about the clothes. The Hewson family is as famous for their philanthropic achievements as their fashion and music ones. The brand invests in community-based projects in Uganda and Kenya that focus on the environment, health care and education. Edun also aims to raise the fashion industry's awareness of Africa and the business opportunities there.

Early shoppers took home a limited edition t-shirt for Breakdance Project Uganda. The organization works to bring positive change in a community through dance. Dance bridges the gap between races, tribes, religion, classes and builds self-esteem. Locally, the Rock Steady Crew performed for party guests to the beats of DJ Crazy Legs and Tony Touch.

Photos by Mariana L.

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Sense & Sustainability Benefit Fashion Show

Eco-friendly fashion designers Swati Argade, Helen Asir, Marcus Hicks and Rachel Lyra Hospodar presented a runway show of their collections on Friday at a benefit event. The proceeds of the fundraiser benefited a documentary about the Sankara Eye Foundation and the work they do. This foundation has performed about 550,000 free eye surgeries for underprivileged people and their goal is to have more than 1 million beneficiaries by 2020.

The fashion show itself represented a diverse range of eco-friendly options. Swati Argade sent elegant, feminine dresses in organic silks and cottons. Helen Asir showed fantasy couture pieces in organic silks and jewelled embroideries. Marcus Hick's SDN and Rachel's Medium Reality collections showed menswear using hemp, organic cottons, re-purposed and vintage fabric.

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