Getting Hip to Eco-Fashion

Eco-fashion is on the rise. Designers and major corporations are getting hip to it. Magazines like Lucky write about it. And retailers from Barneys to Fred Segal carry it. By eco-fashion we mean clothing and accessories made from organic, recycled and reclaimed materials. By organic, we generally mean clothing material, like cotton, that is grown without pesticides and insecticides.

You might be surprised to note that the largest buyer of organic cotton in the world is Nike. That’s right, the company has been busy becoming a steward of the planet by enacting some very innovative environmental policies. Small percentages of organic cotton are mixed with conventional cotton in many Nike garments. In 2003, of the 120,000 pounds of cotton Nike used to make its garments, 3,000 pounds were organically grown.

These numbers give you an idea of the scale eco-fashion is operating on. It’s still a fledgling industry though certainly on the rise. Part of the challenge is capacity. There’s simply not that much organic cotton available in the world yet. In 2004, approximately 24,000 pounds were grown worldwide (about 20% of the total used by Nike for all its cotton). The Organic Exchange has a wonderful, interactive map that tracks global organic cotton production.

A slew of innovative materials are coming online to further push eco-fashion into the mainstream and offer garment makers a variety of fabrics with which to work. For example, both bamboo and soy are being spun into soft, luxurious fabrics. Bend, Oregon-based Of The Earth spins soy shirts that are amazingly comfortable.

When I started Vivavi I was intent upon making eco-fashion accessible to a broad audience. However, we’re now in the process of migrating Vivavi toward contemporary furniture and home accents and selling out our current inventory of women's eco-fashion. So where can you purchase great eco-fashion and what brands offer cutting-edge products? Here’s the short list:

Eco-Fashion Boutiques
- The Green Loop – based in Oregon, Aysia Wright has pulled together a very strong collection
- Gomi NYC – can be found on the Lower of East Side of Manhattan in New York City
- Pangaya – this online retailer works with many of the best brands on the market
- ejust – if you’re up in Quebec check out this trendy boutique.
- Hip and Zen – another online boutique that brings together strong collections

Eco-Fashion Brands
- Stewart+Brown – the best of eco-fashion that we’ve come across from Karen Stewart and Howard Brown
- Ecoganik – pushing heavily to bring a real fashion sense to eco-fashion at a fair price point
- CoolnotCruel – Sara Cross has developed a strong line of staples that will compliment any wardrobe
- Loyale Clothing – Jenny Hwa’s line is gracefully transitioning from yoga to everyday wear
- Natural High Lifestyle – Frank Angiuli’s line of casual hemp wear offers perfect items for that chill L.A. vibe. The company’s flagship store is on Main Street in Santa Monica, CA.
- Loomstate – thank you, thank you, thank you for giving us Loomstate. Finally, organic cotton jeans that look great in styles for both men and women
- Edun - chic clothing line designed by Rogan (also makes Loomstate) in partnership with Bono and wife Ali Hewson
- Linda Loudermilk - Linda Loudermilk's "luxury eco" collection takes eco-fashion into the realm of haute couture
- Patagonia - designed for style, comfort and function, all cotton clothing is 100% organic

Lastly, if you want to private label your own organic cotton t-shirt collection, then American Apparel and T.S. Designs are the partners for you. American Apparel supplies the organic cotton t-shirts. T.S. Designs uses state-of-the-art eco-friendly dyeing and screen printing processes. Contact T.S. Designs for more details.

-- Josh