going green...???

Usually whenever I hear the words ‘eco’, ‘green’ or even…(pause for large intake of breath)…‘the environment’, I tend to completely switch off and start contemplating whether the new episode of ‘Kendra’ is shown on channel E! on Monday or Tuesday nights.  In particular, this tends to happen when these terms are used in conjunction with contemporary fashion design, something I do not like to associate with the real-world concern of the environment, but prefer to keep in the sacred world of fantasy and sequins (yes, I believe there is a world where everyone only wears sequins…even during the day). 

However, after experiencing a tour of the new exhibition at the Fashion Institute of Technology, ‘Eco-Fashion: Going Green’, I can appreciate how designing and consuming with a consciousness of our ethical accountability does not necessarily mean designing purely with hemp (although, a phenomenally structured Stella McCartney dress was on display made only of undyed hemp!). 

I was surprised to learn how issues such as the re-purposing of textiles, practices (chemical and water-usage) involved with growing natural fibres and manufacturing synthetics, textile production and ‘couture’ as a sustainable good had been considered (to an extent) by designers over the centuries.  For example, the way 18 ^th Century brocaded silk dresses were immaculately cared for and re-made (unlike my careless piling of clothes onto my designated ‘clothes chair’), how women could have a daytime and a night-time bodice to be worn with the same skirt, and the use of more biodegradable materials such as cellophane in the 1920s.

I particularly enjoyed hearing about how Parisian couture in the 20 ^th Century (as well as up to and including the current day), is perceived to have offered the sustainable option of purchasing clothes with lasting value in terms of quality and emotional connectivity.  This being the total anti-thesis of ‘instant fashion’ and the detrimental environmental factors involved with the short life cycle of the majority of clothing. 

Parisian Couture...

I had just been talking the other day about how disparate the fashion is here between the cheap throwaway fashion labels (H&M, Forever 21 etc) and top designers (Prada, Alberta Ferretti etc).  I’m struggling to find the middle ground.  So, my logic (be it perhaps deluded) is now that it is my job as an environmental fashionista to purchase expensive (aka ‘quality’) clothes that will last a lifetime, as opposed to pieces that will disintegrate after one wash! Perhaps going green isn’t so bad after all…