Fashion Library 

Fashion Resources: Eco-Fashion/Green Fashion

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This searchable directory is open to “all projects, companies and organisations promoting organic cotton.” Visitors are invited to search the database by country and business or product (for example, “baby accessories”) for a list of companies and contact information.

An eco-fashion website which provides an online magazine of eco-fashion articles, a glossary of terms, blogs and links to many other eco-fashion resources including an "ecofashion finder" to locate brands, designers and online stores.

Promoting itself as “conduit to report on the latest celebrity gossip as it pertains to activism and inspiring change.” Viewers can click on the Fashion tab for a blog highlighting designers, brands and celebrities with eco-fashion connections.

Exotextile News, published by Mowbray Communications Ltd promotes itself as “the monthly magazine for the sustainable and ethical textiles and apparel industry.” Although the magazine is subscription based, viewers can open a sample copy and access news headlines.

Based in the UK, the not-for-profit Ethical Fashion Forum (EFF) “is a network of designers, businesses and organisations focusing upon social and environmental sustainability in the fashion industry.” The site provides definitions of ethical fashion. Viewers can go to the Fashion: Ethics tab to find the FAQ Sourcing page with links to a number of green/ethical fabric sourcing directories. The News & Events tab provides information on fashion shows, conferences and training sessions (most in Europe) focused on ethical fashion.

This site provides a brief personal record of writer and designer Jill Danyelle’s 2006 project to document what she wore “everyday for a year with a goal of averaging fifty percent sustainability based on the environmental mantra 'reuse, reduce, recycle'.” Danyelle also found herself taking “on the role of a green fashion promoter and advocate.”

Green Cotton is a blog intended to “gather, analyze and publish insightful information on eco-fashion” with a focus on “all emerging eco-friendly fabrics, products, stores and individuals,” not just cotton. Menus allows readers to search the archives, bring up popular topics including information on specific types of fabrics, fashion and events. It also provides links to related blogs.

Greenloop is an online fashion retailer based out of Portland, Oregon. According to its mission statement, “all brands carried by Greenloop employ a variety of responsible practices, including: using eco-friendly, sustainable materials; employing energy efficient and low-impact production; investing in renewable energy and carbon offsets; and maximizing recycling and waste reduction.” The site also offers a topical blog.

Grist is a nonprofit organization that provides a website, blog and weekly podcast on green issues and sustainable living. Search the site to bring up hundreds of fashion entries from 1999 to the present.

This private environment-focused blog highlights “clean technology, glamorous green events, environmental media, business greening, and luxurious eco-friendly design. Click on the Ecofashion link for a list of archived posts on the topic of green fashion.

Impact, published by World Textile Publications promotes itself as “the monthly web magazine on environment and ethics in textile sourcing.” Although the magazine is subscription based, viewers can access the premier issue.

Inhabitat is a weblog dedicated to “sustainable design with a modernist ideology.” The Fashion link on the right pulls up recent posting on the topic and provides links to related articles.

This brief pdf, produced by a private textile manufacture inspecting company, provides information about the type of toxic substances to be reduced or eliminated in eco-textile production and the health threat posed by these specific substances.

This page focuses on the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) campaign “to raise awareness about the negative health and environmental effects of conventional and genetically engineered cotton and the institutionalized exploitation of clothing sweatshops.” The site provides links to recent news articles on issues of labor in textile manufacturing as well as organic and genetically engineered textiles. There are also links to background articles, a pesticide database and additional topical resources.

Organic Exchange is a “charitable organization committed to expanding organic agriculture, with a specific focus on increasing the production and use of organically grown fibers such as cotton.” While membership is required for access to some features of the site, viewers may view recent world organic cotton market report highlights and search databases for company information for organic cotton manufacturers and retailers by brand and product type. There is also a useful links page.

“Wear Organic is a project from Pesticide Action Network UK aiming to reduce the problems from pesticides used in cotton, particularly by promoting organic and fair alternatives.” The site offers a list of articles, books and video resources on organic cotton, provides downloadable PDF consumer guides on the topic and an online Organic Cotton Retailer Directory of brands, retail stores (UK) and online shops.

Portland Fashion Week has placed an emphasis on creating a 'green' show and many of the designers featured are promoted as ‘eco-designers.’ Viewers can look at runway photographs for specific designers and link to designer websites.

Style Will Save Us “is an independent digital style magazine that loves all things super-stylish, organic, ethical, fairtrade, eco-friendly, vintage, recycled and sustainable.” Readers can sign up for a newsletter and can join to participate in the talk section.

Based in Central Valley, California, “the Sustainable Cotton Project (SCP) “provides growers with information about biological farming techniques” and “educates the public about the importance of reducing chemical use in food and fiber production” through its BASIC campaign aimed at growers, its Cleaner Cotton campaign aimed at manufacturers, and its Care What You Wear campaign aimed at consumers. Visitors can access information about all of these campaigns on its website.

The Sustainable Style Foundation (SSF) “is an international, member-supported nonprofit organization created to provide information, resources and innovative programs that promote sustainable living and sustainable design.” The foundation publishes SASS, its online magazine, four-times a year, which often feature articles on eco-fashion. Searching the site for the term ‘fashion’ bring up information from the site’s magazine, blog, sourcebook and other areas.

This multi-author blog “provides product reviews, eco news and green info to the next wave of smart consumers.” Viewers can search by keyword or click on the Archives tab and find past entries by month or organized by over 100 topics. Topics include Accessories, Clothing, Fabric, Fashion and Sewing.

This blog posted by Josh Dorfman, provides information and additional content relating to his radio show, The Lazy Environmentalist in which he discusses “cutting-edge, eco-friendly products and services and features interviews with the designers, entrepreneurs and visionaries who are demonstrating how many of today's best choices are green choices.” Viewers can search the site’s directory of eco-fashion retailers or view the blog’s topically organized archive which includes an eco-fashion topic.

Ten designers were invited by The Nature Conservancy to create objects using sustainable materials from around the world. The objects they created, including items of fashion, are featured in this online exhibit with the intention to inspire designers and consumers to "reshape our material economy and help advance a global conservation ethic by choosing sustainable materials."

Treehugger promotes itself as the “leading media outlet dedicated to driving sustainability mainstream.” The Treehugger site includes blogs, a daily newsletter, video segments and a radio program. It has over 40 contributing writers and covers green news in ten countries. Readers can find information about green fashion by clicking on the Fashion & Beauty tab. An How to Green Your Wardrobe article provides a starting point for many aspects of eco-fashion.

2009 has been declared the International Year of Natural Fibres by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, which aims to expand the use of and promote more innovative uses of natural fibres. Visitors to this site can click on the link "15 Natural Fibres" to peruse a brief history and learn about the different natural fibers that come from plants and animals. The "Fibre Stories" link has four stories about new innovations for different natural fibers.