Green-focused fashion just got a lot more political with international trade lawyer and wife of the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg’s wife Miriam González Durántez, joining London Fashion Week at the launch of EcoLuxe.

While EcoLuxe is a new initiative that promotes high-end environmentally friendly fashion designers and brands, the group hopes that running alongside the brat pack of designers at the British Fashion Council’s Estethica, (the only sustainable venue at London Fashion Week) will only add to showcasing exclusive brands with a conscience. Still they want to keep things separate. This year, designers included award-winning British wool designer Izzy Lane, Elena Garcia and By Stamo, amongst others.

Showcasing is great, but getting noticed is even better – which is why they’ve brought in the big guns with González Durántez.

Imogen Fox of the Guardian writes: “Wearing a dress by the designer David Szeto, which was instantly recognizable from last year’s Liberal Democrat conference – and was therefore suitably on-message – and a white jacket by French high street label Zadig & Voltaire, González Durántez admitted that competition for coverage was fierce, ‘so we should all chip in a bit to help with initiatives like this.'”

However, her reasoning might be two-fold. The Guardian also writes that during this year’s general election, “González Durántez appeared irritated when the wives of politicians and their wardrobes became the focus of media attention,” but at the EcoLuxe launch she said that media interest in her own wardrobe didn’t annoy her.

“It’s just background noise,” she said.

One would think being handpicked by respected designers, she’d want to make more than that.

Image: Via Guardian UK: Miriam González Durántez poses with designers By Stamo (in black) and Elena (in blue) Garcia, and two others, at the EcoLuxe launch in London today. Photograph: Linda Nylind for the Guardian

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A major piece of the puzzle that has to happen in order for sustainable living to become mainstream is consumer awareness. And blogs like this are doing a fantastic job at raising our level of awareness and knowledge to make smarter purchasing and behavioral choices. However, another important component to this going mainstream, is government involvement – whether that be guidelines, legislation or the willingness to collaborate with corporations and non-profits.

When the government steps in and creates guidelines and standards for an industry – ones that are built with the help of the corporations who are leaders in that very industry – then that is where real change begins to happen. And it is important that we as consumers recognize this.

At the Ethical Sourcing Forum in NYC this past spring, I had the opportunity to witness such collaborative discussions taking place between government, corporations and NGOs. It was exciting to be a part of those conversations and to recognize that this really is the future of business. We can all learn a great deal from each other.

But when it comes to government involvement, there are only a few countries leading the way. The United Kingdom is by far the global leader in this regard. (A little side fact: according to Harold Tillman, Chair of the British Fashion Council, the U.K. fashion industry is the country’s second largest employer).

Most of us are familiar with the success stories of household U.K. brands Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood and Marks & Spencer. Lesser known however, is the U.K. government’s commitment to sustainable fashion, and to the creation of guidelines and standards that the rest of the world can learn from.

One example is the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) that produced the Green Claims in 2003. Widely used by U.K. apparel brands, retailers and manufacturers, it was created to help businesses make clear and accurate environmental claims, so as to not confuse or misinform consumers.

But more impressive is DEFRA’s Sustainable Clothing Action Plan, last updated in February 2010. The Plan is a collaborative effort between several organizations such as The British Fashion Council, MADE-BY, Oxfam, Ethical Fashion Forum, WRAP and Forum for the Future, just to name a few. Together this group identified five key areas for improvement within sustainable fashion that address consumer trends and behavior, media and education, market drivers and traceability along the supply chain.

And it doesn’t end there…

In case you are wondering, no I’m not English. But I am a huge fan of what they are doing. They seem to have it all figured out. Or at least more figured out than most.

The U.K. was also the first country to offer a Masters in Sustainable Fashion through the London College of Fashion. Many important industry events come out of the UK such as Fashion Fusion Expo, Esthetica and the RE: Fashion Awards to name a few. And most recently, the British Fashion Council is spearheading a campaign that will create tax incentives for fashion businesses to work in a more sustainable way, and striving to make eco fashion more affordable and accessible to consumers.

Other countries are much slower to adapt policies and standards, and some might even say that despite years of lobbying, their efforts fall on deaf ears. Canadian Jon Cloud of The Organic Cotton Company, has dedicated his life to organic production. He is fed up that the government refuses to deal with organic standards and that certification organizations, whose standards he feels are weak, are picking up the ball and running with it.

Cloud belonged to the now defunct organic cotton activist group COATS (Canadian Organic Apparel & Textile Standards) who together formed a set of organic standards a few years ago, which were then presented to the federal government. “More than 125,000 people have lost their job in the last five to six years in textiles” states Cloud. “Everything has moved offshore and we really need to pay attention to this. We need standards in Canada that lend integrity to the product in order to make it viable for regional trade”.

Despite Canada’s reluctance to take action on the organic standard, they, along with the U.S. and Japan have chosen to address the labeling of clothing that is being marketed as sustainable.

Canada’s Competition Bureau first announced its legislation of the mislabeling of rayon as bamboo in March 2009, and then later enforced it in August. Considering the large number of bamboo textile suppliers and retailers in Canada, the government worked in partnership with the Retail Council of Canada and the Canadian Apparel Federation to facilitate the compliance process.

On the heels of Canada’s legislation, the United States stepped up enforcement when the Federal Trade Commission laid charges on four bamboo clothing businesses in 2009 who were making false marketing claims that their product was environmentally friendly. And earlier this year the FTC sent warning letters to Wal-Mart, Target and Kmart on the same topic.

Over to Asia, the Japanese government has recently issued a series of guidelines for the labeling of organic cotton products, out of a response to the growing concern over inconsistencies that lead to misunderstandings and confusion over the production, distribution and consumption of organic cotton products. Labels must now comply with the Household Goods Quality Labeling Act and should indicate the percentage of organic cotton content of the product as a whole if the product is labeled as organic cotton.

As consumers, we rely on our government to help us distinguish right from wrong. The good from the bad. And now more than ever, we lack trust in corporations. We are increasingly becoming skeptical of loosely backed environmental claims. And while many fashion businesses are not being held accountable for their actions, or how they market their product to us, through continued awareness, government standards, and collaboration, this will change. And we can look to the U.K. as a benchmark for this change.

Image: UK in Italy

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For five weeks beginning January 13th, I’ll be working with a small group of 7th and 8th grade girls interested in fashion. My assistant is a fashion design student from the local high school, a 16 year-old honor student who has already showed me her 23-piece collection.

Together, we’ll engage the kids with recycling and reusing everyday items like milk jugs, candy wrappers, toilet paper rolls and cereal boxes, fashioning them into dresses, skirts, innovative hats and whatever else they come up with. It’s Eco Fashion 101 for budding designers.

Not only do I hope the class is fun and a refreshing change of pace from their regular academic routine, I hope they learn something about sustainable design and reusing.

While we have a multi-generational work force now in the sustainable design, field pushing the boundaries of fabric and form,  these younger kids are our future. What they learn now matters.

I take inspiration for the course from a few fascinating people and groups working to make their own fashion mark.

In November, the British Fashion Council launched an ethical clothing initiative called esthethica. Six designers, including Ada Zanditon, Christopher Raeburn, Goodone, Minna, Nina Dolcetti and The North Circular were selected for a mentoring program to make their businesses greener.

All six designer businesses have been selected to receive one on one expert support from one of three industry mentors: brand consultants Susanne Tide-Frater and Yasmin Sewell and buying consultant Bev Malik.

Another grooming venue, the Chicago Fashion Incubator, which meets at the city’s Macy’s on State Street, provides six emerging Chicago-based designers with workspace and education about the business of fashion and mentoring. The Designers in Residence are provided office space, including computers and software, a workshop room with sample production space and a resource section as well as a showroom (not to mention the help of of Chicago’s eco-darling Lara Miller).

Just south of where I write, New York City’s own Nolcha has fast become the platform for emerging and independent fashion talent. Securing their inaugural Ethical Fashion Preview of Spring/Summer 2010 last September at New York’s Carlton Hotel (a true success for the participating eco-designers), Kerry Bannigan at Nolcha says, “We’re super excited about our first step into the ethical fashion world. It’s absolutely on trend in the industry, yet there’s never been a professional hub to showcase ethical designers in New York before now. This is a peak time to launch our Ethical Fashion Preview.”

Nolcha’s success linking the fashion industry has helped new fashion entrepreneurs learn what it takes to evolve in the challenging industry from all angles. Here’s to hoping they do even more in the sustainable design realm.

In the back rooms of high-end department stores, in the dusty brick buildings of cities and studios near and far, these young men and women are being groomed for big things. Seeing as we’re a society that defines ourselves through what we wear most of the time, we should pay heed.

My New Year’s wish? That we all make a conscious effort to support them. Take some time today to learn more about groups in your city or town that are engaging our future designers and see how you can help. It’ll be way easier than starting your new diet and exercise regiment.

I promise.

Main image: esthethica

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