Femininity meets power-play in Costello Tagliapietra’s Fall/Winter ’13 collection at New York Fashion Week.

Stitched from the see-sawing juxtapositions of life, thoughtfully constructed dresses, like the ones that glided down the runway of the Costello Tagliapietra Fall/Winter 2013 show this week, have a story to tell. And if these dresses, jumpsuits and alpaca cloaks could talk, there would be conversations to be had.

From boardroom banter to cocktail chatter, they whisper of femininity, power and mysticism. Over weekend cappuccinos, they share their secrets in finding a graceful balance between femininity and masculinity, between power and sweetness. And, because they are the carefully crafted garments of Jeffrey Costello and Robert Tagliapietra, the design duo behind the line, they murmur one word again and again: sensuality.

When I first met the endearing business- and life- partners following their Spring/Summer 2013 showcase, the same, singular word, came up repeatedly.  At first, it seemed surprising to hear two burly men speak so softly about a woman’s emotions and desires—about sensuality. So this time I asked how it is that they simply ‘get’ women.  “It’s easy, really,” says Tagliapietra.  “Most of our friends are women, and we grew up with sisters.  We just surround ourselves by women. Strong women.”

With its Fall/Winter collection, Costello Tagliapietra calls forth the ‘working woman’s wardrobe’.  “It’s powerful, and it’s feminine,” says Costello. “Our woman is not afraid to embrace her femininity.” It’s this yin and the yang—the pairing of a slinky polyester dress color blocked using AirDye technology, contrasted with an alpaca caplette, sourced from Tagliapietra’s mother, the owner of an alpaca farm in New Jersey—that makes this collection so wearable. “We love that the alpaca comes from a women-run operation; we love that the animals aren’t harmed; and we love the whole farm-to-table mentality,” Tagliapietra proudly adds. Opposites really do attract—from runway-to-real world, in a magnetizing way.

Backstage: Designers Robert Tagliapietra (left) and Jeffrey Costello (right).

More looks we love:

Photos: Jennifer Barckley

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Through subtle color and feminine silhouettes, Costello Tagliapietra evokes an air of sultry love.

Color is emotion. It evokes the dramatic and the subtle, from clarity, to confidence, to anger and love. As the forthcoming Costello Tagliapietra Spring/Summer 2013 season swooned down the runway this week, sensuality collided with intensity—passion—just the feeling Jeffrey Costello and Robert Tagliapietra, the design duo behind the line, were channeling.

Dusty pinks, shades of coral, frosted blues and olive greens painted the palette—a softer take on their oft-vibrant splashes—spoke to the “sultry softness and sweetness,” they dreamed of, Tagliapietra tells EcoSalon.  “We were really taken by pre-Raphaelite paintings.  The brushstrokes of quartz roses…,” says Tagliapietra.  “And, then the bright shoots of colors at the end of the stroke,” adds Costello.

Costello Tagliapietra are known for their use of AirDye technology, a form of digital printing that uses no additional water during the actual dying process, and allows for simultaneous double-sided printing of a textile.  It’s one of the secrets, the pair agree, behind their multi-dimensional color palettes and the eye-play that happens when a women’s walk reveals the interior side of the fabric—often printed in a different design from the exterior.

“With this collection, we really played with the different colors to see how they would interact on the fabric and what emotions they would evoke,” Costello tells us. “We want to evoke the feeling of having fun, feeling alive and being in love,” the pair share, almost simultaneously.

Body skimming silhouettes peak just beyond the ordinary through gathering, ruching and draping. “Caressing,” says Tagliapietra, “the women who wears it.”  Many of the pieces are made from synthetics—primarily polyester—“the best textile when Air Dying textiles,” says Tagliapietra.  “But,” adds Costello, “it doesn’t look and feel synthetic.”

In their sixth runway season as a design team, marked by their winning the Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation award in 2005, and their eighteenth year together as a couple, it’s no wonder Costello Tagliapietra is feeling the love.

Backstage: Designers Jeffrey Costello (left) and Robert Tagliapietra (right).

More looks we love:

Images: Jennifer Barckley

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A list of the top sustainable designers currently on the fashion scene.

Sustainable fashion has come a long way since its humble beginnings with more and more designers taking chances with fabrics, silhouettes and collaborations. Here we offer you an extensive list of what we consider to be the top designers in the sustainable fashion field.

A.D.O. Organics, New York, NY: GOTS (global organic trade standard) certified fabrics, chemical-free herbal dyes, Fair Trade.

Afia, New York, NY: Sustainable women’s clothing line sourced and sewn in Ghana, West Africa.

Ajna, New York, NY: Certified organic and sustainable textiles, collaborates with indigenous textile artisans.

Alabama Chanin, Florence, Alabama: Slow design, organic fabrics, recycled materials, minimal waste, made by local artisans in Florence, Alabama.

Alder, New York, NY: Part of the Pratt Design Incubator, all made in the U.S., materials sourced locally.

Allison Parris, New York, NY: Recycled materials, end run fabrics, organic silks, made in Manhattan.

Ambika, Catskills, NY: Made from shorn and brushed Angora rabbits on Ambika Conroy’s own rabbit farm in upstate New York.

Auralis Herrero, New York/Puerto Rico: Organic fabrics, promotes sustainable economies in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

Avery by Wang, Vancouver, Canada: Recently launched, organic cotton, hemp.

Awamaki Lab, New York and Ollantaytambo, Peru: A Peruvian non-profit working with impoverished Quechua women weavers.

Carrie Parry, New York, NY Produced ethically and locally in the New York Garment District, sourcing environmentally conscious materials and textiles supporting artisanal communities worldwide.

Christopher Raeburn, London: Christopher Ræburn has become known for his utilization of re-appropriated military fabrics to create garments that are functional, intelligent and meticulously crafted.

Clary Sage Organics, San Francisco, CA: Clary Sage Organics is committed to using 100% organic or ecologically sustainable products.

Costello Tagliapietra, New York, NY: Uses AirDye waterless technology to create all their prints, made in New York City’s Garment District.

Crop by David Peck, Houston, TX: Manufactured with textiles dyed in the United States and select fabrics imported from fair trade co-operatives in India.

Curator, San Francisco, CA: Made in San Francisco, organic cottons, hemp, minimal waste.

EcoSkin, Los Angeles, CA: EcoSkin uses only environmentally sustainable luxury fabrics woven, dyed and sewn in the U.S.

Eko-Lab, New York, NY: 100% organic materials, natural vegetable dyes, all made locally by New York City artisans.

Elroy, Vancouver, BC: Uses organic cotton, bamboo, tencel, linen, hemp, wild silk, pineapple, wool and upcycled fabrics, manufactured by a small, family-run cottage industry in Indonesia, designed in Canada.

Eva Zingoni, Paris, France: Made in France from recycled materials, limited edition, surplus fabrics from Parisian fashion houses.

Feral Childe, New York City/Oakland, California: Organic textiles, recycled textiles and accessories, made in New York City.

Frei, Chicago: Organic cottons, natural dyes, and locally manufactured textiles.

Gretchen Jones, New York: Sustainable fabrics, made in New York City’s Garment District.

Harricana by Mariouche, Montreal, Canada: Recycled fur, recycled materials.

H Fredriksson, New York, NY: Silk, made in New York City.

Honest By, Antwerp, Belgium: 100% transparent company from production to sales, organic fabric, certified organic wools.

Indigenous, Santa Rosa, CA: organic fabrics, Fair Trade, low impact dyes, free range alpaca.

IOU Project, Tamil Nadu, India: The IOU Project makes unique, handmade, traceable apparel, Fair Trade.

Isoude, Newport, Rhode Island: Made in the U.S.A., silks, hand dyeing.

Juleselin, San Francisco, CA: Created from organic cotton and recycled fabrications, sweatshop free.

Kelly Lane, Pittsburgh, PA: Created from sustainable fabrics, made in New York City’s Garment District.

Koch, Dallas, TX: Sustainable fabrics, made in Dallas and LA.

Lara Miller, Chicago, IL: Multi-functional clothing, organic cottons, hand-loomed bamboo, hemp and vegan silk, made in Chicago.

Lavuk, Los Angeles, CA: Sweatshop free and made locally in Los Angeles with sustainable materials such as organic cotton, tencel, hemp and dead stock silks, multi-functional clothing.

Lina Rennell, Northern California: The Rennell line is an art brand with a heavy focus on original print work, U.S. production, sustainable textiles, craft and high-end tailoring.

Loomstate, New York, NY: Organic cotton, tencel, reduced water consumption, reduced waste, pursuing a closed loop product life cycle.

Loup Charmant, New York, NY: Organic cotton, natural dyes, silks, made in New York City’s Garment District.

Made By, Peruvian Highlands: Eco-friendly Alpaca yarns, hand knit by the local highland Artisans of Peru, Fair Trade, organic colorants.

modaspia, Placerville, CA: Organic fabrics, end run fabrics, made in San Francisco.

Nau, Portland, Oregon: Organic cottons, silks, tencel, recycled materials, cruelty-free wool, partners for change with Ashoka, Ecotrust, Kiva and Mercy Corps.

100% NY, New York, NY: Organic, recycled, and ethical materials, produced entirely in New York.

Organic by John Patrick, New York, NY: Handmade metallic lace, sustainable recycled wool, organic cotton, biodegradable cotton cupro, vegetable-tanned leather, hand-loomed Angora, digitally printed silks,

M. Patmos, New York, NY: Eco-friendly merino wool and alpaca, faux fur made from wool and alpaca, and vegetable tanned leather, handwork techniques from women’s artisan collectives in Nepal and Bolivia, as well as zero-waste seamless knitting technology from Japan.

Portland Pendleton Collection: Portland, Oregon: Pendleton fabrics are woven exclusively in Pendleton’s Northwest Mills and all of the apparel is sourced and produced in the U.S.

Partimi, London: Digitally-printed silks, organic wools, modals, milk fibers, and luxurious cashmere.

Piece x Piece, San Francisco, CA: The fabric used in each piece is selected from a changing stock of luxury discards.

The Podolls, San Francisco, CA: 100% organic Supima Cotton, made in the U.S.

Popomomo, Los Angeles, CA: Organic cottons, Cupro, recycled materials, made in Los Angeles.

Prairie Underground, Seattle, Washington: Organic cotton, hemp, designed and manufactured in the U.S.

Raleigh Denim, Raleigh, NC: Handcrafted denim on vintage machines from the 1920s, sustainable cotton, organic cotton for Fall 12.

RESTORE Clothing, New York, NY: Repreve® Recycled Nylon, made in the New York City Garment District.

Rogan, New York, NY: Silks, organic cotton, alpaca, wool, bamboo, made in the U.S.

Samantha Pleet, New York, NY: Organic cottons, silks, Made in the U.S.

Soham Dave, New York, NY: Soham Dave focuses primarily on using biodegradable fabrics, recycled materials, and hand embroideries.
 

Stewart+Brown, Los Angeles, CA: Organic cotton, organic pima cotton, hemp, surplus fabrics, Mongolian Cashmere produced through a sustainable supply chain, Fair Trade.

Study NY, New York, NY: Organic cotton, linen, recycled materials, zero waste, made in New York.

Suzanne Rae, New York, NY: Silks, organic cottons, other sustainable materials when possible, made in New York City’s Garment District.

Thieves, Toronto, Canada: Soy, hemp, organic cotton, bamboo, Tussah Silk, organic wool, Seacell, tencel.

Titania Inglis, New York, NY: Japanese organic cotton, French vegetable-tanned leather, and dead stock wool from New York’s garment industry, made in New York.

Vaute Couture, New York, NY: Vegan, fair trade.

Did we miss someone? Email amy@ecosalon.com with your tip!

The post The Ultimate List of Sustainable Fashion Designers (From A-Z) appeared first on EcoSalon.

Fact: It takes over 1,800 gallons of water to grow enough cotton to make 1 pair of jeans, and over 400 gallons of water to make one t-shirt.

The water crisis conversation is growing exponentially. Fears of losing access to potable water face a growing number of people across the globe. In fact, it’s expected that two-thirds of the world’s people will run short of fresh drinking H20 by 2025. So, in just over a decade, it’s possible that 75% of the globe’s population might not have access to clean drinking water. What does fashion have to do with this? A lot.

As a $450 billion global industry, only half of 1% of those garments are created in a way that attempts to respect people and the environment. When the majority of the garment industry production happening in an “unsustainable” way, their unfortunate use of dirty chemicals is leading to toxic runoff that flows into rivers, lakes, and streams and diminishes the world’s fresh water.

In textile production, the dyeing and finishing stages typically require high water and chemical use. According to Global Action Through Fashion, the majority of compounds used for applying color are highly carcinogenic or otherwise toxic, and those chemicals generally are discharged into nearby waterways. Brooklyn, New York was a hub for textile manufacturing and dying back in the 1920s and 30s. Josh Verlean, Staff Attorney and Chief Investigator for Riverkeeper tells EcoSalon that before the Clean Water Act amendments of 1977, the colors of the Hudson River were often stained by automobile dyes or textile dyeing; the water would reflect the colors that specific dye houses were processing that day. Much of the dyeing process for larger companies has now moved overseas, but that doesn’t mean it has disappeared.

Outsourcing expands into cotton production as well. According to the Environmental Justice Foundation, about 44 per cent of the world’s water use for cotton growth and processing is not serving the domestic market but instead, is being soaked up for export. And cotton – the fabric of our lives – is responsible for a large dent of the garment industry’s water waste. It takes over 1,800 gallons of water to grow enough cotton to make 1 pair of jeans, and it takes over 400 gallons of water to make one t-shirt.

Fashion is interrupting the natural current of the world’s most vital resource. So, what’s it going to take to ensure that the fashion industry stops contributing to this daunting reality, and who are the superstars in the fashion industry that are working to conserve, protect, and keep the fresh water flowing?

Costello Tagliapietra Spring/Summer 2012

AirDye Solutions has tackled the issue in a tech-savvy and action-based way. AirDye technology allows for the application of color to fabric without the use of water. It ends up using about 90% less water and 85% less energy than conventional dyeing processes. Standout designers like Costello Tagliapietra have been using this innovative and water conserving technology for the past several seasons. When asked if they notice a difference between using AirDye and conventional dying techniques, Jeffrey Costello and Robert Tagliapietra say “Absolutely.”

“We have the amazing opportunity to have the backside of the fabric look just as beautiful as the front, something that is not possible with traditional dyeing; we are even doing prints on both sides in some pieces.”

With luxe collections packed with color and mesmerizing prints, Costello Tagliapietra is definitely not sacrificing style for ethics, which has interested more designers to jumping onboard the AirDye train thanks to their lead.

Another brand, BluDemocracy, has tackled the agua quandary head-on by replacing cotton with bamboo in the production of all of their everyday basics. The LA-based company claims that to make a cotton t-shirt, it takes 11,500 cups of water, whereas to produce a bamboo tee, it only takes 3,840 cups. By producing and processing their bamboo collection sustainably, Blu Democracy hopes to make a dent in this overwhelming statistic: 1 billion people worldwide don’t have access to clean water…right now.

Blu Democracy’s representative Walka Quiroa tells EcoSalon there are ways to instigate change by sharing “in your face knowledge about the extreme lack of clean drinking water around the world, along with spreading simple ways individuals and companies can make positive change to these frightening statistics.”

Massive transformations in our daily lifestyles are not required, according to Quiroa, but rather, creating awareness around products that are good for the earth is the first tread. As Quiroa tells EcoSalon, “Knowledge inspires change.”

BluDemocracy bamboo tees

How important is water? We humans are comprised of 65% of it, and 75% of the earth’s surface is covered with the stuff. We need it, plants need it, animals need it – where did the disconnect evolve away from such a crucial resource?

In a recent visit to the Minnesota Marine Art Museum, an exhibition titled: “Upon Native Waters: The Photographs of Edward Curtis,” sparked reminders of the basic foundation that water’s worth was built upon. Edward Curtis’ photographs of Native Americans in the early 1900s showcased vividly the ways that water was integral to the everyday lives of people. In these times and through these cultures, a clear connectivity could be observed between water and humanity.

Photograph from “Upon Native Waters: The Photographs of Edward Curtis,” currently at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum

Water didn’t used to flow out of faucets and it never grew on trees. It might be time to take a tip from our elders and remember that water is a valued resource necessary for survival – one to be respected and appreciated.

Image: Nadia Moro

The post Swimming Against the Mainstream Fashion Current appeared first on EcoSalon.

Crazy for chrysanthemums and other vibrant prints at Costello Tagliapietra’s Fall/Winter 2012 runway show.

One day last spring, fashion designer Robert Tagliapietra came home to find a workroom filled with chrysanthemum sketches drawn by his design partner and now husband, Jeffrey Costello.

“For some reason I was painting chrysanthemums all spring,” Jeffrey told EcoSalon just after their Fall/Winter 2012 show on Thursday.

“He was obsessed with them,” Robert added.

Designers Jeffrey Costello and Robert Tagliapietra

The duo behind fashion label Costello Tagliapietra took the sketches, played with them in Photoshop, and used AirDye technology to digitally print the resulting patterns onto vibrant dresses and separates for their Fall/Winter 2012 collection. These looks, with others, paraded down the runway at Milk Studios on Thursday afternoon to a packed house, which included Susan Sarandon, Padma Lakshmi, Miss J. Alexander, and the Misshapes’ Leigh Lezark in the front row.

“New York Fashion Week is an important stage to showcase your work and we feel blessed to have had the opportunity and the audience for as long as we have been in business,” the duo told EcoSalon just before the show. “It would be a sad day when, as a designer, we would do all of this hard work and put in all of these hours of work and not get to showcase it!”

The audience certainly appreciated the parade of gorgeously draped gowns, cocktail dresses, and separates. But while the solid colored pieces were masterful, the printed ones seemed imbued with an entirely different energy.

“We love the prints this season,” Jeffrey told EcoSalon. “We love what they do to the clothes. They have movement to begin with so they give the pieces so much more movement.”

One reason for the vibrancy of the prints is the aforementioned AirDye technology, which Costello Tagliapietra has been utilizing consistently for six seasons and which appears on nearly every piece in the line. AirDye is a sustainable way to apply color to textiles without the use of water, which makes it environmentally preferable to traditional dye methods. The technology also allows for more precise color placement.

Below we’ve posted a selection of our favorite printed pieces from the show, with the chrysanthemum pattern up at the top. See what we mean about energy?

Images: Jessica Marati

The post EcoSalon at NYFW: Costello Tagliapietra appeared first on EcoSalon.

The line for the CFDA and Lexus sponsored Eco-Fashion Challenge event in New York City, wrapped around the building and continued down the block. If that is any indicator of what is to come (which I fully believe it is) sustainable fashion got a major boost from this eco-fashion integration challenge!

“Designing a Lexus is a complicated and sophisticated process that requires putting many pieces together, and the same is true of fashion,” stated Loomstate designer Scott Mackinlay Hahn. “Step by step we are learning a new language for sustainable and eco awareness and bringing it into the fashion story.”

(Marcia Patmos of Leroy & Perry)

Inside a packed skyline loft, floor to ceiling posters presented the various designers in the running for the CFDA and Lexus package which includes $25,000 towards their next line as well as support for their Fall 2011 show or presentation during New York Fashion Week in February.  Words like organic, air dyed, recycled, handmade, fair, local, upcycled, and sustainable lined the posters and defined the designers’ eco-focus. This must be the new language Mackinlay Hahn speaks of. What is reassuring is that slowly, but surely, the general public is learning this lingo and looking for it on the garments they purchase. As a result, “…more designers are asking for it now too, and demanding eco-versions of fabrics from their suppliers,” says Marcia Patmos, the designer from Leroy & Perry who was one of the competing ten designers.

(Maria Cornejo, Jeffery Costello, Monique Pean, Robert Tagliapietra)

And speaking of supply – which of the ten designers will be applying supplying us with their eco-fashion creations next Fall? Drumroll please! The three labels that were awarded the eco-challenge CFDA and Lexus package are:

Monique Pean

Costello Tagliapietra

Maria Cornejo

“The fact is, we are all trying to be eco-friendly,” asserts Maria Cornejo. “These are little steps that really build into something.” Cornejo went on to advise other designers to ‘be creative’ and think of other ways of being eco than just sourcing, such as being local in production or using non-toxic dying processes.

(Reed Krakoff, Monique Pean and Scott Mackinlay Hahn)

For fellow winner Monique Pean, eco-fashion translates directly to slow fashion, which she describes as, “…designing pieces that are high in quality and passed down from generation to generation.”

Going back to Mackinlay Hahn’s statement about utilizing a new language to talk about fashion, I think we are definitely there and as Robert Tagliapietra of Costello Tagliapietra so eloquently put it, “This communication is immeasurable.”

The post The CFDA Lexus Eco-Fashion Challenge Winners Are… appeared first on EcoSalon.

Sustainable fashion just got another big push from mainstream, this time by Lexus and the Council of Fashion Designers of America. The program’s goal of increasing sustainable practices in the fashion industry, just picked their ten finalists, three of which will be selected to receive support from Lexus for their Fall 2011 show or presentation in February 2011.

The finalists, representing womenswear, menswear, and accessories include Behnaz Sarafpour, Maria Cornejo, Monique Pean, Marcia Patmos, Organic by John Patrick, Costello Tagliapietra, Alabama Chanin, Libertine by Johnson Hartig, Subversive Jewelry by Justin Giunta and Slow and Steady Wins the Race by Mary Ping.

WWD reports that the ten finalists were chosen based on their most recent collections – 25 percent of which had to be created in an eco-conscious way in order to qualify.

Three winners will be announced next Tuesday, in addition to a “People’s Choice” winner that you can vote for on Lexushybridliving.

Image: Linda Loudermilk

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