Ever thought about the origins of the term “EcoFashion”? Here’s your daily dose of eco-trivia: It was first coined and trademarked in 1995 by Marci Zaroff, founder of the sustainable lifestyle brand Under the Canopy.

Zaroff is more than just a name behind a name. After speaking with her about her work, I learn that she’s a one-woman machine: One who is responsible for bringing the first sustainable fashion products to Target, Macy’s, Aveda and Whole Foods Market (in fact, she wrote the business plan for Whole Foods to get into textiles).

What she’ll tell you, though, is that no one can do it alone. That’s her mission and mantra: To converge the worlds of fashion and sustainability under the same, well, canopy, Zaroff says, “of the planet’s ecosystem.”

EcoSalon: Tell me a little bit about how you got into EcoFashion. Is that something you were doing before ecofashion was really even a thing, or had a name or label?

Marci Zaroff: I actually coined and trademarked the term EcoFashion in 1995. If you would’ve Googled the term when I started, it was just “Marci Zaroff,” or “Under the Canopy” when I started it in 1996. Even today, if you type in ecofashion.com, it goes right to my website. There was no EcoFashion. The reason that I had a vision to create that movement was, I had spent almost a decade in the organic and natural food and beauty worlds. When I was in high school, I got Best Dressed; I always loved fashion. It was just one of my passions. After getting a business degree, I created a school in New York City that was one of the first places that people could go to learn about health and wellness. You could go to art school or law school, but where do you go to learn about healthier cooking? It was called Gulliver’s Living and Learning Center, and it would take people on a journey of self-discovery, of self-realization.

We opened the first Aveda concept salon in the school as the connector between food and beauty, and I saw there was a missing link in the wellness equation. I started to learn a lot of agriculture and the environment, and I had a “woah” moment when I saw that there was a very strong connection between food and fiber. Sixty percent of a cotton plant actually goes into the food stream. When I saw the magnitude and multitude of impacts in cotton, in terms of it being the most heavily-sprayed agricultural crop, it just blew my mind. I said, “What about organic cotton?”, because I knew so much about organic food and beauty products. I couldn’t find anything except crunchy, frumpy, boxy, beige, boring, hemp that, for me, as a fashion consumer, was nothing that I wanted to wear.

Then, I had an epiphany of, “How do I marry these two worlds?” The more research I did, the more disillusioned I was that it didn’t exist, but the more excited I was that it was a white space opportunity.

ES: Tell me a little bit more about your brand Under the Canopy.

MZ: It was founded as a lifestyle brand to break the stigmas that came with organic and sustainable fashion. Because I started it as a mail-order catalogue to go direct to the consumer, and to tell that story, because I knew I had to educate, there were three stigmas that I set as goals to break. That was my mantra.

The first was the stigma that you have to give up style, quality, fit, color or comfort – any of the things you actually want in an apparel or home fashion product – and prove that you can have everything you want, in terms of great product. Under the Canopy was dedicated to lead with great design and quality, from day one. We came out of the gate with women’s clothing, men, baby, home, accessories: A little bit of a lot of categories to reinforce the lifestyle, and that it wasn’t just an apparel brand.

The second stigma was price. There was an assumption – especially because the organic food movement was just starting, and there weren’t really economies of scale – that you were going to have to pay a lot more to get sustainable fashion. At that point in time in the fashion industry, most companies were going to a factory and saying, “This is my product,” and the factory would work backwards in the supply chain to get pricing. Every step of the way, there were brokers involved who were putting markups in the model. Because I wanted to start at the source of the product – I didn’t want to use conventional cotton, I wanted to use organic – I had to go directly to the farms, because I couldn’t go anywhere to buy organic cotton yarn or fabric. I had to create it from the ground-up. By building a model that was farm-to-finished-product, I was able to cut out a lot of the middle-men and inefficiencies in the supply chain, and drive the product up the supply chain so that I could actually create product that was priced competitively with conventional product. The whole thing was, “We’re all about adding value.” It’s not this OR that; it’s this AND that.

Stigma three was, how do you really know if it’s going to be organic and sustainable? I was one of the first people on the Organic Fiber Council of the Organic Trade Association, which governs all organic products in the United States. In the nineties, some of us wrote the first organic fiber standard for the U.S., which then became a global collaboration, and we created one global standard that, today, is recognized as the platinum standard for certified organic textile [the GOT standard, for Global Organic Textile Standard]. All of Under the Canopy’s products are GOT-certified…it’s been a pioneering brand to drive authenticity and transparency, and very hands-on, in terms of developing other standards and working with other standards so that the end consumer can have the confidence that the product is fully traceable.

ES: It’s interesting that you mention assumptions about having to pay a premium for sustainable fashion. You’ve put into practice that, yes, that is a myth. Do you think more people need to be educated about this?

MZ: A billion percent. I mean, my mission is to revolutionize the fashion industry through education, inspiration, collaboration and innovation. Those are the tools that are going to really drive this movement forward. This is the big tipping point year. This year, we’re seeing unbelievable engagement around this movement.

In the early years, people said, “You’re going to lose your trademark if you don’t protect it!” I liked that people were using the word “ecofashion,” because it started to define this movement. Now, if you Google that word, you’re going to get millions of references. To me, it’s here, and it’s here to stay, and it’s only going to get bigger.

ES: Are there any designers we should keep an eye on?

MZ: Stella [McCartney] and Vivienne [Westwood] get the most cache out there, because they’re doing the most, but there are a number of other designers – some of which are doing everything in a sustainable way. Amber Valetta has a website called Master & Muse, where she’s curated really beautiful, high-end EcoFashion from some of the best designers out there.

Another great company is Reformation; they deal with the zero-waste issue, as does [designer] Daniel Silverstein. Amour Vert is a great up-and-coming brand.

And this is the power of collaboration. Suzanne, [Lerner], the co-founder of Michael Stars, and I came together and made Under the Canopy their sustainable brand, so that we could be integrating and educating their whole company, as they’re supporting us with all of their expertise. It’s a real win-win.

There are a lot more of these websites popping up that are curating sustainable fashion: Shopethica, Modavanti, Zady, rêve en vert … even Rodale has launched a website that’s getting into EcoFashion.

Everyone takes so many spokes in the wheel of EcoFashion. Depending on what somebody resonates with – the waste issue, the water issue, organic cotton versus conventional, U.S.-made – there are so many different things that fall into the bucket.

ES: The word “green” gets such a bad rap in so many categories. Is greenwashing happening in fashion?

MZ: It definitely is. It’s probably the bane of my existence, which is when companies slap the word “green,” or even the word “organic” on products, and they don’t understand that this isn’t a marketing proposition. It’s a methodology substance, and it’s about being able to back up every claim. Those who don’t ultimately create a compromise for those who do, on many levels. The idea of “green,” for me, is about no compromise; the problem with that word, historically, is there was an assumption that if you throw the word “green” on it, people are going to buy it, regardless of whether it works. It has to lead with great design, it has to be good, quality product, it has to appeal to people’s senses as if it’s not sustainable; then, the green and sustainability has to be a value-add. The product has to be about no compromise. It does frustrate me to see companies misusing those words when, if you really pull the curtain back on what they’re doing, they’re just trying to get some extra credit where credit isn’t due.

ES: So, how do you feel about the future of EcoFashion?

MS: I would say that all of the stars are aligning now. All of the seeds that were planted over the past 20 years that I’ve been doing this are budding and growing. There’s this imminent harvest of EcoFashion that’s taken route now, and amazing efforts from the fashion, product, web and consumer engagement. Check out fashionrevolution.org; it was the consumer-driven movement all over the world that infiltrated 60 different countries this year, where consumers wore their clothes inside-out in honor of the Rana Plaza victims.

ES: And those tools you use to education people: Inspiration, collaboration and innovation…

MZ: I do a couple of things. I do public speaking all over the world, at trade and consumer conferences, all kinds of business events. I write for different media vehicles, and have done a lot of TV and press. I’m just out there, constantly trying to teach this content and am writing a book right now, that’s going to be published next year by Simon & Schuster, called “Eco-Renaissance,” that’s about co-creating a stylish, sexy and sustainable world. I also serve on a number of boards and am constantly connecting the dots on how I can take information from all of them – the Textile Exchange, the Organic Trade Association, Fashion Revolution, Fashion Positive – and move the topic to the frontline. I made a short film series called “Driving Fashion Forward,” with Amber Valetta narrating it, and I have a documentary in play; you can watch the trailer threaddocumentary.com.

ES: Oh, sure. Just “a couple of things.”

MZ: Never a dull moment! People ask, “Do you ever sleep?” It is my calling. My favorite quote, from the book “The Prophet,” is, “Work is love made visible.” If you love your work, it’s not work. You’re just doing it, right?

Say hey to Amanda on Twitter or Instagram

Related on EcoSalon

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Is Eco Fashion Too Expensive?

From Reformation to Obvious: The LA Brand’s New Affordable Eco Fashion Collection

Image: Marci Zaroff Official Website

The post Under the Canopy with Marci Zaroff: Meet the Woman Who Coined the Term ‘EcoFashion’ appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnFast fashion has ramped up the cycle of consumption to head spinning levels of (economic) efficiencies. Despite multinational corporations fueling boatloads of money into glossy marketing campaigns to keep us buying more, trends no longer represent an era of style and fashion, but one of profit. And now, the new trend is “conscious.”

Decades from now, when future generations look back on our times they will see profit was the trend. We can’t pinpoint a general style trend of the ’00s because the concept of fashion is so wrapped up in driving sales.

It wasn’t always that way. Looking back, fashionable style unraveled a rich history lesson. In all it’s grandeur, Style of the Decades was a lens to understand the zeitgeist of the times. The 1890s Gibson Girl, the 1920s rebellious flapper, the 1950s bourgeois housewife, the 1980s powersuit for work, and neon spandex for play — all allow us to sketch a silhouette and describe an era through fashion. Sure, we can certainly describe our era though fashion style, but today, instead of a silhouette, there would be a dollar sign.

Trends are tripping over themselves: Bell-bottoms to skinny jeans,  A-line dress to shift dress, above the ankle pant legs to palazzo pants, wedges to stilettos. The trend-mill of fashion is overwhelming, unfulfilling and has 99 problems — the overflowing closet being one.

What do we do with all this stuff? We put it in storage units. “There’s a lot of them. 2.35 billion — with a B — square feet in the United States, according to the Self Storage Association,” says Ira Glass in Act One of “This American Life: Contents Unknown.”

“That, in case you’re wondering, is 7.4 square feet of self storage for every man, woman, and child in this country, meaning all of us, all of us, could stand inside self storage at the same time.”

We are now surrounded with more stuff than ever before, but are undoubtedly less happy because of it. In the U.S., we spend three to four times more hours shopping than our counterparts in Europe do, says Annie Leonard of the Story of Stuff. Yet, we rank 17th in the World Happiness Report.

The newly published book, “Stuffocation” by James Wallman, closely examines the hard research and psychology on the ultra importance of why now we need to spend our money on experiences more than ever.

So if we know this stuff isn’t making us happier, why do we keep buying?

To understand we’ve got to look back. Throughout the 1950s, as consumerism began to run rampant, TV dinners, laundry machines and the hamburger swept the United States. The key to this wave of efficiency could not have changed family lives forever without the skilled help of the “Mad Men”; the men of advertising that oh-so-suavely sold us polished shit, and called it gold.

The psychology of advertising, both then and now, is so good it’s scary. Campaigns expertly poke and stroke our the deepest folds of our subconscious to sell us goods we don’t need. Just like over the decades we’ve slowly been sold the idea buying more clothes is better than buying well made clothes.

“No matter how contrary, rebellious or bloody-minded you are, it is a virtual impossibility to escape the constant, dedicated, ubiquitous onslaught of marketing, and the collective mindwarp it wreaks upon society, in subtle and pervasively corrupting ways.” says Olympian wordsmith and fiery writer Cintra Wilson. “The marketplace is now so devastatingly effective at turning our desires on and off that we virtually have no unpolluted pathways through which to experience love, sex, work, family, ambition, community, identity.”

Take Febreze for instance: During the first market testings of Febreze, nobody found a habitual continued use for the product. Procter & Gamble’s heads were spinning as to why this revolutionary product wasn’t of interest to consumers. How to get it to sell? They realizes they had to make Febreze part of the cleaning routine, and change people’s habits. So Febreze was advertised as the icing on the cake after you cleaned your house — the final touch, the cherry on top. It was a matter of leading the consumer in the right direction, to sell them the illusion of completion.

Now, sixty years since the peak era of “Mad Men”, the United States is trying to cling on to meaning again. On top of the skewed relationship between our happiness and accumulation of stuff, add on environmental degradation and climate change and we don’t know where to turn.

So, how are modern companies reacting to the dismay? The multinational corporations, fast fashion chains included, are soothing our frantic conflicted conscience with “conscious” products.

I can’t help but feel manipulated by H&M’s new Conscious Collection for hitting the soft spot of the emerging value-based customer. I found myself (a true anti-H&M-er) entertaining the idea I might buy a new pair of shoes from the new ‘conscious’ collection. WAKE UP. Its business is to play on our most subconscious desires. In this case — spend as little money as possible to look like you can afford better. Add on Miranda Kerr wearing a $4.95 T-shirt; the tattooed, toned David Beckman running in boxer briefs; and now the Conscious Collection, and you’ve whipped a pleasure sensory experience for everyone. H&M is capitalizing on the current atmosphere of the market to put itself ahead, and it is a great marketing strategy. But are its seven commitments enough? Do they address the systemic issues for fast fashion, or is it just a patchwork approach? I don’t think a fast fashion company like H&M can ever be sustainable.

Plus, H&M just took second place in Ethisphere’s Wold’s Most Ethical Companies for apparel in 2014! Do you agree?

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, right? And undoubtedly, our choices (our vote, our dollar, our decisions on where and how to shop) can affect directly thousands of people.

So what are companies like H&M’s modern solutions? Many are running conscious collections, yet still employing the same exploited workers to make the garments. Giving the buyers the illusion of providing them with greater values than are actually being given, and with little to no concrete social changes to their business structures.

I can hear the ad execs soothing me now:

You’re right darling, consumption is not helping us… the environment… or the poor people who put the crap together for no money or respect. But consumption is at the heart of America’s soul, isn’t it? So it’s easy, now shop over here, it’s made with a conscious.

Fast fashion wants us to keep buying clothes with the illusion that; a) new is better, and b) the new trends that spring up every two weeks are what you need to be cool, connected and authentic.

Let’s keep it real. If we know more things don’t make us happy, then DO something: Look into the tactical marketing campaigns of companies like H&M — are the seven commitments enough or is it just well-spoken lip-service?

Wilson said it best: “If you aren’t consciously using fashion to empower yourself, fashion is mostly likely using you to empower a brand.”

Keep in touch with Juliette on Twitter @spadesandsiLK

Related on Ecosalon:

7 Clues To Tell If Your Garment Is Really Sustainable: Eco Fashion Dissected

Popular Fast Fashion Brands Caught Selling Lead-Tainted Purses, Shoes and Accessories

Designers and Makers, This is for You: ‘Made in the USA’ Accelerator Program

image: pennuja

The post What is Really Behind Fast Fashion, ‘Mad Men’ Execs and the H&M Trend Craze? appeared first on EcoSalon.

Nationally, 11 million pieces of clothing are thrown away each year: This week’s On Trend is a nod to Sass Brown’s new book, ReFashioned: Cutting-Edge Clothing From Upcycled Materials, featuring 46 designers who are using pre- or post-consumer fabric waste to create beautiful fashion. 

Fabric production takes a ton of resources and energy to produce, so getting the most out of every piece makes sense. While it’s true that one person’s rubbish is another [ecologically-inclined, outside-the-box, responsible person]’s treasure, the magic spin these designers put their found materials through are so transforming you’d never be able to tell someone once wanted to toss it. This is upcycling at its best. 

1. Denim denim Rug by Nudie Jeans

Using only 100% organic cotton, and ensuring “anyone who participates in manufacturing” is paid a living wage, Nudie Jeans is a rockstar company. But as their denim denim rug shows, they care about the end of lifecycle process too. These rugs are made from old, worn out Nudie denim. The discarded jeans are first cut into strips, then handwoven using indigo dyed thread (the same thread they use in their jeans).

Nudie Jeans, $599

2. Anna by From Somewhere*

From Somewhere is one of the best known fashion labels using pre-consumer textile waste. They’re most famous for their Speedo dresses made from the Olympian swimsuit LZR Racer Elite’s overstock material after regulations banned the style. Their more recent collaboration with TopShop and Reclaim to Wear transformed surplus stock into new garments that were sold in limited editions. This shirt is a beautiful example of how From Somewhere reclaims fabric waste from high end fashion brands “bringing quality and craftsmanship to ‘exquisite rubbish.'”

From Somewhere, 220 GBP

3. Let’s Ketchup Card by Bloomin

This card is adorable, a little quirky, and a great way to connect with someone you haven’t spoken to in a while. How is this upcycling? This card is not only made with 100% post-consumer paper (really, who needs to new when you can reuse), it’s also filled with wildflower seeds! Truly the card that keeps on giving.

Bloomin, $3.50

4. Reclaimed Wood Cookbook Stand by Stacy Borocz

A beautiful (practical!) addition to any rustic kitchen, this butcher block cookbook stand will excuse your cookbooks from being held open with an olive oil bottle. To make each piece, Stacy Borocz travels around Europe reclaiming timber and upcycles them into home decor pieces. This single piece of sturdy wood could have be gathered some any old building, and each tells a different story.

Uncommon Goods, $115

5. Baby Chicken Earrings by PearlReef

Who would have thought something as grimy and used up as bike innertubes could be turned into adorable chick earrings?! Each set of upcycled earrings are custom made, and you can even work with the designer and order a specialized pair. (Unfortunately, baby chicks not included.)

Etsy, $15

6. Division Tunic by Piece x Piece*

Piece x Piece “is a personal response to the overwhelming amount of waste produced by the fashion industry. Every year, thousands of sample fabric swatches are discarded each season and up until now it has been difficult to imagine a useful purpose for them.” And yet, Elizabeth Brunner, founder and head designer of the label, has masterfully filled that gap with her work, addressing the problem piece by piece. Each garment is made in San Francisco in limited quantities.

Piece x Piece, $290

 7. Nippleocalypse Dress by Rachel Freire* (main article image) 

This designer designer transforms a true waste product, cow nipples (!), into something truly romantic.

Want more On Trend? See Also:

On Trend: Dark and Tan – The Smartly Sexy Fall 2013 Color Trends

Covering Up With Ethical and Organic Leggings: On Trend 

Personality Pops With Patterned Pants: On Trend

Classic Trends in Dichromatic Black and White Sophistication: On Trend

images from the brands, collage by Juliette Donatelli with featured design by Rachel Freire*.

*Designers featured in Sass Brown’s new book

keep in touch with Juliette on twitter @spadesandsiLK

The post The Unbelievable Value of Upcycling Clothes 7 Ways: On Trend appeared first on EcoSalon.

Image: Luva Huva

EcoSalon’s best picks for sustainable sleepwear that helps you get your beauty sleep.

Our frantic search for the fountain of youth invariably ends up with hours spent gleaning beauty tips from celebrities in fashion magazines. There must be something they know that we don’t? But after one more 40-plus flawless actress professes the secret to her unlined face and radiant glow is, “getting enough sleep and drinking plenty of water,” maybe its time to downgrade your Sephora VIB status and take the advice at face value.

Increasing your daily water intake is one thing, but getting the deep restful type of sleep that results in bright eyes and clear skin is easier said than done. Experts say the key to falling into a deep and rejuventing sleep is developing a relaxing routine before bed that lets your body know its time to rest. While it’s easy to dismiss nightwear or think it is not of much importance, one of the best bedtime rituals is to slip into nightwear that is comfortable and relaxing.

With so many sustainably-made options available, why not ease into some of the most dreamiest sleepwear you can find and wake up in the morning feeling pampered and, yes, even prettier?

Image: Luva Huva

1. Luva Huva makes beautiful ethical sleepwear and lingerie handmade in the U.K. The elegant Cosette black maxi nightgown with a flattering side slit and fine spot lace detailing at the bust is made from 70 percent bamboo and 30 percent organic cotton and lace.

Image: Loup Charmant

2. Loup Charmant’s  delicate sleeveless v-neck tunic is made from the lightest organic cotton voile in a jungle print and includes a button placket and front slash pockets. Made in the U.S. and available at Barneys.

Image: Lina Rennell

3. Lina Rennell‘s luxury silk pajamas feature an amazing black Ikat cat print on a dusty rose background. Designed with a gentle and comfy elastic waist and loose fit, they are made by hand in California. Available at Beklina.com.

Image: Snoa Sleepwear

4. Snoa Sleepwear is known for their romantic, warm sleepwear for chilly nights. The best-selling Hot Toddy nightgown is made from organic bamboo fleece that hugs curves and flatters with a plunging V-neck and trumpet cuffs. Made in San Francisco.

The post Sleeping Beauty: The Best 4 Brands in Sustainable Sleepwear appeared first on EcoSalon.

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

The post NYFW: Striking the Balance with Costello Tagliapietra appeared first on EcoSalon.

Beauty and brilliance meet in Allison Parris’ Spring/Summer 2013 collection.

When you meet Allison Parris and her Spring/Summer 2013 collection, you can’t help but smile. Words like charming, pretty, party and fun fill the air. Parris, in her eighth year of showing her own, eponymous line, seems at ease with it all. In her words, the collection is simply “light and happy.” But, below the fancy frill lies more than just the cheerful and feminine. It is femininity at its best—powerful, free and evocative.

“Right now, when you have so many strong, ambitious, stylish and successful women to look up to, that’s who girls should admire,” Parris tells EcoSalon. “Not Brittany Spears and Lindsay Lohan,” she adds. That’s why nearly each dress in the collection is inspired by (and named after) one of her closest friends who fit the bill of brilliant and beautiful.

With this upcoming season, Parris has stayed true to her roots, keeping her raw silk organza and recycled PET tutu-style dresses, while introducing other glitzy, body-hugging styles like the Arden dress (above) and the Greta (below), both lined with recycled PET from the U.S. The finished garments are also made in the U.S.—close to Parris’ home in the New York Garment District. “I need a little contrast in my life,” says Parris about her new sequin numbers.

Designer, Allison Parris, models her new look, The Arden dress.

Other pieces are fresh takes on the full-bodied skirt style. The Julia (below), made from embroidered cotton, effortlessly takes the woman who wears her from day to evening—a place Parris calls “our sweet spot.” And if anyone knows about hitting the sweet spot head on, it’s Parris.

More looks we love:

Images: Jennifer Barckley

The post NYFW: Celebrating Beauty and Brilliance with Allison Parris appeared first on EcoSalon.

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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With Spring/Summer 2013, Samantha Pleet merges old with new to encapsulate the modern women.

In our rapid-paced, progressive world, there’s beauty to be had in traversing backwards in time and place. With Samantha Pleet’s Spring/Summer 2013 collection all made in New York City, the designer took us there with her “Sands of Time” presentation.

For Pleet, inspiration came from Babylon and Mesopotamia, an era she fell in love with while pouring over books.

“Instead of fashion books, I read about history,” Pleet tells us.

It’s this passion for exploration of other eras that you can see in Pleet’s personal favorite, the Ishtar silk and viscose dress (below), fashioned with a print extracted from Biblical mythology.  Other pieces like the Scout dress (below), from washed silk, are true to Pleet’s Brooklyn-aesthetic while still telling a bygone story.

Designer Samantha Pleet (left) models her favorite piece, the Ishta dress.

While the clothing is strong on its own, Pleet’s debut into the world of shoes adds an aesthetic street charm to her already hip “it girl” vibe. In partnership with Wolverine, a Michigan based, American boot company, Pleet created a colorful collection of vintage-inspired ankle boots and sandals (below).

One of Pleet’s greatest gifts comes through ever more clearly in this upcoming season—merging the old with the new, the vintage with the modern, for a look that’s at once relevant while remaining timeless. She gives her wearer a taste of something really raw and reminiscent of the beginning—the “roots of civilization,” as Pleet calls it.

While simple in silhouette and fabrics—employing handwashed silks and entirely handwoven khadi cotton (from Prakriti Aur Purush)—there’s nothing overly nostalgic about it. In fact, when we dig deeper to discover what really brought this collection to life, she laughs and declares, “Indiana Jones.” One part explorer, one part heroine, it just may be that Pleet really has captured the essence of the modern women.

More looks we love:

Images: Jennifer Barckley

The post NYFW: Samantha Pleet Takes on an Urban Indiana Jones appeared first on EcoSalon.

Do you ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes in the eco fashion industry? Thankfully, there are many helpful sites that do a great job at pulling back the curtain so fashionistas of the world can understand what makes a garment sustainable. Valuable information like that can go a long way to justifying the expense, n’est-ce pas?

Perhaps one of the most unglamorous aspects of any “behind-the-scenes” look in apparel is the supply chain. And I mean unglamorous in that the term itself just doesn’t sound as sexy as an eco atelier, hempsilk, or fair trade. Yet it is the one big umbrella under which each of these elements resides, and one where companies can incorporate both social and environmental practices.

I realized just how many companies are taking this seriously when I read about the Green Supply Chain Awards. Run by Supply & Demand Chain Executive, the award recognized 65 companies for their sustainability efforts, with the goal of highlighting the industry’s best practices in the field, so that readers would have a means to assess their own efforts.

It was encouraging to see that in addition to companies based in logistics, transportation and healthcare, that clothing and footwear apparel companies were also included in this award. Timberland deserves a big congrats, the company that won in this category. After all, they have been committed to sustainability for years, and are one of the 100 well-known apparel brands behind the recent Eco Index (currently in beta).

As defined by Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) a sustainable supply chain is “a system of aligned business activities throughout the lifecycle of products that creates value for all stakeholders, ensures ongoing commercial success, and improves the wellbeing of people and the environment.”

Therefore, a sustainable supply chain in the fashion business is pretty much the entire process involved in making a garment, along with its social and environmental footprint. From the farm where the raw fibers are grown, to the factories where the fabric and garments are made, and all the various transportation points in between.

Or think of it in reverse order, starting with that gorgeous dress hanging in the window at your favorite retailer, and then trace it back through the various stages along the way, back to it’s raw material form. How many of us think of this when we are buying our clothes? The point is, we all should.

A number of apparel companies have made great efforts to make their supply chain more sustainable. From providing fair wages and working conditions for farmers and factory workers, to smarter design and less use of toxic chemicals, to being more mindful of waste and effluent, and developing more efficient transportation methods.

This is no easy feat. Given the way the conventional apparel industry has functioned for decades, its no surprise to see corporations, non-profits and governments all working together to bring about greater sustainability in each stage of the apparel supply chain. They need each other for this massive market transformation.

So while an apparel company’s supply chain is not the first thing we think about when choosing what brands to buy, we have the ability to make better choices and be more mindful of it the next time we shop.

The post Finding the Sexy In a Supply Chain appeared first on EcoSalon.

Don’t fret about being pinched if you don’t wear green on Earth Day, but dressing appropriately for the day in which we celebrate Mother Earth is certainly in order. What’s more invigorating than toasting our beloved planet in style? The best way to dress for Earth Day – this coming Thursday – is to take cues from the planet herself, and keep the colors neutral and the materials organic.

Whether you are off to a charity fundraiser or meeting some friends for a BBQ in the park, earth tones are the way to go. Seashell beige and cloud white accented with mineral gold and silver, and a hint of lagoon blue capture the essence of the sea and sky. Organic cotton and bamboo sourced brands The Battalion and Brigid Catiis supply the essentials to build a beautiful outfit, while Cri de Coeur and Matt & Nat provide eye-catching accessories.

Go straight for the Earth Day inspired jacket from Stella McCartney for an easy layer that will keep any outfit stylish during E-Day festivities. Whatever you decide to wear – make your Mother proud and source eco for fashion that is focused on ensuring there are many Earth Days to come.

The post What to Wear on Earth Day appeared first on EcoSalon.