Is sustainable consumption an oxymoron? Forward-thinking companies are increasingly using storytelling as a branding device to educate and engage consumers who want to know the impact of their purchases.

Another fire in another factory. The murder of a labor leader fighting for garment worker’s rights. Rivers turned indigo by waste water from denim manufacturing. How long can we keep yet another worrying headline separate from our love for cheap clothing?

As we recognize what consumption is doing to our planet, changing consumer patterns reflects both a yearning for simplicity and an expectation of transparency – especially among the younger consumers companies covet. That quality of wholeness we prioritize in our food – the connection to the handmade, local and distinctive, quality ingredients, and the story behind the artisan and the passion for her craft – is beginning to inform all of our purchasing decisions.

One way brands are beginning to respond is by using video to simply and powerfully communicate the story of sustainability behind the products and services they’re selling.  While the ability to reach out to style-lovers without negating fashion’s design and feel-good focus can be challenging, evocative visual stories can be a powerful tool in sharing the importance of a more considered approach. Here are some of our favorite video visions for the future of fashion:

Honest Us from Vinícius Bobsin on Vimeo.

1. Honest By founder Bruno Pieters tells the story of his enigmatic brand and what it means to live an authentic life in ‘Honest Us.’ Directed by Vinicius Bobsin and lasting only a few seconds, the mesmerizing short captures the mood of the innovative Honest By collection perfectly.

piece x piece from Elizabeth Brunner on Vimeo.

2. In this video, San Francisco-based designer Elizabeth Brunner shares the inspiration and process behind her visionary line, Piece x Piece. Bringing to life the story behind her innovative garments – which take months of collaboration, exploration and experimentation to make – she illustrates the power of how a simple decision skillfully executed can create meaningful change.

Organic Cotton – Grown in the USA from Patagonia on Vimeo.

3. An industry trail blazer, Patagonia was one of the first companies to tell consumers about the eco impact of its product line via the ‘Footprint Chronicles.’ In their latest video, they document the characters involved in the Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative (TOCMC) one of the company’s first suppliers of organic cotton grown in West Texas.

Detox Fashion by Greenpeace.

4. Greenpeace effectively used Anime to describe a futuristic warning of things to come their latest  for their Detox Fashioncampaign. Overcoming difficult messages by using a fun, comic book style, the film remains a thoughtful and provoking on-topic perspective on why beautiful fashion shouldn’t cause toxic pollution.

Top Image: Piece x Piece

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EcoSalon’s favorite fashion designers, jewelry makers and artisans on the nature of creativity. 

“Beauty will save the world,” remarked Dostoevsky in the 19^th century. If ever there was a time to believe in the possibility of that statement, it is now. When our public discourse is reduced to ideological political posturing, the impact of beauty and creativity in our everyday lives offers both a vital opportunity for connection and a prospect for cultural renewal.

Over the years at EcoSalon, we’ve delighted in sharing the stories of the fashion designers, jewelry makers and artisans who are dedicated to creating true objects of beauty while choosing ethically responsible methods and practices that upend the customary business models in fashion, jewelry and art. Why do they do it? We asked them the question, “What compels you to create?” Here’s what they had to say:

Xing-Zhen Chung-Hilyard and Melissa Kirgan, Eko-Lab

“Creativity is a deep unconscious force. A process that reveals the unseen see-able and dreams reality. There’s a peace that comes from designing that in some small way we’re making the every-day more beautiful.”

Joy Opfer, Kyler by Joy O

Elizabeth Gilbert, author of  Eat, Pray, Love, has said that she believes there are currents of creativity and ideas circulating around the planet, looking for people to bring them into physical form. This idea is a lovely way of explaining the process of creativity – I often feel that I do not so much create, as synthesize ideas. When we work hard to be there, to be open and prepared for the muse when she arrives, to welcome her through sweat and tears, ready to manifest the boldest visions, a blend of the hive and our own minds – this is a gift.

Fashion is one of the biggest industries on the planet. To act as though it is frivolous is, at this point, a waste of time. Each person, through their choices can inspire change and awareness – and creating one more choice that supports handcrafted and carefully made goods is one that I am proud to be a part of.

Meghan Sebold, Afia

Life can be nauseatingly tragic with many things feeling out of our control. People can be corrupt, dishonest and disloyal – and often times it seems that those people win out. I see only two ways of dealing with the dark side of life: you can respond to corruption with conniving strategies, dishonesty with lies, attacks with counter attacks – or you can reject it and a attempt to create light and beauty in dark situations.

I’m certainly no hero to the women who produce my line – most of them are suspicious of my intentions. They think I’m there to use them for cheap labor – why else would I cross the world to be there? We stand in a room together across a table, having difficult conversations. Trying to trust each other. Trying to create a product together.

Shannon South, reMade USA

So many of us have the innate desire to create. It is what makes us human and what keeps our species going. It’s what fuels innovation. Those of us who are informed and concerned try to do so in the most thoughtful and sustainable way – a path that is not easiest or the most profitable, yet one that gives meaning and integrity to our vision.

Sasha Duerr, Permacouture Institute

I am a plant dyer because it immediately connects me to time and place, to my environment, to my community, and to indescribable depths of beauty. Plant color can ONLY be created – like an amazing meal you toast  to and savor with friends, or an heirloom peach that came to ripen in the sweetness of a perfect growing season – in that time with those conditions. It is a depth of experience that is often not repeatable – and therefore difficult to commodify.

I am consciously grateful to have chosen to make it my work – beyond promise of financial gain or security. This is why I started Permacouture – experimentation and knowledge needs to be shared if it is ever to be sustainable or regenerative to last beyond our own generation. This love for the wonder of the bigger picture has fueled my passion as both an artist and advocate for slower ways of being and creating. I am always awed by how much there is to learn.

Davora Lindner, Prairie Underground

The idea that “Creativity is it’s own reward” seems like such a universal truism. As designers and manufacturers our role isn’t entirely creative but we feel fortunate to work in an industry that demands this engagement. It has introduced us to the writers at EcoSalon and to like-minded women all over the world. That level of aesthetic communication is startling – it’s this connection that is the inspiration behind Prairie and remains the central theme of our work.

The photo (above) is from when Prairie Underground was still based in our homes.  We had received a large volume of orders for the Hard Times Dress that featured a hand painted print.  I needed to figure out a way to execute this in my studio apartment.  The solution was to paint the textile and feed it out my window to dry, then repeat.  Our passion to create is something that end users don’t often see.  The memories of this time are some of the fondest in my life.

Elizabeth Bruner, Piece x Piece

When you  start to seek out original and handcrafted crafted clothing, it feels like an important revelation. Handcrafted means respecting the time it takes to actually create something. There is meaning in the fact that someone has thought and carried out all the little steps it takes to make a truly unique item.

It’s never been about money for me. I know I’m not going to be a rich woman working with scrap fabrics but what compelled me to start Piece x Piece was the fact that I simply could not ignore what in my heart I knew I could change, if even on the smallest scale.

Alice Wu + Moriah Carlson, Feral Childe, 

When we started Feral Childe, we were young artists trying to make it in the New York art world, trying to fill the emptiness in our own closets, and striving to provide an antidote to fashion’s obsessions with brands, logos and over-consumption. We felt a responsibility to make things that were thoughtfully made, using available materials such as off-cuts and fabric remnants so gnarly and unloved in their raw state, but full of potential beauty in our hands. We believe in the power of the handcrafted to affect one profoundly. When something we have made touches an individual in a way that makes them think differently about the world we live in, we are inspired to continue our work.

Maria Moyer

It’s submission to the process. From inspiration to execution, I have to get out of the way and let my hands and my understanding of material attempt to catch up to some idea of what is possible. The result is always a surprise and that is a delight, sometimes a disappointment and always there’s something to learn. The whole thing is a miraculous privilege.

Kirsten Muenster, Kirsten Muenster Jewelry

I’ve always felt a need to create with my hands. My father helped me make my first ring in our basement when I was a kid. The feeling I had then (and still get today) from translating an abstract or conceptual idea into a tangible object with my hands is indescribably addictive.

Nature, unusual materials, ancient artifacts and crafting techniques inspire my work and process. Creating handcrafted objects is vital because they have the power to tell a story, carry on a tradition and remind us of the connection between every set of hands involved in the process or supply chain. I hope to influence others with my work to keep the cycle going. That’s why it is so important for me to know where my materials come from and whose lives they impact. We’re all connected.

Howard Brown, Stewart+Brown

At Stewart+Brown, the reason we do what we do is because we MUST have a sense of both passion and purpose in our work. And we must have beauty in our lives and not at the expense of the environment or supply chain stakeholders. We could not find that collision of ideals in the corporate world even when working at great companies, so we created it ourselves with our own company. It has been the greatest adventure of our lives. In a world of mass production and consumption there still needs to be value, integrity, humanity, and yes, great design without compromise. That is the goal we work towards every day.

Gretchen Jones, Gretchen Jones NYC

I believe it is our responsibility (the creative’s of the world) to be an instrument for the greater whole. We were given a gift, but in that gift is responsibility. Responsibility to be a communicator for humanity and the world, as we know it. We transmit cultural movements and the direction life is taking. Without us, we are collectively nothing.

Art in itself is about translating what cannot be translated in words. I take responsibility for that job. My “job” is to learn how to use my gift to better our lives. To open us ALL up to new ways of thinking and enable us all to live more enriched existences. I may need money to survive, but making money from my work is there by default. The passion to create is about the greater whole, not the ego or bank account… and that, is what the life of an artist is all about.

The post Beauty Will Save the World: Sustainability’s Top Makers on What Compels Them to Create appeared first on EcoSalon.

Take a look at the inspiration behind one of fashion’s favorite sustainable labels.

Between getting the industry to rethink some of it’s more wasteful practices and encouraging consumers to value the one-of-a-kind artisanal garment, sustainable fashion designers have a hard line to toe.  Piece x Piece, a San Francisco-based fashion label, recently created a short film to connect the dots.

In this delightful film, designer Elizabeth Brunner shares the inspiration and process behind her visionary line. Her innovative patterns take months of collaboration, exploration and experimentation to come to life and are designed to take advantage of the thousands of small, high-quality fabric samples discarded by large clothing manufacturers every year.

The post Behind The Label: Piece X Piece’s Fashion Short Film appeared first on EcoSalon.

A new licensing deal hopes to utilize the waste fabric of the home sewing world.

Savvy, stylish designer Elizabeth Brunner is known for her innovative line of luxury separates created skillfully from San Francisco designer’s remnants and salvaged scraps. Her label, Piece X Piece, has won her admiring fans among the Bay Area’s green-leaning design scene.

Followers of Piece X Piece have learned that incorporating a piece from her line of tunics, vests and dresses is an easy way to add a graphic, urban aesthetic to an existing wardrobe. Like all good ideas that are brilliant in their obviousness and simplicity, her unique approach to sustainability truly delivers. It was only a matter of time before a larger audience caught on.

So when an art director from McCall’s Generation Next division – a new category for the pattern company created to attract and inspire new home sewers – called Brunner last year to ask if she’d be interested in licensing the use of some of her designs for their Spring 2012 designs, she couldn’t have been more excited.

The pattern for the ultra flattering Division Tunic is now available to home sewers looking to use up any fabric scraps.

“My Mom used McCall’s patterns since I was a kid. Needless to say my mom is super thrilled,” Brunner said by email.

“Most home sewers have lots of extra fabric that is either left over from other projects or was bought for another purpose but never used. This is a chance to really take a good look around at what you have and fall back in love with why you bought it in the first place. Fabric is a great place to start thinking about sustainable fashion, since it’s easy to fold up and hide away but the rediscovery of what you already have on hand can be really rewarding.”

The first pattern released is the ultra flattering fitted and flared Division Tunic, which is available to order now.

One of the most compelling aspects of Brunner’s pieces are their distinctive character, due to the variance of fabric remnants that are donated by designers including Lina Rennell, Stewart+Brown and Erica Tanov. Brunner is curious about the future of her work and her patterns ability to inspire, “This is a real opportunity for the home sewer to get creative with the fabric they have to create something truly unique and one-of a-kind, she says, “I really hope I get to see some of these home creations.”

The post McCall’s Makes a Sustainable Deal with Piece X Piece appeared first on EcoSalon.

Much of sustainable design is focused on producing new products in line with the cradle-to-cradle concept but, with so much clothing in landfills, the most compelling applications are those that reclaim and reexamine found materials. San Francisco’s latest eco-fashion launch, Piece x Piece, illustrates how a new response to climate change can be the catalyst for truly smart and innovative design. Created from discarded fabric swatches, the finished limited-edition garments are at once fresh and timeless, a testament to the beauty and possibility inherent in embracing change. We talked to Piece X Piece founder, Elizabeth Brunner, about her new line and what the future holds for responsible fashion lovers.

What are your views on the current state of the eco-fashion movement?

“I think the eco-fashion movement is headed in a good direction in terms of availability and getting more attention. On the West Coast and, in SF in particular, I think more people have eco-fashion in their wardrobes and it’s slowly becoming the norm, which is great. Fast fashion is a hard habit to break because everyone loves a great deal, myself included! But at the same time, I think some people are finding the sparkle of fast fashion fading because it’s generally not original – by any means – and people are craving individuality and want something that’s made well, which usually equates to spending a little more money.”

What about the so-called eco-fashion paradox – when we have so much already, how can buying more create a profound engagement with clothing that can transform and inspire change?

“That’s a tough question but one that I actually thought a lot about when I was studying fashion because I have such a love/hate relationship with the industry. Fashion is a form of expression and it’s really the only way to communicate without saying a word – that’s what I love about it – it’s very creative. It can also be frivolous and superficial but that’s not something you can change peoples minds about. It has to be an observation you make on your own. Then it becomes less about “stuff” and more about substance.”

What do you think the “mantra” of the woman looking to dress more sustainably should be?

“Quality not quantity. If you buy clothes that are well designed, fit you well, and are made well, whether it’s made of organic cotton or not, if it stays in your closet for years over – that’s a form of sustainability that I can get behind.”

Who do you imagine as your customer?

“I hate to give any description of my “customer” because I think it’s very limiting. All I’ll really say is that I make clothes that I love and I hope others love it too.”

Describe your personal style?

“I dress very simply when I’m working because it doesn’t make sense to wear stiletto boots and mini skirts while I’m digging through boxes or cutting out patterns. I have a very easy sense of style and don’t like anything super fussy, so I tend to wear darker tones and accentuate with color. I kick it up a notch or two when I’m out socially, and I hope I’m expressing confidence with ease.”

Tell us about some of your favorite pieces from the line.

“The Cubic Crop is one of my first designs where I knew I was on to something. I created it on one of those days when nothing was coming out the way I wanted it to and I just took a break stepped back and I realized I was trying too hard. I wanted to make something fun and different that was easy to wear and I think I did. I wore this recently with a white tank top underneath, a blazer over it with jeans and boots and I felt really pulled together.”

“The Local Sparrow dress was the first hybrid design in my collection because I use a new fabric on top and pieced the entire bottom. I thought this would make the dress easier to wear but still be eye catching. I love this dress because it’s youthful without being age specific. Pair this dress with some simple black platforms and you’re done!”

“The Skylark wrap is my “pièce de résistance” because it truly was a labor of love to complete the first one! This skirt is completely pieced and is cut on the bias for fullness and to give it a nice drape. Everyone who has seen this skirt in person loves it because you can really appreciate all that went into it. I also hand stitch some of the swatches to make it even more special. It’s a wrap skirt also, with a high waist, which accentuates the smallest part of your figure. It’s a great look for Fall/Winter! I wear this with a simple tank top or v-neck t-shirt. You don’t want anything to compete with this skirt so it’s best to keep it simple.”

Where can we find your pieces?

“They are carried exclusively at Wear Something Rare in San Francisco.”

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