It’s trendier than ever to shop for eco-conscious clothing, and thanks to Greenpeace, it’s also becoming a heck of a lot easier.

In 2011, Greenpeace launched a call for clothing companies to make a commitment to toxin-free fashion by 2020, and so far, 76 brands have joined the movement — accounting for about 15 percent of global textile production. Four years short of the deadline, Greenpeace decided to check in with 19 of them and see how things were going.

The brands were evaluated on their progress towards eliminating hazardous chemicals from their lines along three vectors – transparency of their production lines, elimination of poly-fluorinated compound (PFC), and individual detox plans.

Brands to Love

Only three of the 19 brands surveyed really dressed to impress Greenpeace.

“We applaud H&M, Zara and Benetton for leading the way and setting a new standard in toxic free fashion,” said Kirsten Brodde, Head of the Detox My Fashion campaign at Greenpeace Germany. “These companies prove that cleaning up the fashion industry is possible – both for large and medium-sized companies.”

H&M

Swedish H&M is a detox star, praised by Greenpeace for being the first brand to eliminate dangerous PFCs from its products and for showing support for transparency in its supply chain.

“We apply the precautionary principle – meaning that we preventively restrict chemicals even where there is scientific uncertainty,” writes H&M of its sustainability commitments. “Accordingly, our requirements usually go further than the law demands.”

Regular tests, intensive training with regards to the handling of chemicals, and ever-increasing limits on the use and discharge of hazardous chemicals are all elements of H&M’s policy that make it a surefire green fashion star.

Zara

Inditex, the company behind Zara, the world’s largest clothing retailer, has made good on its 2012 commitment to eliminate PFCs by the end of 2015, one of the fastest eliminations of this hazardous group in the industry.

It has also worked closely with its Global South suppliers to increase transparency with regards to the use of hazardous chemicals and any possible resulting contamination.

Benetton

Since Benetton announced its commitment to non-toxic fashion in 2013, the Italian company has made improvements in leaps and bounds. This year, Benetton completely excluded 11 potentially harmful chemical groups from its production and implemented stringent tests on wastewater to ensure the true cleanliness of its production cycles. The company continues its efforts, increasing transparency and progressively eliminating PFCs.

“We congratulate Benetton for the way it drives the entire industry and imposes a new, worldwide standard for a fashion free from toxic substances,” said Giuseppe Ungherese, pollution campaign manager of Greenpeace Italy. “The company is showing for a fact that ridding the fashion industry of toxic substances is already possible.”

Brands to Watch

These brands are making strides toward true eco-conscious clothing production, but they’re not quite there yet. With a bit of encouragement, these companies could become rising stars before Greenpeace’s 2020 deadline.

Adidas

Adidas once ranked much lower on this list, but thanks to its commitment to move away from poly- and perfluorinated chemicals by 2017, this sneaker manufacturer is moving up in the detox world (and far past former rival Nike).

Burberry

Burberry is quickly moving up in the detox fashion world since the 2014 report that proved the brand guilty of hazardous chemical contamination in eight of nine tested children’s clothing items. Increased cooperation with Greenpeace and efforts in transparency mean that Burberry isn’t totally out of fashion when it comes to eco-conscious clothing.

However, the company is reportedly still relying on the flawed chemical list from the industry group Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC), which is missing important dangerous substances like PFCs, so this English company still has a few more strides to take before it reaches the green catwalk.

Levi’s

Levi’s is slowly working toward the goal of full detox, agreeing to publish discharge data from its supply chain facilities in the Global South and requiring its largest suppliers to disclose pollution data for increased transparency. It has also begun communicating with suppliers about eliminating APEOs, phthalates, and PFCs from its products. That said, this denim brand needs to do quite a bit more work if it intends to meet its 2020 goals.

Brands to Skip

While many of the brands that committed to eco-conscious clothing by 2020 are taking the appropriate steps to meet their goals, some seem to have forgotten that they made the promise at all.

“There are still many uncommitted toxic addicts that have failed to take responsibility for their toxic trail and have yet to make a credible, individual Detox commitment,” says Greenpeace.

Nike

Nike is the only brand on this list to completely fail in all three assessed categories. Nike “paints itself as a detox leader but is way behind on transparency,” according to Greenpeace, and is thus a no-no for those in favor of green fashion.

Nike has made a few small steps, such as its partnership with Bluesign Technologies for sustainable innovation, but it is way behind other brands on the way to true eco-conscious clothing before 2020.

Victoria’s Secret

While Limited Brands – owner of Victoria’s Secret and La Senza – vowed to eliminate all hazardous chemicals from its supply chain in 2013, it hasn’t made as many steps as Greenpeace would like to see towards this goal.

When Greenpeace first investigated Victoria’s Secret in 2012, the organization was shocked to discover the presence of a hormone-disrupting phthalate at levels that would have led to the product being banned in the EU had it been a toy. Victoria’s Secret quickly jumped on the detox bandwagon after consumer pressure, but as of July, moves to fulfill its commitment for change have been paltry at best.

While the company has improved its transparency slightly, it has done “absolutely nothing” to reduce its environmental impact and “has no concrete plan to do so in the future,” Cosmopolitan reported in July.

Gap

Gap is one of a handful of companies that continually refuses to make a commitment to non-toxic, eco-conscious clothing production.

In 2013, Gap was linked to PT Gistex, an Indonesian supplier known for its pollution of the local water supply, and Greenpeace claims that Gap has turned a blind eye to the issue. As of March of last year, nothing had been done to resolve this, to the extent that when Gap opened its first Taiwanese store, activists from Greenpeace East Asia dropped a banner demanding that Gap say no to toxic fashion.

For now, that means that eco-conscious shoppers should avoid not only Gap but also Old Navy and Banana Republic.

Of course, opting for greener big fashion brands is only the beginning of the fight for more eco-conscious clothing options. Choosing smaller sustainable designers and rejecting the fast fashion mindset are great ways to contribute to more eco-conscious clothing options.

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The post 3 Eco-Conscious Clothing Brands Changing the Game (and 3 that Aren’t) appeared first on EcoSalon.

Last week, Olivia Wilde made her debut as the face of H&M’s Conscious Exclusive line, and we have one thing to say: Yowza.

For too many, the idea of sustainable or eco-fashion carries connotations of dresses made of burlap bags or seaweed. Actually, hemp and plant-based fabrics can be hot; our latest green girl crush, Olivia Wilde, makes that abundantly clear in the Conscious Exclusive photos recently released by H&M.

We know it’s about more than the fashion, though; girl crushes don’t come that easily. We already know that Olivia Wilde is one of the greener high-profile gals out there (we’ve talked about her vegan lifestyle before), but after doing our research, we see that there’s so much more to love.

Image: H&M, “Conscious Exclusive 2015“

1. About those photos for Conscious Exclusive. 

Sure, we’ll begin with the obvious. I’ve never felt particularly motivated to try on a monochrome kimono-style dress, but I am now. “This is how all fashion should be,” Wilde is quoted as saying in H&M’s official Conscious Exclusive 2015 press release. “Great style that’s naturally more sustainable.”

Get your shop on, consciously. Still time for your gifts to make it under the tree http://t.co/sOHN3eFxks pic.twitter.com/2RgvYJwZP1

— Conscious Commerce (@consciousco) December 14, 2014

Image: Conscious Commerce

2. She puts her money where her mouth is.

Talk is cheap. In 2013, Olivia Wilde and c0-founder Barbara Burchfield launched Conscious Commerce: A website that features articles, products and content designed to help us make better day-to-day lifestyle decisions. From a vegan’s guide to Thanksgiving, to eco-friendly gift guides, Conscious Commerce will help us live, as the founders’ welcome letter so astutely puts it, without “being an asshole.”

I've been spending so much time in airports that I can no longer pee without 40 strangers in the room.

— olivia wilde (@oliviawilde) March 12, 2015

3. Her tweets are green…and hilarious.

Go home, Kim K. We’re much more interested in reading Olivia Wilde’s hilariously relatable tweets. They aren’t all about the giggles, though; Wilde often tweets about causes she believes in and supports, like her March 19th message about recycling clothing to reduce fabric wastage.

Signed! “@rachtothemeyer: @oliviawilde – help save The Ethical Community Charter School in Bed Stuy: https://t.co/37QmHS5y8s #KeepTECCSopen”

— olivia wilde (@oliviawilde) March 13, 2015

4. For her, it’s more than “green”.

Clearly, we love Olivia Wilde’s public concern for environmental issues, but she truly does seem to epitomize the concerned citizen. In addition to her eco-chic habits, she also serves on the board for Artists for Peace and Justice, an organization that promotes education in vastly underserved parts of Haiti. She makes similar efforts on behalf of accessible education, as she did with a recent tweet directing her followers to a petition in support of a Bedford–Stuyvesant charter school at risk of closing.

Rock on, Olivia.

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Image: Gage Skidmore

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We love style. We love fashion. We also want to make sure our sartorial choices do little damage to the world as we can. Eco-friendly clothing manufacturers throw around terms like “conscientious” and “sustainable fashion”, but what does that really mean?

There are plenty of fashion designers that describe themselves as eco-friendly. While brands may use it as part of their marketing plan, are they really good for the environment?

How do you choose sustainable fashion?

1. Shop Low Impact Dying

While many fabrics may start out as sustainable fibers, the finishing process can cancel that out pretty quickly. Organic cottons quickly lose their earthy appeal when chemical dyes and formaldehyde are used to treat them. South Carolina-based Gaia Conceptions grows its own plant and pigment-based dyes made from natural sources to color its clothing. These are great for both the planet and the wellness of the person wearing them. The company also uses fiber reactive dyes. These are developed for higher absorption rates so chemicals are not needed to fix them to the fiber. This also means that less water is wasted or used.

2. Let the fabric suit the fashion

Fashion fans love silk as a luxury fabric. Unfortunately, many don’t realize that typical silk manufacturing involves boiling and killing the silk worms after they have produced the fibers. Peace silk or vegan silk is a fabric made only with silk fiber casings only after the worms have emerged and moved on. This is a much more humane practice but costly. To keep it truly eco, peace silk should be bought in natural colors. This makes peace silk an ideal choice for green weddings. Conscientious brides often have a natural aesthetic for their wedding and are willing to splurge on the perfect dress. Boutiques like The Cotton Bride in Brooklyn, New York are committed to using such fabrics. Their wedding gowns are even sewn in-house.

3. Respect the maker

We hear a lot about Fair Trade and fair labor practices. Is there a way to really know if your dress was made by a happy seamstress? You can support that ethos by shopping from designers that work with organizations like the Ethical Fashion Initiative, a joint project with the United Nations. You can check if your brand is accredited by the Fair Labor Association. These organizations ensure that workers have decent working conditions and wages. Some companies like Satara go a step further in providing skills training and financial guidance. Its website even allows you to find the individual woman who made your garment. The fashion industry has enabled many women in third world countries to improve their quality of life and become financially independent.

4. Wear Fabrics Made from Recycled Fiber

Buying a jacket that helps empty the landfills of all those plastic bottles? That is fabulous. Patagonia was one of the first major clothing manufacturers to work with PET (polyethylene terephthalate) fabrics. Its patented Polartec fabric is a form of polyester. While a synthetic, petroleum-based textile sounds like the opposite of eco-friendly, PET’s main strength is that it uses recycled fibers to produce. Recycling garbage like plastic bottles and collected old garments to make this fabric cuts down on the energy and fossil fuels needed to make it compared to traditional polyester. While this may not please organic trendsetters, this should make upcycled and recycled fashion fans happy.

What sustainable fashion boils down to is often what your Eco-friendly clothing is boiled in. Many fibers can be farmed or produced in a sustainable way, but the finishing is what makes or breaks its Eco cred. Also, think about who is doing the boiling. Guests are afraid to mistreat a chef at a restaurant handling their food. Wouldn’t you want to make sure the person making our clothing is happy too?

Related on EcoSalon

5 Tips to Succeed WithUpcycled Fashion

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5 Eco-Friendly Types of Fabrics for feel good fashion 

Images: Mariana Leung

The post 4 Ways to Be Certain You’re Investing in Eco-Friendly Clothing appeared first on EcoSalon.

Natallia Antanovich wanted to dress in a way that expressed her modern, feminine style, while also being a testament to her environmental awareness and desire to live sustainably on this planet. After struggling to source a wardrobe that was both high-quality and 100 percent natural (and gorgeous, of course!), she decided it was time to start her own clothing line. Econica was born.

“I remember always being well-dressed in tailored, comfortable clothes by my wonderful mom, who herself is an outstanding seamstress. She passed on her gift, and her standards of elegance and comfort, to me when I was a teenager back in Denmark,” Natallia recalls fondly. “Soon after making a few outfits for myself and my kids, I started getting lots of requests from friends and family to the point where I would be hard at work on these the entire weekend…I realized what a great idea opening an online shop would be.”

Natallia’s first experience with garment construction came well before the Econica seed was ever planted–she made her own prom dress. “…I worked tirelessly and meticulously to ensure that it had perfectly finished seams and a flawless fit. I was so proud of myself! Unfortunately, it was a hideous hue of vibrant lilac with sinfully large bows on the shoulders.”

Thankfully, she’s moved on from poufy shoulder bows and is now creating decidedly feminine women’s clothing that is both body-conscious and graceful. She’s a one-woman operation; designing, making patterns and sewing everything from scratch. Quality is still paramount and she shepherds each piece from start to finish.

She keeps a sketchbook with her at all times in case something should happen to inspire her. Those sketches eventually become fully realized patterns, at which point she makes a prototype that she personally test-drives. “It’s important to me that my designs make women look and feel beautiful, while being conscious of their clothes’ eco-friendly origins.”

Econica pieces are available in an incredible array of juicy colors (including this year’s trendy orchid) and rich, dark neutrals. Using eco-friendly fabrics in her work is Natallia’s biggest priority: sustainably-sourced organic hemp, cotton, bamboo and even super soft French terry. “It always boggled my mind how we could sacrifice our own health and the health of our planet for our wardrobe”, she says. “I knew I needed to find a compromise.”

Econica is sustainable by virtue of being classic–Natallia strives to provide women with comfortable clothing and lingerie they’ll wear for years; staples and wardrobe-builders that will never go out of style. The look is one of effortless elegance: the dress you throw on with strappy sandals for Sunday brunch, the cowl neck tunic that you wear with EVERYTHING because you can dress it up or down. “I adore ’60s style fashion with ultra feminine complex designs. I aim for a look that is classic, with clean lines and subtle feminine grace. I love to watch old Doris Day movies and always admire how impeccably she is dressed.”

“Being part of the creative process every step of the way is fascinating, but I do see Econica growing to something bigger. Not just a brand, but a concept, and ideal. I am finally launching my brand new Econica Boutique this month, which I hope will be the start to make my dream a reality.”

Related on EcoSalon

Sustainably Pretty Lingerie? Yes, Please!

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All photos courtesy of Econica

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 The Green Carpet Challenge or the GCC is the brainchild of the always eco-fashionable Livia Firth (yes, wife of Mr Colin Firth) and has been buzzing since 2009. The challenge works with A-list designers and pioneering sustainability brands, to catapult sustainable green fashion onto the world stage, with many partnerships winding up on the red carpet.

Lots of well known celebrities and designers including Cameron Diaz, Julianne Moore and Tom Ford, have already participated in the initiative, but with a new website and a whole raft of new collaborations underway, we take a look at some of the recent Green Carpet Challenge projects.

1. Collaboration with Chopard

The latest collaboration and arguably one of the more interesting ones, has been between GCC and luxury jewelry line, Chopard. Chopard is working with the challenge, alongside the Alliance for Responsible Mining, in launching a new collection, appropriately named “The Journey.” The collection itself includes a gold diamond bracelet and matching earrings, with the materials being sustainably sourced and Fair-mined gold from community mines in South America. This is the first jewelry collection to be awarded the GCC brand mark; and  to add even more excitement to the occasion, the initiative was recently launched in Cannes. Chopard already has a fifteen year relationship with Cannes, being the sculptor of the coveted Golden Palm Trophy.

2. The Met Ball 2013

This year’s Met Ball was the third time the event had teamed up with GCC on the red carpet to promote green fashion. Livia herself even embraced the Punk theme with a specially designed Moschino dress, made of certified low environmental impact yarns. Just to add a quirky element to the evening, she added a peace sign to the back of her dress, made entirely of pins. She also recruited friends and eco advocates Emily Blunt and John Krasinkski to the cause. For her second foray in the challenge, having first participated last September, Blunt donned a black Carolina Herrera gown made with vintage wool fabric and silk chiffon, while Krasinski looked dapper in a Tom Ford suit made from low environmental impact woven wool. (the same one used for Bradley Cooper’s eco friendly suit at the Golden Globes.)

3. Gucci’s Green Bags

Livia Firth and the GCC also recently teamed up with Gucci, the Rainforest Alliance, and the National Wildlife Federation, to create a luxury handbag line made out of deforestation leather. The collection itself is the culmination of years of work in securing sustainably produced leather from the Brazilian Amazon, and has become the first leather product to be certified as ‘zero deforestation.’ The bag’s supply chain is also transparent and each bag comes with a GCC Passport containing important information for the consumer detailing the sustainability credentials, setting a new standard for brand accountability. The three new Gucci handbags: the Hobo, the New Jackie and the Top Handle Tote, all carry the stamp of sustainability.

Images: Eco Age

The post 3 Green Fashion Collaborations that Prove the Green Carpet Challenge is Going Strong appeared first on EcoSalon.

Bloggers really are taking the fashion world by storm. They now rub shoulders with Vogue editors at the big international fashion weeks, interview famous designers and models and even create full time careers from marrying the digital world with sustainable design.

With so many fashion writers seeing the future in sustainability, I look at where the new green fashion voices are coming from and how to find them online. Here is a round up of five of the best eco style blogs.

1. Eco Fashion Talk

Pretty much a roll call of any sustainable fashion designer worth knowing, Eco Fashion Talk provides short and snappy summaries of the who, what, why and where of new designers and collections. Created by well known Sass Brown, author of Eco Fashion (former designer and now academic) this blog keeps you up to date on who’s who of eco design. With a particular emphasis on emerging and European designers, Eco Fashion Talk provides a truly international perspective.

2. State of Green

Linked to an online eco style store of the same name in Australia, State of Green helps those of us living ‘down under’ with a full picture of modern sustainable design in the region. Far away from the fashion capitals of New York and Paris, it is refreshing to see a green living blog dedicated to the Asia Pacific. It covers everything from stylish ways to store books, to local fashion workshops and is one to bookmark for any Aussie green gal or those who are interested in some of the innovative fashion and green living initiatives developing on the underside of the world!

3. Things Your Grandmother Knew

This sweet blog is all about living simply, living green and living economically. It taps into a whole set of skills which have been lost through generations and carefully ties simplicity and sustainability together. Things Your Grandmother Knew covers topics from vintage living to recipes, sewing and shopping tips. The fashion pages delve into everything from how to deal with mystery holes in laundry, to how to make a swish evening wrap!

4. Style Eyes Ethical Fashion Blog

The motto of this blog is ‘making the world a greener place, one dress at a time’ and it sure does deliver. Fashion blogger Ceri Heathcote aims to inspire others, through her love of vintage, second hand and ethical clothing, based on the principle of buying clothes that will last for many years. Ceri is probably best known for being the brains behind ‘Style is’, the UK’s sustainable style search engine, which helps consumers find ethical alternatives to high end fashion styles.

5. Live Eco

Live Eco is all about ‘trending lightly’ and calls itself an eco chic essentials guide to doing just that when it comes to fashion, beauty and lifestyle. The categories on this site are truly comprehensive as it covers everything from ‘street chic’ and ‘celebrity style’ to ‘weddings’ and ‘decor and design.’ It also covers stories from all around the world including South Africa, the UK and Australia. This one helps you keep your finger on the pulse!

Images: Anonymous Collective, Live Eco, Eco Fashion Talk

The post The New Green Voices: The 5 Best Green Fashion Blogs appeared first on EcoSalon.

The big international fashion weeks in Paris, London and New York, have a history of supporting sustainability as part of their programs. Whether it’s through showcasing eco designers on the runway, or hosting a raft of activities around fashion week itself, international catwalks are fast embracing eco chic.

Following suit, a whole range of new eco fashion events are popping up around the world, including in some unexpected places. Outside of the usual eco fashion events, here are some emerging events that are set to keep the trend alive.

1. GREENShowroom

Someone once described this event as Berlin Fashion Week’s “green cousin.” It bills itself as an unconventional showroom, with a refreshingly new approach. Designed to be a showcase of green design, the exhibition itself takes place in luxurious hotels or lofts, which means the designers can get creative with the space, showing their pieces in cupboards, drawers, beds and tables. In short, it facilitates a luxury experience, turning the visitor into a fashion explorer. With strict eligibility criteria, brands must prove that they are at least 60 percent sustainable to participate.

2. Russian Eco Fashion Week

Russia hasn’t traditionally been considered an eco fashion hub, but they are bursting onto the green scene, having held their very first eco fashion week in Moscow in 2012. The week itself had elements of a trade fair and offered sewing classes, plaiting and beading classes, along with the more traditional green fashion shows. The week springboards from a series of successful green fashion weekends launched by Russian environmental movement ECA. It hopes to become a platform for emerging designers from the region like Ekaterina Shchukina and Alina Belousova.

3. Eco Design Fair Shanghai

In and around the Asia Pacific, Shanghai is known as “the new New York” with its growing reputation as a style capital of the world. Interestingly, it also hosts an eco design fair, the next of which is coming up this month. Although it is not strictly limited to fashion, it includes a strong style element, as well as touching on food, energy and eco art. This year’s theme is focused on waste reduction. The event itself started in 2008 and has fast become a premier eco consumer event, attracting crowds of 15,000 or more.

4. Australian Indigenous Fashion Week

One to mark down in the diary for April 2014 is Australia’s inaugural Indigenous Fashion Week. With the primary aim of the week being to provide a platform for promoting authentic Australian indigenous design, it is also committed to enhancing ethical standards within the industry, with a focus on Fair Trade links between indigenous artists and buyers. A number of indigenous designers such as Lucy Simpson of Gaawa Miyay, are already successfully weaving sustainable practice into Indigenous design.

Images: Moscow Fashion Week, GREENShowroom, Australian Indigenous Fashion Week

The post The Green Scene: The World’s 4 Best Green Fashion Events appeared first on EcoSalon.

Eco Fashion Book Over-Dressed

In the age of the iPad, instant messaging and digital dreaming, it’s easy to overlook the value of the humble book. But who doesn’t love turning over the well worn pages of a classic, scribbling notes in the margins as thoughts tumble out at whim, and having a tangible treasure to hold on to through generations?

Eco-fashion, once seen as the sidebar of the fashion industry, is now a literary subject in its own right, and there are a range of new titles to keep you sustainably stylish. Whether you are after a history of the good and green elements of the industry, a how to guide on DIY fashion, or a personal account of how fashionistas can transform into conscious consumers, these gems will have you covered.

1. Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion by Elizabeth L. Cline

Author Elizabeth Cline turns her own consumer habits on their head in this journey of personal discovery and wardrobe revamping. A self confessed fast fashion consumer, Elizabeth questions what she  is doing with all her cheap clothes and what social and environmental impact they are having on the world around us. Through following Elizabeth’s journey to the factories of China and beyond, you learn just how easy it is to break the consumer driven cycle.

2. Sustainability with Style by Lisa Heinze

This book says it is part autobiography, part eco guidebook and part cultural exploration. That’s a lot of jam-packed green goodness from Australian-based American author Lisa Heinze, who lets us sneak a peak into how she marries sustainability with style. After years of being a self proclaimed image obsessed fashion addict, she inspires us to make changes in our own life through her candid honesty, personal experiences and bag full of tips and tricks.

3. I Spy DIY style: Find Fashion You Love and Do It Yourself by Jenni Radosevich

If the academic angle isn’t your thing and you are looking for a more practical approach, then this book is the perfect pick me up. With a few easy to learn skills and some basic supplies, it takes you through 30 step by step projects inspired by the world’s runways, celebrity red carpet looks and timeless classic cuts. It even includes top tips from fashion favorites Rachel Roy, Olivia Palermo and Rebecca Minkoff.

4. To Die For: Is Fashion Wearing out the World by Lucy Siegle

Unlike some of the personal accounts of eco conscious living, this title is more of an expose on the industry, penned by The Observer’s ethical living columnist. Providing thorough detail on fashion and fabric production, it argues that it is possible to become an ethical fashion lover, with just a little bit of information and conscious questioning. It clearly advocates a new case for change and sets an ambitious agenda for the future of the fashion industry from an experienced and eco obsessed journalist.

5. Naked Fashion: The New Sustainable Fashion Revolution by Safia Minney

Written by founder and CEO of the famous Fair Trade fashion label, People Tree, Safia Minney provides inspiration and advice on how to make a difference through decision making. It also includes accounts of well known celebrities from creative industries talking about what they are doing differently to reduce their environmental impact, including British actor and Harry Potter heroine Emma Watson along with industry icon Vivienne Westwood. As an added bonus it also contains an ethical brand directory.

Top image: Zitona

The post Get Booked: 5 Eco Fashion Books appeared first on EcoSalon.

All aboard for flares, it’s time to abandon the skinny trouser.

When Kate Moss starts wearing wide legged flares instead of the skinny jeans she singlehandedly made famous, you can bet the jig is up. Whether you know them as bell bottoms, flares, wide-legged pants or the first point of order after a seventies fancy dress invite, the fact remains – they’re back in a big way this season.

And yet, if ever there was a time where there are no rules when it comes to the right hemline, silhouette or color this is it. So what goes? It might well be a sense of social saturation that paired with a fitted jacket, extra long scarf and ballet flats, the skinny jean – once the proviso of punk musicians – has become the ubiquitous uniform of every mom on the school run. Despite the vintage flower-child connotations, flared pants feel remarkably fresh right now.

A bold yet minimalist look from Céline’s recent resort 2013 collection.

There is also the influence of Phoebe Philo’s standout Céline Resort 2013 collection (although it may well be redundant to single out any one of Ms. Philo’s collections – all have been entirely remarkable since her appointment in 2008 as the label’s creative director). Her full-legged flared trousers with contrasting colorblocked hems will undoubtedly see immediate success and prove as highly coveted and widely carried as Celine’s luggage tote.

A continual source of style inspiration, Stevie Nicks proves bell bottoms are feminine and wearable.

When the pants we now know and love (or hate) originated is hard to tell. They almost certainly are derived from Navy uniforms. Their flared or bell bottom was a functional choice for traditional sailors as they were easy to remove over boots, a breeze to roll up when swabbing the ship deck, quickly removable when wet – and should you fall into the water – it was even suggested that sailors could use the pants as a life preserver, tying the wide legs in knots and filling them with air.

Like the Charlie’s Angels, flared pants are a total 70s throwback.

By the late 1960’s the counter culture movement adopted the looser more comfortable flared pant rejecting the straight-legged styles of the establishment. As well as buying naval uniforms from surplus stores to embellish with stitching and patches, many hippies and peace protestors began modifying regular jeans by sewing in colorful triangles of fabric. Sewn into the outside leg seam below the knee to the cuff creating a flare below the knee, this flattering and easy-to-copy technique is a great idea for those of you now looking to abandon your skinnies for the wilder winds of fashion change.

Thanks to a wider hem that helps balance proportions, flared styles are more flattering than you might imagine.

Want to catch up on some more fashion history?

Now & Then: the History of the Ballet Flat

Now & Then: The History of Shorts

Now & Then: Met Ball’s Most Memorable Dresses

Now & Then: The History of the Breton Shirt

Now & Then: The History of the Platform Shoe

Now & Then: The History of Fitness Wear

Now & Then: The History of the Pencil Skirt

Now & Then: The History of the Cocktail Dress

Now & Then: The History of Skinny Jeans

Read more Now & Then articles here.

The post Now & Then: The History of Flared Pants appeared first on EcoSalon.

Can the film noir style staple survive the whims of fashion?

According to New York magazine’s popular Approval Matrix, the long running trend for fedora hats is most definitely over. That’s the thing with fashion, someone artfully revisits a look from the past starting a trend and before you know it every street corner vendor is selling a version for ten bucks. While the look is good in its purest essence, the last thing you want is to wear one too.

Which is a magnificent shame when it comes to the trendy topper in question. The fedora, a medium brimmed hat traditionally made in felt, was designed with a pinched indentation at the hat’s crown to allow for a roomier fit.  Tipped rakishly over one eye, there’s no better way to establish an air of mystery in stylish homage to the film noir greats like Robert Mitchum, Greta Garbo and Veronica Lake.

Who could resist Bogie and Bergman both wearing a fedora in Casablanca?

The fedora emerged as a female fashion accessory for middle and upper class Western women at the turn of the last century, after actress Sarah Berhardt played Princess Fedora in the French play Fedora by Victorien Sardou in 1889. The hat went on to be associated with gangsters in the Prohibition era of the 20s and 30s and was subsequently glamorized by the film noir actors reenacting the mobsters and private investigators in popular movies in the 40s and 50s.

Smooth Criminal: Michael Jackson helped to revive the fedora in 1987

By the 70s the formal hat fell out of style as casual clothing became more popular. It enjoyed a revival in the 1980s where it was popularized as an All-American classic sported by Michael Jackson during his iconic Bad Album period. Run D.M.C. rapped in theirs and Harrison Ford looked the part of an adventurous archaeologist in his for the Indiana Jones trilogy. Since the hat appeared on the runways back in 2007, Cameron Diaz, Keira Knightley and Kate Moss gave the hat a female twist, popularizing it as a clever celebrity cover up.

Authentic fashion interpreter, Kate Moss said she tries to be “a character” when she gets dressed, “I don’t think of it as ‘Ooh, it’s me,’ she explains. “I think, ‘Who do I want to be?'”

If you love to wear a hat, skip the tyranny of the micro trend and embrace the timeless classic. If you find an authentic vintage fedora with a wide brim that’s built to last and – and most importantly –  that you absolutely love, wear it. It could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Want to catch up on some more fashion history?

Now & Then: the History of the Ballet Flat

Now & Then: The History of Shorts

Now & Then: Met Ball’s Most Memorable Dresses

Now & Then: The History of the Breton Shirt

Now & Then: The History of the Platform Shoe

Now & Then: The History of Fitness Wear

Now & Then: The History of the Pencil Skirt

Now & Then: The History of the Cocktail Dress

Now & Then: The History of Skinny Jeans

Read more Now & Then articles here.

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