You’ve got to wonder how designers get their ideas, what makes them complete whole collections based on architecture, a movie, a skyline or a color from deep within a forest.

What makes one stick out more than another? How can one be so inspired to create?

I caught up with four designers.

Where Do You Draw Inspiration From?

Nature Vs. Future/Designer Nina Valenti:

I just love to draw. I love playing with line, balance & texture. I get inspired by fabric, shapes and form. I love architecture, interior and furniture design. Living in New York City, there are so many buildings around me and I always love to look up and notice the way the shapes cut into the sky and  look so different from every angle. I get inspired on my Brooklyn bike rides under the Verrazano bridge. I just absorb my surroundings, then sit down and draw most of my collections on the subway.

Allison Parris:

Because my mom is an interior designer, I have so much exposure to old architecture and interior details that I do tend to take from that (even when it’s subconsciously!). Having an eco-friendly brand, however, a lot of what I like to do is play up the great textures that you can find in some of these raw materials. I think it gives another dimension to the clothing and really gives the garment a life of its own.

Moda Spia/Designer Ursula Dean:

My inspiration comes from film, travel, the playground. I love the billowy clothes of children in old fairy tale illustrations as much as Brigit Bardot’s care-free glamour.

Jackson, Johnston & Roe:

We draw inspiration from where we’ve grown up, the cities and surroundings we live in currently and from the endless archive of fashion of the past… both in history and within our families. Lately we have been inspired by traveling – not just the destination, but what you take for your trip. We think of our collections as everything you’ll need to have with you on your travels, and we consider packaging and versatility as well as the longevity and wear of the clothes. We are inspired by the quality of construction in garments from the past and we strive to bring that quality to our line.\

Image: Digital Sophia Photography

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It’s that time of year again.

All around us, springing up like buttery daffodils, are the eco-fashion shows slated to saturate Earth Day venues.

Here are a handful that caught my eye:

The 3rd Annual Project Earth Day Runway Show and Student Competition

Held at the Openhouse Gallery, a vanguard multipurpose exhibition and installation space located on Mulberry Street in the heart of trendsetting NoLIta.

Supported by the US Green Building Council, and co-produced by the Creative Director of The Four Hundred, Bahar Shahpar. The show will feature an exciting student competition judged by an esteemed panel of judges from the worlds of fashion, beauty, architecture, and sustainability, and of course presenting the best in sustainable fashion on the runway.

Project Earth Day provides a platform for green-minded leaders and future leaders in the building and fashion industries to collaborate and experience the best in sustainable fashion. Join top names in the design industry and a panel of celebrity judges for this exciting eco-conscious event.

Fashion Takes Action is celebrating its launch as a members-based organization and throwing a party at the Burroughes Building.

In partnership with Earth Day Canada, this event will feature a great line up of DJs: Brendan Canning from BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE, Dirty Dale, Andycapp (Bang The Party!, Motown, Slinky Music) & Dali (Slinky Music).

Also Ryerson fashion students will participate in a live eco-designer challenge creating garments made from packaging.

This is a signature FTA GREEN event, which means you can count on there being no bottled water, little waste, LED lighting and more. And, it is a fundraiser event to support Earth Day Canada and Fashion Takes Action.

Stanford University’s first-ever Sustainable Fashion Show is a groundbreaking event on campus promoting a sustainable lifestyle on all fronts in the surrounding Bay Area. Showcasing the work of around twenty unique professional designers in individual sets, and as well as the designs of several student designers from the Stanford Community. Some of the featured designers include: Moda Spia, Feral Childe, Covet, She-Bible, Pi Organic and Aoki Jeans.

Know of any others?

Link to this article so other eco-fashionistas can find information on your show and just what you’re doing to celebrate Earth Day this month!

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Ursula Dean, founder and designer of women’s apparel line, Moda Spia, entered the eco-fashion neighborhood 10 years ago when she started utilizing factory over-runs from Italy.

Since then, the San Francisco designer has stayed true to using interesting, rescued fabrics but has added more organic fabrics for good measure, aiming to create clothing that becomes a keepsake, something coveted and special to its owner that stands the test of time.

Her concentration on seasonal collections that have her signature look of fresh, playful and always inherently feminine lines are what both buyers and shoppers now follow her for. Here’s what she had to say about her part in the eco-fashion movement.

What got you into designing with sustainable fabrics?

Honestly, I didn’t realize the inherent “good” to the environment of these left over fabrics until the whole green movement brought it to light. I love textiles and am really glad the surplus goods are in some way helpful in containing the negative impact of textile production on the environment. I started using organic fabrics like cotton/hemp blends, bamboo and more recently organic wool/lyocell blends. They have a very soft hand and beautiful weight and smell good, too!

Is there a different mindset that comes with creating sustainable or “green” garments?

My focus is primarily on the design itself. Through some research I’ve found several green textile companies to work with (like Pick Natural in San Francisco). Their products are exciting to work with and they bring in fresh fabrics on a regular basis. This makes my job as a designer trying to work primarily with green fabrics easy.

Do you feel part of a new eco-designing community?

Most of the designers I know personally have already made the push to offer garments that are at least in part green, so yes.

What was a stand-out piece you created over the past 10 years?

The Biba Jacket from my first collection 6 years ago. It was a silk velvet jacket with a ribbon belt and hand-made flower, really loose and bohemian. My partner at the time hand-dyed the velvet and silk-screened the lining. It was incredibly labor-intensive but the result was stunning. Calypso in NY carried it for 2 seasons. Heidi Klum showed up in it in InStyle and that really spiked sales. It was an auspicious start to our business.

How do you see the future of green clothing design evolving?

I don’t know the answer, nobody does. To me it seems like so many things are coming into play and will continue to. China is making Walmart and Target’s clothes. A LOT of people are shopping at these places right now because they need something and they don’t have any money, nobody has any money right now.  The U.S. relationship with China is changing isn’t it? China is heavily invested in the U.S. I’m not sure if these things will affect production but they may. To me it seems volatile but they’re looking for a partner in production and we’ve got the work for them. That’s the manufacturing end of it, anyway.

Do you think at some point all clothes will just be manufactured sustainably?

As far as sustainable fabrics are concerned I think they will only become more a part of our shopping culture. It seems to have become a very visible thing to most people. If you go to the tiniest town, chances are someone will have at least heard of an organic cotton t-shirt – though not necessarily know what that means!

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