Just in time for summer reading, 5 fashion books that will make you think about what you wear and why.

Recently, I’ve become more interested in fashion tailored to the environmentally and ethically-aware consumer, but I find the entire industry extremely difficult to navigate. And, sure, that won’t get any easier, but the following 5 books about eco-fashion are a great start to getting you more informed and proactive about the choices you make when it comes to your clothing.

1. “Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion” By, Elizabeth L. Cline

Elizabeth L. Cline exposes the fashion industry’s pitfalls in not only damaging out sense of style and the environment but also in stripping our souls of authenticity. She uncovers the truth behind fast fashion clothing lines and inspires readers to break the cycle of disposable fashion.

2. “Fashion & Sustainability: Design for Change” By, Kate Fletcher and Lynda Grose

This book posits the fashion industry as a sustainability machine and how such a structure could transform the world. Kate Fletcher and Lynda Grose organize the book into three parts: the first focuses on transforming elements across the lifespan of a piece of garment, from manufacturing and distribution to use and re-use; the second part outlines business models that lower material throughput; and the third section re-evaluates the role of fashion designer from one of creator or stylist to one of communicator, activist, and facilitator.

3. “Naked Fashion: The New Sustainable Fashion Movement” By, Safia Minney

Written by People Tree founder and CEO Safia Minney, Naked Fashion offers a glimpse into the lives of garment workers and their trying lives. The book also showcases case studies on fashion that don’t come at the cost of the environment or ethics and profiles designers, photographers and filmmakers who are reshaping the industry. Expect celebrity appearances!

4. “Eco Fashion” By, Sass Brown

Sass Brown’s “Eco Fashion” takes you on a journey through eco-fashion as it has developed over the years and sheds light on the players who are making big changes. The book covers ecological designs and helps readers navigate this often complicated and hard-to-digest space of the fashion industry.

5. “Style, Naturally” By, Summer Rayne Oakes

Model, designer and entrepreneur Summer Rayne Oakes provides readers with the resources to incorporate eco-fashionable pieces into their everyday lives. This book goes beyond exposing the truths behind fast fashion and is dually practical, serving as a guide to the readers hungry for sustainability wear.

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Photo Credit: Summer Rayne Oakes

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It’s been an exciting time monitoring sustainable fashion in the media recently. Some of the greatest challenges to making eco fashion mainstream are being met by dedicated movers and shakers who are speaking out. They’re addressing central issues such as; lowering the cost of sustainable garments, increasing leadership from established apparel brands, and increasing the availability of eco-materials to emerging designers, just to name a few.

At last month’s RE:Fashion Summit in London, Harold Tillman, Chairman of the British Fashion Council, proposed tax breaks for fashion businesses to increase affordability and consumer access to sustainable fashion. “Sustainability within the fashion industry, the second largest employer in the UK, needs to be more than just personal choice, it needs to make sense for businesses and consumers. We are calling on all parties to recognize the impact that tax breaks could make on one of the UK’s most exciting and innovative industries by supporting those who are working in a sustainable way and making it attractive to all businesses to be more ethical. If UK citizens can get tax breaks on more energy efficient cars and other sustainable products, why can’t they wear their values with pride and get tax breaks on ethical fashion?” Congress, are you listening?

Speaking at the fourth annual Social and Environmental Responsibility in the Global Supply Chain conference at Stanford in April, Levi Strauss executive Michael Kobori (besides revealing mind boggling discoveries such as it taking the equivalent of 53 showers to make a pair of 501’s), shared what the apparel company is doing to encourage investors, other brands, and suppliers to be more green. He believes sustainability is the next driver for supply chain value – “It is an exciting time: consumer and societal expectations of companies are changing. You can lead, influence and benefit from the change or be left behind.”

Proving herself one of sustainable fashion’s savviest pioneers, eco-model Summer Rayne Oakes launched her latest venture, S4 Style, an online exchange that connects fashion designers with suppliers who trade in sustainable materials. Oakes explains, “Let’s say you wanted to make that outfit in sustainable tweed, organic cotton and maker buttons. You could go online, source the material, see what inventory the suppliers had, and get a sustainability rating,” she says. “It’s a design and innovation platform to really get the cool (stuff) out there.”

Image: bsdfm

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I don’t know about you but on nights I graced the prom with all my sequins and chiffon I was more nervous about my date wearing a bad tux than organic flowers or paraben-free makeup.

Nowadays, teenagers are so much more equipped with green knowledge than we were growing up.

But maybe, just maybe there are teens who don’t know everything about well, everything.

So, just to encourage them further, Whole Foods Market and Teens Turning Green (a national coalition of teens educating peers and community members about eco-lifestyle choices) are launching Project Green Prom.

Project Green Prom hopes to engage teens in the train of thought that there are a number of ways they can green their big night.

From prom attire to flowers to transportation and make up, teens are encouraged to think outside the box and their egos to create a sustainable night.

The project is also offering an amazing opportunity for teenagers who make a unique and inspiring video  (three minutes or less on how they would green their own prom). Winners are flown to New York City and pampered with products and ideas they can use at their own prom as well as receiving an “Eco Teen Lounge” for their school’s big night.

Judged by a panel that includes such notables as Eva Chen, Beauty Editor of Teen Vogue, Jane Iredale, founder of A Skin Care Make Up and Summer Rayne Oakes, green activist, cause related model and author of Style Naturally – The Savvy Shopping Guide to Sustainable Fashion and Beauty, videos are in seasoned, professional hands.

Who knows how much of a carbon imprint they leave on the planet for one night of prom fun? Heck, I dare a high school student to try and measure that amount and we’ll post it here.

Good luck!

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