Sustainable fashion just got another big push from mainstream, this time by Lexus and the Council of Fashion Designers of America. The program’s goal of increasing sustainable practices in the fashion industry, just picked their ten finalists, three of which will be selected to receive support from Lexus for their Fall 2011 show or presentation in February 2011.

The finalists, representing womenswear, menswear, and accessories include Behnaz Sarafpour, Maria Cornejo, Monique Pean, Marcia Patmos, Organic by John Patrick, Costello Tagliapietra, Alabama Chanin, Libertine by Johnson Hartig, Subversive Jewelry by Justin Giunta and Slow and Steady Wins the Race by Mary Ping.

WWD reports that the ten finalists were chosen based on their most recent collections – 25 percent of which had to be created in an eco-conscious way in order to qualify.

Three winners will be announced next Tuesday, in addition to a “People’s Choice” winner that you can vote for on Lexushybridliving.

Image: Linda Loudermilk

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This Friday, well-known industry labels like Tibi, Milly and John Patrick,  Huffington Post and WWD fashion writers, Parson’s faculty members, trend spotters and marketing gurus will all gather at Manhattan’s renowned Fashion Institute of Technology to discuss something they all know best: fashion “Behind The Seams.”

Working in partnership with the internationally recognized MAGIC Marketplace and MAGIC Sourcing, AFINGO.COM  (the sponsor of the forum) will donate a portion of proceeds to the Save The Garment District, an organization to help preserve New York City’s vibrant, vital apparel production neighborhood and the business retail on it. Not to mention, retaining a part of the city designers desperately rely on.

I caught up with Afingo founder and CEO, Liza Deyrmenjian this week and asked her some questions regarding sustainable designer’s growth in the fashion industry. As Deyrmenjian has created the fashion industry’s first-ever online sourcing site (Afingo) offering “all skills and services of development and production,” (not to mention being a serial successful entrepreneur), we thought it only right to ask her a few questions before the show even got started.

Here’s what she had to say.

What are some common mistakes designers make?

Young designers many times don’t know who their target market is; They have not yet defined her or him.

Is it harder for a sustainable designer to launch than a non?

It is harder if you are doing it purely for the fad, meaning eco is green and “green is the new black” for some fashion designers. Unless you really care about sustainability, whether it is sustainable fabrics or environmentally sound manufacturing it won’t ring true in the marketplace. Environmentalism is attractive economically for a designer but they need to design around it, from the ground up.

When it comes to trend forecasting, how much should a designer listen and how much should they just go with their gut and design what just makes sense?

That is a great question because “listen” is the keyword. I have always believed musicians are the true poets of our time, and they interpret and share the news and events from distant locations far sooner and more meaningfully than our traditional media. Music will tell you what trend is coming. From Madonna in the 80s to Kurt Cobain and grunge in the 90s, they were famous with lace gloves and plaid flannel shirts long before masses were wearing them.

In terms of color, makeup counters give you in an instant what color forecasters charge thousands for. Makeup colors are always a season or two ahead of clothing. But a designer needn’t be shackled by trends. They should translate society into their own look and we as consumers wear their iteration.

Part of being a sustainable designer in the U.S. (for many) is manufacturing and sourcing in the U.S. Is there a large enough support system for them out there?

There is an AMAZING support system in the U.S., especially in New York City. NYC is the only city that has the entire garment center in a four block/four avenue radius. It’s incredible! You can get your patterns made at the same house as Ashley and Mary Kate from the Row. You can have your goods made at the same factory where Diane Von Furstenberg develops. Nowhere can you do that besides New York. Vancouver also has great resources and LA is particularly good for cottons and denim.

I think part of the problem is schools don’t teach enough about how to manufacture locally. That’s where people learn what to do and many kids graduate without even knowing where the garment center is. Our industry needs to work together, fostering an understanding of producing locally among the newcomers. If you are developing your line, you should not be doing it overseas for a multitude of reasons, sustainability being one of them. If you don’t know where to go email life@afingo.com and I will guide you!

On the Afingo schedule for Friday it says: “In an age when ‘going green’ is on everyone’s lips, is this just another trend or a necessary, fundamental shift in how the industry works? How can fashion as an industry make the change at a level that is more than skin-deep?” Can you talk to that?

Yes, buy American made. It is the fastest and most fashionable way you can save the planet – and your country while you’re at it.  Local manufacturing provides jobs, and lowers the carbon footprint of the garment. I believe in going green whether – it is in the cloth or in the production – ideally, both. And consumers hold the power in their pocketbooks. Today more then ever if you want your dollar to matter, put your money where your beliefs are.

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It’s no secret the denim industry is extremely resource intensive.

We’ve learned just how intensive in recent years, thanks to research by eco journalists and, notably, an article in WWD by Ross Tucker in which Levi Strauss & Co. publicly “shared results of its life cycle assessment on what went into making one pair of its iconic Levi’s 501 style.”

Levi’s being to jeans what Kleenex is to tissue, people were listening.

According to Tucker, Levi’s found that making one pair of 501’s requires almost 920 gallons of water and 400 megajoules of energy while expelling 32 kilograms of carbon dioxide.

“Levi’s said this was equivalent to running a garden hose for 106 minutes, driving 78 miles and powering a computer for 556 hours,” writes Tucker.

Ouch.

If you consider denim one of your wardrobe staples (and who doesn’t?) best to think sustainably designed. To help, we’ve put together a denim guide with plenty of suggestions from the fabulous Jaime Palmucci of Denim Debutante.

Here are 17 good eco bets for denim:

Loomstate: Probably the most well-known of the “green” denim lines, Loomstate is known for their basic cuts and mid-weight organic cotton denim. Like Edun, Loomstate has temporarily put their denim line on hiatus based on fit issues, but there are still pairs online waiting to be bought.

REUSE: A new brand out of the U.S., REUSE creates their jeans with 80% recycled denim. Standard styles for women (men’s jeans are reportedly on the way) and a wallet-friendly retail price of $75-95.

James Jeans: Eco-friendly washes for a dry aged denim look. Note: while this line doesn’t use organic cotton, James Jeans creator Seun Lim uses organic compounds and sun bleaching to create the washes of her jeans.

Serfontaine: Eco-friendly washes and abrasions. Like James Jeans, Serfontaine doesn’t use organic cotton. For their washes, they substitute organic fruit enzymes for chemical dyes and irritants.

reco jeans: Like REUSE, reco uses Recycled Denim in their process. They go so far as to create seeded, plantable tags on their products to eliminate unneeded waste. (Factoid: Alanis Morrisette and Woody Harrelson created the line.)

Levi’s Eco: Organic cotton, recycled rivets and buttons. Styles made with 100% organic cotton include the Red Tab Vintage Straight Jean for men, the women’s Skinny Jean and Skinny Knee Knocker Short. Other elements of the Levi’s® Capital Eâ„¢ lines include the use of recycled buttons, rivets and zippers and natural indigo to dye some styles ensuring minimized impact on the environment. Price range starts at $69.

Nudie Jeans: The Swedish brand known for their Selvedge also has some 100% organic pairs. They follow organic production procedures and use products like potato starch and pre-reduced indigo in lieu of chemicals.

7 For All Mankind: The eponymous brand and forefather of premium denim, 7 For All Mankind does carry some 100% organic pairs.

Rogan Denim: Products are Fair-Trade approved and sweat-shop free. Rogan (the namesake line of Loomstate’s Rogan Gregory) has teamed with Bono to ensure their products are sweat-shop free and fair trade. They also promote minimal washing and no machine washing.

Good Society: The Good Society “is a movement,” according to the website. “A belief that in all things we must love, will and do good. A forward thinking community blending the fashion conscious with the socially conscious.” Being organic fairly traded denim that is fully sustainable surely helps. Another denim line taking a hiatus until current inventory moves. Go forth and buy!

Joe’s Organic: Though the brand only offers a small selection, it does have an organic denim line consisting of some of their best sellers like the Provocateur, Stardust, Muse and Socialite.

Edun: Launched in Spring 2005 by Ali Hewson and U2’s Bono, the company’s mission is to help develop countries in Africa as viable sources of production for fashion by “investing in the development of a community-based value chain, beginning with organic cotton.”  Their denim line is temporarily on hold because of fit issues – stay tuned.

Linda Loudermilk: Linda Loudermilk trademarked the term “Luxury Eco” and researches products that are sustainable by meeting with and learning from scientists, and seeking out companies that create fibers without pesticides or other toxic processes. Her denim line has been made from lyocell and bamboo blends.

Kuyichi: Made from a hemp and organic cotton tencel blend with natural dyes. You’ll love this company! A European label slowly moving into the U.S.

Howie’s: Featuring organic cotton washed with an “eco-ball” for extra softness, this European denim line has been around since 1995 and is about to have a Renaissance, I’m predicting, thanks to some better-known American denim lines taking a break.

J Brand: J Brand’s Green label is coming out soon, we’re told. Made with 100% organic cotton and vegetable dyes, J Brand is widely recognized as a go-to eco denim line. Let’s hope they shrink the fit to something less than what a 6’8″ woman would wear. Normal gals, J, normal gals.

Denim Design Lab: This company transforms salvaged denim woven on vintage shuttle looms to create a “Modern Vintage” look. Sold through “only the most premium denim based retailers globally.” Well, you can’t win ’em all.

To get your daily denim fill, be sure to follow Jaime on Twitter @denimdebutante.

Image: littledan77

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For so long you’ve had your favorite fashion magazines delivered to your mailbox.

Freshly sealed in their virgin plastic covering, the perfumed pages not yet opened to release their synthetic lotus blossom scent, when it occurs to you something’s wrong, and it’s not just that lotus blossoms totally don’t smell like alcohol.

And on this particular day you think to yourself that driving a hybrid, eating less red meat and drinking from your reusable bottle isn’t enough, that maybe getting a monthly subscription, though indulgent and fun, isn’t very, well – to overuse the term – eco.

You’re not alone, lady friend. And by the looks of magazine sales, you’re getting more options to turn to the computer and flip.

Anna Griffin founded high-brow eco-magazine Coco Eco in September 2008; the website says “this is the modern girl’s style guide on the road to being gorgeous, glamorous and green, and your new source of everything eco-chic, that’s good for our planet, and good for you too.”

I agree.

Though original in her initial approach, other publications like Lucky and Women’s Wear Daily have invaded the once tacky idea of making high fashion internet-friendly.

According to an article in Econsultancy, September 2007 had fashion behemoth Vogue at its height of ad pages. Weighing in at almost five pounds, the magazine had 840 pages. 727 of those were ads. But ad pages have been in decline ever since. This month, the magazine came in at 429 pages, with a 36% decline in ad revenue from last year.

No surprise to any of us that the magazines are failing for lack of advertising and a paucity of creative innovation. Didn’t they see this coming?

Look for more publications from Conde and Hearst to jump on the bandwagon incorporating video and social media from fashion shows, design weeks and yes, I’m guessing advertisers.

Or just follow us – why would you want to follow anyone else?

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I love that designers are creating new road rules.

WWD recently printed a study saying a Mintel survey of 2,500 adults found that 54 percent said they would buy more green products. The report concluded that even in a period of reduced consumer spending, competitively priced green merchandise may do well because it stands out. Still, sustainably-focused designers realize they’re not exempt from the recession. And in an eco-pool so full of talent and expertise, is there really room for everyone to survive?

A handful of designers have some amazing takes on making their lines not only stand out but thrive.

We’ve written recently about Sustainability Across America and their cross-country drive to inspire and be inspired by the green community. Other new collaborations in the sustainable design world keep popping up, as well, like the NOW Showcase this September 20-21 in New York City as well as Content 09 October 18th in Portland, Oregon.

The NOW Showcase will feature 20 eco-designers in thelab, an integrated production studio and sustainable space powered by wind energy from upstate New York. The Now venue will feature a well-appointed collective of womens’ and menswear, accessories, organic body care and lingerie for wholesale viewings.

These men and women are opting for more transparent marketing targeting loyal buyers and lovers of their lines, reacquainting them on a more personal level.

For its inaugural CONTENT 09 event, 31 of Portland’s finest independent clothing and accessory designers will inhabit 28 rooms in the city’s Ace Hotel. Attendees will explore at their leisure while enjoying live music, libations, art installations and more. Founding group How We Develop intends on expanding CONTENT annually, with hopes to include the best national independents under one roof. Both venues will provide to buyers the ability for more personalized, one-on-one time with the designers and their Spring/Summer 2010 lines.

The natives are getting restless with the same old, same old. They have aggressive ideas that go beyond finding safety in three-season color palettes and cuts.

And we can be inspired to see egos put aside as designers embrace the reality that a powerful sustainable design market requires more than an organic cotton or bamboo tag.

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WWD Market Editor Ross Tucker, whose expertise on denim, textiles and trade is considered biblical, has seen into the future.

What does it look like? Acid washed.

While some of you are contemplating jumping off a bridge rather than entertaining being seen in a pair, realize that as trends return, there’s always a new spin to them.

For instance, you’ll be wearing solid, dark colored shirts with the acid washed jeans (rather than neon) and a more subdued hair style than the big, crispy perm you once had.

But for expert advice and information on the trend, I turn this over to Ross.

All trends are cyclical, but in the case of acid-washed jeans, a trend of the ’80s, how are we going to give it a fresh spin?

While fashions do come around time and again, the technology and techniques used to create those looks is always moving forward. In the case of acid wash jeans it appears the wash houses achieving the looks have a much greater degree of control when it comes to removing color. From what I’ve seen it looks like they’re able to strip out less color, giving the jeans a sharper contrast between light areas and colored areas.

Should somebody get a whole bunch of acid-washed denim or just get a single pair to compliment their jean wardrobe?

I’m not really a fashion expert, but I don’t think women will be rushing out to replace all their dark jeans for acid-washed styles. Especially today, women like to have a number of different styles in their closet. They might have a boot cut for everyday wear, a trouser style when they want to dress up and a dark skinny pair for going out. Acid washes will probably be fashion pieces. Each brand will have one or two just so they can say they have it in their collection, but I’m guessing women may buy one or two pairs at most.

Women who research the process of getting a pair of acid-washed jeans might be a little horrified by the process. What’s a greener way to wear the trend? (Get old ones at consignment boutiques? eBay? Bash the crap out of them with rocks?)

I’m afraid I don’t know of a greener way to get the look. I mean, acid, it’s right there in the name of the trend. The link below suggests
hydrogen peroxide may work, but I don’t have any firsthand experience with how well, or if, it works:

http://greencottonblog.com/tag/bleach/

Some brands use ozone to achieve a faded look, so people could seek out brands that use this process rather than acid washing. That takes some research.

Acid-washing adds another step in a denim process that is already very water, chemical and energy-intensive. It’s an incremental increase in that process, so it’s not the worst thing in the world. And I do have to say that chemical companies that supply the industry are introducing more lower-impact products.

Many denim lovers do like to do their own styling and they’ll encourage you to use almost anything to get the look you want. Rocks, sandpaper, bleach, peroxide, tea to make stains, paint, grease and on and on. You could make a project out of doing your own styling using natural or lower-impact chemicals and methods.

Go buy a pair of raw or dark jeans and soak them in some warm water. If you wring them out a couple of times you’ll take out some of the color, which will definitely dye your hands as well. After they dry, hit ’em with the sandpaper and try the peroxide in spots or any other lower-impact bleaching agent you may have. It’s definitely a trial and error approach and you may want to start with a cheap pair before you dive in on your favorite jeans. Achieving a full acid-wash effect maybe pretty difficult this way, but it may be possible.

Even though we’re passing through a recession, denim sales are up. What makes denim so resilient in this economy?

People really see a lot of value in denim and it makes a lot of sense. Jeans have probably one of the longest shelf-lives of any apparel item. They last for years and over time, they sort of meld themselves to the person wearing them. Those creases, faded areas, a small hole on your back pocket – those things are like a fingerprint reflecting a little bit about you; it wouldn’t look the same on anyone else.

When the economy starting going south people looked for places to cut back. They determined they didn’t need those shoes or that perfume, but they had no problem justifying buying jeans even if they cost more than $200. And many lower-priced brands are able to achieve a great look these days, so people shopping at all price levels have a lot of options. There are a lot more choices than just Lee, Wrangler and Levi’s these days. It’s also a lot more acceptable to wear jeans in a range of social settings and situations these days.

It is interesting to me that jean sales have risen along with sales of so-called fast fashion from places like H&M, Forever 21 and Topshop. Those items don’t last as long and aren’t meant to, but people still buy. Obviously people expect their jeans to last a long time, so why can’t we convince them that a t-shirt should hold up at least a little better than it does?

What are some other potential denim trends you’ve seen at shows? Anything fresh and new?

Overall, jeans are going back to being more faded and washed out. You’ll hear it described as the vintage look. It will be the dominating trend this fall and the major brands and retailers will be betting big on denim. They’ve already started.

The post WWD Denim Expert Gives Advice on Acid appeared first on EcoSalon.

Chris Brogan, President of  New Marketing Labs

Social media’s newest darling (Twitter) has become a very important platform for eco-designers and boutiques to connect with the public and each other.

Women’s Wear Daily recently featured an in-depth look at fashion brands and how social media – Twitter included – is radically changing the way fashion brands engage with their customers online, forming “relationships with a community of customers, particularly consumers for whom the Web is as important as a limb.” (WWD boasts that its own Twitter page has grown to more than 688,000 followers from a measly 200 since its launch in February.)

Chris Brogan, a nationwide social media guru and President of Boston based New Marketing Labs, a media marketing agency, works with large and mid-sized companies to improve online business communications as well as helping individuals to use social media.

Brogan says a service like Twitter isn’t just a new marketing channel, it’s an opportunity to cut through the clutter and the worst of the traditional approaches and return to basic human interactions.

“Social media provides the ultimate in listening tools, so boutiques and designers can listen. Further, there are several free or cheap distribution and media making options available, so maybe you can invite in designers and those interested in fashion to have conversations,” says Brogan. “Imagine designing with a live cam running so that people could check in on progress, give opinions on changes, shape the projects in real time?”

As we become more invested in our clothing and see how much it can work for us, being implicated in its design isn’t just forward thinking, it’s smart.

“Imagine prototyping live on video without having to ship the product around for reaction,” says Brogan. “Imagine having private showings online where people could get an early opinion on whether or not they would be willing to buy a certain product before shipping.” He adds that other ways designers could involve the public is by having people commission certain designs in a crowd-sourced manner, using a tool like Chipin.

“The possibilities are endless,” says Brogan. From personal experience, I agree.

Some of my favorite eco-designers on Twitter whom I follow religiously include Doucette Duvall, cmarchuska, Lara Miller, Bahar Shahpar and Feral Childe. Eco-boutiques include Nimli, Greenloop, Pivot and Equita. These are designers and boutiques who will respond right away to you. How wonderful is that when you’re just starting to understand the worth of eco-fashion or, better yet, to get discounts and heads up on sales and events?

Got a question for me? I’ll be your switchboard operator to them when you find me @amytropolis. And be sure to follow @ecosalon for links, tips and ideas you don’t see on the blog.

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