Haute on Wheels – Trending in the Fashion Industry

August 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Though not exactly an initiative that is driven by eco-friendly sensibilities and the driving forces behind the implementation of sustainability in the fashion industry, a trend has recently taken root in the United States, taking shape in what can be best described as “Haute on Wheels”.

With an increase of American retailers ditching the traditional “brick and mortar” venues, a number of converted delivery trucks have been fitted as mobile boutiques, showcasing a diverse range of fashion and accessories products.

Haute on Wheels

New York-based fashion designer Joey Wolffer stands to be one of the many proponents of the “Haute on Wheels” trend, recently converting a 20-foot truck into a mobile store that showcases a unique and diverse range of vintage scarves, leather goods and singular jewelry items. Maximizing the upsides of a “mobile boutique”, Wolffer’s creations have been brought to further distances, reaching as far as Montreal and the rest of the Eastern Seaboard.

Propelled by its novelty value, as well as further “advertised” through the positive reception of its customers via online social media channels, the “haute on wheels” trend is gaining positive critical and commercial reception, a novel idea that inspires the “Why didn’t I think of that?” dictum.

With Wolffer being among the many brands and fashion houses implementing its mobile approach in showcasing fashion and apparel products, its applicability in the area of the eco-fashion industry cannot be ignored, with certain tweaks (say, perhaps the use of hybrid automobiles as opposed to diesel trucks), one which promises to be effective in furthering the goals and objectives of eco-fashion standards and trends.

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Polartec’s new Standing

August 15, 2012 by Leave a Comment

With its Polartec Power Dry fabric, Polartec is steadily gaining the attention of outdoor apparel brands, designers and manufacturers, given its fabric creation’s upsides on environmental sustainability.

Primarily developed as a fabric that inhibits the issues of bacterial growth and pegged to offset the necessity of “virgin” synthetic fibers in the making of outdoor proof fabrics, Polartec’s Power Dry fabric, simply put, bears all the upsides of a “virgin” polyester made product, sans the production waste and environmental introduction of toxins that are involved in its production.

Polartec

Brands such as Millet, with its Alpine Zip TS shirts utilize Polartec’s Power Dry fabric, along with other well known brands like The North Face (with its S/S Nihon) and Outdoor Research.

Given the demands often asked from in outdoor wear products, standard organic clothing items just can’t cut against the quick dry features and enhanced insulation benefits of their non-organic counterparts.

Polartec’s Power Dry fabric, appears to be a realistic and practical solution that addresses the concern of eco-friendly sustainability in the making of outdoor wear apparel items, thus its ascribed utilization in the upcoming release of a number of brands’ Spring/Summer collections.

As emphasis on the value in going eco-friendly and opting for sustainable production protocols and procedures have become more and more relevant to the signs of today’s times, different sectors in the fashion and apparel industry are not turning a blind eye to their responsibility to Mother Nature.

With Polartec’s Power Dry fabric, outdoor brands can readily make quality products that are well designed to weather the great outdoors, yet still be made with the ecosystem’s overall well being as a top priority.

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An Olympian’s Sustainable Sports Kit

August 14, 2012 by Leave a Comment

As everyone knows about how Abel Kirui from Kenya had recently bagged the Silver Medal in the recently conducted London 2012 Olympics, not everyone knows about his athletic gear/kit: sustainable sporting gear.

From the singlet Kirui had been wearing to the shoes worn during the event, sustainable sports gear made from recycled materials and products which had been developed in facilities which produce the lease amount of residue are the top of the Olympian’s gear, one which stands by the philosophies and upsides of thinking about the environment’s well being.

Here’s a quick look at Kirui’s sustainable sports kit.

Singlet – Kirui wore a singlet that had been made from recycled plastic bottles, one which is composed of 3 plastic bottle items. Grounded into thin flakes, the plastic bottle bits were then utilized and reshaped into fiber form, then spun to create the singlet.

Coloring was then care of a water-free dyeing process, one which owes its production to the Netherlands-based DyeCoo, the famed company to first offer waterless dyeing techniques commercially.

Shoes – Wearing the Nike Flyknit Racer shoe, Kirui managed to run comfortably and at his best, with a pair of shoes that had been developed for comfort and overall structural support, all made under the strictest production standards of using only what is necessary and producing the most minimal of material waste in the process.

Dubbed as “knitted running shoe uppers”, the Nike Flyknit Racer is an impressive shoe that provides its wearers the most lightweight and durable running shoes they could encounter, along with the upsides of its eco friendly production processes and protocols.

Though wearers of sustainable sporting gear may not become instant Olympic Athletes, they are sure to become instant champions heralding a new age of eco-friendly and sustainable options for active athletic gear and apparel.

Sources: 2012 Olympics, Nike

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Lila Organics – For the inner ethic-chic yogi

July 28, 2012 by Leave a Comment

As a brand catering to the clothing needs of active yoga enthusiasts, Lila Organics is one with readily satisfies wants and needs, allowing yogis to not only look good, but to also feel good in knowing that what they are wearing is made under the strictest of eco-sustainable production norms and conventions.

Founded by Leticia Franchi, the brand is now based in Washington DC, brining its Buenos Aires roots in all of its designs and creations.

With select products which are cut and designed to look good on any type of body form/type, Lila Organics’ products are built to be durable, comfortable and lightweight, factors which often stand as markers in defining quality yoga-wear products.


As a yoga instructor, Franchi is well aware of what the stresses of yoga can do to yoga-wear, keeping that experience in mind when Lila Organic’s products are designed, produced and released.

Utilizing organic cotton, organic hemp, bamboo and soy blends in the creation of fabrics and textiles, Lila Organic’s product highlights would include its Maternity line, with products made to ideally fit women during the pregnancy phase and also designed to be wearable after the pregnancy period’s transition.

With its organic inclinations, Lila Organic’s products lives up to its name, with Lila a derived play from what the word means in Sanskrit and in Swahili. “Cosmic” in Sanskrit and “Good” in Swahili, Lila Organic’s products are designed to maximize comfort when being worn, comfortably hugging bodies without any constrictions.

For the active yogi, Lila Organic is one brand that offers truly balanced products, where form and function are at their best.

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Russia’s First Eco Fashion Week

July 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment

With eco-fashion sensibilities rapidly gaining momentum in different parts of the world, a number of nations are celebrating their organized debut eco fashion week festivities, as others have been doing for years.

Moscow’s First Eco Fashion Week would be one of the most recently organized.

Held at the Botanical Apothecary’s Garden in Moscow State University, the first Eco Fashion week in Russia highlighted the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” practice, to the tune of what ethical and eco-friendly standards are noted for.


Featuring a number of eco-developed products, the celebration also brought classes geared to endorse the best practices of sustainable planting, along with sewing classes, which are more inclined spreading sewing techniques and principles pertaining to the creation of eco-friendly fashion items.

Some 18 months prior to the actual event, the Russian Environmental Movement known as ECA had organized an Eco Fashion Weekend dubbed “Go Green!”. The event proved to be a success, leading to the inception of the Eco Fashion Week.

Being Russia’s first Eco Fashion Week, the event aimed to spread the upsides of eco-awareness, in helping maintain the world’s ecologic balance to be free from toxic compounds and elements.

Headed by Marina Kokorina, the Eco Fashion Week did well in living up to its eco-friendly inclinations, standing as a noteworthy hallmark for the eco-fashion industry as a whole.

“Our plans are to develop the Russian Eco Fashion Week as a separate brand into an important annual event held by our movement. Now that the week is over, we are planning to stage a whole range of other events – workshops, conferences, mini fashion shows as part of other events – during the year running up to the next Eco Fashion Week,” shared Kokorina.

With more and more brands sporting eco-friendly inclined advocacies into their day to day operations, more and more nations are organizing their eco fashion week versions, in support for the cause backed by eco-friendly and eco-sustainable standards and norms.

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The EFF’s Source Awards 2012

July 18, 2012 by Leave a Comment

The final application deadline for the Ethical Fashion Forum-organized Source Awards 2012 is slated to happen on July 31, 2012.

Brands boasting eco-friendly standards in the creation of fashion and apparel products are encouraged to take part in this year’s Source Awards, which remains to be one of the world’s most respected awards for ethical fashion.

Free to enter and not limited to business organizations, the Source Awards also calls for individuals who are engaged in the design, development and release of eco-friendly products.


Steered by the Ethical Fashion Forum, this year’s Source Awards highlights includes categories touching up on brand leadership over men’s/women’s/children’s wear, design innovation, individual contribution, manufacturing and retail processes/operations.

As an award, the Source Awards recognizes the most inspirational and most innovative individuals, business organizations and/or initiatives which are inclined to further propel the eco-sensible and eco-sustainable standards in the fashion industry.

Not just an award positioned to merit brands with aesthetic medals, the Source Awards represents the growing concern and active involvement of various players in the fashion and apparel industry, focusing on the overall impact and future implications linked with the ecologically unstable and unsafe production sites and manufacturing standards.

Given the fact that sustainable standards in the development of fashion items are relevant and important in keeping Mother Earth’s ecologic balance in check, the Source Awards recognizes and gives due merit to those who are constantly innovating and finding environmentally safer and better ways of producing fashion products.

With the increasing demand for clothing and accessories items, going eco-friendly stands to be a choice which fashion industry players have to think about, given the potential damage it could cause if left unchecked.

More than just an award, the Source Award is a bastion that stands up for Mother Earth.

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Eco-fashion Criteria – Brief Definition of Terms

July 16, 2012 by Leave a Comment

As broad and as generic the term “eco-fashion” is, a number of terms linked to its production, development and release have come about, geared to help users better understand the products offered to them.

However, as many and as diverse as these terms are, many consumers find themselves confused over these criteria.

If you’re among the many who are lost with what eco-fashion criteria terms mean, here’s a brief definition of terms touching up on the most commonly encountered eco-fashion terms/criteria.

Artisan/Craft-Class Products – Artisan or Craft-class eco-fashion products are products which involve the skills of talented artisans, like embroidery or traditional fabric/textile staining processes.

As eco-fashion products, they are often valued because of the non-involvement of machinery in their creation.

Vegan – to the tune of vegan sensibilities, vegan eco-fashion products are made without the involvement of any animal-derived materials like leather or any form of animal tissue.

One popular eco-friendly vegan eco-friendly product would be “vegetal leather jackets”, which are derived from the use of rubber plants, in the creation of a leather substitute.

Fair Trade Certified – when a given eco-fashion brand/product is “Fair Trade Certified”, the certification means that the brand/product don’t advocate the exploitation of workers, promoting the codes and standards of ideal international labor terms.

Fair Trade primarily focuses on how goods are exported to developed nations from developing nations, and ensures that production facilities and production manpower terms are well within fair and humane grounds.

Organic – as the definitive criteria for eco-fashion products, organic items are simply identified as products made with natural materials, whose development/harvesting doesn’t involve any chemicals and/or pesticides.

Recycled – with recycled eco-fashion products, anything that is made with reused materials falls into the recycled criteria. From fibers to reworked clothing items, recycled eco-fashion products are often paired with organic standard products.

So there you have it. A brief description of the most commonly encountered eco-fashion terms. Do well in keeping the abovementioned definitions in mind when you’re out to beef up your eco-fashion wardrobe.

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Lenzing’s MicroModal Edelweiss Review

July 13, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Implementing an environmentally sound and safe production process, Arula Textile Solutions and Hermann Bühler AG are the first manufacturers to come up with production-grade samples of Lenzing’s MicroModal Edelweiss, a type of fabric/fiber which features impressive softness and color brilliance without any eco downsides.

Similarly performing with Lenzing’s conventional Modal fibers, the MicroModal Edelweiss is produced under chemical process terms which don’t require the involvement of oxygen, which translates to better environmental implications. With more brilliant colors and with softer end results, the fiber is pegged to be the material of choice which suits best with the special ecological requirements of certain brand names and their followers.


“Throughout the entire production process, attention can be paid to environmental protection,” shares Andreas Dorner of Lenzing.

“This technology combined with environmental advantages, such as carbon-neutrality, a low need for land and a replenishable raw material of natural origins, makes Lenzing Modal Edelweiss truly an ecological fibre,” Dorner further shares.

With the popularity of Lenzing’s products, the release and production standards of the MicroModal Edelweiss is one which comes as great news for the eco-friendly fashion and clothing industries.

Lenzing’s Tencel and Modal, among its cellulosic-type fibers, have been phenomenal successes, with their demand figures having tripled since year 2000, found being utilized in the creation of various roducts, from home textiles, sportswear products (blended variations) and children’s clothing.

With the rising demand for Lenzing’s Modal fiber, the new MicroModal Edelweiss promises to make a difference in the fiber production industry, with eco-sensibility being at the core of its production’s operational flow and dynamic.

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Fabrics as Power Sources for Electronics

July 11, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Though not exactly something which can be described as made with organic materials, Xiaodong Li and post-doctoral associate Lihong Bao of the University of South Carolina are exploring the potential of fabrics as power sources for low-power devices such as mobile phones.

“We wear fabric everyday. One day, our cotton t-shirts could have more functions: for example, a flexible energy device that could charge your cell phone or your iPad,” shares Li, pertaining to the work he is developing with Bao.


Li, Bao and the rest of the team have invested studies and research pertaining to the extended functional aspects of clothing items, delving into its potential as a power source for charging the batteries of mobile consumer electronics.

With one study utilizing a regular t-shirt purchased from a discount venue, the researchers had immersed the shirt in a fluoride solution, followed by drying and baking it at high temperature degrees, ensuring that oxygen wasn’t present in the baking process to prevent the fabric from burning up.

The result, as viewed through an infrared spectroscopy, leaves behind a fabric with activated carbon, yet maintains its inherent material flexibility. With activated carbon on textiles acting like double-layer capacitors or supercapacitors, the fabrics are promising as energy storage mediums, given the fact that such capacitors can accumulate and store high energy densities.

Though far from being done, Li and Bao’s research promises a lot of upsides in the utility of fabrics, making them more than just items for protection against the elements, but also items of utility which wearers will find truly handy.

All in all, what Li and Bao are looking into is developing a shirt that can be used to charge a mobile phone.

How convenient is that?

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The Better Cotton Initiative – Empowering Eco-sensible Communities

July 5, 2012 by Leave a Comment

When talking about organic fashion, organically grown cotton crops are often the first aspects to be talked about, given how organically grown cotton is pivotal in the creation of eco-sensible fashion and apparel items.

As such, emphasis and value to be found in organizations founded to propel healthier and more environmentally sound crop growth practices remains to be important in the organic clothing industry, with the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) being one of the World’s most recognized and respected.

The Better Cotton Initiative – Empowering, not Dictating

As an organization, the Better Cotton Initiative is one which endorses voluntary programs tailor cut to help farmers address the healthier and safer ways and means of growing cotton.

Advocates in the adaptation of environmentally sound solutions, the Better Cotton Initiative also endorses a more economical approach in organic cotton crop growth practices, given the often ascribed cost that is linked with growing cotton organically.

With voluntary program modules touching up on the best practices of cotton cultivation, the programs highlighted by the Better Cotton Initiative bear degrees of importance and impact in economic benefits and environmental implications for farmers.

Primarily an international multi-stakeholder initiative, the Better Cotton Initiative is also present in various conventions and seminars, connected with industry experts who know the value in recognizing issues – big or small – related to the crop production of cotton.

Helping farmers develop a relevant crop management system, the Better Cotton Initiative streamlines the organic cotton sourcing needs of eco-friendly clothing makers, making the widespread availability of organic cotton products a possible thing.

In helping the organic fashion industry, the Better Cotton Initiative takes a hands-on approach in facilitating the overall production of better cotton crop running tasks and initiatives.

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