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Mercedes Benz Fashion Week just plowed through Manhattan and has left New Yorkers with long wish lists for their spring 2014 wardrobes. Among the glamorous fashion shows, a few designers and textile companies took the time to hit the catwalk and put sustainability in the lime light.
The textile industry has a ways to go in terms of creating a more sustainable system. Often times textile projects can result in air pollution, water pollution and create extensive amounts of unsalvageable waste. This industry has come a long way in sustainability over the past decade by using recycled materials as the base for creating many manmade fabrics such as polyester and synthetic cotton. One material that is commonly used is plastic bottles. To support this effort the American Chemistry Council, created a vending machine that distributed a t-shirt designed by Allison Parris in exchange for a plastic bottle. This project was a hit among attendees and reinforced the importance of recycling for the textile industry.
In addition to the efforts on the sidewalk, the emphasis on green continued inside Lincoln Center as well. Cushnie et Ochs showcased it’s newest fiber, Sorona. This fiber uses 30% less energy and releases less than 63% of green house gas emissions than a traditional nylon process. This fabric offers designers a sustainable alternative to traditional petro-chemical fabrics. Innovations such as this are a great stylish stepping stones for new textiles and show the how studies being done in the lab can be put to use in the apparel industry.
Aside from educating fashion insiders, the sustainable start-up apparel company Modavanti.com, decided to bring their designs directly to the people. They set up flash mob style fashion shows around iconic areas in New York to display their Spring 2014 wears. This company determined to give their customers eco conscious fashion from head to toe. They have articles that sustain all kinds of conscience ideas from 100% vegan clothes to designs that are produced in the USA.
As always, fashion week never disappoints and with out fail leaves us wanting more. All of us at Eco18 are pleased to see the sustainable movement becoming a larger trend and are intrigued to see what’s in store for the fall presentations. What is one sustainable advancement that you would like to see in the next fashion week?
