The Rapanui Sale

rapanui-organic-clothing-saleDo not miss the Rapanui Sale with up to 40% off on selected style.

Based on the Isle of Wight Rapanui champions eco fashion with organic clothes made from organic cotton, bamboo and eucalyptus. Rapanui‘s organic clothes are certified to Fairtrade or GOTS standards; but also made in factories powered by wind and solar renewable energy.  Each Rapanui’s product has a traceability map tracing the entire product supply chain from the planting of the seed, the processing of the fabric, manufacturing, energy use and transport.

Eco Fashion : Livia Firth and Gucci’s “Deforestation-Free” Leather Bag

Photo: GUCCI via Telegraph.co.uk

Photo: GUCCI via Telegraph.co.uk

While the use of leather in fashion is questionable, the latest eco fashion collaboration between Livia Firth and Gucci is worth mentionning.

Their new bag is 100 per cent traceable and free of links to deforestation. Leather and deforestation? That’s when this story becomes interesting.

Brazilian ranches represent the biggest commercial herd of cows. Leather is a direct bi-product of this industry. According to Lucy Siegle “One cow hide makes approximately 40 pairs of sandals or 30 small bags, while a medium-sized ranch ‘processes’ 80,0000 cows a year.” Cattle ranches have expanded rapidly encroaching on rainforest land and Lucy Siegle mentions that their activities are now driving three quarters of all tropical deforestation. Greenpeace “Slaughtering the Amazon” report states that “the cattle sector in the Brazilian Amazon is the largest driver of deforestation in the world, responsible for 14% of the world’s annual deforestation”.

Enter Livia Firth, Gucci and National Wildlife Federation. Working together they have teamed up with a Brazilian cattle farm, helping them work more efficiently without cutting down trees.

The result is this new Gucci fully traceable deforestation-free leather bag that will set you off a little bit over £1000.

With only 250 bags currently being produced this is unlikely to save much of the rainforest in itself but it could be a high profile way to highlight a important issue and support the efforts fo National Wildlife Federation to stop deforestation of the Amazon.

Eco Fashion : Oscars 2013 Naomie Harris in Michael Badger

85th Annual Academy Awards - Naomi Harris

Eco Fashion graced the red carpet last night at the 2013 Academy Awards. Skyfall actress Naomie Harris donned an eco gown by Michael Badger as part as the 4th annual Red Carpet Green Dress Challenge. The Red Carpet Green Dress is an international dress design contest started by Suzy Amis Cameron, environmental advocate and wife of Director James Cameron.

Michael Badger mentored by Vivienne Westwood, created a gown made from certified organic silk crepe de chine using recycled zippers, vintage glass beads and chocolate candy wrappers. The dress was dyed with goldenrod and chamomile and was inspired by volcanoes and the appearance of flowing lava. (source: Grazia)

Helen Hunt also opted for more affordable eco dress with a midnight blue strapless gown in silk satin from H&M’s Conscious collection.

Helen Hunt Oscar 2013

image via Grazia Daily

 

 

 

Eco Fashion Friday

eco_fashion_fridayEco Fashion Friday is about thinking about what we wear one day a week. What we buy, where the clothes come from, what they are made from, who they are made by. And not just clothes, but shoes and accessories too.

Eco Fashion Friday is the new Dress Down Friday. Its aim is to do for sustainable fashion what Meat Free Mondays hasdone in getting people to think about what they eat and its impact on the planet.

A series of weekly challenges have been set. Start at the beginning, or start anywhere. Have fun. And share what you wear and why you wear it.

Eco Fashion Friday was created by Salterbaxter, a sustainability strategy and communications agency, and born out of ‘If Only’, our own CR programme.

To get us thinking about what eco fashion is, Salterbaxter have set themselves a series of 10 weekly challenges. Each Friday, they are going to undertake one of these challenges. They will be posting pictures of items that we wear on this site. You can also follow them on Instagram and Twitter. Salterbaxter want to get as many people as possible thinking about eco fashion each Friday – take part, take a picture of what you’re wearing, share it with them and your friends using the hashtag #ecofashionfriday. And please let  them know your stories of what you’ve learnt through doing the Eco Fashion Friday challenges. If you are taking part in the challenge, as an individual or as a company, let them know, and they’ll list you as a Eco Fashion Friday-ista!

Weekly Challenges -

1) Wear something from your wardrobe you don’t normally wear – so old it’s new!

2) Wear something second-hand or vintage

3) Wear something with a story

4) Wear something organic – or from a new fibre such as soy bean, nettle or milk

5) Wear something by a small local designer

6) Wear something repurposed/upcycled or customized – by yourself or someone else

7) Wear something FairTrade

8) Wear something British made

9) Wear something that you or someone you know has made

10) Wear your favourite item of clothing which matches any of these challenges

Find out more

See our selection of eco fashion

Eco Fashion – Green Carpet Challenge Goes Vintage at the BAFTAS

GCC_BAFTAS2013

Eco Fashion hits the red carpet at the BAFTAs as the Green Carpet Challenge teams up with  WilliamVintage!

Emilia Fox  (right) donned a 1958 Givenchy haute couture strapless black silk gown with trailing sash detail while Helen McCrory (left) looked stunning in a 1963 Givenchy haute couture gown, made from princess-cut ice blue and silver silk brocade.

Also taking on the Green Carpet Challenge (GCC) were Claudia Winkleman in a 1978 Yves Saint Laurent black cloque silk dress with a marabou feather trim and Ophelia Lovibond in a 2004 Lanvin in black lace gown with a fanned train made from black lace and silk.

WilliamVintage specialises in Vintage Haute Couture travelling around the world to find beautiful pieces and bring them back to life. In an interview with GCC owner William Banks-Blaney mentions that his “greatest find was 17 pieces of the 1967 Courreges haute couture collection in a barn in Devon”. Love It!

(via Eco Age)

Eco Fashion – PETA UK Vegan Fashion Awards 2013

bo-carter-most-talented-designer

PETA UK Vegan Fashion Awards 2013 celebrates some of the best cruelty-free eco fashion creations on the market.

From the catwalk to the high street, the range of cruelty-free clothing available right now is truly exciting. The writing’s on the wall: ethical wardrobes have gone mainstream. More and more fashion lovers want to know that their beautiful outfit doesn’t conceal an ugly secret — the cruel abuse and slaughter of animals.

This year, PETA have teamed up with celebrity designers Sadie Frost and Meg Mathews to launch their first-ever PETA UK Fashion Awards. The winners include Vivienne Westwood, Stella Mc Cartney, Adidas, Top Shop etc.. They show just how easy it is to get the look of leather, fur, wool, silk, down and exotic skins without harming a hair on an animal’s head. Bo Carter (pictured above) was voted Most Talented New Designer.

PETA_Approved

PETA also unveiled a new Vegan Logo for designers and retailers to identify the products they are selling. Right now this is only being rolled out in the UK (Vegactu.com).

See full list of winner here

Eco Fashion – Stella Mc Cartney Red Nose Day Collection

Stella Mc Cartney Red Nose Day

Stella Mc Cartney has designed a capsule collection of T-shirts in celebration of Red Nose Day on Friday March 15. The range – which is for both adults and children – is available to buy exclusively from TK Maxx stores and online now, with a percentage of profits going towards Comic Relief.

“I admire the Red Nose Day Team and their achievement for this incredible worthwhile cause,” said McCartney. “To be able to be a small part of supporting that, is extremely rewarding.”

Each T-shirt has been manufactured in Africa using 100 per cent Fairtrade-certified organic cotton. Styles feature popular culture icons, including Marilyn Monroe, The Beatles, Tommy Cooper and Kate Moss – the latter of whom will model the collection herself, along with David Walliams, for a promotional campaign photographed by Helena Christensen and Mary McCartney.

Prices start at £5.99 for a children’s T-shirt and £9.99 for adult sizes.

This article was originally published on Vogue.co.uk

Eco Fashion – Bond Girl Naomie Harris to Wear ‘Red Carpet Green Dress’ at the Oscar

naomi-harris-daniel-craig

via Red Carpet Green DressEco Fashion gets under the spotlight as Bond Girl Naomie Harris will wear this year’s design For ‘Red Carpet Green Dress’ during the Oscar ceremony.

The dress was created By Competition by ‘Red Carpet Green Dress’’s Winner Michael Badger And Vivienne Westwood.

Harris rocketed to international stardom opposite Daniel Craig with the November release of Skyfall, the most recent James Bond installment.  The London-born actress is certainly no stranger to blockbusters as she has occupied starring roles in Michael Mann’s Miami VicePirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.  Since her first major breakthrough performance in 2002 with Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later, she has appeared on the stage in Boyle’s London production of Frankenstein opposite Johnny Lee Miller and has received numerous awards, nominations and critical acclaim.  Next up for Harris is the Nelson Mandela biopic Long Walk To Freedom in which she stars as Mandela’s controversial second wife, Winnie.

“I’m thrilled to be representing Red Carpet Green Dress by wearing this beautiful design to the Oscars next month,” says Harris. “I look forward to meeting contest winner Michael Badger and working with Dame Vivienne Westwood and her couture team as part of this exciting project.”

Harris will wear a gown designed by Michael Badger, the Ghanian born fashion student at Atlanta’s Savannah College of Art & Design who was recently announced as the winner of this year’s competition.  Construction of the gown is set to begin promptly in Vivienne Westwood’s London-based studio where Badger will work alongside Westwood’s couturiers while being mentored by Vivienne directly through the creation of his design.

This year the campaign is collaborating with the Cradle To Cradle Products Innovation Institute, a non-profit organization that helps businesses create products that are safe for people and the environment through their globally recognized Certification Program.  Cradle To Cradle will ensure that this year’s design remains free of toxic chemicals and other negative environmental impacts by assessing it across the five following categories: material health, material reutilization, energy use, water stewardship, and social responsibility.  As a result, the gown’s level of “greenness” or “sustainability” will be made solidly quantifiable by receiving C2C Certification.

Eco Fashion : Bradley Cooper in Eco Tux by Tom Ford

Image via eco-age.com

Image via eco-age.com

Livia Firth kicked off her Eco Fashion 2013 Green Carpet Challenge at the Golden Globes with Bradley Cooper wearing an eco tux designed by Tom Ford.

In her blog Livia Firth writes ” The suit was made from OEKO-TEX® certified, low environmental impact, European spun and woven wool suiting. As GCC fans will know, while we love the glitz and the excitement of the red carpet, we are fascinated by the supply chain and this project gave us the chance to engage with a world-renowned mill and certification process to create a beautiful fibre that stands the test of time. “

We look forward to this year’s unfolding of the Green Carpet Challenge. Is there any celeb you would like to take part this year?

Vanessa Paradis – The New face of H&M Conscious Clothing

There is a new face in the world of eco fashion and organic clothing as H&M said it has tapped French singer and actress Vanessa Paradis as the face of its Conscious collection of environmentally sustainable clothing.

Paradis, who previously starred in advertisements for Chanel’s Coco perfume and Rouge Coco lipstick, poses in H&M outfits including a khaki utility jacket with embellished pockets and botanical print pants.

The women’s collection, which includes accessories, is made from more sustainable materials such as organic cotton and recycled polyester.

The Swedish high street retailer is producing similar lines for men and children. The Conscious collections will go on sales in H&M stores worldwide and online in late March, coinciding with the launch of a previously announced garment collecting campaign.

“I like being part of something like the Conscious collection at H&M,” stated Paradis. “I try my best to shop consciously, and vintage is very much part of my wardrobe. I love the style and it works in an eco-friendly way because I like to use and reuse old clothes.”

H&M regularly uses celebrities from David Beckham to Lana Del Rey in its advertising campaigns. Last year, it upped the profile of the Conscious collections by designing red carpet looks for celebrities like Michelle Williams, who wore a gown from the line to the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards.

Via WWD