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Feburary’s Hot Topic: Does Being “Green” Influence Your Fashion?
Posted: 01 February 2008 03:00 PM   [ Ignore ]
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The buzz these days, especially with New York Fashion Week underway, is the influence of “Green” on fashion—like in this Associatied Press article: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/life/stories/2008/02/01/2_FASHION_WEEK.ART_ART_02-01-08_D2_OU97JA9.html?type=rss&cat;=&sid=101. We’re talking organic fabrics, sustainable fabrics, repurposed materials, eco-friendly runways, and more.

More and more of us are trying to live greener lifestyles—so does being green affect your fashion and style choices? How so?

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Posted: 01 February 2008 03:56 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 1 ]
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No, not really. I usually try to find stuff thats not synthetic because of lower quality but never looked into organic cotton and the like. I should, but its so hard to find ones that are really cute and on clearance. Sometimes its just like, it never crossed my mind.

However when it comes to beauty and skincare, in the morning I use a homemade kosher salt and water cleanser thats really mild and feels awesome and its all natural.- much gentler than my night cleanser thats Juice Organics. I try to use as few synthetic products in skincare, and am looking toward makeup to also green my cosmetics as soon as they run out. I’m gonna try to remove parabens from my personal care, and sadly they seem unavoidable. I really want to make my own organic cream one day for myself, maybe using beeswax, lightweight oils such as jojoba and breakout preventing oils such as tea tree.

Juice Beauty/Juice Organics tinted moisturizers seem really nice, so I may be looking forward to that purchase. Tarte’s Natural Beauty Cheekstain and possibly some Korres or Aveda eyeliner and shadow. Alas, funds must be built up in my bank account for those things.... lol

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Posted: 02 February 2008 11:51 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 2 ]
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You’ve raise a good point, as many of us focus on going green with our beauty routines but haven’t made the leap with fashion—in part because the options are limited and the prices are not exactly budget-friendly much of the time! Being budget conscious and green at the same time isn’t easy (more on this topic at http://www.thebudgetecoist.com).

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Posted: 05 February 2008 02:03 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 3 ]
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The best way to wear green fashion on a budget is to shop resale.  This doesn’t have to mean thrift shops (although they are fun!).  There are some great designer resale boutiques out there.  You’re keeping clothing in circulation and out of the trash.

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Posted: 05 February 2008 06:38 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 4 ]
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Yeah, I donate everything to a thrift shop, and also am at the point where I tend to keep my clothes for a long time and never ever throw out an accessory.

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Posted: 06 February 2008 07:45 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 5 ]
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I’m all about resale shopping, and have found some great stuff, too—it is a really easy way to go easy on the environment. Trading with friends is another way to be green while changing up your wardrobe.

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Posted: 10 February 2008 01:10 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 6 ]
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So what do you think of the fashion industry’s efforts to “go green” with recent shows? Do you think they’re truly greening up, or preening to be on the cause bandwagon? I’m thinking the intentions may be good, but considering all the resources that go into glamming up a runway show, even one purported to be eco-conscious, I find it a bit of an oxymoron.

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Posted: 10 February 2008 04:30 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 7 ]
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I think it’s a little, if not a lot, about jumping on the bandwagon.  Let’s face it: designers aren’t interested in selling to the masses,
not directly anyway.

That said, will green clothes trickle down to the rest of us?

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Posted: 12 February 2008 03:34 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 8 ]
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Angela - 10 February 2008 01:10 PM

So what do you think of the fashion industry’s efforts to “go green” with recent shows? Do you think they’re truly greening up, or preening to be on the cause bandwagon? I’m thinking the intentions may be good, but considering all the resources that go into glamming up a runway show, even one purported to be eco-conscious, I find it a bit of an oxymoron.

I’ve wondered about this.
I mean, one way to reduce the trade deficit is to buy home made goods, which also reduces the transport needs. This way, we all win --the consumer who is supporting job growth here in the US, and also greenhouse emissions. Also, the US has way more environmental protection laws in place so that businesses have to do things like take care of waste management --whereas China --well, Shanghai is an incredibly polluted city.
Yet, I think a lot of the designers are still having their clothing made overseas and imported.

Riding on this same question ...
How can we be assured that what we’re buying wasn’t produced in a sweatshop either here or abroad?  Do we ignore really cheap clothes, perhaps buy less but more expensive?

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Posted: 15 February 2008 06:14 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 9 ]
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Hey Angela,
I read an article about EcoFashion today.
I think unless we really address the issue of source (as they do with organic foods), and see the advantages to producing and buying domestic materials and supplies, we can be “marketing green,” but only touch upon a corner of the issue. 

FYI… I’m supposed to be getting press credentials for Fashion Week in LA. There’s going to be a symposium on this, and I’ll try to make it there. I’ll be live blogging (oh… yipee).

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Posted: 15 February 2008 09:52 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 10 ]
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Hi Calliegirl—if you end up at LA Fashion Week, we’d love to hear back on the symposium—keep us posted, so to speak!

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Posted: 16 February 2008 06:00 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 11 ]
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I hope they say yes. Last year, my girlfriend (who covered the current events and local style scene for a small paper) got turned down. I guess because of the celebrities, there are loads of hanger-ons. So the check everyone out and turn away even some very good people.
Anyway, if I get it, I’m hoping all of you will go through the names of the designers and choose which ones you’d like me to blog.
Fingers crossed!  :)

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Posted: 18 February 2008 12:44 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 12 ]
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That’s a really good point about shopping at thrift shops and donating our old clothes-- I always make sure to give the clothes that I don’t wear anymore to Goodwill or Salvation Army. 

I really think that the whole Eco-Fashion thing is a trend right now.  It’s sad, but I really don’t see it as a genuine endeavor.  Think about how much money these designers are making off of these “green” clothes.  Eco-fashion is all about selling and buying an image, not saving the environment.  Inadvertently I suppose it’s a good thing, since the people buying the “green” designs are helping the environment in some way.  But still-- how many of those same people recycle?  How many of them refuse to use plastic silverware?  How many of them drive their cars/SUVs excessively? 

If we all chipped in by recycling or by using our cars less, then the environment would really see some benefits.  And besides, it wouldn’t require spending thousands of dollars, as buying eco-friendly clothes does.

Just my two cents :-)

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Posted: 18 February 2008 07:33 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 13 ]
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I really think that the whole Eco-Fashion thing is a trend right now.  It’s sad, but I really don’t see it as a genuine endeavor. 

I agree. I found this really great YouTube video on the whole “Shopping For Green” trend:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ft5SSIfmeKU

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