Eco Dressing Revolution
Long gone are the days when eco friendly fashions were restricted to
extravagant hippie designs or bland, style-less attire. Thankfully,
fashion has undergone something of an ecological revolution and now
there are plenty of more appealing ways to look after the environment
while thinking about your new winter wardrobe.
This change within the fashion world has no doubt been inspired in part
by two highly influential female instigators. Firstly, Vivien Westwood
has made her views about the protection of the planet, and the role of
the individual in that mammoth task, very public indeed. She has even
made rare television appearances on shows such as Friday Night with
Jonathan Ross in order to broadcast her message further. Famous for the
use of slogans in her designs, needless to say her clothes designs also
emphasize her beliefs. Secondly, Stella McCartney is passionate about
fair trade, eco friendly designing and cruelty free clothes production.
She too has gone to great lengths to publicise her views and has used
her influence within the fashion world to inspire the changes we witness
today.
Growing concern over the environment is also visible in our favourite
high street stores. Large department stores, such as Marks & Spencer,
now offer eco branded lines, which at least allow customers to make a
more informed choice on the products they buy. Popular brands such as
New Look and Monsoon have also published full codes of conduct, again
making information accessible and open to public criticism. At the very
least, we are being given the information we need to be able to choose
where to shop and where to avoid.
Recycled materials are being used more and more often, particularly in
denim designs. Eco slogans on sweatshirts, T-shirts and badges are
trendier than ever. There is an increasing number of eco specialist
fashion brands emerging every day, from the very expensive Westwood and
McCartney haute-couture end of the market right down to the everyday
essentials - from women’s dresses to men’s suits to lingerie - available
on our local high streets. New Look, for example, adopts many trends
from the catwalk shows and transfers them as more wearable versions for
those with a little less of a budget! Have a look at their website for
their eclectic range of
women’s dresses. With more and more information
being made available to us about the clothes we buy, it is now up to us
to arm ourselves with as much of it as possible in order to make the
right choices for the environment.
