Green Cotton

Photosource: Women’s Wear Daily

One night a year, the fashion industry’s most influential gather to fete the year’s stellar design achievements at the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Fashion Awards. This year’s ceremony took place on Monday, June 15, and honored both up-and-coming talent and contemporary legends.

The glamorous event, often called “the Oscars of Fashion,” attracted not only top designers but fashion-forward celebrities like Diane Kruger, Claire Danes and Blake Lively. Although it may not be the most eco-friendly of fashion events, the green fashion industry should still take note; like the seasonal runway shows, it’s vital for everyone in the industry to track cutting-edge trends and emerging talent. Honorees and winners alike are shaping fashion’s future—perhaps one day, even next year, some of your favorite eco-fashion designers will become CFDA award nominees. Whether you personally don these designers’ clothes or simply admire their skill and style from afar, the following artists are ones to watch:

Photosource: Women’s Wear Daily

Rodarte
Kate and Laura Mulleavy, sisters and design duo behind Rodarte, took home the coveted Womenswear Designer of the Year award. Relative newcomers on the scene (their line debuted in 2005), these girls from Pasadena have taken the runway, magazine pages and fashion blogs by storm. Their intricate knitwear, inspired by everything from ballerinas to Japanese horror films, has appeared on countless covers (including Vogue) and on icons like Michelle Obama (She wore Rodarte to meet Queen Rania of Jordan) and Natalie Portman (Her orchid-pink gown at this year’s Oscars? Rodarte). Expect upcoming designs to mirror Rodarte’s lookbook—their influence will be felt for years to come. Green Cotton mentioned Rodarte in last September’s New York Fall Fashion Week runway review, highlighting their edgy rock ‘n’ roll leather looks and funky shredded knits.
Official site:

Alexander Wang Spring 09 Collection. Photo source: lacouturiernyc

Alexander Wang
This young talent has come a long way since his intern days at Teen Vogue. Another Californian design star, this San Francisco native moved to New York at 18 and attended Parsons Design School; a short year later (in 2005), his eponymous collection was launched, and the fashion world took note. Fashion editors and fans swoon for his cashmere cardigans, distressed denim and oversized blazers and vests. This is the effortless, lived-in style Wang likes to call MOD: “Model-Off Duty.” Last year, Wang took home the Vogue/CFDA Fund; on Monday night, he became the CFDA Swarovski Womenswear Designer of the Year. Green Cotton discussed Alexander Wang’s Spring 2009 line during our fall runway review—we loved his boyfriend blazer paired with short-shorts and seriously sexy shoes.

Marc Jacobs
A worldwide fashion favorite, Marc Jacobs is known for revitalizing the Louis Vuitton brand—and for his own quirky lines, Marc Jacobs and Marc by Marc Jacobs. The brief story is that Marc became a fashion star in the ‘80s while still a student at Parsons. He launched Marc Jacobs in 1986, and in the following year won the CFDA’s Perry Ellis Award for New Fashion Talent, the youngest to ever do so. In 1992, the CFDA awarded him the Womenswear Designer of the Year award, and in 1997 Jacobs became Creative Director at Louis Vuitton. Jacobs has since put the luxury label on the tip of everyone’s lips, particularly thanks to his collaborations with the likes of Kanye West and Sofia Coppola. On Monday night, Jacobs snagged the International Award for his work at Louis Vuitton.

Anna Sui Spring 09 Collection. Photo source: www.whorange.net

Anna Sui
A fashion lover in Detroit who began crafting her own clothes at age four has grown to a design powerhouse with boutiques all over the world. The CFDA bestowed Anna Sui with the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement award. Her eccentric, rock ‘n’ roll and Victorian-inspired designs have earned rave reviews since her first runway show in 1991. Since then, Sui has become a star of the New York fashion scene and has gained a major cult following in Asia. Sui is another design favorite at Green Cotton—we reviewed her Spring 2009 collection, loving her bright, embellished “boho-chic” frocks that teetered on the edge of feminine sweetness and rockstar spunk.

Jason Wu
This former doll clothes designer didn’t come away as a big winner Monday night, but the young man who designed Michelle Obama’s now-famous inauguration gown can hardly complain. At 26 years old, he’s already launched a highly successful line that is carried by Bergdorf’s, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and more. And, oh yes, he can say he’s dressed the First Lady. Not too shabby, considering Wu debuted his eponymous line just three years ago. Wu may have lost the Swarovski Award to Alexander Wang, but his star is only just beginning to rise.

Photosource: Women’s Wear Daily

Michelle Obama
You know her, you love her, you just can’t get enough of her classy, all-American fashion sense. Neither can the CFDA. Our First Lady (Commander in Chic!) was awarded with the CFDA Board of Directors’ Special Tribute. Mrs. Obama could not attend the event but accepted the honor via video, which you can view on Style.com.  Obama expressed her gratitude and love for the CFDA community: “The ingenuity and craftsmanship of American designers contributes so much to our economy and to our culture.” She went on to say how honored she was to get to celebrate “the legends and future legends” and thanked American designers for “making fashion liberating, inspiring, but most of all, fun.”

To learn more about the CFDA, and for a full list of winners and nominees, visit www.cfda.com.

Green Cotton wants to hear from you! Who are your favorite American designers? And which eco-fashion designers would you like the CFDA to recognize?

By Erin Dale

Primary source: Women’s Wear Daily

Photosource: Jill Fehrenbacher. www.inhabitat.com

Green Cotton is excited to announce one of the greatest “hot ticket” Eco-Fashion events this Earth Day: The 3^rd annual Runway Show and Student Competition which will take place at “Project Earth Day” in New York City on Thursday in Lower Manhattan April 23rd, at 6 pm. Project Earth Day was created originally to celebrate NYC-based leadership in the fashion, interiors, and green building industries, and is featuring some of the most talented budding Eco-Fashion Designers as well as the most innovative brands making sustainable design in the fashion world today.

Bahar Shahpar is playing the role of stylist and co-producer for this event in partnership with the US Green Building Council (USGBC) and the New York Restoration Project (NYRP), guaranteeing the event will be a success and on the frontier of Eco-Chic Fashion.

The theme this year is ‘Through the Looking Glass: An Exploration of Scale and Proportion,’ explained by the organizers as a metaphoric play on dimension: “Our Wonderland is present-day New York City, viewed through a distorted lens – where big is small, small is big, and the worlds of building and fashion collide through an exploration of scale.”

The student competition gives new designers an opportunity to get great media coverage, be voted on by a distinguished panel of guest judges, and generate buzz about their new label or collection. Another function of Project earth Day, therefore, is to help those in the established Eco-Fashion world identify new talent. Last year’s winners assure us that picking this year’s winners’ will be challenging. Previous winners include Amira Marion, Maritza Romo de Fusco, Judy Lee, Ashley Newsome, and Daphne Woo.

2008 Grand Prize Winner: Amira Marion. Photosource: www.inhabitat.com

2008 Second Place Winner: Maritza Romo de Fusco. Photosource: www.inhabitat.com

Project Earth Day’s broad group of contributing sponsors reflects the growing understanding of how important sustainability, as well as fashion, are in our modern world. This event has the potential to have a broad effect on the Eco-Fashion world, and imbue an urban Eco-Chic feel to the most modern of trends. A limited number of tickets are still available, so if you could somehow make it to this event on Thursday, you would probably be doing yourself a favor!

Stay tuned for Green Cotton’s recap of this event at a later date!

By: Julia Rea

Green Cotton attended one of the premier Green expos in Boston last weekend, “Down:2:Earth”. The event was hopping with stimulating lectures such as “Why Are You Green?” by Meaghan O-Neill, editor of TreeHugger.com and PlanetGreen.com and “Edible Wild Plants and Mushrooms of New England” by Russ Cohen, expert forager and wild foods enthusiast.

Of most interest to us, and all you eco-Fashionista’s was the Runway show, featuring some of New England’s best emerging and establish eco-friendly designers and companies.

The Runway show (video clip above) featured Ibex, producer of Merino sportswear. Ibex sources their fabric from New Zealand farmers who are as devoted to their animals and sustainability. Ibex’s use of this ultra-soft, high performing fabric and their commitment to sustainability allow them to offer customers “the best of what nature and human ingenuity has to offer.”

Jute & Jackfruit, the online boutique devoted to providing the highest quality environmentally and socially conscious fashion, also took part in the runway show. Jute and Jackfruit presented a number of their hot new Spring collection including dresses and knitwear by Indigenous Designs and radiant dresses by Kelly Lane, each of which were paired with candy wrapper handbags by Nahui Ollin and silver soda pull tab handbags by Escama Studio.

Shannon Glasheen recently graduated from the Boston School of Fashion Design, and creates funky dresses and outfits made from reclaimed vintage fabrics and clothes. Each piece is one of a kind, very green and very hip.

WE ADD UP walked in the runway show with a sampling of their organic cotton t-shirts at the heart of their global campaign to get the word out about global warming. Every shirt is counted, representing people taking part in this battle. On the back of each shirt is a phrase that describes easy ways to reduce your personal carbon footprint – such as, Unplug, Carpool, Bike, and Hybrid. You can choose which action you will take daily to reduce greenhouse gases, and you will be added up! Their shirts are charming, ethically sourced, and support a great cause.

Helen Riegle showcased her unique organic, sustainable and cruelty-free handbags in gorgeous spring colors. Each handbag is meant to “challenge conventions, live responsibly, (and) embrace style.” We love Helen’s designs, which are clearly inspired by nature, while remaining beautiful, ethical and (importantly) practical. Helen Riegle bags are currently produced primarily in Costa Rica at a small factory with clean and safe conditions, devoted to paying employees living wages, vacation pay, healthcare, and other benefits.

Tara Lynn featured pieces from her Bridal eco-collection that were simply gorgeous. Made from all organic and sustainable fabrics such as hemp and cotton, the garments are more art than fashion. Tirelessly hand embroidered with beautiful flowers, they make one look like a woodland fairy! Tara Lynn runs her fashion studio on solar electricity and donates 5% of her profits to various environmental organizations, proving herself a true eco-fashionista, or “Earth Bitch” as she named her collection of wearable art jackets.

Other designers included 4March, a Cambridge-based luxury women’s wear design team and Ella Vickers, maker of designer handbags from recycled sailcloth. All designers featured in the fashion show radiated with unique style, color and form while demonstrating a strong commitment to sustainability and the environment.

D2E Expo in Sustainability continued all weekend with tasty food samples, interesting exhibitors, animal face painting, lectures, coffee, wine and beer,  and a whole lot more, coming together to result in a dynamic festival supporting a great cause. Green Cotton had a terrific time exploring and meeting the many wonderful vendors devoted to the environment in one way or another. Let’s hope that next year, D2E can attract even more visitors, as we Bostonians and New Englanders become more aware of and interested in our impact on the environment!