Eco Friendly Fashion: Trend or Fad?

Eco Friendly Fashion - Is going green and becoming eco-friendly in the world of fashion a trend that will gain momentum or a fad that will soon die out???

In an industry that deals in weaving dreams of oh so chic, the unattainable, the outlandish, outrageous, and breathtakingly beautiful, is it realistic to think that eco-friendly fashion will catch on with high-end luxury designers and design houses? A better question, are consumers who purchase high-end luxury merchandise really all that concerned with whether or not the merchandise is eco-friendly?

The Greenshows is the only fashion event during New York's Fashion Week committed to eco-friendly fashion. Now in its second season, the 4 day event showcased Fall/Winter 2010 Collections from 10 eco friendly Designers hailing from New York, London, Stockholm, Nova Scotia, Toronto, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

The selected designers incorporate one or more of the follow criteria: vegan/animal-free materials, fair trade, organic materials, recycled materials, ethically produced wool, natural dyes, and carbon footprint consciousness.

London Fashion Week's Estethica, is the British Fashion Council's eco sustainable initiative founded four years ago to showcase the growing movement of cutting edge designers committed to working eco sustainably, and is now considered the epicenter of London's ethical fashion industry.

Now in its 8th season Estethica will showcase 28 designers devoted to eco-friendly fashion. All Estethica designers adhere to at least one of the three Estethica principles of fair-trade and ethical practices, organic and recycled materials and are selected for both their ethical credentials and design excellence.

I have to mention that these initiatives although noteworthy and noble are not part of what is considered high fashion or high-end luxury brands and the shows are separate from “Official Fashion Week”.

From what was seen recently on the catwalks of Bryant Park during last week's New York Fall/Winter 2010 Fashion Week, eco-friendly fashion didn't appear to be a term in their vocabulary. Lush Furs, Supple Leathers, Gorgeous Suede's, Cozy Shearling, and Feathers Galore all made an appearance in numerous shows throughout the week.

If eco-friendly fashion is to flourish, let alone appear in abundance on main catwalks, high-end designers, consumers and the sponsors of Fashion Week will have to shift their collective consciousness to become more eco-friendly and green.