Eco fashion comes of age

With London Fashion Week having just past and the Esthetica exhibition, which showcases the best of sustainable fashion and aims to nurture eco talent, now an embedded fixture of the fashion week calendar, eco fashion has gained

greater fashion stature than ever before.

With Katherine Hammett’s political eco messages back in the 80’s, which at the time never resonated commercially, returning to the consciousness of fashion campaigners, how did this new green wave make such impact? Maybe on the back of the recession led windfall, retailers, consumers and designers alike are all buying into the idea of putting something good into the ever fickle fashion landscape; “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” as the old adage goes. Or, quite simply, many fashion conscious-types, starting adapting and customising old pieces, themselves, instead of putting them to the throwaway pile. And from there has this mass ‘upcycling’ trend escalated.

Enter Orsola De Castro, one half of sustainable fashion label, From Somewhere, who then took the popular demand of her label and gave it a whole new engine, forming Esthetica along with the British Fashion Council, now over 5 years ago. The unlikely event, as it was then viewed, has now become a must see feature in the London Fashion Week exhibition hall, with names to remember coming out of it including jeweller Joanna Cave, Pachacuti, hip brand Dr noki and newcomers Lu Flux. Young eco designers are also embracing new digital trends as notable Esthetica fixture and visionaire, Ada Zandition, introduces her latest line with a Thomas Knight’s directed fashion film, in line with other young mainstream
designers.

And where the success of sustainable talent and New Gen recipient, Christopher Raeburn, on the main designer circuit has opened up a previously closed door, the pre-conceptions of eco design as old, crusty and unfashionable have now been completely reversed. Raeburn once said that he doesn’t think of himself as an ‘eco’ designer. He is simply a fashion designer who likes to experiment and innovate by working out the ways in which reclaimed military fabrics such as vintage military parachute silk can be applied to luxury functional wear. So setting a new mindset, now to wear eco friendly clothes is hip, fashion forward and altogether du jour. And with sustainable fashion appearing at the top of the pyramid of course it too trickles down, so now we have the high street embracing this new fashion savvy phenomenon. As retailer, H&M has announced plans for eco friendly lines; following the Greenpeace campaign against the use of the toxin NPE in leading clothing brands, H&M have agreed to eliminate the use of hazardous chemicals from all production processes associated with its products by 2020. the company said: ‘H&M has the size and ability to act as a catalyst for change in the industry. H&M has also recognised the importance of cooperation; the industry must act together to achieve zero discharge.’ Whilst Marks and Spencer have named plans to make themselves the most sustainable high street retailer over the next 3 years.

And of course where there is a stir going on in the industry, the big celebrity wheel never takes too long to start turning, so now the red carpet at the world’s biggest award ceremonies, including last month’s Oscars, is full of eco design led famous faces. “Upcycling”, or the next wave of recycling, is not about simply sewing a mismatched button on to a jacket, patching a knee hole or hippy styling. Upcycling means high-end garments fashioned from ethical materials that don’t compromise on desirability.

And with students from leading design school, Central St Martins, now embracing this design direction, it seems eco and sustainable fashion is here to stay.

Image: Christopher Raeburn SS 12