Thursday, September 8, 2011

Eco Fashion – How to be green and chic

Eco green fashion set created by Birkh.

Eco (or green) fashion is the most recent word that’s on everyone’s lips. Conscious consumers need to buy into it and fashion labels need to grab a touch of its selling potential. But what exactly is eco fashion, and most importantly, how can it help the environment?

Eco fashion is a term that may be used to explain any type of clothing that is made in a sustainable way (a way that minimizes the impact on the environment). It may also include fair-trade and ethical clothing, which frequently applies similar elements, as the link between peaople and their well being and health is usually inseparable from that of the environment. Here are a few of the most important ways that fashion and clothing can effect on the environment:

Insecticides employed in the cultivation of natural fibers – the cultivation of cotton uses large quantities of chemical insecticides, which have a number of environmental impacts that include health hazards to the people living in the neighborhood.

Chemical pollution / byproducts of textile manufacturing – chemicals from textile factories can enter the water and damage the flora and fauna, as well as pose a risk to the humans.

Textile waste – synthetic textiles are not bio degradable and represent a major dump problem all over the world. Even natural textiles produce CO2 as they break down.

Use of carbon-based fuels and production of CO2 – all produce and distribution of textiles uses traditional fules and produce CO2. The produce of artificial textiles is very fuel in depth.

There are a number of different eco fashion labels and initiatives that try to help minimizing some or all of these environmental impacts. They use natural organic fabrics like hemp, cotton, soy, bamboo, fabrics made using recycled materials, sustainable materials and the recycling and restyling of second hand garments. In the past, Eco fashion was considered clothing for the hippie, tree-hugging types, who did not care about style. But recently, Eco fashion has become extremely classy, with many of the top designers becoming concerned about the environment and trying to conceptualize sustainable lines, and also a massive amount of choice rising. You’ll find just about any eco fashion clothing item that you need, including recycled jewelry and organic cotton trainers.