Green is the New Black

The green craze has been running rampant since its inception in a Hollywood marketing office a few years ago (of so my theory goes).
In the fashion industry, green equals green (dollars that is). There are those designers and companies taking careful stock of their environmental impact, making sometimes costly changes to their production system, while the big chain stores go on mass producing cheap clothes. The unfortunate side effect being it seems that only the wealthy are capable of saving the environment. (Over the past few months, McDonald's is one of the few 'recession-proof' companies. Anyone else notice the uncomfortable parallel between cheap food and cheap clothes?)

"It's a catch 22," says Alice Demirijian, Director of Fashion Marketing at Parsons at The New School. "To be truly sustainable is to buy less." Designers are well aware they need to educate consumers to make a business out of sustainable fashion. Not only do they need to differentiate themselves from other green designers (especially from eco-posers), and spread the word about the virtues of greening the industry, they also need to compete with non-eco-products, which tend to be more reasonably priced. This is why marketing is key for these labels. But there is a difference between informing customers and outright fibbing about environmental claims, also known as greenwashing. According to many environmentalists and critics of this practice, marketers often employ tactics that paint products greener than they actually are. -Fast Company
To be fair, some of the pricier green options are due to the company going green in a big way, like only buying organic cotton of wool from free-range alpacas. A more practical approach would be simply re purposing recyclable materials or that bolt of unused fabric from two seasons ago. Here are some Very creative examples.


Here's the reality check: You can shell out for a top from Banana Republic's green line that debuted in Spring 2008. Both the product and the packaging have been made form sustainable fibers and the store itself is using energy-efficient light bulbs. Banana Republic is know for it's classic styles, so it could be a green purchase in that you will wear it for years. Or you can swing by your local thrift store and go rack-diving for a 'vintage' piece. Recycling clothes is the obvious green solution, with no manufacturing or packaging involved. It's all about finding a shade of green that will fit your budget.