The Green Initiative Humanitarian Fashion Show

From the Lilikoi Collection by Barbara Boswell, Photo Courtesy of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

Eco Fashion: How green is green?

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week decided to show a different side of luxe. Fashionistas, fashion writers, ne'er do wells, and celebs gathered for a showing of eco-fashion presented at The Green Initiative Humanitarian Fashion Show by The Gallery Los Angeles, Inc. The Gallery L.A. is a public relations and marketing group whose mission is to promote a global awareness of sustainable living and eco-awareness. This single show brought together six designers from the US and Canada, with lines that are manufactured via ethical means, and use recycled and organic fibers.

The show had a good vibe, it even smelled good and there were small vases of bamboo on either side of the runway. There were dancers, percussionists, even children. But still, there was something nagging us on this fourth day of fashion. This show brought many to a halt to start asking questions about what's been fed to us about green. After all, it wasn't lost on us, that most had spent 90 minutes in choking smog to get to a venue to see green fashion. That in fact right outside the door were thousands of plastic bottles of water, some of which had been abandoned mid-sip.

Yes, we understood the importance of not using 10 year olds to make those $9.99 t-shirts. We are cognizant of using new technologies to make fibers from bamboo, hemp, organic cotton, and even recycled soda pop bottles. We're aware of sustainable farming methods. But the questions we have are related to transport, as well as sourcing materials and manufacturing. But how green is green?

Perhaps the abundance was first apparent in the large swag bags on each seat. This clearly wasn't a nuts and oats type deal, like going to a nouveau hippie eat-in in Santa Cruz. We nudged through the bag and found a t-shirt, skin care, loads of paper. As the lights dimmed and the show began, we asked ourselves, where were these garments made? Where is the fabric milled? Are we creating jobs here in the US? Is the greenness of a garment negated by throwing it on a cargo ship, especially with rising pollution levels in China?

Our skepticism was justified.We know now that many green alternatives have a downside that doesn't necessarily make it the benevolent solution as touted by branding experts. Ethanol has been shown to require large amounts of natural resources and also drive up the price of corn. Cloth diapers take a large amount of water to clean and sterilize. Though the carbon footprint when shipped in large amounts in a cargo container could be construed as small, what about the factory emissions? After all, with pollution a growing problem in China, as reported in the NY Times --are we too accepting of this image of greenness?

"China’s problem has become the world’s problem. Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides spewed by China’s coal-fired power plants fall as acid rain on Seoul, South Korea, and Tokyo. Much of the particulate pollution over Los Angeles originates in China, according to the Journal of Geophysical Research."

That we were breathing crud from China as we viewed environmentally conscious fashions was rather ironic. But given that almost everything is outsourced these days, perhaps there are limits as to how green a designer can be. Gone are the days of ILGWU* commercials, and even Levi's are made abroad. But as much as you'd like, designers can't shoulder all of the blame --it's the public who was given a taste of, then continued to fuel the demand for cheap goods, and in the end has helped to shut down domestic manufacturers, displaced millions of workers and thrust them into a world sans health benefits. But too much can have repercussions. Our excesses have created the coexistence of two ideals which seem to collide -- green with mass market demands.

So given the free market, the six designers showcased in The Green Initiative Humanitarian Fashion Show are green as any designer can be at present. M the Movement by "M", Lady Muse by Mathilde, Lilikoi by Canadian designer Barbara Boswell, Andira by Beth Doane and Bethany Armstrong, Vintage China by Andrew Wong and Deacon Yu, and the eponymously named René Geneva Designs buy their materials from sources that support sustainable farming and growing methods. Their fabrics incorporate organic cottons, linens, silk and bamboo. They use recycled fabrics, and don't use sweatshops in the creation of their clothing. They donate to organizations that help rain forests. They champion handmade fashions. These are small but necessary steps to promote green to mainstream consumers. Perhaps in the future more collections will be shown online, where large amounts of energy aren't required to light the runway, nor will they be compelled to provide viewers with paper laden goody bags.

Coat by Lady Muse, Photo Courtesy of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

The merging of luxe ready-to-wear and eco-friendly, ethical standards is just beginning and it remains to be seen if larger designer collections will use these standards or whether businesses like Target or WalMart will join them to make pricing lower and competitive.

However, it doesn't release us from the need to push for better pollution emission controls both here and abroad, creating new manufacturing jobs for workers over here, as well as making sure that clothing is made by individuals working in decent conditions and being paid living wages. On local level, a change in venue for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week from Smash Box Studios to downtown L.A. might be a positive step. Buses and trains run there, and scheduling the shows to conclude before the last Metrolink leaves Union Station would indeed be move toward green.

Related Reading: The cost of a cheap, white shirt

*(ILGWU stands for the International Ladies Garment Workers' Union)