Fashion Forward

Kelley's post and Mary's comment started me thinking, and then a chance encounter tonight at an Obama fund raiser sparked an idea. I agree that fashion plays a crucial role in our identity, both as individuals and as a society. I also agree that this identification can be powerful enough to rebuff recessionary pressures. But the insight (which I credit to a conversation with Chris Erickson, CEO of Climate Earth) is that maybe the definition of fashion needs to change.

We talk endlessly about hybrid cars, organic food, green tech and carbon neutral footprints. We agree that the earth is in danger and we all need to conserve. But except for the random hemp shirt and a few brands of ugly vegan shoes, fashion is rarely part of this conversation. I have no idea if my clothing purchases are helping or hurting the planet--and this is something I should at least know.

What if clothing labels provided that information? If a system existed to quantify the carbon cost of creating a garment, and the resulting score was added to the label, we could have a new dimension of fashion based on how hard designers worked to create beauty without damaging the environment. A truly innovative design would be one that not only captivated us aesthetically, but also spoke to our intelligence. I am not (loud emphasis on "not") advocating brown shoes and colorless cotton sack dresses. I'm asking why fashion, particularly high fashion, can't expand its definition to include environmental conscientiousness and in doing so, help us all shift our behavior.

I would be much more likely to clean out my closet if I knew I could fill it with beautiful, fashionable "0" carbon clothes. I might even do that in the midst of a bad economy.

Comments

[Jeanne ireland]

I don't know how much of a "carbon count" processing would add but silk and wool come to mind immediately.
The little worms mustn't eat too much, and the sheep can fertilize the pasture and mow it while feeding themselves....sounds green to me