Fashion is not typically an industry with a history of being eco-consciousness. In fact, you don’t have to look far at the amount of articles detailing how much damage the industry imposes on the environment. It’s a shame as the results aim for creativity and beauty. However, the larger awareness of finite resources and the need to preserve our environment and reverse the damage imposed from centuries of industrial progress is gaining momentum.

In the late 60s this initial awareness was taken on by a generation repulsed by hypocrisy and the system that it nurtured as media started to illustrate more boldly the damage our environment was facing from our lifestyle. This generation wanted to not only talk about change but to have a hands-on role in the process, to be pioneers in returning to the basics and find a more natural way of living. It was here that eco-fashion was born, albeit in a more rudimentary manner.

Textiles such as hemp and hessian, and natural dyes were the foundations for garments that were more utilitarian, a rejection of the materialistic ideals that were looked at as opposite the values the movement supported. It was bland, dour and lacked appeal. As such, it forged a reputation that isolated rather than encouraged the values the movement hoped to make popular, and so eco-fashion was more the uniform of those on the fringe, staying in the back burner as more material concerns entered the picture through the late 70s and 80s. Then something changed.

Towards the mid 80s our consciousness gained ground as we became more concerned about the chemicals in our textiles, and our world started to react. In Germany,  clothing labels started to advertise “chemical-free” and “natural”. And in the fashion world, one designer in particular, Katherine Hamnett, became quite vocal, using every opportunity offered by interest from the media to shift focus from her fashion to many causes. For her, our state of the world was more important and she practiced what she preached, utilizing organic and natural materials as they came available.

The attention shifted through the 90s from materials to employment practices and after Levis was caught in a scandal involving sweatshops the public’s conscience prompted a demand for ethically made clothes. The continued rise in attention of materials and how clothes were made in conjunction with growing environmental awareness helped solidify the direction, although the bulk of the mainstream fashion world had yet to catch on. Early in the repurposing game, ecolabel Something Else eventually grew and they started Esthetica, a collective of ecofashion designers in London in 2006.

Vivienne Westwood and Jean-Paul Gautier both teamed up with artisans to produce eco-friendly footwear. Vivienne Westwood, who started an organization called Active Resistance in 2005 to have dialogue on humanitarian and environmental issues, teamed up with Melissa to make, of all things, vegan shoes. While ecolabels like Junky Styling were firmly entrenched in repurposing as the heart of their approach early on, around May 2007 Martin Margiella used repurposed fabric in his collection. Designers such as Giorgio Armani started to use organic cotton in jeans production, and Stella McCartney commenced using sustainable fabrics in her line. Prada recently started to produce locally, selling designs in the region they are created to lessen the carbon footprint impact. With the game ramped up, other designers started to join the movement. Bono of U2 fame started his label Edun to add to the ranks of other ecodesigners such as Fin and Noir. Not too long ago Chrisite's had a designer-studded auction benefiting eco-friendly charities. “America’s Next Top Model” featured a photo shoot with eco-couturier Michael Cinco; those fashion-forward gowns, made entirely from recycled materials such as old parachutes, garbage bags, safety pins and rubber bands gave evidence that ecofashion need not be dowdy at all. YSL made a limited edition bag using recycled bags and recently released a collection utilizing surplus fabrics from previous collections. And the list of heavy-hittersof the fashion industry is propelling ecofashion further from the fringes to mainstream.

It should be noted that Vancouver, long a city that supports environmentalism as it aims to reach a 2020 environmental target as the greenest city in the world also hosts an eco-fashion week similar to what is happening in London. The list has grown significantly since then, with a range of designers looking to contribute positively and stylishly as well. Standouts in recent runway presentations aiming to bring style in a sustainable and environmentally responsible way include Jason Malto, Peridot Kiss, Jessica Milton, and Nicole Bridger (who had apprenticed with Dame Westwood herself). The spotlight is small in a city not normally associated with fashion, but for ecofashion it’s worth keeping an eye on what comes out here as the familiarity of this genreand the knowledge of materials is well-honed here. 

The same consciousness that started the movement is being propelled by a new generation with similar ethics and a determination to act rather than do, and with more information to support evidence of environmental apathy in the past this generation expects to see changes, voting with their wallets. As fashion is a business, it cannot escape that reality. Is it a trend to keep up appearances? For some designers, it may be a motivation given their late entry into contributing towards an approach as more fashion houses look to show the world that they have a conscience as well as consciousness. But at this point it doesn’t matter about the motivation. What is important is that, unlike the 60s that saw compromise as an abandonment of principal, this generation sees no reason why environmentalism and humanitarianism cannot be stylish. Doing some good for our future generations and our planet shouldn’t just feel right, it can look good too. That’s a trend worth sustaining.