"Green is the New Noir" ('Ethical' Clothes)

From the Guardian:

Slideshow
London on parade to show that ethical clothes can cut it on the catwalk

...The ethical initiative, now in its sixth season, has gained such standing that it has won government backing. Yesterday, Defra chose the event to launch its Sustainable Clothing Action Plan - Scap as it is rather unglamorously known.

Drawn up by leading names in fashion manufacturing and retail, Scap outlines commitments to make fashion more sustainable throughout its lifecycle - from design, to manufacture, to retail, to disposal. Many of the actions pledged by those involved are already underway and aim to have a marked effect on the environmental impact of throwaway fashion which sees two million tonnes of clothing end up in landfill every year.

As part of the deal:

• Marks & Spencer, Tesco and Sainsbury's have pledged to increase their ranges of Fairtrade and organic clothing, and support fabrics which can be recycled more easily.

• Tesco is banning cotton from countries which use child labour.

• Oxfam and other charities will open more sustainable clothing boutiques featuring high quality second-hand clothing and new designs made from recycled garments.

• The Centre for Sustainable Fashion at the London College of Fashion will be resourced to provide practical support to the clothing sector.

• The Fairtrade Foundation will aim for at least 10% of cotton clothing in the UK to be Fairtrade material by 2012.

...Estethica aims to bring together like-minded ethical designer labels. It was founded by the fashion council three years ago to raise the profile of eco-sustainable fashion, making its image more cutting-edge and less worthy. The 37 designers in the showcase must adhere to at least one of Estethica's three principles: organic, fair trade or recycled.

Peter Ingwersen, the founder of Esthetica's most high-end label, Noir, said: "We all look to inspire the industry and consumers that sexiness, luxury, fashion, corporate social responsibility and ethics can work in harmony together without compromising style."

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estethica labels must adhere to an evolving set of criteria:

Ethical Trade - By ensuring that farmers and producers get a guaranteed fair price for their labour, investment is returned

Slow Clothes - Fashion that is not time based, but is about producing, designing and consuming better

Eco Fabrics - Consideration of the environmental footprint of fabrics

Organic - Man made, natural and sustainable fibres

Recycling- Using only pre-existing materials
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There is also - Buy LOCAL. I bought a couple of hand-painted scarves yesterday ($10/ea. - what a deal) from a local craftsperson. And I love them. I'm looking forward to wearing them.

Hand-crafted, , re-crafted, out of recycled clothes seems so "hippie-ish". Perhaps that's because some people in 60's/70's were onto some of the same concepts (buying local, handmade)... and then many forgot - when they went to work for corporations (some may not have realized there was anything but the drugs). These are not the ideas that advertisers have been advocating.