Perhaps a designer can only be so green, given the state of commerce in today's world. Almost everything is outsourced these days. Gone are the days of ILGWU (International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union) commercials, and even Levi's are made abroad. You can't blame the designers. It's the public who was given a taste of, and then continued to fuel, the demand for cheap goods.
In the end this has helped to shut down domestic manufacturers, displace millions of workers, and thrust them into a world sans health benefits. Too much can have repercussions. Our excesses have created the coexistence of two ideals that seem to collide: green with mass-market demands.
Given the free market, the six designers showcased in The Green Initiative Humanitarian Fashion Show are as green as any designer can be. 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 love 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.
The merging of luxe ready to wear and eco-friendly, ethical standards is just beginning, and perhaps more designers will decide to use these standards. 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 here, as well as making sure clothing is made by individuals working in decent conditions and being paid living wages.
Maybe on a more local level, a change in venue for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week from Culver Studios to downtown L.A. might be a positive step. Buses and trains run there. Scheduling the shows to conclude before the last Metrolink leaves Union Station would indeed be a green maneuver.
Photo credit: Lilikoi by designer Barbara Boswell, Photo courtesy of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, L.A.
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1 - Kanani
The photograph should be captioned: Lilikoi by Designer Barbara Boswell, Photo courtesy of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, L.A.