There is one colour that should always be in trend. That colour is green! Not the shade itself but the philosophy associated with going green, and being an ecological and environmentally viable fashion brand.

Some people doubt if this is possible, what with wasteful practices, tainted raw, processed fabrics and materials, and the use of fur associated with the fashion industry.

But, fashion icons such as acclaimed fashion designer Stella McCartney have rallied to the eco fashion cause and has gained reputation for being a “designer activist”.

In an interview last year with The Ecologist (the world’s leading environmental affairs magazine), McCartney cited the usage of conventional cotton and dyes as being inefficient and damaging. While she readily said she was not perfect and uses these materials herself, she has designed an entire eco-collection that doesn’t use conventional cotton and dyes.

“I’m a great believer that something is greater than nothing ... I think it’s important to educate oneself, to try to provide a high-quality product for the consumer and not to lose any of the desirability, and yet to try to be more responsible in the way that you think and source your materials,” said McCartney. However, she acknowledged that not many of her peers in fashion think the same way.

In Malaysia, local fashion designer Melinda Looi goes beyond the usual reusable bag or eco-bag gimmick, and has introduced a range of organic cotton casual wear under the label Mell Basics.
 
While just about anyone can call their fabrics organic, these should be certified: this means they should be from pesticide-free cotton fields, and no genetically modified cotton seeds or toxic chemicals used in the production process.

In Sweden, green efforts can be seen in a label called Dem Collective (demcollective.com), started in 2003 by Annika Axelsson and Karin Stenmar. The idea was to show that it’s possible to combine ecology, ethics and quality with good design.

In an e-mail interview with The Star's StarTwo, Stenmar said: “The unique aspect is to produce designer clothing using only environmentally-friendly, fair-traded raw materials and ensure that the production process at the textile factory adheres to the code of conduct established by the International Federation of Alternative Trade (IFAT).”

To make sure that happens, Dem supervises all production stages by working in close collaboration with its raw material suppliers, and directly managing the import process and manufacture (with workers’ rights as a core principle), export and sale of its products. The textiles used are made from 100 per cent organically-grown cotton from Gujarat in northern India (Agrocel).

Stenmar noted that fear and ignorance among people and corporations were the stumbling block. “We also see corruption and difficulties in communication as huge obstacles.”

From the United States, there is Stewart+Brown (stewartbrown.com), started by Karen Stewart and Howard Brown in Los Angeles in 2002. Partners in life and work, Stewart is a trained painter and Brown, a graphic artist. Together, they strive for the belief that everyone has a responsibility to protect our future generations.

Their selection of renewable fibres comes from only those cultivated without the use of herbicides, pesticides or defoliants, and are sustainably harvested.

Furthermore, the fibres themselves are naturally resilient and biodegradable. The textile processing includes non-toxic and low impact methods that have no hidden environmental impacts or consequences.

And even better, they only use top grade factory surplus fabrics. “Surplus is excess fabric or material leftover from manufacturing. In many cases, this perfectly good fabric is simply discarded or left to rot. By utilising this existing fabric, we reduce waste, save additional resources and use less of the Earth’s precious capital,” they explained.

All this talk about carbon footprints but what about the footwear we use? They also leave imprints on our Earth. There are a lot of scary facts about footwear, reported The Ecologist in a 2008 article.

For instance, the US Environmental Protection Agency says 95 per cent of leather is tanned using chromium. Chromium (VI) is a known carcinogen, with documented adverse human health effects such as skin rashes, ulcers, kidney and liver damage and lung cancer. It can also make soil infertile and severely affect aquatic life.

A former freelance shoe designer, Sven Segal decided he needed to make a shoe that was super-comfortable, practical and as pure, natural and non-toxic as a shoe can be. So in 2006, Po Zu was born.

In the website (po-zu.com/eu), it is expalined that the name is Japanese for “pause”. As Segal said in the magazine: “Our feet bear all our weight and our planet bears all our waste.”

The uppers are made from vegetable-tanned leather or organically grown unbleached hemp; the soles are made from latex, a pure vegetable rubber. They avoid harmful glues by stitching all the components together, which makes their shoes more breathable, durable, repairable and recyclable.

But, the footwear stands out also because of the “foot mattress”. It is an 18mm thick cushion made from coconut fibre. The fibres come from the husk of the fruit, a thick layer of “hair” on the outside, bound together with latex to give it further cushioning.

As air pockets react to your weight, heat and foot movement, the mattress will gradually mould to the shape of your foot.

To detractors of eco/ethical fashion who say it is too costly, Stenmar said: “Not paying for eco/ethic fashion is just making someone else pay for it.”

He urged brands to think big as the demand for transparency and corporate social responsibility is increasing among consumers, especially the younger generation.

“It’s not bad being an early adopter of the sustainable movement if you use your creativity to build a long-term business and a trendsetting brand.”

McCartney said that at the end of the day, it’s also the responsibility of the consumer.

“If people don’t buy something because they don’t believe in it then that’s the biggest impact you can have in getting your message across.”