Kermit the Frog said it’s not easy being green, but we beg to differ. With a slew of designers committed to reducing their carbon footprint and churning out eco-chic collections season after season — in the world of fashion — being green has never been easier.
From utilizing sustainable materials to hand delivering garments and producing clothes locally, here are 5 eco designers we love for their stylish dedication to Mother Earth:
1. THE BATTALION
The self-named “modern purveyor of green luxury,” The Battalion sources eco-friendly materials (predominately bamboo, organic cotton, cruelty free “peace” silk and veggie fur + leather) to create edgy, comfort driven pieces that go beyond just your basic knit tees and baby doll dresses. As an active member of The Nature Conservancy and 1% for the Planet, The Battalion utilizes social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to help mobilize the label’s growing fan base and get the word out on issues that will positively enhance the environment. Just check out the above lust-worthy designs from the eco-couture brand’s Spring 2011 line. Kudos to designers (and sisters) Chrys and Linda Wong for another fab collection.
2. SAMANTHA PLEET
A native Brooklynite, designer Samantha Pleet doesn’t have to try hard to be green, she just is. Working with nearby businesses to source and produce all of her garments locally, Pleet uses natural and organic fabrics whenever possible and even hand delivers her vintage inspired clothes to stores based in New York City. Now how’s that for social and environmental responsibility?
3. H FREDRIKSSON
Designed with a modern, artistic, and sustainable purpose, the overall feel of H Fredrikkson is that of time and timelessness, past and present. Designer Helena Fredrikkson (who hails from Sweden but now resides in NYC) not only manufactures all of her clothes locally, but employs the use of textiles such as cupro, recycled hemp, and organic cotton and wool to capture the melancholic beauty of her Nordic-influenced silhouettes. Because, as she points out, “creating something well made, under fair conditions and without unnecessary shipping emissions is worth paying a few more dollars for.” And we couldn’t agree more.
4. ORGANIC BY JOHN PATRICK
In addition to landing his own show on Discovery’s Planet Green channel, eco icon and sustainable style pioneer, John Patrick, received the Ecco Domani Sustainable Design Award in 2010. But want to know why we really heart this guy? He travels around the world in search of the purest fabrics for all of his collections. He “helped innovate the use of botanical dyes, digital print techniques, recycled fabrics and organic wool yarns, and resurrected traditional practices such as hand-weaving.” Oh, and most importantly, he started sourcing and producing his clothes in the US…long before it was the “cool” thing to do.
5. GENERATION LOVE CLOTHING
