New York Fashion Week amid a dead February cold was brimming with the fur-donned, leather-trimmed social elite. Haute couture and its consumers rarely explore a place of restraint in this “bigger is better” scene.

 

“In a meat-eating world, wearing leather for shoes and clothes and even handbags, the discussion of fur is childish,” said Karl Lagerfeld, head designer and creative director for fashion house Chanel. The industry is inundated of high demand for luxurious fur, he said, and suppliers make a living by “killing those beasts who would kill us if they could.”

We increasingly see designers and icons go to even greater lengths for the sake of “art.” Case in point: Lady Gaga wore a dress made of raw meat, of all things. Both ideology and practice have stigmatized the fashion industry in recent years.

 

January 2014 at Paris Fashion Week, prominent blogger Diane Pernet debuted a gorilla fur coat. “Maybe I should feel uncomfortable wearing this coat, but I don’t because I know the gorilla's been dead for 80 years,” the vegetarian fashionista said. “I’m not into killing animals for vanity’s sake. But I don't feel politically incorrect wearing a vintage coat. I think you'd call that sustainable fashion.”

 

Is this an inspired form of expression or a muddled sense of reality? This question has incited a newborn acceptance of the fashion industry and has inspired change.

 

In recent seasons we’ve been at the crest of a new wave. Realizing the growing necessity for a sustainable industry, designers are now incorporating environmentally friendly practices at the core of their enterprises.

 

Thankfully, eco-friendly fashion does not have to come at a high cost. This particular fashion movement started at the bottom. It became the inherent philosophy of many start-up labels in the past decade and has worked its way into the haute collections of Paris, Milan, Tokyo, London and New York.

 

At any rate, eco chic is no mere trend. It does not define a season, year or decade. It defines a lifestyle – a necessary revolution to change the way we think about what we put on our bodies and how it affects our wellbeing.

 

Eco friendly designers for fashion mavens, A-Z: Stella McCartney – Haute hippie For the high-end consumer, this line is completely vegan and cruelty-free. McCartney is also at the forefront of new, innovative, sustainable fabric technology. Her collection boasts an array of faux leather and reptile skin, including shoes with biodegradable plastic soles.

http://www.stellamccartney.com/

Raleigh Denim – Modern antiquity Handcrafting denim from sustainable and organic cotton, the N.C.-based workshop makes its collection on vintage industrial machines from the 1920s in the heart of downtown Raleigh. Every detail of the production process happens locally, from the crop growing to the stitching, making each pair of jeans a unique piece.

http://raleighworkshop.com/

Give’r – Naturist style “Give'r is all about committing yourself and living an inspired life by embodying a sense of passion, purpose, challenge and adventure,” junior Carley Gaynes said. “Give'r is a small business run by a group of friends in Jackson Hole, WY who had a dream and decided to give'r a try.”

http://www.give-r.com/

 

Loomstate – Relaxed and sustained This company dedicates itself to a sustainable future through the use of organic cotton. In its mission, it states: “Quality is defined by more than how long your T-shirt lasts. It’s about the health of the farmer growing the cotton, the health of her community and all communities who contribute to making this product. Quality is about sustainability.”

http://www.loomstate.org/