I do not know how many of you subscribe to the JC Report Newsletter. It is absolutely one of my favorite websites on fashion. Always cutting edge and ahead of the trends. Here is an article taken from their end of the year report. The whole report was goode but I am only posting Jason's report on Eco-Chic. And if you haven't signed up to recieve the newsletter yourself please do so.
Eco-Chic Showcase
Kuala Lumpur
Early last year, we outlined some of the emerging eco-conscious styles in our Sustainability issue. The subject has since taken on momentum, with a wave of nature-nurturing trends hitting the market, as well as eco brands now grouping at fashion and trade shows and appearing on department-store floors. Several conferences and newletters have also formed to bring organized dialogue to the movement, and we attended the ecoStyle Award ceremony earlier this month in Kuala Lumpur. The award was created to bring attention to international green designers within the creative community (fashion, architecture, and product design) who have developed "stylish and environmentally sustainable initiatives."
"There is so much going on around the movement," said Simon Lock, managing director of IMG Fashion Asia Pacific. "We wanted to be part of the voice of change." IMG co-sponsored the event with NYC Inc, in conjunction with Tourism Malaysia and Earth Pledge, a New York-based organization at the forefront of the sustainability movement. The committee nominated Stella McCartney, Jurlique, Anna Cohen, Terra Plana, Knoll, Q Collection, and Dr. Ken Yeang as models of excellence for their unique designs and use of materials, as well as effective and relevant ecological sustainability. Yeang, a Malaysian architect, was awarded the top honor for his invention of a bioclimactic skyscraper. "Eco-design is designing in such a way that the human-built environment integrates benignly and seamlessly with the natural environment. Both the human-made and the natural must blend together, so there will be no pollution, no waste, no detrimental consequences on the environment. This is something we all need to address for a common, sustainable green future," Yeang said on the topic.
More than 20 designers also participated in the Future Fashion runway presentation, which provided further breadth to the presentation. Brands such as Proenza Schouler, Derek Lam, Karen Walker, Heatherette, and Diane von Furstenberg each showed a single outfit made exclusively from environmentally sustainable fabrics and textiles. Simon Lock explained that this showcase held particular importance as a second-prong initiative "in engaging the industry at large. We want to create ongoing initiative... We want to create activities that have a direct outcome, not just awareness."
Holding the first event in Malaysia was of symbolic importance for organizers. Malaysia has been a poster-child for adopting conservation policies — from industrialism to tourism — but as the environment gains greater attention, we anticipate more eco-accolades throughout the world.
-Jason Campbell
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