Eco-u-Terre just posted an interesting article called ‘16 Eco-Fashion Predictions for 2010’. Here is the summary of this rather long article which interviews fashion mongers, hinting at what is to come in the world of fashion and (craft) accessories.
1. Leslie Hoffman. from Earth Pledge, predicts a deepened and more real interest in all things green, leading to greener production processes, greener materials and pickier customers who look for matches to their greener lifestyle values.
2. Summer Rayne Oakes, who wrote ‘Style Naturally’, states that the economic situation challenges sustainable design, and tests existing independent designers & keeps newbies out of the market. She uses interesting words like light efficiency, vertically sourced designs, tighter collections, and zero-waste philosophies. What she means to say is: ‘Do more with less.’ Passion for sustainable design have to be coupled with better sourcing tools, streamlined supply chains and collections to redefine fashion.
3. Couture designer Deborah Linquist (design left) bets on partnerships, collaboration, social media and networking to help each other and focus on our individual strengths to make our businesses stronger and thereby create a stronger green community.
4. Designer Elizabeth Olsen at Olsenhaus predicts more transparently green business practices, higher consciousness with vegetarianism, veganism & environmental awareness. More use of recycled materials with sustainable materials. Partnerships across industries and non-profits to promote product.
5. Designer Christine Marchuska hopes for world’s realization that sustainable fashion is not a fad but a way of life. She’ll hope for a better informed public about current environmental harm of the fashion industry stimulating healthy change. For Fall 2010, she sees shorts as the new shirts. Works with organic cotton, soy jersey, bamboo jersey and hemp silk to funnel the casual-chic trend of ‘a luxurious look with a comfortable feel and fit’.
6. Natalie Zee Drieu from Craftzine describes her New York Fashion Week finds: use of organic fabrics, mentioning of sustainable practices, refashioning vintage with contemporary twists, convertible outfits that can be work in multiple ways so consumers have less ‘stuff’ and less waste.
7. Zem Joaquin, from Ecofabulous says that buying used is now ‘approved’ by the general public. She mentions cloths swapping, and buying local.
8. Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff of Ecostiletto looks in her crystal ball and sees vegan clothing, shoes, and accessories. We will be called ‘ecoistas’ and limit our fashion buys to organic cotton, veggie-dyed silks, sustainably harvested wools, and chrome-free leathers are looking for ways to make even less of an impact. As consumers become aware of environmental facts, e.g. livestock+poultry counts for 51% of greenhouse gas emissions, leather goes out of style as do cheese, milk and meat. She also highlight that green, ethical choices are not always clear-cut.
9. Starre Vartan, author of ‘The Eco Chick Guide to Life: How to Be Fabulously Green’
10. Michael D’Estries of Ecorazzi expects continue use and interest in organic & sustainable fabrics as well as genuine animal-free garments. He highlights the inspirational effect of green actions by celebrities, and leading design houses.
11. Emma Grady, writer for Treehugger.com, sees more eco-fashion designers in 2010, with the next generation fashion designers better understanding sustainable design, emerging fabrics, social values and green technologies.
Meanwhile existing designers will tap the socially & environmentally conscious consumer market. They will be innovative in sustainable design, textiles, and processes that reduce waste, water use, and environmental impact. Emerging designers will increase research and do limited-edition or one-off clothing production.
An upswing in affordable, reusable accessories allowing consumers to turn wardrobe staples into trendsetting, season-appropriate ensembles. Within that context, jewelers will reuse scrap metal, conflict-free diamonds, fair-trade gemstones, and 100% recycled precious metals from refiners.
12. Aysia Wright from Greenloop remarks how eco-fashion has come a long way in the last 5 years in the inherently wasteful fashion industry. Progressive designers show made-to-order collections, refrain from producing huge numbers of season samples and curb overstocking. She believes that retraining the fashion consumer’s expectation will be a big job. She mentions cradle-to-cradle production, use of existing materials, and more slow fashion.
13. Kate McGregor from Kaight says the trend of upcycling fabrics will continue throughout 2010. Price-conscious designers, now shying away from technology-driven fabrics and expensive blends, will show resourceful and use what’s there. Cost-focused endeavors like this will go beyond eco-focused designers and become mainstream.
14. Amy Dufault, fashion editor of Eco-Salon, sees a huge increase in focus on accountability for every aspect of fashion collections. Designers are expected to market themselves in a sustainable language that’s still being created ~ a heavier designer workload.
Some consider eco much more than the fabric: we see cost-effective collaborations (eg. for sourcing fabrics, dye houses and manufacturing), while some lead designers such as Diane Von Furstenberg are venturing deep into the eco world, inspiring others. She hopes for more local production.
15. Syuzi Pakhchyan, of Fashioning Technology, believes that 2010 will be a spectacular year for wearable technology. As it develops sophistication, there will be more aesthetic emphasis, with partnerships amongst fashion & computer designers. 2009 was the year of sensors: in garments to detect air toxins; biometric sensors to monitor the wearer’s pulse & excitement; and touch-n-pressure sensors to receive virtual massages and hugs. 2010 will be the year of networked wearables: garments will gather (environmental, biometric, etc.) data and communicate it to other wearables, environment, nearby objects, and mobile software. Show biz’ illuminated high tech stage costumes will grow and inspire DIY versions.
16. Textile artist Abigail Doan highlights an aesthetic shift incorporating previously marginalized fabrics like African textiles or mundane uses of hemp to create labels that really rock runways, i.e. Ethnic & hippie chic have upgraded to couture quality design.
‘Adjustable Fashion’ and ‘convertible clothing’ are two further design trends with deep grooves caused by consumer demands for increased functionality and versatility. The growth of places like Etsy are a sign of increased DIY creativity, online retailing and democratization of fashion.
Abigail also notes last year’s retail shakeout, increased consumer savvy in green fabrics and awareness of the textile industry’s hazards and labor practices that are less than fair. Regarding the 2 trends of sustainable-textile and eco-fashion. she expects that the reduction of the industry’s senseless waste and upcycling will be further improved.
Summarized by Crafty Rose, FineCraftGuild.com
