Now that the holiday season is upon us Retail Digital revisits some of the most popular stories of 2011
Today more consumers than ever are making a conscious effort to buy environmentally-friendly products, including organic food, home-ware and clothes. Eco-friendly fashion is one of the biggest trends of the decade. The craze toward manufacturing, designing and buying green fashion has been growing in recent years, giving consumers a greater choice of sustainable clothing.
Misconceptions
Eco-friendly fashion has experienced a recent revival. Ethical fashion was previously perceived as unsexy and unstylish in the marketplace and has fought hard to shake off this negative image over the years. “A brand like Stella McCartney has always been very concerned about its ethical and green credentials but has only started to communicate this to the consumer recently because of the stigma associated with eco-friendly fashion in the past,” says UK-based fashion label, Bluebuck.
Celebrities like Black Swan actress Natalie Portman and former X-Factor contestant Leona Lewis have also helped to change consumer attitudes to sustainable fashion. A number of high-profile stars have launched their own eco-friendly clothing and accessory lines or fronted advertising campaign for a sustainable range.
Emma Watson teamed up with Alberta Ferretti earlier this year to launch an eco-friendly fashion line called Pure Threads. As an avid supporter of eco-related causes, the Harry Potter star also serves as a spokeswoman and designer for the UK-based People Tree organisation.
Justin Bieber’s girlfriend Selena Gomez released an ethical clothing line for teens in 2010. The Dream Out Loud range, which was stocked by Kmart, included value-priced clothing and accessories made with organic and eco-friendly materials.
Justin Taunde, Director of urban brand Steady Guy, believes that celebrity endorsements like these have brought the eco-friendly movement to the forefront of the consumer conscience. “Celebrity endorsement is definitely a good thing. It has made eco-friendly fashion ‘cool’ for kids that probably would never have thought about it before,” he says.
“Celebrity endorsements can certainly help products sell but a good product and innovative communication can achieve great results too. It is possible for new fashion brands to make it without being photographed on the back of celebrities,” adds Bluebuck.
Sustainability and style
Designers are under increasing pressure to produce clothes and accessories that are both sustainable and stylish. “An eco-friendly label alone will not suffice to sell garments,” explains Bluebuck. “Consumers will buy clothing that is well designed and of a good quality. If it is eco-friendly this may be seen as a plus.”
Taunde believes that when designers start striking the right balance between clothes and accessories, eco-friendly fashion has the potential to really take off. The Estethica Exhibition at this year’s London Fashion Week displayed the best of eco-design, proving that fashion’s hottest trends can be both sustainable and stylish. The event was sponsored by high-street fashion chain Monsoon, which showcased its own SS12 L.O.V.E collection.
The L.O.V.E range was split into two parts; ‘Elements’ and ‘Ethereal’, celebrating a fusion of contemporary design with hand crafts and organic fabrics. Key pieces included the embellished, tie-dye Marusha dress along with the hand embellished and stitched Neelu waistcoat.
Lost Property of London, an accessories label that transforms old fabrics into high-end bags, was a highlight of the exhibition. The brand showcased its new Spring/Summer 2012 collection of bags, which are made from recycled coffee bean sacking.
“The idea came to me after I found some coffee sacks on the side of the road one day,” the company’s Founder, Katy Bell told Retail Digital. “I took a sack, which I thought was looking lost and no longer had an identity, and made it into a bag – hence the name Lost Property of London,” she continued. “I felt that someone should be doing this instead of recreating the look from scratch, which is what happens in a lot of big supermarkets.”
The bags, which are stocked by Liberty London and Urban Outfitters, have been a huge hit with fashionistas and celebrities worldwide. The brand’s new envelope pouch is expected to do well. Livia Firth purchased the stylish clutch bag at LFW and has already been snapped with it at a Tom Ford dinner. Lost Property of London has a bright future ahead. “This year has been really good on press and a few of our original stockist's have come back to re-order. The brand has just gone from strength to strength,” says Bell.
Above: Colin and Livia Firth are firm advocates of the eco-friendly fashion movement
Ethical fashion at a price
Eco-friendly fashion generally comes with a high price tag. “It is still quite expensive as it is not being produced on a mass level. This is because the demand is not there yet,” explains Taunde. “If you look at any product that is organically produced before there was a massive demand in the market, it started off at premium price,” he adds.
Could we expect to see eco-friendly fashion saturating high-street shops in the future? Taunde believes the decision lies with the consumer. “If we as consumers demonstrate that we want more eco-friendly products, the high-street will roll out larger lines of these,” he says. “It just depends on how much the consumer wants to purchase these things and how conscious we become of eco-friendly fashion,” he concludes.
