Fashion for Life, Not for Waste

Photo by Peter Holst. Image from Eco Fashion Week

Twice a year the Robson Square in Vancouver, Canada gets lit up for the Eco Fashion Week. The seventh edition of this unusual fashion show has just ended. Lasting from the October 6th-10th, this event not only displays beautiful women in wonderful clothes, but also encourages raw and honest discussion of sustainable fashion practices. With the slogan “Fashion For Life, Not For Waste”, the Eco Fashion Week welcomed global audience to their seminars and fashion presentations.

Since fashion is such a large industry, it often gets criticism on human rights and labor issues. Eco Fashion Week creates even deeper dialogue. It shows that it is possible to create artful and elegant fashion from sustainable fabrics that are produced locally. The term “eco-fashion” has some stigma attached to it. Most people associate such fashion with dull grey or beige recycled cardboard tones and baggy clothing. Eco fashion doesn’t have to be like that at all. The aim of the Eco Fashion Week was to show that eco-friendly doesn’t necessarily mean ugly. In fact, a lot of the clothing presented in this week’s fashion shows don’t look “eco-friendly” at all, they look glamorous and beautiful. Only when you speak to the designers themselves, you learn the stories behind these unique pieces, stories on how they are created by using methods that don’t harm the environment.

On average, every North American throws out 68 pounds of clothing per year. One designer at the Vancouver Eco Fashion Week proves that it is possible to create an entire clothing line from 68 pounds of fabric. However, not all eco-friendly people can afford to buy designer’s clothes. The Eco Fashion Week shows that there is a myriad of ways to renew your wardrobe such as vintage shopping and clothing exchanges. Let’s take a look at some of the most interesting pieces of this autumn’s Eco Fashion Week!