Our fall fashion report shines the spotlight on eco fashion
Sleek, stylish fall knitwear pieces by M. PATMOS that layer beautifully.
1. Bespoke and Tailored
More brands are realizing that not only are customers king and queen, customer service, whether online or in a brick-and-mortar establishment, needs to lead. Leave the fast fashion stores equipped with teenage customer service (an oxymoron) and gravitate toward a more mature level of shopping where clothing is made for you and you alone.
Sustainable fashion brands like Appalatch are customizing sweaters with technologically advanced knitting machines that print them out based on your measurements, responsible designers like Titania Inglis are offering bespoke and atelier appointments and tailors worldwide are seeing renewed interest as people see new worth in their clothing and are revamping, reusing and hemming up what was once old to make new again.
2. Knitwear
See opening image.
From chunky knits to sleek layering pieces, traditional to couture, knitwear designers are owning some serious real estate in the fashion world. While Stella McCartney, Tory Burch and Marc Jacobs are ruling the mainstream knitwear roost, some of our sustainable fashion favorites are pushing knitwear into addictive territory including M. PATMOS, ORGANIC by John Patrick, ROSEL and the artisan-luxe knits of Maiyet. Why is knitwear trending this fall more than others? Blame it on the ethnic look, the desire for texture and the possibility of Patagonian adventure at the drop of a (knitted) hat.
3. (Faux) Fur
Fur is in and in a big way, with fashion-driven women combining textures, materials, jewels with a vibe that intersects The Road Warrior and a modern-day neo-ethnic. Challenge? Most women in the sustainable fashion realm are daunted by the idea of wearing real fur. Enter designers like Hannah Weiland and her colorful faux fur line, Shrimps; Alisha Trimble; and Myrrhia, the sustainable knitwear line that features “squirrel” hats this fall and winter made from wool.
4. The Minimalist
Design by EILEEN FISHER
Eileen Fisher is the queen of mix-and-match separates, inviting us to think long-term about our purchases and how to wear something day to night, summer to winter and with an ageless indifference. The worth of a wardrobe with perfectly fitting building blocks is priceless and designers like Prairie Underground and Everlane are ruling the roost with organic cotton and silk basics that fit the modern-day woman like a glove.
5. Vegan Chic
Design by VauteCouture
Innovative vegan fabrics like SeaCell (seaweeds), MicroModal (beech wood) and Tencel (eucalyptus wood) are being pushed into exciting new design territories with luxe brands like Germany-based UMASAN and VauteCouture. PETA reports that, “Compassionate consumers are changing the face of fashion in 2014, from convincing dozens of retailers to ditch angora wool to creating a growing demand for clothes that look gorgeous without causing animals to suffer.”
6. Shades of Ecru
Design by John Patrick
Is ecru the new black? If the fall ‘14 runways were any indication, that’s an affirmative. While Isabel Marant, Valentino and Céline touted body skimming knits and tailored post-war pencil skirts, our sustainable fashion favorite John Patrick presented sheer materials with plastic sheens (think luxe Tyvek), and cozy textures like quilted cotton, felted wool and faux fur. Trans-seasonal and redefining “winter white,” we are completely on board for this trend.
7. The Futurist
Are climate change and environmental challenges pushing us to explore new ways to cut waste and create textiles? Most definitely. Wind, solar and kinetic energy are currently being harvested in a number of ways to either produce clothing, as in the case of the UK’s Rapanui (and production facilities being run on wind) to solar harvesting projects from Dutch designers Pauline van Dongen and Meg Grant, who are working to utilize solar into pliable textiles and clothing that opens up panels to charge batteries. With smart phones, tablets and laptops, and the de rigueur of most of our daily wardrobes, alternative ways to power up our devices seems logical, for sure.
8. Celebrity Collaborations
Pharrell Williams
What a celebrity can do to raise awareness for a cause is amazing, especially when it’s for people and the planet. Pharrell’s new denim line from recycled plastic is a recent fashion focus we love. RAW for the Oceans is a collaborative effort between Dutch label G-Star RAW, musican Pharrell Williams’s Bionic Yarn eco-textile firm, and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s Project Vortex. This is the first denim-based collaboration to incorporate fibers derived from salvaged ocean plastic. We are equally excited about Karlie Kloss and Warby Parker’s ‘70s-inspired sunglass (capsule) collection. Sales of the $145 glasses will benefit Edible Schoolyard NYC, a nonprofit that encourages healthier eating in low-income public schools.
9. Social Media Influencers
You know who they are. You follow them on Instagram, Facebook and Tumblr religiously. They post and you click to see what wondrous finds they’ve come across that you should know about. Oftentimes, influencers like Pamela Love (instagram.com/pamelalovenyc) and Gretchen Jones (instagram.com/gretchen_jones) are also great storytellers and just their story and the images they provide are marketing enough to slip you into a new pair of pants.
Alice Spencer of Brand Union recently said, “Post-recession consumers want to hear (from) brands. They want to know what they think, where they stand and what their beliefs are. In a digital world, people no longer go into a shop, see something and decide to buy it. It is much more about buying into a lifestyle.”
10. Re-commerce: Swap and Rent Online
Available on Bib + Tuck bibandtuck.com / Photo by Signe Pierce
More women are realizing just how fickle they are when it comes to what tickles their fancy in the course of a day. Thank goodness for the growing number of online swap and rental shops featuring high-end goods. Even Rent The Runway’s new Unlimited service is leasing everyday clothing items by mail until style trends shift.
Check out second-hand retailers online, including Bib + Tuck (bibandtuck.com), Vaunte (vaunte.com), Shop Hers (shop-hers.com), Tradesy (tradesy.com), Klury (klury.com), Walk In My Closet (walkinmycloset.com), Twice (liketwice.com), Threadflip (threadflip.com) and The RealReal (therealreal.com). Rachel Zoe recently said, “It’s not about selling to customers, it’s about giving them the tools to engage and inspire each other to bring fashion into their lives in new ways.” We agree.