Sustainable Fashion



Photo Courtesy: www.eco-age.com  

The red carpet is going green. Last week, Bradley Cooper was spotted at the Golden Globes wearing an eco-friendly tux designed by Tom Ford. Cooper's tux was remarkably made from low-environmental-impact wool and was designed as part of the Green Carpet Challenge project, led by designer Livia Firth.   This wasn't Ford's first experience designing green clothes for celebrities and according to the NY Times, Ford created a recycled velvet dress for Julianne Moore just last year.

Photo Courtesy:
www.kkwestdesigns.com

Hollywood isn't the only place experiencing a boom in green fashion. Up-and-coming "green" fashion designers are cropping up all over the place. Upcoming KK West Designs out of Atlanta, Georgia and created by Katie Sanborn Daker and Kristie Eshleman, has truly emerged as a creative and unique partnership designing "wearable art." KK West specializes in the design and creation of mosiac belt buckles, pendant jewelry and leather cuffs. All of their creations are designed using everyday materials and result in unbelievably beautiful fashion pieces at affordable prices.



Photo Courtesy:
www.olsenhaus.com

Even though it is still cold and snowy, Spring 2013 collections are cropping up all over the place, especially trendy shoes for the new season.  OlsenHaus, founded by Elizabeth Olsen in 2008, serves to eliminate any use of animals or animal materials in her collections. As a vegan herself, Olsen created OlsenHaus centered on ethical business practices and fair trade to demonstrate the idea that animal cruelty and fashion should never go hand in hand. Her designs promote consciousness and awareness involving her opposition to the leather industry and aiding in the understanding that style need not involve the cruel treatment of animals. Her cruelty-free, vegan line of shoes serves a pioneer for other shoes designers desiring to eliminate the use of animal fur/hair, wool, etc. in shoes and also a demonstration that her lines are indeed still very fashionable. OlsenHaus shoes can be bought from retailers such as Amazon and Nordstrom or online at www.olsenhaus.com. For the average woman, OlsenHaus shoes may fall outside their spending budget but options are available to buy online on sites such as eBay for as little as $20-$50.

KK West Designs and OlsenHaus are only two of many emerging fashion designers passionate about the bottom line: creating sustainable fashion. And they are both doing so with amazing results.