What shall we wear today? Our seaweed T-shirt and bamboo jeans? Or our organic-cotton skirt, fair-trade silk blouse and sweater of merino wool from free-range sheep raised in the Southern Alps of New Zealand?

 

Green fashion is more than a passing fad. It's a lifestyle choice, says Cynthia Spencer, a trend-spotter from New York. "Concerns about personal health and a healthy planet have prompted a green revolution. Fashion is a part of that," she says.

Essentially, green clothing and accessories are made from organic raw materials produced without pesticides or from recycled materials, says Spencer. No harmful chemicals and bleaches are used to process or dye the goods. And labourers earn fair wages and enjoy healthy working conditions.

"Eco-fashion doesn't mean a burlap sack anymore," says Aimee Hitchner, co-owner of Ginger, a Florida boutique that includes a range of eco-friendly labels. Eco-fashion is big in the clothing market, says Paige Blackwelder, co-owner of Tuni, another Florida store.
Increasingly, designers are offering clothing made from organic cotton or sustainable materials such as bamboo, soy and hemp, she says. "And some of the fabrics are just beautiful. You'd never guess they were made from bamboo or whatever."

 

Although customers are not "clamouring" for eco-fashions, they are intrigued by green products and are willing to try them, says Blackwelder. The boutique's offering of bamboo knits is selling well, she says. She also plans to introduce a line of handbags made from Japanese paper and recycled water bottles.

Underwear is also becoming eco-friendly. Figleaves.com, the online intimates retailer, has launched Greenleaves, a department dedicated to green underwear, sleepwear and loungewear. And footwear makers are jumping on the green bandwagon, making shoes with bamboo heels, organic-linen uppers and recycled-rubber soles.

Cosmetics products have been touting organic ingredients for several years. Now there's a new wrinkle. Increasingly, the products are being packaged in biodegradable containers.
Compacts are made from recycled paper, packaging is recyclable or biodegradable.
PlantLove lipsticks come in biodegradable tubes made from a polymer derived from corn, which is a renewable, compostable resource.

And the lipstick's recycled-paper packaging is embedded with seeds that grow into wildflowers when you plant it.