As with organic food, eco friendly clothing can be more expensive. But it is money well spent says ELENI ANTONIOU
Forget the saying ‘You are what you eat’; in today’s troubled times it’s more like ‘You are what you wear’. Even Vogue featured a 10-page spread on ethical clothing, and this year, London Fashion Week launched its sixth season of estethica, the world’s leading showcase of ethical designer fashion. The list goes on: a little over a year ago, the world’s first green fashion magazine was launched. Boho is printed on 100 per cent recyclable paper with soy-based inks and is devoted entirely to fashion. Green clothes may be high up in the popularity stakes but what does it mean exactly? Be prepared to step away from those €5 high street tank tops.
Just like organic food, organic clothing translates as being less wasteful, less environmentally-damaging, fairer trade and the complete annihilation of chemical grown and processed crops. Chances are the cute floral top you’re wearing right now, the one you bagged for an amazing €20, is full of nasty irritant chemicals that are not just harmful to the environment but also to your health. Cotton, often thought to be a natural and environmentally fabric, may no be quite so nice. Since it isn’t a food crop, cotton is routinely sprayed with an even heavier cocktail of pesticide poisons than agricultural crops. In developing countries, more than 50 per cent of all pesticides used in agriculture are sprayed onto cotton fields. Hemp is the original eco-fabric. Grown by the early American settlers, hemp denim is what the first Levi jeans were made of! More resilient that cotton denim, hemp is soft and versatile. Plus, the hemp plant is one of the most eco-friendly plants on the planet. Industrial grade hemp produces three times more fabric per acre than non-organic cotton, while using no pesticides or herbicides.
But all this inevitably comes at a price. Again, as with organic food, eco-friendly labels are more expensive and for the same reasons. If you pick up an unbelievable bargain, you can bet your Manolos that someone down, way down, the line is paying for those savings. Most companies would be hard-pressed to price so inexpensively without resorting to grossly underpaid minions in a factory in Bangladesh. Harvesting organic cotton is also more labour intensive because it’s done without the use of chemical defoliation aids. Here is a matter of quality versus quantity.
What sets eco-fashion apart from conventionally produced garments is not just the environmental considerations but also the ethical and even social ones weaved into the design of each piece. It can be as simple as using a sustainable fabric like organic cotton and donating proceeds to an earth-friendly charity or as extensive as providing ethical employment to offshore factory workers. In one way or another, designers are incorporating ‘green’ into their work.
“Many of us are becoming alarmed at the health threat presented by chemicals in our food. I feel that we should also be greatly concerned by the overuse of chemicals in the growing and processing of crops like cotton,” said Linda Row from London-based fashion company Eco Clothworks. “The plight of individuals who make our clothes worldwide is appalling. Many of these workers do not earn enough to cover their living expenses and they always bear the burden of any pressure exerted by the retailer for cheaper goods.”
Of course, not every brand is as considerate as eco-friendly labels such as Natural Collection, Spirit of Nature, All Things Green, Pavement Clothing and Adili, which are just some of the UK’s leading organic brands. However, at least here in Cyprus, we do have some options available and no, they don’t include grass skirts. Here they are:
Etherio is, apart from a supermarket and restaurant, also a clothes store. Although stock is limited, quality is of the utmost importance. BAM clothing is made from 100 per cent naturally grown bamboo. Bamboo fabric is made from the fibres of bamboo grass and is softer and more sustainable than cotton. Because it grows so fast – up to one foot every 24 hours – it is one of the most renewable resources on the planet. It also produces 30 per cent more oxygen than a hardwood forest on the same amount of land. People continue to be amazed at how comfortable bamboo clothing is. Like a blend of silk and cashmere, bamboo feels great on the skin. But bamboo has another benefit: it’s cruelty-free, which also makes it perfect for vegans. You can find socks, underwear for both women and men and a fabulously simple collection of yoga clothing and t-shirts at Etherio. For a t-shirt expect to pay around €25.
Etherio Nature’s Bio Store: 70, Makarios III Avenue, Nicosia. Tel: 22-817181.
Zara has joined the Green race with a range of t-shirts made from organic cotton. The first women’s collection of organic cotton was launched in 2006 in the UK and US. Since then the chain has sold more than 11 million garments made from organic cotton. Jeans are also available and measures have been applied throughout the production process to reduce the impact on the environment using sustainable processes. And in the case of dyes, the garments are treated with ecological washes, which means that the fading is only slight as the use of bleach normally included in this type of process has been eliminated. Good old stone washing is used for all the fading processes, giving a more traditional look. For a t-shirt expect to pay around €15.
Marks and Spencer was one of the first multi-national stores on the island to bring in the eco-label. It has always provided us with top quality food and fashion so it only makes sense that they have an eco-plan called Plan A. The plan is organised around five pillars which represent the key areas where M&S believes it can make its business both more sustainable and kinder to the environment. These five areas are: Climate change. Waste, Sustainable raw materials, Health and being a fair partner. By 2012, M&S aims to become carbon neutral. As an own brand with over a quarter of a million workers worldwide it has the opportunity to set new standards in ethical trading and so far is doing just that. Apart from recycling over 70 million coat hangers so far this year, M&S offers t-shirts and vests made from Fairtrade cotton plus food products and loads of organic bed and bath linen, underwear, children’s wear, accessories and clothing which includes jeans made from seven different recycled bottles. Expect to pay around €40 for a pair of organic jeans.
Jo’s is a small boutique on Stasicratous Street in Nicosia. It opened over a year ago and features, amongst conventional clothing, a range of 100 per cent organic wear. We spotted the boutique having noticed a washing machine in the window with a bunch of Ecover products scattered around (Ecover is one of the few 100 per cent environmentally friendly household cleaning products available at supermarkets). Free For Humanity is a French line of clothing featuring t-shirts, dresses, tracksuits and shorts for all sizes. Unfortunately the eco-brand doesn’t always win over the other conventional ones but the shop assistant reassured us it’s getting there. Expect to pay €100 for a dress.
Jo’s Boutique. Tel: 22-452018
Without a doubt the most eco-friendly way to go about your shopping is to purchase vintage pieces. Every time you buy or wear vintage clothing instead of newly manufactured ones you are recycling. That clothing is getting a second chance and being saved from the landfill every time you wear it. With an average of 11.8 million tons of clothing per year getting thrown away, you can rest easy knowing you won’t be adding to that number.
