Green Fashion

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“SUMMER PROJECT”

TOPIC-GREEN FASHION

Submitted by:

Mohammed Saquib Iqbal

DFT-3

71170600064

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Acknowledgement

I have taken efforts in this project. However, it would not have been possible without the

kind support and help of many individuals and organizations. I would like to extend my

sincere thanks to all of them.

I am highly indebted to Ms. Amisha Mehta for her guidance and constant supervision as

well as for providing necessary information regarding the project & also for her support in

completing the project.

I would like to express my gratitude towards my parents for their kind co-operation and

encouragement which help me in completion of this project.

My thanks and appreciations also go to my colleague in developing the project and

people who have willingly helped me out with their abilities.

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What is Green fashion?

Green-fashion” refers to stylized clothing that uses environmentally sensitive fabrics and

responsible production techniques. The nonprofit Sustainable Technology Education

Project (STEP) defines Green-fashions as clothes “that take into account the

environment, the health of consumers and the working conditions of people in the

fashion industry and also reduces the carbon footprint”.

Advantages:

With the eco-fashion industry still in its infancy, the main responsibility at the moment lies

with clothes manufacturers and fashion designers, who need to start using sustainable

materials and processes.

Green-fashion clothes are made using organic raw materials, such as cotton

grown without pesticides and silk made by worms fed on organic tree.

These items don't involve the use of harmful chemicals and bleaches to color

fabrics are often made from recycled and reused textiles.

In addition, high-quality garments can be made from second-hand clothes and

even recycled plastic bottles.

These are made to last, so that people keep them for longer and the people who

make them are paid a fair price and have decent working conditions.

They are completely free of synthetic chemicals and toxic irritants and are totally

organic, sustainable and biodegradable.

Disadvantages:

They can often be expensive.

Time and money are wasted in recycling products.

Many of the products being in development can have unknown risks and

reactions.

Green fashion trend still in early stages.

Liberal shoppers are willing to spend the money if it fits their pocketbook and

reflects their style of dress.

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Origin of Green Fashion:

1. Earth A‟Wear:

Earth AWear was the first shop in Copenhagen, Denmark, to stock only eco-

fashion clothing. Nick Paxevanos, the man behind the company, explains the story

behind the store. Earth AWear was inspired by the birth of his son. “I was

already environmentally conscious, but his arrival prompted me to become more

active. The lack of availability of eco-clothing nudged me in that direction”.

His aim was to set up first fashionable organic clothing shop for children and

adults. The key objectives were to increase awareness of the environmental

hazards of the textile industry, and to provide people with an alternative.

T shirts Made by Earth A‟Wear

“The Green Movement in the Fashion World” The green movement or the step

towards protecting the nature has turned out to be the most critical movement in the

history of mankind. We should take measures in every field to contribute towards

pushing this movement ahead for a bright green future. And every area of our contact

has been influence by it then why not the fashion world, which has been the dynamic

adherent of the nature.

Fashion world is showing an enormous growth in the field of eco-friendly clothing and

fashion accessories. Many European and Asian companies are showing a due impact by

adopting some of the generous ways in this context. Getting the great designers from

around the world, the fashion industry is targeting on the organic clothing rather the

synthetic or fibre cloths that puts a lot pressure on the nature.

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What, exactly, makes something a piece of „eco-fashion‟?

Eco-fashion is also called as Green fashion that is designed to be environment friendly.

Green fashion is part of the larger trend of sustainable design where a product is created

and produced with consideration to the environmental and social impact it may have

throughout its total life span, including its "carbon footprint".

For this we have to recycle the cloths and make them use in the reversible manner.

This will increase the life of the cloths and on the contrary it eliminates the pressure on

the farmlands to grow huge amount of cotton using chemicals. Imagine the amount of

land that we can save through this easy and tolerable step.

Fibres used for Green Clothing:

1. Natural Fibres

Organic cotton fabric: It is grown in subtropical countries such as America and

India, from non-genetically modified plants that are to be grown without the use of

any synthetic agricultural chemicals such as fertilizers or pesticides. This soft easy

to care fabric is the most used and most popular of all the eco fabrics. There are

no limits to its use. It‟s being made into clothing of all kinds from underwear to

jeans and is a popular choice for infant wear.

Clothes Made from Organic cotton

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Organic Wool fabric: It is extracted from sheep by a process called rooing

without hurting the animal. As an eco friendly clothing fibre, wool has good

insulating abilities, and can help to keep the heat in, as well as keep the heat out.

Wool fibres are also water absorbent and can absorb water up to a third of its

weight. In addition, wool can also absorb sound. Wool has the added benefit of

being rather fire-resistant – it requires a much higher temperature than cotton to

catch fire, and when burnt, it forms a char that self-insulates and self-

extinguishes. As such, wool is often used in uniforms for fireman.

Blankets made from organic wool Kids nappy made from organic wool

Soy fabric: Soy is another plant-based fibre that is derived from the hulls of

soybeans. These hulls are in turn food-manufacturing by-products – the hulls left

over from soybeans food production are actually used in making the soy fibres. It

is a renewable resource, which can be grown organically and is naturally

biodegradable. Soy is a sustainable crop which not only cuts pesticide use, but is

also the leading substitute for cashmere. Soy fabric is known in some countries as

“soysilk” for its soft, lustrous feel.

Clothes made from Soy Fabric

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Hemp- It is the name of the soft, durable fiber that is cultivated from plants of

the Cannabis genus. Hemp plants are resistant to most pests and diseases, and

can grow quickly with little or no use of pesticides and herbicides. Hemp fabric is

noted for its warmth and softness with a durability, which is rarely found in other

fabrics. Hemp fabric is highly versatile and is used in countless number of

products.

Hemp Fabric Hemp Shirt

Piña – It is a fiber made from the leaves of a pineapple plant. It is sometimes

combined with silk or polyester to create a textile fabric. Since piña is from a leaf,

the leaf has to be cut first from the plant. Then the fiber is pulled or split away from

the leaf. Most leaf fibers are long and somewhat stiff. Each strand of the piña fiber

is hand scraped and is knotted one by one to form a continuous filament to be

handwoven and then made into a piña cloth.

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Scraping a Pineapple Leaf Shirt made from Piña fabric

Nettle – Nettle fabric is developed from the vermin and parasite resistant

Brennessel plant. The fibers of the nettle are hollow which means they can

accumulate air inside thus creating a natural insulation. The juice of the stems and

leaves can be used to produce a permanent green dye while a yellow dye can be

obtained from boiling the roots.

Clothes made from nettle fabric

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2. Man-Made Fabrics:

Tencel- Tencel is a man-made fiber. It is the trade name for the generic fiber

Lyocell. In the fabric world, Tencel is known for its "drape". It flatters the human

form. The look is luxurious and refined. This new fiber also represents a milestone

in the development of environmentally sustainable textiles. It is Soft, breathable,

lightweight and comfortable, Shrink-resistant, durable and easy to care for.

Eco Fi- originally called as Eco Spun. This fabric is made from recycled plastic

bottles and is being used in clothing from fleece outerwear, sweaters, caps, totes

and even T-shirts.

Popularity of Green Fashion:

Even though finding green apparel in stores is not easy, these garments are steadily

increasing in popularity despite the state of the economy. This is likely due to the rise in

numbers of people who are becoming conscious that what they purchase has a direct

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affect on the environment. Such people are willing to do whatever it takes to maintain the

environmental stability of the planet.

The clothing industry impacts the environment in several key ways. How clothes are

made and transported, as well as how they are discarded is a cost to India of $180 billion

dollars annually. Consumers are taking a closer look at how their consumption affects

the planet. This forces designers to embrace incorporating organic cotton and natural

fiber into their designs as more people follow this trend.

Designers supporting green fashion:

Elena Garcia: is a London based designer who constructs her pieces by hand

and with the finest in organic wool, linen and silk fabrics. Ms. Garcia designs

multifunctional pieces and uses low-impact dyes. It has been said that Ms. Garcia

is inspired by the elite and socialite crowds as well as Queen Victoria. She

designs mainly silk gowns, tunics made of chiffon, knit jackets and asymmetric

vests.

Elena Garcia Her Dress

Marion McKee and Tristan Gribbin: together design the label SUST which

essentially stands for „cool‟ in British colloquialism. The duo uses rich colors and

clean silhouettes and makes their pieces from organics. They primarily make

organic cotton tanks, scarves and pants as well as dresses and tunics.

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Marion McKee and Tristan Gribbin

Mark Morris and Andrew Sorensen: make the duo Turk and Taylor. The duo

started out designing organic cotton graphic t-shirts then moved into designing

sharp and tailored pieces for both men and women. The duo‟s designs exude a

mid-century modern feel and utilize chic silk lined pieces. They are known for their

blazers and pleated skirts made of hemp and organic cotton.

Portlander Gretchen Jones: is an up-and-coming green fashion designer that

exudes silent movie glamour through her lines of bamboo dresses, garnished and

embellished headbands and cropped riding jackets. Ms. Jones accessories are

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hand crafted by her through using vegetable tanned leather remnants and she

calls her line MothLove.

Swati Argade: This Indian designer uses hand woven fabrics and has a signature style of mixing ethnic and bohemian aesthetics that is transformed into an urbane looking collection. She chooses fabrics and dyes consciously keeping sustainability as a priority. Swati also goes for recycling, re purposing and up cycling. Last year, she launched a collection of coats made from recycled bottles and organic cotton under her „Bhoomki‟ collection.

Coats made by swati argade

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Celebrities supporting green fashion:

Livia Firth wearing dress made up Robert Kenner wearing dress made up

of recycled plastics of organic fabric

Suzy Amis Cameron wearing dress made up of hemp Julia Roberts wears a blend of peace silk and hemp silk

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Meryl Streep wearing dress made up Demián Bichir wearing TROFEO 600 fabric

of eco-certified fabric which is blend of organic wool and silk

Green Fashion and Carbon Footprints:

Fabrics, believe it or not, have a large carbon footprint. In other words, it takes a lot of

energy to produce fabrics. In the developing world, where the textile industry represents

a larger percentage of GDP and mills are often antiquated, the CO2 emissions are

greater.

In fact, today‟s textile industry is one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gasses on

Earth, due to the huge size and scope of the industry as well as the many processes and

products that go into the making of textiles and finished textile products. Based on

estimated annual global textile production of 60 billion kilograms (KG) of fabric, the

estimated energy and water needed to produce is 1,074 billion KWh of electricity (or 132

million metric tons of coal) and between 6 – 9 trillion liters of water.

There is no question that the current state of the worldwide textile industry is

unsustainable. Accounting for almost one-third of water usage and 4.3 percent of energy

consumption, the present global production of fabrics needs to evolve. No one is more

aware of this than the industry itself. Companies such as Indigreen have been

developing economically and environmentally-efficient technologies. Industry leaders,

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such as Bill Fong of Hong Kong based Fong's Industries, have advocated massive

strides towards greater energy efficiency in textile production, pointing out that making

small changes will save money, resources, and the environment.

Environmental groups such as Ecotextile and Carbon Neutral Clothing are trying to

raise awareness about the eco-effects of this industry. As a consumer, we can make a

difference by choosing eco-friendly textiles. Buy hemp, bamboo, and flax-based clothing

and linens. Choose organic cotton over conventional cotton. Don't buy products made

from synthetic fibers. As the demand for sustainable, environmentally-sound textiles

grows, the organic textile farmers, eco-friendly dye companies, and responsible

producers will be able to thrive.

The carbon footprint of the textile industry is just as suffocating as the elephant in the

room. This is a worldwide problem that only a worldwide effort can solve.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY:

ECO Fashion – by Sass Brown

http://www.stepin.org/casestudy.php?id=ecofashion&page=3

http://www.brighthub.com/environment/green-living/articles/73624.aspx

http://oecotextiles.wordpress.com/2009/05/25/carbon-footprint-of-the-textile-

industry/

http://www.peachygreen.com/going-green/sustainable-fabrics-how-green-are-

your-clothes

http://www.brighthub.com/environment/green-living/articles/73624.aspx

http://www.domain-b.com/environment/20090403_carbon_footprint.html

http://oecotextiles.wordpress.com/2011/01/19/estimating-the-carbon-footprint-of-

a-fabric/

http://m.vogue.com/voguepedia/green-fashion

http://www.ecofashionworld.com/EcoFashion-Pulse/FLOURISHING-FIBERS.html

http://www.swicofil.com/products/016nettle.html

http://www.all-recycling-facts.com/eco-friendly-clothing.html

http://www.livbit.com/article/2010/08/03/dpol-the-eco-friendly-and-smarter-way-of-

garment-manufacturing/