Despite the brouhaha and palaver about fashion industry, what all experts tend to agree is that the industry does account for a considerable share of world’s total economic output. Now, it might be questionable or at the least arguable about how much this seemingly ‘flashy’ industry has an impact on the common man, but we should rather look beyond the perfunctory fads. With the advancement of ‘green’ technologies and their divergence into many fields, it was only a matter of time that they would make a foray into fashion, and that is what interests us here. This new fusion of Eco-fashion is certainly increasing in popularity, and most importantly accentuating upon our total state of sustainability. So lets us put on our chic attire, and check out the 10 Eco fashion trends that have a green future ahead.
Loomstate for Barneys Green’s Reflection Jeans
A collaborative effort by Loomstate and Barneys New York; this brand new conception is dubbed as the Barneys Green’s Reflection Jeans. Basically a straight cut number, it was made from ring-spun 100 percent organic-cotton yarns that were woven into the denim fabric on vintage narrow shuttle looms. The ultimate look comes down to being stylish, graceful and most importantly ‘green’.
Students Create Pollution-Detecting Shirts
Smart, chic and absolutely fashionable is what can be said about this unique creation from two graduate students -Nien Lam and Sue Ngo. They have managed to contrive a top with a pink heart or a set of lungs (as shown in the picture). Now comes the good part, as whenever a censor (cleverly embedded in the fabric) detects above-average high carbon monoxide levels, the lungs flash ‘blue veins’. And wait there is more, the duo is even thinking of creating attires that could detect one’s alcohol level!
Pollution Sensitive EPA Dress by 2nd Skin
Okay, understandably odd, but at least this is a conscientious conception from designer Stephanie Sandstrom. Named as the EPA Dress, it can supposedly get wrinkled in response to polluted ‘bad’ air. Well for us it is certainly a good way to make a correct sustainable statement.
Trashing Fashion: Haute-Art from discarded waste!
Bizarre, freakish, eccentric and adamantly green is what can be said about this distinctiveconception. Enviro-Couture features 100 percent recycled newspaper wearable conceived by Elena Gregusova, as well as the recycled hardware jewelry made by Barbara Gregusova. The attires were made from a myriad of trashy stuffs including newspapers, recycled hard drives, laser toners and even ink-jet cartridges.
Attractive Solar Clothing – The Zegna Ecotech Solar Jacket
Solar energy readily belongs in the pantheon of renewable sources, and it’s only natural that solar clothing would make their mark in the annals of ecofashion. The Zegna Ecotech SolarJacket (made of recycled plastic) incorporates solar panels on its upper sleeves, which can actually juice up your cell phone or iPod depending upon the time you spend outside in the sun. Plus the jacket is made of recycled plastic, which actually manages to infuse that debonair quotient.
Silvr Lining’s Go Urban cargo pants harness renewable energy
Named as the Go Urban, these cargo pants made from light weighted and water resistant Ultrasuede, feature a pair of built-in photovoltaic panels on two easily accessible side pockets. The dual system can function independently when powering up your small gadgets simultaneously side by side.
Dress Embedded with LEDs Monitors CO2, Flashes Data in Patterns
A collaborative effort from diffus.dk, Alexandra Institute, The Danish Design School and embroidery company Forster Rohner, this impressive design exhibits an array of LEDs that flashes in response to the increasing levels of pollution. According to Fashioning Technology – the dress monitors the carbon dioxide levels in a given environment and displays the real time data through flickering light patterns.
Fiber nanogenerators could lead to energy harvesting ‘Smart Clothes’
Now it’s time for those thoughtful scientists to take a plunge into ecofashion, as researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have conceived of advanced energy-generating nano-fibers, which can be woven inside the cloth. They can utilize their piezoelectric properties to generate clean electricity, which in effect can be used to charge smaller gadgets. Piezoelectricity is the charge produced by mechanical strain, and in this case it is produced by the body movement of the wearer. Composed of organic polyvinylidene fluoride, these flexible, sturdy yet efficient fibers has energy conversion efficiencies as high as 21.8 percent.
Day for night solar power dress!
This certainly Day for night dress can absorb the sun’s rays during the daytime so that you can be glitteringly gorgeous during the night, as this ingeniously contrived as well as beautiful number literally emanates all the stored up energy.
Energy-Generating Clothes Absorb the Elements
Well, why not use the advantages of both the mechanical strain and the sun’s energy? And that is what scientists at the University of Bolton have exactly done by composing a hybrid photovoltaic-piezoelectric material. It can conveniently generate clean power from body movement, wind as well as the omnipresent solar energy.
