There are a growing range of sustainable materials out there now; another example is Piñatex – a beautiful material made from by-product waste from the pineapple harvest which enables farmers to turn a waste stream into income. I wore a gown made with this unlikely material to the MET gala in 2017 and we’re seeing more and more brands start to use materials like these for their collections, diverting us away from some of the most common materials out there such as conventional cotton, polyester, and leather.
Denim as well is increasingly in the spotlight as we know how impactful the creation of that material can be – from the cultivation of cotton to the processing and finishing stages of the fabric and garments, all processes can be incredibly water and chemical intensive, and polluting to our environment. This is something the Italian denim producer Candiani is trying to address through development of technologies such as INDIGO JUICE® a revolutionary in-house dyeing technology that drastically reduces the consumption of water, chemicals and energy in the fabric production and laundry process.
Over the past three years we have also seen a number of creative designers exploring materials innovations for the Green Carpet Talent Competition, and the Green Carpet Challenge which was launched in 2010.
But it’s just as important to consider how and who made our clothes. The “handprint” of fashion is made of real people in supply chains all over the world who are often working in terrible conditions and paid a minimum wage which is equal to the poverty line.
using sustainable materials