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Go Green

Move aside Fur, green fashion is here. The new high end fashion statement comes in the form of what is more commonly known as an eco friendly way of dressing. Green fashion has arrived and most established designers are today creating their pieces in accordance with the "green" statement.

The immediate question that comes to mind is what really is "green" fashion? Simply put, it the art of dressing without damaging the environment. So fabrics like organically grown cotton are used instead of materials like polyester blends. Green fashion does not end at simply using eco friendly materials but also adopts the fair trade technique. Fair trade involves not only providing a just and fair price for the material acquired from the local artisans, for the designing of the outfit, but also ensures that the artisans and the consumers alike benefit from this fair trade. So while the local artisans are able to provide better for their family due to fair trade, the consumers also benefit from this concept.

Today green fashion and fair trade seems to be over taking the fashion industry completely. But what exactly should the consumer look for when searching to buy such products. Instead the factory produced garments; green fashion promotes hand made products. So hand knitted items are favored over machine made ones. Similarly, instead of mass produced machine embroidery, hand embroidery is highly favored. If you are looking to add your bit to the green fashion industry, try and buy products that are made by hand rather than machine. Do not select items that have any form of plastic in them. It takes several hundred years for plastic to degenerate as opposed to paper or cotton, which is much more eco friendly.

While most consumers limit the extent of green fashion to garments only, this is not where the sphere of this organic eco friendly concept ends. Right from accessories like hand bags, jewelry, belts etc to wrapping material, carry bags and even Christmas decorations, the concept of green designs has overtaken all these fields. One of the most favored materials of the green fashion industry is organic cotton; other products that follow closely are jute and linen.

Established labels like Levis are jumping into the organic cotton pool and a small e embroidered on their products will help consumers identify the jeans that have been made of pure organic cotton. Most buyers are happy to pay a little extra to buy these products and the reason for it is quite simply; look cool and have a clear conscience. While no doubt the concept of green fashion does target the high end user at the moment, however if things work well, it is most likely to spill over to the daily lives of most consumers.

Global warming is no longer an alien concept to most of us. We feel its adverse effects in our daily lives and seasonal fashion seems to have absolutely nothing to do with the climate of the season. What used to be a typical autumn is no longer so, while winters seem to be getting warmer and fashion designers are left totally confused as to what should be the appropriate clothing for any season. The time to wake up and go green in almost all spheres of life is pertinent. The fashion industry has taken it upon itself to not only further the cause of preventing global warming but, also contributing significantly to the cause by preventing the production of non eco friendly garments.

Here's hoping that the green fashion trend will grow and soon the entire world will join in to contribute towards a better and more eco friendly world for the coming generation.