Whenever we talk to people who are interested in fashion but not necessary ethical fashion, we get the same type of response: “I want to support fair trade/recycled textiles/sweatshop-free manufacturing, but not all of my favorite brands use it.” Or alternatively: “I buy organic cotton but you’ll pry my designer shoes from my cold, dead hands.”

To which we reply: That’s perfectly OK. You don’t have to be a dyed-in-the-hemp fanatic to count yourself among the growing ranks of ethical fashionistas. Here at E.S., we believe in “shades of green” — you can be really into vintage and upcycling, but not that excited about GMO versus organic debates. Or a diehard vegan who passes right by the articles about counterfeit goods.

You’re permitted to have your favorite cause and not give a hoot about the other tenets in the ethical fashion canon. We don’t judge you for that, because let’s be honest — who adheres to every last fashion commandment all of the time? Unless you’re a total style victim, you don’t view trends that way, so we don’t expect you to treat the hot-button issues in fashion with kid gloves either.

In this issue, we expand our color theme to cover a variety of interpretations, from race to cosmetics.

Kara interviews Eka A. for our newest Real Girl Ethics column. As a law student, beauty-pageant competitor, singer, actress, she’s the real deal and a quadruple threat.

Madison checks out the new eco-beauty products for spring, with an emphasis on the vibrant colors seen all over the runway for Spring 2010. This season, it’s cool to leave your brights on.

Take a walk through magazine history in this slideshow of famous and groundbreaking fashion-mag covers featuring amazing women of color. Can you name the first black model to appear on the cover of Vogue? If not, this is a must-read.

Finally, you can use Seam Ripper to catch up on everything you might have missed on the Behind the Seams blog.