“I’m wearing a dress made for me by Orsola de Castro. She is behind one of my favourite labels, From Somewhere, and is totally on my wavelength. Orsola is the queen of upcycling so everything about the dress has been salvaged from the waste bins of some very prestigious labels, no less, so my dress will be made from waste but you’d never know. I’m also wearing ethical pink diamonds from Australia, by Cajella (on loan of course), and my bag has been made for me by Bruno at Roger Vivier from offcuts. It’s really beautiful.”

– Livia Firth, wife of Best Actor nominee Colin Firth, on her elegant eco-pick for Oscar night. Want your own From Somewhere dress at a fraction of the price? Check out the brand’s new collaboration with U.K. discount retailer Tesco.

Does “high-fashion fanny pack” seem like a contradiction in terms? Suspend your disbelief for a moment, just long enough to check out the fanny clutch by upcycling designer Fahmina.

The beauty of the clutch design is that it adds no bulk to your hips (because honestly, what woman wants to add inches there?) while keeping your hands free and fitting in all your daily essentials.

But Fahmina also has an eco-secret: Her accessories been made with 95 percent reclaimed and “precycled” leather that’s been salvaged from other designers’ waste bins. Other leatherworkers throw away “defective” leather by the ton for something as little as a scratch. Fahmina works by hand around the defects for a piece that is still high-quality but a little less wasteful.

Envelope Fanny Clutch, $180 at Fahmina.com.

(via YourDailyThread.com)

Tesco is in some ways the U.K. equivalent of Target — a place where you can buy well-priced groceries and clothes in the same trip. Now, in the tradition of Target’s eco-minded Go International collections, Tescois releasing a sweet sustainable clothing line in collaboration with From Somewhere. Fast fashion, this isn’t.

As Ecouterre reports:

Made up of damaged stock, end of rolls, and pre-consumer textile waste from Tesco’s own supply chain, “From Somewhere to F&F” consists of six striking, paneled designs that are being produced in a LEED-certified factory in Sri Lanka—the first apparel factory in the world, in fact, to receive a Gold rating for lowering its carbon footprint by 48 percent and using 60 percent less water than a standard factory.

Also, the clothes are pretty hot — we’d wear any of these dresses out on the town. Well played, Tesco!

The dresses, which start at £16, are set to go on sale on Tesco’s website this spring.

We were surprised to read this environmental statement by Canadian outdoor-gear brand Arc’teryx regarding its refusal to use recycled materials:

Arc’teryx believes in integrity and responsibility. Due to the present state of textile technology and our unwillingness to sacrifice technical performance, the majority of Arc’teryx products are made with materials derived from non-renewable resources. We have not yet found acceptable renewable alternatives that don’t substantially affect our product’s performance or durability.

This is likely a direct shot across the bow of Patagonia, one of Arc’teryx’s main competitors, which was one of the first companies to distinguish itself with its high-quality eco-fleece. But it’s also a bit mystifying that Arc’teryx is seemingly justifying the use of non-renewable resources to its consumers given that people who love the outdoors are also probably the ones who want to save the environment.

In other words: Isn’t Arc’teryx alienating its market?

(via TreeHugger)

If there’s one New Year’s resolution we are determined not to break, it’s to explore more ways to go zero waste in fashion. A few fashion and beauty brands are already ahead of the curve, as we explore in E.S. Issue 28: Zero Waste.

Here’s what you’ll find in the new issue (complete with a front page makeover — check it out!):

• Arguably the designer with the most foresight, ambition, and success in the Zero Waste movement is British fashion prodigy Mark Liu. EthicalStyle.com had the good fortune to sit down with him recently to discuss how he eliminates fabric waste in his designs and what his plans are for the future of the movement.
• Cult-favorite cosmetics brand MAC is probably known best for its Viva Glam program that benefits the MAC AIDS Fund, and second-best for “Back to MAC”: bring in six empty makeup containers for recycling and take home a free lipstick. Read here for our take on why this program is being replicated throughout the beauty industry.
• If you adhere to the “waste not, want not” philosophy, antiquing is likely a passion of yours. We review antiques markets in a variety of cities across the world.
• From patchwork quilting in Pennsylvania to deconstructing saris in India, fabric reuse is not just a way to recycle — it’s a practice in tradition. Madison explores the rich history of fabric reconstitution.
• Kara, our DIY Doyenne, returns with a fabric-reconstitution project of her own:how to turn old tees into a quilt full of memories.
• And as always, if you are looking for further reading on waste, revisit our heaviest hitters in the Seam Ripper section for a sampling of blog posts we’ve written on the topic.

A dress from Mark Liu's "Unicorn" collection for Spring/Summer 2010. (Courtesy of Stique.com)

If you aren’t already familiar with Mark Liu’s work, you will be soon. The 27-year-old fashion dynamo is resonating in the European fashion scene for his ethical fashion philosophies. He’s best known for his Zero Waste technique of cutting fabric such that none is wasted, and he’s eager to spread the word to other up-and-coming designers in the eco-world.

A graduate of the prestigious Saint Martin’s College with a master’s degree in textiles futures, Mark has pioneered a method of cutting fabric that reduces textile waste by 15 percent. He uses every scrap of the fabric in some way, from lining to embellishment.

We caught up with Mark a few weeks ago just as he returned from giving a talk at the Beyond Green symposium in Amsterdam. Read on for his thoughts on what he calls “the next generation of sustainability.”

Can you explain your Zero Waste concept to us?

You always start with that rectangle, but then you cut it in jigsaw patterns that fit together perfectly. It’s much more efficient. By the time you have made seven dresses, you have one “free” garment.

No sewing means tying knots and using tension. The more I practice, the better I get at it. A little trial and error. Well, a lot of error.

I’m keen to scale up to see if this will work. There’s something about putting money behind it that creates pressure, and mass production is where you actually see a savings.

You get to wear the process on your body. In an unpredictable world, the safest thing to do is the impossible. No one sees it coming.

Your next collection for Fall/Winter 2010, to be presented in February, is tentatively titled “The Breakdown of Logic.” What can you tell us about it?

It will have fewer cut edges, more sealed edges, and more tailoring with 3D sculptural elements and texture. I was inspired by Gödel’s completeness theorem. I use math to express myself — looking at feedback systems, envisioning how the final product changes the cutting process.

I imagine the collection going very high end with the hand-cutting, but I also want it to be very accessible. I work on commission only right now and make very limited editions. But I want to have everything sell out and have nothing left. Otherwise I’d rather not make it. It goes against the Zero Waste philosophy.

Do you work with animal products?

I was really affected by the Cradle to Cradle book on sustainability, and now I’m preparing for the next generation of sustainability. Leather is terrible for the environment. It’s a combination of animal parts and chromium, which is a serious pollutant. Nontoxic tanning processes don’t really exist, so I’m very skeptical of “vegetable tanning” of leather. That’s true for a lot of green things. Soy inks leach chemicals, FSC-certified paper is inferior quality, some plastics are not meant to be recycled. A bottle was never designed to be eco-fleece, for example.

Fur is quite different, though. We can’t recreate fur as beautifully as nature has. It’s not good to wipe a species out, but there are societies that have been using it forever. So I don’t jump to conclusions.

Who are your favorite designers?

Issaye Miyake, Yoshi Yamamoto, and Rei Kawakubo from Comme de Garçons. They know fabric, they know technique, and they keep pushing the boundary.

Who would you most like to dress?

Summer Rayne Oakes. She is savvy about fashion and she has a good eye. Any smart woman, really. You don’t have to be a movie star. You just have to care.

Reducing waste is at the very heart of the eco-fashion movement. From pesticide-minimizing organic cotton to buying local to cut down on transportation emissions, nearly every shopping decision that ethical fashionistas make is, on some level or another, about minimizing the environmental or social impact such a purchase entails. When consumers are thinking twice even about buying faux fur because the manufacturing process creates so much pollution, you know that people are really thinking hard about how their choices affect everyone else — a move we have to applaud.

C&C California's organic-cotton line comes with a biodegradeable hangtag that sprouts wildflowers when planted. (Courtesy of CCCalifornia.com)

That’s why the Zero Waste movement is so inherently attractive. The idea that you can buy something completely without guilt because it was made without waste is so cutting edge and mindful, it can only be the wave of the future.

So who in the industry has actually achieved this standard?

The list is short, but there are many fashion and beauty companies that have taken steps in that direction. For example, C&C California’s organic cotton tee-shirts ship in recyclable packaging and come with biodegradeable hangtags embedded with wildflower seeds to add a little cheer to your compost pile. Austin-based beauty company Everyday Minerals provides free bicycles to its employees to encourage workers to commute without ever setting foot on a gas pedal.

Arguably the designer with the most foresight, ambition, and success in the Zero Waste movement is British fashion prodigy Mark Liu. EthicalStyle.com had the good fortune to sit down with him recently to discuss how he eliminates fabric waste in his designs and what his plans are for the future of the movement.

Cult-favorite cosmetics brand MAC is probably known best for its Viva Glam program that benefits the MAC AIDS Fund, and second-best for “Back to MAC”: bring in six empty makeup containers for recycling and take home a free lipstick. Read here for our take on why this program is being replicated throughout the beauty industry.

If you adhere to the “waste not, want not” philosophy, antiquing is likely a passion of yours. We review antiques markets in a variety of cities across the world.

From patchwork quilting in Pennsylvania to deconstructing saris in India, fabric reuse is not just a way to recycle — it’s a practice in tradition. Madison explores the rich history of fabric reconstitution.

Kara, our DIY Doyenne, returns with a fabric-reconstitution project of her own: how to turn old tees into a quilt full of memories.

And as always, if you are looking for further reading on waste, visit our Seam Ripper section for a sampling of blog posts we’ve written on the topic.

Wal-Mart, Claire’s, and several other retailers have temporarily stopped selling costume jewelry manufactured in China while federal consumer-safety groups investigate reports that many items are contaminated with high levels of cadmium, a known carcinogen.

According to the Associated Press (AP):

Lab tests were conducted for the AP on 103 pieces of low-price children’s jewelry such as charm bracelets and pendants purchased around the country. Virtually all were imported from China.

Twelve items had cadmium levels of at least 10 percent by weight. One piece had a startling 91 percent, and others contained more than 80 percent. The government has no restrictions on cadmium in jewelry.

Children can be exposed by sucking or biting such jewelry. But without direct exposure, most people do not experience its worst effects: cancer, kidneys that leak vital protein and bones that spontaneously snap.

The worrisome results came in tests of bracelet charms sold at Walmart stores, at the jewelry chain Claire’s and at a Dollar N More store. High amounts of cadmium also were detected in “The Princess and The Frog” movie-themed pendants.

The use of cadmium is favored by Chinese factories because it is cheap and pliable. It is commonly found in rechargeable batteries and circuitry, but it is also poisonous and can affect brain development in young children. Dangerous stuff.

If you are a 20s or 30s woman with limited closet space and a bad habit of sentimentality past all reason, chances are good you are storing at least one bridesmaid dress that you’ve worn once and only once. An enterprising Minneapolis designer has a solution for you: Angie Arner is collecting bridesmaid dresses and putting a fresh spin on them in her new upcycled line, CounterCouture.

As we’ve explored before, bridesmaid dresses one of the most common offenders of the unfortunate wear-once garment. In the interest of breathing new life into that wasteland of periwinkle-blue satin, sent it Arner’s way for some serious glamming up.

Arner says:

“One day I looked in my closet at the collection of these sad dresses pushed to the very back and I started brainstorming about their potential,” she wrote in a statement about her new brand. “I knew so many women could relate to this. So many, in fact, that there could be a market in turning them into new fashion. It’s problem-solving with a very sexy package.”

The full collection of custom dresses will be presented in April during Spring MNfashion Week, and she will soon be selling on Etsy.com. Prices range from $175 to $250 — probably not much more than what you paid for the dress in the first place. We love the look of the one at right, and this online gallery shows there’s a lot of room for creativity in satin. Who knew?

The N.Y. Post just ran this article about Zaarath and Christopher Prokop, a married couple who live in New York’s smallest condo. At only 175 square feet, the “microstudio” lacks even a closet:

It has two small windows with views of upper Manhattan; hardwood floors; a tiny kitchen with a mini-fridge and hotplate; and a closet-sized bathroom with a shower, sink and toilet. …

Once in their running attire, the two change the cat litter box (stored under the sink) and start their small Rumba vacuum — which operates automatically while they’re out, picking up cat hair.

They then jog to their jobs in Midtown, picking up along the way their work clothes, which are “strategically stashed at various dry cleaners.”

Just in case the cleaners are closed, both have emergency clothes at their offices.

“I have a closet at my office,” Zaarath said. “You don’t want to be standing outside a closed cleaners at 8:45 in your workout pants thinking, ‘Greeeeeat’ . . . It’s a great strategy. You always have fresh things to wear.”

While living in such a small place likely means next-to-nothing energy bills, we have to take issue with their decision to dry clean their clothes every single day. The carbon footprint of dry-cleaning waste likely more than makes up for any eco-savings they rack up on heating and cooling.