Green Initiative Humanitarian Fashion Extravaganza
Published by Natalie on Oct 21st, 2008
The runway was strewn with leaves, dancers in African garb, and designers toting monkeys. It was the Green Initiative Humanitarian Fashion Show, part of Los Angeles’ Fashion Week and, yes, clothes, but not just ordinary clothes, were also shown. Some of the Shopflick crew, alongside Shopflick seller Lizz Wasserman of Popomomo, were there to observe the spectacle and ogle the runway designs.
The fashions were environmentally minded, with wares crafted from organic cotton and bamboo based fabrics, dyes generated from vegetable and soy dyes, also organic, and styles too nuanced to scream “green,” though the crowd certainly grasped with appreciation. I swear it wasn’t just because one model was wearing an enormous python as a necklace.
There were four designers, one of whom graces the virtual Shopflick marketplace: Emily Factor, EcoSkin, Lilikoi, and Smart Glass Jewelry (future Shopflick honoree). Factor opened the show with gauzy dresses in contrast printed silk patterns. In blazing orange and underwater blue hues, the dresses curved with waist-hugging contours and fluttered with asymmetrical, overlapping hemlines.

Sandy Skinner’s EcoSkin line drew the most attention. The affordable dresses, rompers, and blouses were all close-fitting jersey lovelies in colorful but understated colors. The clothes were endlessly flattering, with cinched waists, faux pockets, and pinched folds that accentuated all the right parts; and infinitely flexible, comfortably straddling that gray area between casual wear (just add sandals!) and evening glamour (anything gold).
Jewelry (and full body glass assemblages) were contributed by Smart Glass, all made from recycled bottles. Even if the one-shoulder glass dress, visually perfect for the beach, couldn’t actually be worn to any event that would require more than just looking beautiful, it still wowed the spectators. Who knew my recycled Perrier would soon adorn a strutting model? It just may very well be a glimpse into the future of fashion, which is and should be evolving with an eye to the environment. Shopflick approves.


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