Fashion Goes Green

By Marco Mak

HONG KONG – An educational exhibition of green fashion from EcoChic Design Award, an international sustainable fashion design competition, took place in Hysan Place, Causeway Bay last week, attracting the attention of shoppers and fashion lovers.

The exhibition was held from 10 am to 10 pm on 24 Feb. to 28 Feb. on the first-floor atrium of Hysan Place in Causeway Bay. Eight pieces of design from the finalists and winners of the EcoChic Award 2013 were showcased on a 10-foot white runway at the center of the atrium. Hong Kong was one of the exhibition stops along with Singapore, Berlin, London, Taipei, Shanghai and Paris.

EcoChic Design Award is an annual international competition organized by Redress, a Hong Kong-based NGO. It challenges emerging designers to design mainstream garments with sustainable design techniques like zero-waste, up-cycling and reconstruction. The winner, designer Karen Jessen from Germany, won a partnership with Esprit, a global fashion chain, to sell her design worldwide.

“We united East and West and connected today’s leaders with tomorrow’s innovators to spotlight the urgent environmental issues caused by the fashion industry that must be addressed and catalyze lasting change,” said Dr. Christina Dean, Founder and CEO of Redress.

Many audience and shoppers found the exhibition interesting and effective to promote sustainability.

“They all look pretty. The designer is creative because he incorporated a pair of jeans on to the shirt. I would wear them,” said Miss Cheng, a secondary school student who loves fashion.

Mr. Wong, 50, father of a designer student, said, “It’s a good way to remind people of eco-friendliness as they walk by the exhibition,” while snapping photos of the designs for his son for inspiration.

However, Miss Wong, a 24-year-old shopper, disagreed.

“Some designs are too flashy. I wouldn’t wear them, but I would buy the winning piece from Esprit though,” she said. “I don’t think it’s effective to promote the cause because there aren’t many people stopping by and have a good look at the exhibits.”

The wasteful fashion industry has been exhausting the planet’s resources in recent years. Globally, 7.5 billion clothing items end up in landfills a year, according to a report by Global Action Plan. Locally in Hong Kong, 79,205 tons of textiles were sent to landfills in 2011, according to Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department.

“Sustainability in the fashion industry is an over-discussed but under-actioned issue. Not enough focus is being put on reducing waste. We must crack the industry’s problem of excessive waste production and lost economic value,” Dr. Dean said.

The organizer Redress, based in Hong Kong, is a NGO with a mission to promote environmental sustainability in the fashion industry by reducing textile waste, pollution, water and energy consumption. They have organized educational sustainable fashion shows, exhibitions, competitions and seminars in the past.

#Environment #News #Green