Eco-Fashion in Atlanta
It matters how fashion looks. Shouldn’t it also matter how fashion is made? At the Atlanta Apparel Market, it does. Multiple lines intended to showcase how sustainable, forward-thinking designs can be fashionable and marketable will be available at Market, April 12-16, 2012, for those buyers looking to source certified organic and free-trade merchandise.
After more than 15 years as a pioneer, Indigenous brings its organic styles to Atlanta Apparel in the Molly Hurley & Associates showroom. The Indigenous mission supports and preserves fair trade wages and artisan cooperatives, while designing apparel from organic cotton and natural fibers, thus protecting the environment. Products are handmade by artisans being paid fair wages and whose cultural traditions are respected, supporting economic growth in the developing world. The brand proudly displays its unique Artisan Made-Fair Trade + Organic stamp, along with the signatures of artisans who are hand-making the garments and informational icons celebrating Indigenous’ eco-friendly, socially responsible business practices.
Indigenous openly invites mindful purchasing through their new Garment Origin Trace Tool – a mobile-enabled web technology that lets shoppers see where garments originate and how fibers were raised. It also allows shoppers to meet the artisans who hand-make the garments, and learn about Indigenous’ positive social impact. “We hope that by sharing the beauty of what goes into our fashion as well as the beauty of our eco-chic styling, we will encourage even more fashionistas to become passionistas about buying only fashion that is good for people and the planet,” says Matt Reynolds, Indigenous co-founder and president.
Among the other organic and fair trade lines debuting at April Atlanta Apparel are GGO Organic Yoga Clothes by Vivica Schwartz, which will exhibit in the Temps; Uniquely Fashion, exhibiting on the Premiere Floor; and FashionABLE, which will exhibit in the Diana Warner showroom. GGO fine organic clothiers is one of the few yoga lifestyle brands designed by a yoga professional. Vivica Schwartz – a long time practitioner and instructor of Vinyasa flow yoga – design assisted and personally tested GGO’s women’s yoga collection. Combining the performance received through synthetics with healthy lifestyle choices and what you put on your body resulted in clothing made from bamboo yarns and varying degrees of Lycra … not organic but highly designed and not detrimental to the environment.
The bamboo used in GGO clothing grows wild in northern Vietnam, and is harvested responsibly. It is completely sustainable and begins growing back immediately. No irrigation water is used in the growth of the company’s wild bamboo, and its extensive root system helps preserve soil and prevent soil erosion.
Uniquely Fashion is an importer and authorized distributor of Pelcor, known worldwide for its eco-friendly premium cork fashion products. Pelcor’s experienced craftsmen use the finest parts of the cork oak to create complete accessory collections. Uniquely imports the products from Portugal, which accounts for 70 percent of the world’s cork production. Unlike other forest products, cork oaks are NOT cut down to harvest the bark. The finished products are naturally lightweight, elastic, waterproof, hypoallergenic, stain proof, easy to clean and fire-resistant.
The purchase of a FashionABLE scarf sustains and creates jobs so women are not dependent upon charity, but instead are a vital part of a developing African economy. Then the profits rehabilitate women from desperate circumstances and provide job training which produces dignity and a new quality of life.
“I’m a firm believer that conscious consumerism in retail is not just a trend anymore. The next generation of powerful consumers consume with a conscience and because of that we must find ourselves aligned with causes and brands that are doing great things in the lives of humans,” says Diana Warner, principal designer and owner of Diana Warner New York. “I’m approached by charitable causes daily but rarely find one I completely agree with the way it is run and the positive changes it brings to the world. When I met FashionABLE nearly two years ago, I fell immediately in love with everything about it. I am honored to have FashionABLE in my showroom.”
Fair Trade Certification is an extensive process and textile production is new to the program, which is overseen by TransFair USA. FashionABLE is working to ensure that each step in the supply chain meets fair trade standards. While working to attain certification, they ensure that every woman is paid a fair wage and that all operations are conducted with integrity.
Atlanta Apparel Market takes place April 12-16, 2012, Thursday – Monday (Permanents: April 12-16, 2012, Thursday-Monday; Temporaries: April 12-15, 2012, Thursday – Sunday – closing at 3 p.m. on Sunday). For more information about Atlanta Apparel Market, visit www.AmericasMart.com/Apparel.
About AmericasMart
AmericasMart Atlanta is the nation’s only global wholesale marketplace housing the world’s single-largest collection of home, gift, area rug and apparel merchandise. The largest of AmericasMart’s 13 annual Markets and shows, the January Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market and Atlanta International Area Rug Market is the ignition switch for global retailing with buyers from every U.S. state and more than 90 countries discovering product in more than 1,400 showrooms and more than 2,500 temporary exhibiting companies. Located in downtown Atlanta, the AmericasMart complex contains more than seven million square feet of space. It’s a huge global stage on which manufacturers, designers and sales representatives unveil new lines, launch new designs and introduce new categories – all for the benefit of buyers seeking all that is fresh and first in the home, rug, gift and apparel arena. For more information, please visit www.americasmart.com.
