Eco fashion’s many faces

Joanna Keeton explores the increasing popularity of eco fashion and some of the well-known faces championing the cause in order to take it to the next level.

The latest celebrity to back the eco fashion movement is the musician will.i.am, who launched his Ekocycle campaign in New York last week. He plans to create a line of clothes and other lifestyle goods from recycled materials, and it seems that his passion for making recycling ‘cool’ has paid off, with big brands such as Levi’s, New Era and MCM all signing on for partnerships with Ekocycle.

The Black Eyed Peas star is not the only famous face making a change, though, as a whole host of A-listers have been seen donning green couture this season. Meryl Streep wowed in her gold lamé gown at Livia Firth’s Green Carpet Challenge, whilst Colin Firth reused his Tom Ford suit from the 2011 Oscars, supporting the simplest form of eco fashion – recycling!

Even Kate Middleton has been hitting the headlines for her penchant to recycle outfits and fashion pieces. A huge fashion no-no in the celeb world usually, Kate has been seen wearing many of her favourite tweed dress-coats on several occasions, alongside re-pairing her hats and shoes to create new outfits. A fervent buyer of second-hand and vintage, the Duchess is sure to play a key face in the growing eco fashion trend; and what an inspiration she makes. Moving far away from disposable fashion, her look is that of elegance, class and timeless style.

With celebrities constantly under the scrutiny of the media it is little wonder that they rarely recycle their fashion choices, especially with the pressure built around the looks of the women. “Best dressed” v “Worst dressed”, and “Who wore it best?” have all become normal questions for gossip magazines, but is the fashion media’s criticism preventing A-listers from seeing the bigger picture?

As Coco Chanel said, “Elegance does not consist in putting on a new dress”. So what about an old one? What about creating something unique in your style, something original, and something that is only you? Here’s hoping that we’ve more bright faces joining the eco fashion front, proving that best dressed doesn’t have to mean a sacrifice for the environment or disposable designs. After all, style is timeless.

Joanna Keeton is in the final year of an advertising and PR degree at the University of Lincoln. She has a keen interest in pursuing a career in journalism and events, and has a passion for travel and writing.

Further reading:

The growing trend of eco fashion

Sustainable fashion: an oxymoron?

Prisoners’ ethical fashion launches in the UK

The sustainable future of fashion

Be sustainable, be fashionable