On the fashion front, however, “going green” has often conjured images of drab-colored hemp fabrics, Birkenstocks, and dreadlocks. Truth be told, Fashionistas probably never expected to see the word “organic” anywhere near their designer threads. Not the case anymore, high fashion is wrapping its arms around the environmental movement and producing some chic alternatives. From the runways of the top designers to mass retail outlets, eco-fashion is more than just a passing trend. It’s a movement, a subtle shift in the fashion paradigm. I saw this quote from Coco Chanel not long ago that really speaks to this. She said, “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street. Fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”
Over the last few years, designers have upped the eco-style ante with fashion-driven, wearable pieces that give consumers a mission-an improved sense of style and a clear conscious. You no longer need to sacrifice fashion for philosophy. There’s a new, ethical, ecological fashion movement taking place that is driven by consumers’ desire to choose healthier alternatives. As men, our clothing, the outward projection of our personal brand, is very important symbolically and should reflect something about the times we’re living in and our attitude towards them. Every aspect of our society in one form or another is making a conscious effort to cut back on the consumption of resources and find alternatives that will not hurt our planet.
Personally, my children have inspired me to become more aware of the big picture. They are going to have to live with the choices you and I make every day. So we’ve decided to do everything we can in our business to ensure a better future for them. By selecting eco-friendly fabrics, processes, and environmentally conscious suppliers and vendors, in our own small way, we are affecting this outcome.
So what does all this organic talk mean? Most of us have never really thought of our pants as an unfriendly entity, unless we grew too large to fit into them. In actuality, 55 million pounds of pesticides are sprayed on non-organic cotton each year alone. A cotton T-shirt blended with polyester can release approximately one quarter of its weight in air pollutants and 10 times its weight in carbon dioxide. Switching to eco-textiles means a cleaner earth; pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers that have a negative effect on the environment are passed over in lieu of organically sound ones, giving greenhouse emissions a much-deserved break. Add to the fact that designs by David August now offer options with this organic mantra and your wardrobe might finally achieve the sustainability it’s been lacking. As the demand for eco-friendly fashion increases, organic fabrics will become more mainstream. We’re currently creating some beautiful garments using organic fabrics as well as carrying accessories that follow a green philosophy. Vegetable-tanned leather belts and organic Loomstate jeans and T-Shirts are just some of the new additions in the David August line.
This spring menswear is all about fresh color, natural fabrics, and plenty of texture. The season’s styles use natural colors from an organic palette. Browns, golds, and greens were everywhere on the runways; in fact, color and lots of it is key. We’re seeing a lot of natural textures and light layers in menswear as well. Organic cotton, linen, and blends using sustainably harvested silk, bamboo, and soy are among the new “eco-fabrics” being used. Some of the fresh additions to the David August Spring/Summer line are fabrics blended with linen, silk, cotton, and mohair-linen for the “resort” look; silk for dressing things up a notch; cotton for added comfort and wear-ability; and mohair for performance and wrinkle resistance. The combination is incredible. We are taking green fashion “from hippie to hip” by focusing on those aspects of apparel that make the difference to consumers, including style, color, hand, and performance. And the changes will become increasingly evident, with more organic styles showing up on the catwalk and in stores near you. If you decide that new, natural clothing is a statement that you must make to reflect where the world is today, then shopping for it will help the economy start moving in the right direction.
If you have questions you’d like to see addressed in future issues, e-mail me at haute@davidaugustinc.com.
David August
3140 Airway Ave.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
800.546.SUIT (7848)
www.davidaugustinc.com
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