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Resolve to Renew, Reuse and Revitalize! |
 With every new year comes a flood of personal pledges and resolves. For most of us fashion vets, fitness and personal finance usually rank highest. Yet this is also a time for businesses to assess their corporate fitness and evaluate the company’s financial power. In particular, it’s a time for fashion brands to renew their promises of social responsibility and leverage environmental influence.
As a trend analyst, I’m passionate about tracking the West Coast apparel brands leading this important global trend. Many cutting edge designers are committed to reusing and recycling materials, while others renew and revitalize thru socially responsive innovation.
Believing that the business world and the natural world are not inherently at odds, American Apparel recycles over a million pounds of fabric scraps annually and manufactures their sexy Baby Rib Thong from pre-consumer scrap fabric. They recycle office paper, reuse cardboard boxes and are constantly exploring ways of becoming more resource efficient. Just think about the incremental impact of these actions….one business can make a difference!
Leading the way in fiber innovation, Linda Loudermilk creates luxury apparel utilizing sustainable bamboo pointelle and has pioneered the use of Sea Cell, a therapeutic mineral-releasing material derived from sea kelp and cellulose. All of which honor nature and recycle naturally back into the earth.
Fashion Week dream weaver Deborah Lindquist favors the luminary genre of “reincarnated” couture, recycling cashmere into hipster apparel and accessories while magically repurposing kimonos and saris. She spins these earthy confections with organic cotton, wool and hemp into an ethereal look that transfixes the conscious and coquettish damsels of Tinseltown.
Bamboo denim and recycled soda bottles distinguish the cerebral work of Undesigned, an Echo Park based contemporary brand conceived by Carol Young. Her monochromatic urban separates are frequently multifunctional, reflecting her interest in architecture and the needs of modern nomadic life.
What promises of social responsibility and environmental consciousness can your brand make this year? How can you impact the wellbeing of our planet thru design innovation and resource stewardship in 2007? The power of your company and your brand lies in your ability to impact the consumer community. Best wishes for an outstanding and sustaining New Year!
Craving another dose of consumer insight? Read my style blog, TrendAgitator.com and watch for upcoming trend and branding seminars on the FBI events calendar. To learn more about tracking trends in your business, email me at
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- Debra Stevenson First Published 2/1/07 |
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