Sunday 19 September 2010

Eco-Chic

Eco-chic received the royal seal of approval on the opening day of London Fashion Week , with the first-ever Sustainable Fashion Show staged in a tent erected in the grounds of Prince Charles's London home, Clarence House.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson; Lola Young, Baroness of Hornsey; the actor, Colin Firth's wife, Livia, who runs an eco boutique in West London; Laura Bailey; the Earl and Countess of St Germans; Sir Tom Shebbeare, the director of the Prince's Charities; and Jo Wood, were among the front-row guests.
The catwalk event was staged as part of START, one of Prince Charles's new sustainable living initiatives, which is taking place at a "garden party" and trade exhibit, where everything from eco-friendly paint and coffins made from sheep's wool are on show.

START, open to the public, concludes this Sunday. At the fashion show, a pounding rock-track, probably audible from Buckingham Palace, resounded as models took to the stage in sustainable clothes made from army surplus uniforms, recycled knitwear, and customised thrift shop and vintage finds.

Planet-friendly designer labels on the catwalk included Stella McCartney, People Tree, Vivienne Westwood, From Somewhere, Junky Styling, Noki by the Scots designer J.J. Hudson, and Christopher Raeburn, whose designs are made in an East London studio from discarded Finnish and American services uniforms.

"This fashion show proves that eco-fashion and sustainable-chic, which are often associated only with macrobiotic yogurt, hemp shirts and raffia work, can be funny, elegant and commercial," Boris Johnson said.

London Fashion Week, the flagship of a style economy valued at more than £21 billion, and headquartered at Somerset House features the catwalk collections of more than 100 designers.