Environmentally Friendly Fashion

By: Stephanie Jelenic-Deb

We all know how important it is to help protect our environment, but
have you ever considered applying this to your wardrobe? Well, now you
can. Environmentally friendly fashion is on the rise and now you can help
make a difference in the world while staying in style.

Did you know that growing enough cotton for one t-shirt requires 257
gallons of water? Also, bleaching and then dyeing the resulting fabric
creates toxins that flow into our ecosystem. Organic cotton is much more
environmentally friendly than the traditional variety as it uses no
pesticides, herbicides, or insecticides during the growing cycle. Organic
cotton is also hand picked (no machinery or defoliation), which means
less waste. So instead of buying cotton t-shirts try organic cotton or
recycled cotton t-shirts.

Another great way to go green with your wardrobe is to buy and sell used
clothes, it’s called – Recycled Clothing. There are many places across the
country that buy and sell gently used clothing and many of them include
designer brands.  So not only would you be helping the environment, but
you would also be getting great deals on clothes that look almost brand
new. Designers such as: Hollister, Express, Abercrombie & Fitch, and
sometimes even Louis Vuitton and Coach. Labels like these are almost
always found at used clothing stores. One of the most popular stores
seems to be Plato’s Closet, with its many locations throughout the
country. Check and see if there is one near you: http://www.platoscloset.
com/locations.html. If not just do a Google search on used or recycled
clothing stores in your area, you will be surprised by how many you will
find.

We also searched high and low for the best environmentally friendly
fashion, and here is what we have found:

Eco-Friendly Shoes:

These Nirvana flats sell for $49. They are 100% un-
bleached cotton twill tie, 100% un-bleached cotton
lining and insole. Water-based glue, and natural rubber
outsole. Roxy also has Eco-Friendly purses, jeans, and
hoodies – so be sure to check out all they have to offer
at: www.roxy.com

Eco-Friendly Denim:

                                   Here is a fantastic pair of AZ jeans that will be perfect
                                  for fall. These AZ recycled flare jeans sell for $29.99
                                  at JC Penney. These jeans are made from pre-
                                  consumed recycled denim, which helps reduce the
                                  waste that is sent to landfills. Check some other great
                                  Eco-Friendly fashion from JC Penney at: www.
                                  jcpenney.com


Eco-Friendly Tote Bags and Purses:

This Lulu Go Green Canvas Shopper Tote sells for
only $9.99 at Target, and there are wide selections
of other Eco-Friendly purses and totes on this cite.
Check them out at: www.target.com.

So next time you go shopping, remember to go green.
Help make a difference in our environment while
making an awesome fashion statement!