CHICAGO GOES ECO-CHIC

FEBRUARY 24, 2010

http://www.stitchfashion.com/blog/?p=4866&cpage=1#comment-615

Kristin Hassan grew up in a family that always liked to make their own things. Her mother and grandmother made their own dresses and curtains.

Hassan felt drawn to the area of design. “It was inevitable that I would get sucked to a sewing machine at some point in my life,” Hassan said.

Hassan attended to the Illinois Art Institute and was one of the original six designers in the Chicago Fashion Incubator

, a program that that aids local fashion designers with resources and mentors so they can succeed in the city.

Hassan has seen a lot of success in her career thus far, but as much as she cares about her progress, she cares just as much about the progress of the Earth. Hassan creates what she calls “Earth-positive” designs. “I thought that if I was going to do a clothing line, I was going to do it as green as possible,” she said. “Our fabrics are organic, we don’t ship anything overseas…It’s kind of a business wide concept.”

Hassan’s company organiK Revolution is not the only clothing brand in Chicago that is looking to be more eco-friendly. More and more companies in the area are incorporating green friendly ways in reducing fashion waste. According to Organic Essentials, conventionally grown cotton production uses 25% of the world’s consumption of insecticides and uses large amounts of water for irrigation; whereas organic cotton is grown using more natural methods, crop rotation and insects that eat other insects, to ensure the stability of crops. However, Chicago businesses are concerned about more than just the fabrics.

“We do sweat shop free, fair wage labor locally,” says Melissa Baswell, designer and President of Mountains of the Moon. “Supporting and producing locally, you are not creating carbon emissions through shipping and you are supporting a local economy.”Mountains of the Moon, like many eco-friendly clothing companies, uses recycled paper and cardboard for hang tags. They have tried to maintain environmentally healthy business. Topper Hull of Eightfold Development, which owns Skinstinct, a boutique focusing on body friendly products, said that being eco-friendly can sometimes be difficult. As a store owner it takes a lot of leg work and research to certify merchandise is environmentally friendly. “It’s a real challenge,” Hull said, “and that’s the reason we aren’t 100% in our organic clothing offering and we have made a decision that probably in 2010 we will be moving less organic because of the economy.”

Hull said that one of the prides of the company is that they have tried to make organic clothing more affordable. Price and availability have been problems for man

y designers, but all three companies see it as an opportunity for more creativity. “It keeps things fresh, because it creates challenges for us,” said Baswell. “What can we do with this? How can we take these fabrics and challenge ourselves to make something that goes beyond stereotypical eco-fashion.”

The city of Chicago has also played a significant role in these clothing companies success. The city has a long way to go, but it’s one of the greenest cities in the Midwest.

Baswell, Hassan and Hull praised Chicago for the way its residents have welcomed the eco-clothing movement. “I think they are embracing the initiative that myself and some other green designers have put forth,” said Hassan. “For the consumers, especially the one’s I’m targeting, the younger generation, I think there is a slow turnaround for them to catch on to it.”The companies are looking toward the future, especially for the fashion industry. Hassan and Baswell both said that the fashion industry is notoriously wasteful, and they think it is time for the world of fashion to go green.

“You got to treat the world the way you want it to be for your kids,” said Hassan. “Everything from construction, housing, to the cleaning products you use in your house, everyone else is making the effort to go green. I don’t think the fashion industry should be an exception.”

-Chris Garcia

P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail