Six renowned designers and the fashion industry are calling for a more environmentally friendly fashion world that advocates glamour as well as ethical consumption.
The designers - Barney Cheng, Ranee K, Johanna Ho, Fiona Kotur, Kanchan Panjabi and Linda Loudermilk - have designed clothing items and accessories using vintage, recycled or unwanted materials. The clothes were previewed yesterday in North Point, with the designers hoping to raise the public's awareness.
'The fashion industry is inherently eco-unfriendly, as it encourages consumption through changes in trends,' said Ho, who used three luxury vintage dresses to create a reconstructed jumpsuit.
'But due to the sheer size of the industry in terms of the money and the people employed, even a small improvement can have a big impact on the world.'
Other than Ho, all the other designers tested their skills using previously unwanted materials. Cheng's works included cuff links made from broken computer keyboards; Panjabi turned unwanted denim collected from a textile factory in the New Territories into an evening dress; Loudermilk adopted textiles made of materials such as cotton-based sasawashi, bamboo and soya; and Kotur managed to turn the ballroom table coverings from the now-defunct Ritz Carlton Hotel into tote bags.
Project initiator Eco Chic Fashions founder Christina Dean hopes the event will make consumers understand the problem created by shopping too much.
