Photo: Kiaana Whachell for TheBahamasWeekly.com

Vancouver, BC, Canada – Eco Fashion Week tells us that fashion is contributing to global warming. "Each year, the billion dollar industry results in over 90 million items of clothing in landfill sites globally. North Americans alone throw away more than 68 pounds of clothing and textiles per person, per year. 2,700 litres of water are required to produce just one cotton t-shirt. The use of synthetic fibres in clothing requires more carbon dioxide during processing than natural fibres, and therefore speeds up the process of Global Warming. In 2008, Canadians spent over $30 billion dollars on apparel, including footwear and accessories, for men, women and children. Currently, just a small fraction of that amount is spent on organic and sustainable, natural fibres."

These are some of the facts that moved Myriam Laroche to found  ECO Fashion Week (EFW) in 2009. Based in Vancouver, Canada’s greenest city, Laroche developed this movement to bring positive change to the fashion industry through education for industry insiders and consumers via an on-going platform. EFW is held twice a year and showcases a runway event featuring some of the world’s most progressive eco-fashion designers. Laroche states:  “Instead of ‘eco’ I want to bring in the words ‘conscious’ and ‘responsible’. Responsible fashion is about the treatment of people and the earth during the entire garment-making process. There's so much fabric waste, and damage from the chemicals used in textile manufacturing.”

This year EFW partnered with Value Village, a leader and pioneer in the retail thrift industry. A Vintage Show styled by Sarah La Greca, Deanna Palkowski and Myriam Laroche featured used clothing was seen on opening night, and  a “Donation Centre”, benefitting Value Village’s non-profit partners in Vancouver. During EFW, large bins were strategically placed around the venue for attendees to donate their pre-loved clothing. Value Village, founded in 1954 has 140 non-profit partners across Canada, the US and Australia. Over the past ten years, Value Village has donated $1.5 billon to these non-profits, helping to support their vital programs and services. Everyone is encouraged to drop off unwanted clothing in these donation bins to prevent the increase of landfill piles.

Aside from industry seminars the event featured the Eco-designs of the following designers: 

Indigenous  - Kreati-ka  - Arm Candy - La Isla & Mala Imports - SVENSK - Standing Armed - Adhesif - fiveleft - LRMA - Jeff Garner's Prophetik

Partners: Tourism Vancouver, Tourism BC, City of Vancouver, Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association (DVBIA), Vancouver Observer, Fairmont Waterfront Hotel, Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, Sandman Suites on Davie.

Sponsors: Value Village, La Biosthetique Paris, Showtime Event and Display, Tickets Tonight, LizBell Agency, Richard’s International Model Management, NEXT Models, MATTMAY, The Kirk Group, NUMA Models, Greener Print Solutions.

www.ecofashion-week.com