ETHICAL DRESSES - BECOMING AS TASTY AS THE MODELS WEARING THEM

A research project conducted a long time ago showed conclusively that the history of mankind has never supported for long any industry based on converting edible foodstuff into a raw material for production, no matter how valuable the product or products may be unless the end result is food that can also be consumed safely. So, it must really take a highly ethical mind to go contrary to this natural historical trend and still eke out a living.

Apparently, such environmental minds can still be found in abundance, well represented at the catwalk of last weekend’s three-year old Ethical Fashion Show in Paris, France; by a pastry chef in Uzhhorod, Ukraine (near the border with Slovakia) during his own wedding; and some individuals, small companies, and even multinationals elsewhere.

Elsewhere, they can be found as far-flung as southern China; the northwestern region of Brittany, France; the Philippines; California (San Francisco and Los Angeles); Colombia; Torgo in Mongolia; India; among the aborigines in central Australia; Bolivia; Peru; London; Blaine, Minnesota; Ghana; New York State’s Cornell University; and, the list of new locations just keeps growing.

Useful links are: www.bsr.org, www.socialfunds.com-news-release.cgisfArticleId=3303, www.CSRwire.com, www.gracetrance.com, www.store.pacifieronline.com/globalmamas.html, www.dexigner.com, www.dow.com, www.aveda.com/, www.aveda.co.uk/, www.us.redoute.com/, www.redoute.co.uk/, www.laredoute.fr/, www.tabeisa.com/, www.tabeisa.com/html, www.globalmamas.com/, www.S4trends.com, www.novica.com/artistdetail/index.cfm?faid=4632, www.deborahlindquist.com/, and www.hotterthanhollywood.com/information/about_us.htm.

Matt Hagengruber, an AP writer, reported last week that the 28-year old Ukrainian baker, Valentyn Shtefano, took two months to create his wife’s lip-smacking wedding dress from 1,500 cream puffs – yes, from flour, eggs, sugar, food coloring, and caramel! The bride had been a bit embarrassed initially but she became reluctant to take off the dress after the wedding following the great interest shown by the press and other interviewers.

The range of edible dressmaking materials, usually of plant origin, is very wide indeed. According to Brett Kline of the AFP, “Some of the tastiest fruit and veg is no longer just for eating -- the ethical fashion industry has decided it has a place in your wardrobe too.” Sweet potatoes and pineapples are predominant in this category. Less edible stock include cotton, hemp, bamboo, and silk. Bamboo is the current focus because it is found in abundance in India and China and the resultant fabric has a better drape over the human body than cotton. A novel introduction is fish-scale jewelry and light leather jackets from Colombia’s John Estrada in Medellin.

What is the secret to their success? Top on the list is the growing interest being shown in the practical benefits side of the techniques and processes. The major corporate giants, who are gradually getting in on the act from the marketing and investment funding aspects of the ethical fashion industry business, aim to create a mass market for the delectable dresses. Just as for the health food business in America, ethical clothing may go mainstream soon.

This potential outcome is underscored by the fact that the ethical fashion and fair trade philosophies are based on two compassionate pillars. The first foundation emphasizes the use of renewable and sustainable organic materials like silk, cotton, hemp, and bamboo from developing countries in order to raise standards of living over there. The second part of the policy involves the institutionalization of practices that are non-exploitative of women generally and that are labor-friendly to social structures, especially in the third world countries. Fair trade products like organic cotton T-shirts can cost anywhere from 9 to 25 euros in France.

Secondly, some of the textile industry giants have developed a mentor system or program with a view to sustaining the process. For example, Dow Fiber Solutions runs the “Rising Star” program for five of the most talented designers selected through a procedure that involves the participation of industry leaders. The ultimate intention of the program is the expansion of the horizons of these designers with great potential. Christian Tournafol’s outfit, Les Racines du Ciel (“the durable garment”), is one of the current stars chosen for this exciting program. See the DOW link above for more information on this.

It seems that the dye obtained from various common foodstuffs imbue a special advantageous effect on silk, for example, making it water repellent and more absorptive of perspiration at the same time; the dye from a Japanese fruit called kakishibu produces colors ranging from pink to brown and is actually the fermented tannin juice from an unripe persimmon. The relevant links for the latter are: www.shokuninn.com/english/bandana-hanbai.html, www.mayumikuki.com/kakishibu/, www.hiromipaper.com/store/product.php?productid=16765&cat=273&bestseller, www.yarndex.com/yarn.cfm?yarn_id=2406, and www.kakishibu-club.com/english/index.html.

In another process, softened pineapple leaves are stripped of their fiber to make pina cloth / fabric using an old Philippines technique. Grace Trance Designs in San Francisco uses this technique, adapted from a process for producing barong shirts, to produce haute couture yellow skirts from pineapple leaves. So, don’t worry too much about not finding enough pineapples for your dining table. See www.barongsrus.com/barong_tagalog.html, www.mybarong.com/, www.tattoomonster.com/nhnf%20tshirts/Barongshirt.html, www.one-world-is-enough.net/acatalog/One_World_is_Enough__Menswear_, www.filipinolinks.com/Entertainment/Fashion/Barong_Tagalog/index.html, and www.yokwe.net/index.php?module=pnForum&func=viewtopic&topic=1460&start=0