Be a green fashionista

Thanks to sustainable fabrics like bamboo and pre-loved vintage treasures, fashion is having an absolutely fabulous green makeover. Pamela Allardice browses online boutiques that marry style with eco-savvy.

Fab frocks Ultra-feminine design meets comfort in the soft bamboo knit wrap dresses from Bamboo Boutique (www.bambooboutique.com.au), with an honourable mention to the uber-cool Enamore collection of organic cotton and hemp shifts, printed in retro-inspired designs using low-impact vegetable inks (www.ecogirl.com.au). Other standouts are the eclectic Gladragz (www.gladragz.com.au), which uses recycled fabrics to make cheeky micro-minis and zip-dresses; the flirty Hussy silk-bamboo slips from Frockaholics (www.frockaholics.com.au), which look great layered over leggings; and the understated yet elegant Purepod hemp-soy cross linen tunics at Mooble (www.mooble.com.au).
Green jeans Unfortunately, cotton is one of the world’s most heavily pesticide-sprayed crops, but several new brands of jeans use all or part organic cotton instead. For those brave enough to work skinny jeans, try Nudie (www.mycatwalk.com.au); Bono’s wife, Ali Hewson has launched Edun, a jeans label that provides sustainable employment in poverty-stricken communities and supports fair trade (www.edunonline.com); Loomstate (www.tobi.com) is a rising star on the eco-fashion scene, with their relaxed-cut, casual yet flattering jeans proving why.
Hats on Designer Jo-Anne Rolfe creates delightful straw hats, squishy berets and fanciful cocktail headpieces from vintage fabrics and hand-fashioned flowers (www.vintagedesigns.com.au). Fair-trade site Taraluna (www.taraluna.com.au) has a selection of cute cloche hats in eye-popping colours; they’re made from recycled silk sari scraps which would otherwise be discarded.
Easy tops and Ts EnviroMental’s well-priced 100% organic cotton t-shirts feature quirky captions and come in a wide variety of colours (www.enviromental.com.au); bamboo tops and tees from Bamboo Body (www.bamboobody.com.au) are luxuriously soft and incredibly long-wearing. Global Conduct (www.globalconduct.com.au) sells delicately scalloped fair-trade crocheted tops, just perfect for a cool evening; high-end organic cotton lingerie, and camis from Misoh (www.misoh.com.au) ensure you’re sustainably clad from head to toe; while the lightweight renewable merino microfibre used to make Icebreaker hoodies (www.mooble.com.au) makes them perfect for travel.
Artful accessories A green fashionista’s dream, Hemptydoo (www.hemptydoo.com) carries hundreds of eco-chic treasures, like hand-knitted recycled denim shawls, hemp wool scarves and funky hemp beanies. Byron Bay-based Bird Design (www.todae.com.au) uses water-based dyes to make buttons which can add sustainable style to any garment; the New Internationalist site (www.newint.com.au) stocks a large and lovely range of fair-trade handwoven scarves and pashminas.
Bags and shoes Kara’s Smith’s handmade, one-of-a-kind bags are made from bright and beautiful recycled fabrics and come with all sorts of cool details, like recycled buckles and buttons (www.karasmith.com.au); Bellingen-based Teresa Cowley (www.teresacowley.com.au) designs purses from exquisite vintage materials, with gorgeous accents like velvet flowers, brooches and ribbons. Earth shoes (www.gaiam.com.au) are made from vegan-friendly micro-fibre and feature a shock-absorbing sole and negative heel technology that keeps feet stable – a must for anyone who’s on their feet all day. And if peep toes and stiletto heels are more your style, there’s no shortage of innovative and adorable designs at Vegetarian Shoes and Bags (www.vegetarianshoesandbags.com).YOUR SAY: Do you consider ‘greener’ fashion alternatives when buying clothes or accessories? Tell us your thoughts.