Cruelty-free clothes are in- it’s official. The very first
Russian Eco-Fashion Week was held in Moscow from 17th-22nd May 2013 after first
reaching Russian shores way back in 2004 following a similar event in Paris.
Edinburgh College of Art leader Marina Kokorina was so inspired by the event in
France that she decided to hold a show in Russia. Julia Polonskaya, the
sustainable Finance Program Coordinator with WWF Russia, believes Russia may be
one of the most promising markets for the development of green clothing brands:
“Foreign markets are starting to take an interest in Russian designers.”
Exploring Eco-Fashion
The event was held at Moscow State University’s Botanical
Apothecary Garden and blended fashion with green-tea sampling and
animal-cruelty free cuisine tasting. There were also practical skills
master-classes, ranging from beading and plaiting to sewing and visitors were
invited to take a look around the eco-friendly market on their travels.
Before the show took place, its organiser and spokesperson
Tatyana Kargina said, “We are seeking to ensure that we always have new
designers and collections.” She added, “As of now, we only work with Russian
designers, but we are planning to start inviting foreign designers in the
future, so we can learn from them. After all, Europe is 5–10 years ahead of us
in this area.” During the event, designers are split into five categories;
those made from environmentally-friendly materials, ethical clothing;
substitutes for designs that harm animals or plants (e.g. fur) and clothing
adhering to specific environmental requirements and standards.
Keeping Planet & Public Happy
Brand and designer stars of the mainstream catwalks such as
Stella McCartney and Gucci have highlighted the importance of
environmentally-friendly fashion given the lack of sustainable resources our
planet has available and Eco-Fashion Week highlights this dilemma. It is hoped
the event will become an annual occurrence and keep eco-friendly threads in the
public eye. In fact, the event organisers hope the event will create a Russian
community of eco-friendly designers creating trends that keep both the public
and the planet into account. They also hope the show will influence the
importance of environmental issues as well as popularize and promote
eco-friendly clothing brands.
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| Stella McCartney |
Eco-friendly labels are often stigmatised with an
association with huge price tags but the fact is, the deterioration of the
Earth cannot be avoided. In a similar way to fair-trade clothing, eco-friendly
fashion can help maintain and enhance our environment, so it is worth paying
the extra pennies if necessary. These types of clothing tend to be created from
sustainable and quality materials and are therefore more likely to last a lot
longer than the average high street piece.
Wearable & Durable
Those at the forefront of sustainable fashion include the
likes of Vika Gazinskaya, Liudmila Norsoyan and Oleg Biryukov who are paving
the way for more mainstream names to follow. Gazinskaya and Biryukov promote
cruelty-free, durable designs including faux fur coats. They also emphasise the
significance of organic and original materials both in fashion and in everyday
life. Norsoyan, however is a biochemist and utilises the Earth’s vast array of
natural resources; primarily from coal, copper and steal. Despite the fact that
this is a small scale production currently, the difference it could make in the
long run is astonishing. It has also already caught the eye of a number of
up-and-coming designers and brands such as LowFat.
Although the fashion market suffers from a lack of awareness
about its harm on the environment and what can be done to help the situation.
Events such as Eco-Fashion Week illustrate the obstacles tarnishing the
industry from becoming fair-trade and eco-friendly and display the
fashion-friendly minds be.
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