Eco-Fashion Getting Noticed during Berlin Fashion Week

Photo courtesy of People Tree.

If you’re in Berlin within the next few days and into eco-fashion, then you have the opportunity for some fun and education. Berlin Fashion Week is underway, and this year there’s a strong presence of eco-designers and brands focusing on high-end styles. THEKEY.TO - an international event for green fashion, sustainable lifestyles, and culture - will be at the Heeresbäckerei on Köpenickerstr in Berlin, with active events from tomorrow until Jan. 23.

“The sustainable philosophy of the event is reflected in the selection of brands, event furniture, fresh organic catering, and the tradeshow architecture,” said a statement by Gereon Pilz van der Grinten, one of the founders of THEKEY.TO.

Among the sustainable brands that will be featured at the event will be: Van Markoviec, Knowledge Cotton Apparel, Studio Jux, Milch, Itsus, Banuq, Komodo, and People Tree. The event will also feature new up-and-coming Berlin-based brands, including: Slowmo, Pamoyo, and Isabell de Hillerin.

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Retailers Seeing Growth in Consumer Purchasing of Organic Cotton Products

A United States cotton field. Photo courtesy of Cottonusa.com

LUBBOCK, Texas- Contrasting the continuing sales slumps in the traditional garment industry, the organic cotton side of the market is thriving. Global retail sales of organic apparel and home textile products reached an estimated $3.2 billion in 2008. This represents a 63 percent increase from the $1.9 billion market in 2007, according to the Organic Cotton Market Report 2007-2008.

The report just released by the Organic Exchange, a non-profit organization promoting the expansion of organic agriculture, with a specific focus on increasing the production and use of organically grown fibers such as cotton.

The top ten organic cotton-using brands and retailers globally were:

• Wal-Mart, Bentonville, Ark.
• C&A, Brussels, Belgium
• Nike, Beaverton, Ore.
• H&M, Stockholm, Sweden
• Zara, A Coruna, Spain
• Anvil, Knitwear, Inc., New York, N.Y.
• Coop Switzerland, Basel, Switzerland
• Pottery Barn, San Francisco, Calif.
• Greensource, Seattle, Wash.
• Hess Natur, Butzbach, Germany

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