2008 as a breakthrough year for hemp fashion, EnviroTextiles

12 Feb '08

2 min read

Before the official opening of New York Fashion Week, on the evening of January 31 in the elegant sophistication of New York's Gotham Hall, two dozen internationally-recognized designers displayed their latest creations to a waiting high-powered audience at the Earth Pledge eco-fashion show FutureFashion.

With fabric supplied by Hemp Industries Association (HIA) member EnviroTextiles, designers like Donatella Versace, Behnaz Sarafpour, Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan International, Isabel Toledo and Doo.Ri wove their magic with everything from hemp/organic cotton jersey knits to hemp/silk charmeuse.

Hemp, long known as a sustainable, practical fabric to the eco-set, has found a new home with top couture designers - and they are taking hemp clothing from enviro-niche to the glamour and bright lights of the runway.

"We see 2008 as a breakthrough year for hemp fashion, thanks to more than a decade of work by members of the HIA," says Summer Star Haeske, Sales Manager for EnviroTextiles, LLC. "Hemp/silk shiny charmeuse, one of my favorite fabrics, has been the hit for top couture designers," adds Haeske.

Calvin Klein and Donatella Versace used hemp fabrics in some of their designs at the show as well. The FutureFashion collection will be on display from February 1 - 21 in the windows of Barneys New York at their flagship store on Madison Avenue and 61st Street.

FutureFashion is an eco-conscious fashion event started in 2005 by Earth Pledge,a non-profit organization which promotes sustainable development and originated as a United Nations committee. The Earth Pledge event was sponsored by Barneys New York, Pure & Natural and Lexus Hybrid Living.

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