Fashionably Green

Think global, act local. It’s a concept we’ve been hearing for over a decade. Now, more than ever, we’re seeing a cooperative effort from many industries to support green living. The fashion industry is definitely no stranger to timing, and with visionaries like Fred Segal continuing to make a statement regarding ecofriendly practices in the industry, it’s about time people start catching on. Fred Segal would be happy to know that Hawai‘i has already caught on and is continuing to promote sustainability in the fashion industry. In April 2008, the island of Kaua‘i was the setting for the Hawaii Fashion Incubator’s first annual “Green Style on the Garden Isle,” a three-day awareness campaign promoting environmentally-friendly fashion, set during the same month as Earth Day. It didn’t necessarily start as a green event. Hawaii Fashion Incubator (HiFi) members, always at the forefront of promoting fashion as art and industry, actually envisioned the weekend as a mini-fashion week — similar to the event series held last October in Honolulu. “We were having so much fun together at the HiFi booth during the Fresh F.A.C.E of Nu‘uanu event, and talking up the mission of HiFi. Denise, who came from Kaua‘i for the weekend, suggested that we bring together the community on Kaua‘i. Just like that, it was decided. We found a date and started planning,” says HiFi co-founder Toby Portner. Denise is handbag designer Denise Tjarks, an extremely conscientious Kaua‘i artist who has focused her design business on having a reputation of sustainable style and reducing its carbon footprint. “I love paying tribute to the past with vintage fabrics,” she says. “I hoped to raise awareness of ecofriendly fashion and also showcase our amazing local design talent. It’s also a great time to introduce HiFi to the Kaua‘i fashion community.” Skip ahead six months. All the planning is about to pay off. It’s the opening night of “Green Style on the Garden Isle,” set as a fabulous weekend kick-off event at Flash & Matty Boy’s “Release” at the Point in Po‘ipu. A little more than 150 Kaua‘i partygoers were exposed to the Hawaii Fashion Incubator for the first time with footage of Honolulu’s 2007 Fashion Week, as well as four designer pieces in a mini fashion show — a preview of the weekend’s huge “Project Green” fashion show at Kukui Grove. Still reeling with pleasure over the concept of having something different and exciting to participate in on a Friday night, Kaua‘i residents were very receptive to what was going on. It also helped that the entertainment was better than ever, thanks to Honolulu’s DJ ESKAE and the debut of popular O‘ahu DJ Davey Shindig playing music. Opening night was a brilliant display of the local fashion community for the Kaua‘i nightlife set. Day two was a private affair for the more mature fashion enthusiasts of Kaua‘i that don’t necessarily stay up so late. A private reception and panel discussion was held for an invited guest list of local retailers, buyers, designers and fashion enthusiasts. The panel included prominent professionals from the local fashion and business community, including Laurens Laudowicz (Green Drinks, 100% Green), Ed Fernandez (Organik Clothing), Ane Bakutis (Kealopiko), and Dana Roberts (Malie Inc.). The interest and excitement in the room continued to grow with each speaker, and HiFi’s mission was definitely achieved that night. In addition to the panel discussion, Laurens Laudowicz hosted a special Green Drinks event later that evening, starring organic tequila. The sponsor, 4 Copas, kept guests lively well into the evening with delicious green margaritas. The final day was the largest, with an “Eco-nista” buyer’s market for participating designers and a “Project Green” fashion show at Kukui Grove Center in Lihue. Many designers were exposed to Kaua‘i’s retailers for the first time and even had orders placed on the spot. Labels like Organik Clothing, Martinique, Machinemachine, ZsusaB, and Herban Development gathered to show boutique owners that sustainable fashion is very close to home. “We are used to getting everything from elsewhere, and yet we can learn to create more of what we need right here,” says Portner. “I think that’s pretty eco-friendly — buying and supporting local products creates work here, doesn’t require shipping, and also demonstrates that we can make a lot of what we need on-Island.” The fashion show was a huge success thanks to University of Hawai‘i, School of Design graduate and HiFi member Katrina Bodnik. Displaying more than 15 participating O‘ahu and Kaua‘i designers paying homage to the green fashion movement through the use of sustainable materials, most of the models were recruited and prepped during the weekend and some that day. Throughout the show, each designer came out to introduce their lines and talk about how they support environmentally-friendly creating.“ As much as possible, I use fabric from bolt ends — the leftovers from bigger design houses. I work with someone who helps me find those ‘scraps’. If I can find good vintage, I use that,” says Portner. The exposure to their creations was phenomenal thanks, to the large public venue and many shoppers stopped to watch. As a member of HiFi, I was completely floored by this three-day event. The cooperation, the planning across two Islands and the amazing response by everyone who attended was so inspirational. It definitely tells me that there is a very eager desire for both fashion and green living to thrive in Hawai‘i. Says HiFi co-founder Melissa White, “It’s been great to see the fashion industry embrace green thinking in the past couple years and it’s becoming clear that it is not just a trend — green truly is the new black.” “I’m encouraged by our Kaua‘i weekend because as we invite more people to join the network we grow in numbers and in potential impact,” says Portner. “Our future plans include extending to the other Islands and supporting and promoting local designers and local business. Again, it’s a habit. The fashion industry can be an example for other industries — we can also eat food grown here, buy furniture built here, landscape our homes and businesses with native plants. “There was a time when ‘eco-friendly’ or environmental consciousness was a separate content area/topic. It seems that now, it’s just a part of how people are thinking in general, as applied to any topic or issue.” Eat your heart out, Fred Segal.

How To Get Involved:

What: The Hawaii Fashion Incubator. A non-profit organization dedicatedto advancing and sustaining fashion as art and industry in Hawaii. Who: Hifi’s network presently includes nearly 1,000 members of the localfashion community, from buyers & retailers to designers, media,photographers, models, event planners, makeup artists, educators,students, and fashion enthusiasts Where: www.hawaiifashion.org

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 1st, 2008 at 6:27 pm and is filed under Archives - Jul-Sep 2008. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.