Downy Beyond the Fabric: Starring Eco-Fashion Designer Zaida Balmaseda

When I was a student at the Fashion Institute of Technology a few years back I was lucky to meet so many talented and ambitious people. One of those people was fashion design student Zaida Balmaseda. Zaida is now an Eco friendly fashion designer concentrating on intricate knits with delicate details. She just started her own company called BALMASEDA and partnered with Downy for an insiders look at the makings of her new collection.  

Watch as she begins her fashion line BALMASEDA in this episode of BEYOND THE FABRIC.

Melissa Joy Manning Fall 2012: Sustainable Luxury Jewelry

I had a chance to preview the Melissa Joy Manning Fall 2012 collection at the CIRCA Accessories Salon during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. It was interesting to learn how much nature inspired her work and how the collection is based on sustainability for the luxury industry. My personal favorite were the below red colored earrings. The material used looks so decadent and rich

About: Melissa Joy Manning jewelry is hand made in her Berkeley, California studio. Her work is eclectic and modern. Using recycled gold, silver, semi-precious and precious stones and found objects, her line blends traditional and modern jewelry by utilizing unconventional materials to create neoteric pieces. By creating unusual, limited edition pieces she hopes her jewelry transcends stylistic trends. Melissa relies heavily on our natural environment for inspiration. Her work has been featured in numerous fashion magazines, feature films and television shows.

“I believe that when the luxury industry leads by sustainable example we’ll create a trend that the rest of the industry will follow.”—Melissa Joy Manning

Check out Melissa Joy Manning's:

• Website
• Facebook
• Twitter

The GreenShows Fall 2012 Collections: Fashionable Eco-Friendly Fashion

The Fall 2012 GreenShows at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week featured ethically sustainable fashion from eight fashion designers in conjunction with a jewelry and accessories display.

Featured designers included:

• United Bamboo
• Bamboo by United Bamboo
• H. Fredriksson
• Study NY
• The Battalion
• Luis Valenzuela
• Ajna
• Artists & Revolutionaries

Looks ranged from hand knit sweaters to dresses and separates. Prominent materials included organic wool and cotton.

I was actually first introduced to sustainable fashion from my friend, former FIT classmate and eco-friendly fashion designer Zaida Adriana Goveo Balmaseda. She was recently featured in the Green Fashion Show competition in Amsterdam Fashion Week a few weeks ago. 

So what is sustainable/eco-friendly fashion?

A few of the major rules of sustainable fashion state that fair/ethical trade must be enforced where the production of the garments are made in a legal and safe environment as well as produced locally. Garments are also made to order to avoid over-production. 

Organic/natural textiles and materials are used which may include fabric from natural sources like bamboo, seaweed, corn milk-fiber, hemp, nettle, wool, peace silk, soy silk, wood, rubber, cork, cupro and exotic sustaining plants. If the fabric is dyed then it must be from dyes made from a natural class of colorants extracted from vegetables. Finally the major component is it must be animal/cruelty free.  
Personally, I think eco-friendly fashion needs to be more accepted in mainstream fashion. The one thing that I would never wear is real fur. I’m all about rocking fabulous faux furs and I think more people need to realize that you can still look good and be eco-friendly.

For more information about the GreenShows and sustainable fashion visit www.thegreenshows.com.