Survey Says...

With all the buzz lately about eco-fashion, we decided to take to the streets and find out what our fellow students at Rowan University think about the new craze. We asked 100 students about their thoughts on eco-fashion; their likes, dislikes, and if they're on the sustainable fashion bandwagon.

When asked if they knew what eco-fashion was, 58 students answered yes straight off, which slightly surprised us. Organic clothing and natural cotton are things that most people have heard about by now, but we were taken aback at just how much press and exposure the term eco-fashion itself has gotten in the last year or so. To the same question, 22 people answered no, and the other 20 had only a vague idea after the term was explained.

Sophomore Casey Marguccio was very excited when we asked her if she was an eco-enthusiast.

CM: I think eco-fashion is great! I only learned the technical term a few months back actually, but I did my freshman year of college in Texas, and a lot of the people there were really into organic and...oh, what is that word--

Fashion Advivum [FA]: Sustainable fashion?

CM: Yes! sustainable fashion. It's hard to find in stores, especially when you're not in a big city, but I've done some shopping online and I really like the products.

FA: What do you like most about the clothing?

CM: Well, of course I like that it's better for the environment. I think little things like recycling and buying clothing like this are realistic things that young people can do to make a difference. But really, even if it wasn't, I would still be buying. The fabrics are so nice! I got a shirt, it was made from bamboo I think? Oh man, it is so comfortable! It's like the softest jersey you ever felt, but better.

FA: So it's safe to say you'll continue buying eco-friendly clothing in the future?

CM: Definitely! I mean, as much as I can, being a college student and therefor poor. That's the one downfall, that a lot of the clothes tend to be a bit pricey. It's not really possible for me to buy ALL my stuff from eco-fashion places, but I try to as much as I can.

For Casey as well as many of the students we surveyed, price was a definite issue with eco-fashion. 41 of the students surveyed said that price was one of the main things that kept them from buying "green" (the eco-friendly sense of the word). 7 students also said that availability was an issue as well.

Junior Felicia Khublall says that availability is the main reason she hasn't purchased organic or sustainable clothing yet.

FK: I'm a bio major, so things having to do with the environment are important to me. I would really like to start buying "green" clothing! But when was the last time you saw a store selling stuff like that in the Deptford or Cherry Hill mall? I'm not really an online shopper, I really hate doing it actually, so for me, the lack of stores is what's keeping me back. I guess I'll have to make do with recycling for now.

FA: So if there were more stores that sold organic or sustainable clothing, you wouldn't mind spending a bit more money for clothing made of organic cotton or bamboo?

FK: Not really. I have a job here at school and stuff, so I'm not too strapped for cash, so I wouldn't mind spending a little extra money. I obviously wouldn't be going on shopping sprees, but when the clothes are so cute, it's not that big of a deal.

To those who don't really know much about eco-fashion, what the clothing actually looks like maybe one of the most surprising parts. Of the 42 people that didn't know what eco-fashion was or that had only a vague idea, 27 of them said that they pictured the stereotypical hippie clothing.

Sophomore Rob Nolte was one of those people.

RN: Yea, I really had no idea what this eco-fashion thing was. I guess it's because I'm a guy, I don't really pay attention to fashion or clothes, I just grab whatever looks good, and half the time my girlfriend dresses me [laughs]. When I read the first question [if the reader knew what eco-fashion was] the first thing I pictured a hippie smoking a bong in a striped hemp hoodie.

FA: But now that you know what eco-fashion is, and how much better it is for the environment, would you be more inclined to buy if the opportunity arose?

RN: Yea, I think I would...we all need to do our part, right? However small it is? Maybe Rowan could hop on that. They're all about being "green" lately aren't they. Maybe they could make all the Rowan clothes they sell in the bookstore eco-friendly or whatever you call it.

Luckily for us, Rob was one of the first people we surveyed, so we added that as a question on our survey. Of 93 students asked, 84 said yes, they would still be willing to buy Rowan apparel, even if the prices went up, if the clothing was eco-friendly. The other 9 said no, Rowan apparel was expensive enough.

Of 100 people, only 24 said that they owned or had previously bought some sort of sustainable clothing. But the last question of our survey asked whether he or she would be more inclined to buy "green" now that they were a bit more informed on the subject. Our question was met with an overwhelming yes! 89 students, both male and female, said that they would most likely buy some sort of sustainable clothing in the future. 7 said they would if the clothing was not so expensive. Only 4 said that they had no interest in buying eco-friendly clothing. We hope that we've inspired these students to do another small part in helping the environment, just by getting dressed in the morning. And maybe we can even inspired Donald Farish to get Rowan on the eco-fashion bandwagon!

You're Out! Or are you?

Rumor has it that Nina Garcia, former fashion director of Elle magazine and Project Runway judge, just maybe be sashaying her way over to fashion giant Harper's Bazaar. Nina was recently told she was "out" by Elle because her commitments for Project Runway kept her out of the office more than she was in. Will Nina be kept on for the upcoming seasons of PR (now on Lifetime rather than Bravo)? Harper's Bazaar would be getting a lot of press if Garcia did join the team. Perhaps the new winners will be getting a spread in the glossy rather than in Elle? We'll see!

Catwalk Queen

Forbes.com's 2007 list of The Top Earning Models in the World has named 27 year-old Gisele Bundchen the highest-earning model, making 33 million dollars in the last year alone. She may have ended her high profile contract as a Victoria's Secret model in 2007, but that didn't stop her. Bundchen has at least 20 other modeling contracts and has appeared in ads for various clients, including Disney, Nivea, and Aquascutum.

Bundchen's earnings last year were more than double the second ranking model on the list, Project Runway's Heidi Klum. Klum, 34, earned a respectable 14 million last year. The third model on the list, Kate Moss, earned 7.5 million through modeling contracts and the success of her fashion line.

They acutally get work!

Who would have thought, some of the girls of America's Next Top Model actually do get work! Check out the first picture in the "Eco-splosion" article below...it's Renee Alway of cycle 8 on the runway for eco-designer Linda Loudermilk! And although we couldn't find a picture, according to Ecofabulous.blogs.com, Samantha Francis, also of cycle 8, was on the runway for Laura Miller during 2007's FutureFashion NYC show. Good for you, girls!

Speaking of America's Next Top Model, Lauren, the awkward-yet-beautiful girl with the horrendous walk was finally eliminated after two weeks of bad photos. Still in the running: Anya, Fatima, Whitney, Katarzyna, and Dominique.

Eco-splosion!

With some trends and designs being as crazy and out there as they are, fashion has always been a matter of taste; to each his own really. But if there’s one new fashion trend (more like movement, really) that everyone can appreciate, it’s the arrival of eco-fashion on the scene.

Eco-fashion, or clothes “that take into account the environment, the health of consumers and the working conditions of people in the fashion industry” (Sustainable Technology Education Program), has flourished in the fashion world in the last few years. Eco-fashions don't involve the use of harmful chemicals and bleaches to color fabrics—and are made by people earning fair wages in healthy working conditions. Designers are turning to new exotic fabrics like Sasawashi, which is a fiber blend of Japanese paper, herbs, vitamins and amino acids said to have anti-allergen and anti-bacterial properties that purify the blood and human skin; Lenpur, which is made from wood pulp; soya, which is made from soybeans; bamboo jersey, which is anti-bacterial and deodorizing as well as highly eco-sustainable, as bamboo grows up to one a foot a day; and Eco-Spun, which is made from recycled soda bottles and when blended with organic cotton has the texture of sheepskin, as well as your basic organic cotton.

Companies like American Apparel and yoga gear retailer prAna are also using cotton that is grown and sew in the California area in order to avoid burning fossil fuels transporting the materials across the globe. Bamboo seems to be the fabric of the moment as it’s soft the touch and oh-so comfortable to wear. Designers have been using it for everything from denim to lingerie, much to the delight of eco-buyers.

In light of the recent eco-friendly explosion, environmentally conscious designs have shed their reputation of looking like burlap sacks and were transformed into stylish, chic and fashionable clothes. Whereas in previous years, “organic clothing” gave the mental image of a hippie in a striped hemp hoodie, these days high-end designers from all around the world are jumping on the eco-bandwagon and making stylish clothing while still using eco-friendly materials. Big names like Stella McCartney, Heatherette, Linda Loudermilk, and Proenza Schouler have all shown in one of the many eco-fashion shows of 2007-2008.

“People often perceive the fashion world as superficial, so it’s great to work with materials that are actually good for the environment. I had my doubts, but when we actually saw the fabric swatches we were blown away. They were gorgeous, and it wasn't hard to design with them,” says designer Richie Rich of Heatherette.

Eco-fashion is rising so fast that in time, it will be pretty hard not to join the movement and start buying eco-friendly and organic clothing. The one downside at the moment? The clothes do tend to be a bit on the pricey side. We hope that as the market gets bigger, there will be more moderately priced clothing available for those who want to do their part in helping our the environment.

Bells are ringing

'Tis the season, and we don't mean Christmas. It's wedding season people, and designers wowed crowds with beautiful collections of wedding gowns during Bridal Fashion Week last week. Oscar de la Renta, Badgley Mischka, JLM Couture, and Vera Wang were just a few of the names who's pieces glided down the runway.


Pictured here is a beautiful gown by the label Platinum.

TV Update

This week on America's Next Top Model, a tense bottom two has some fans wondering if the eliminations was really fair. Fatima, the refugee from Somalia, waited until the girls were told they were going out of the country to get her travel papers, therefore missing that day's photoshoot. But when she and Stacy-Ann found themselves in the bottom two, Fatima got to stay despite the missing photoshoot because her pictures were consistently better. Still in the running: Anya, Katarzyna, Dominique, Whitney, Fatima, and Lauren.

In other TV news, there's been a lot of talk recently about the Lifetime Network's aquisition of Project Runway, and how unhappy Bravo is about it. The part we're REALLY interested in is Bravo saying they were casting the new season and planning to release new episodes in the summer. What happened to Fashion Week, Bryant Park, February??