You can't separate the clothes from the stores, from the environment.
What I really want to happen is for all companies to become eco - especially fast fashion companies.
Depending on the season, between 20 and 30 percent of my collections contain some sort of eco or sustainable element, whether it's a beautiful organic fabric or a natural dye. And obviously I don't use animal skins or fur of any kind.
My New Year's style resolution is to buy and wear more clothing that is handmade by artisans or eco-friendly.
If people want to change, they will. If they don't want to, it's hard to make them do so. The current interest in the environment is a good thing. The best way to make a contribution in fashion is to promote the idea that a fundamental interest in preserving the environment is itself fashionable.
Doing the eco-accessory thing doesn't have to mean giving up designer labels. In fact, quite the opposite.
I want to try and wear as many Australian designers as I can because I'd like to support my Australian colleagues in the industry as well as find things that are eco-friendly. I love the green concept of wearing more sustainable garments at events.
Some fast fashion companies do amazing environmentally friendly capsule collections, but wouldn't it be great if one of these companies just turned around and said everything they produced was?
Most of the designers are eco-friendly, even by default, through their use of up-cycled materials and organic fabrics, and by producing in small quantities. Ultimately, the design has to be great - no one will buy it if it looks like a hemp sack!
I feel it is urgently necessary to train people who are capable of tackling the various problems we face today in regards to environmental turmoil and the relevancy of clothing.
I bargain-shop all the time, but then I started learning about how those products are made and about how if you spend a little bit more money on ethical clothing that are using recycled materials - like, my favorite dresses are by Christy Dawn... the carbon footprint that they're leaving is so minimal, and it's really worth the extra money.
I think some people still don't really know what ethical fashion is.
Fashion is a logical place to start to raise awareness for sustainable causes.
We're all aware of the huge plastic crisis and the effect it's having on our planet. Fashion has a key role in that, but also there are ways we can deal with it. Stella McCartney is someone to look up to in that sense, she makes the bigger point in her collection that you can be sustainable and stylish.
I think there is some resistance when people talk about ethical fashion, and a tendency to panic that if you're bringing a moral agenda and highlighting the origins of the garments, you can't incorporate style. But there's no reason why style and conscience can't co-exist.
I guess the big thing is that I don't buy anything first-hand. It's a personal policy I have for all sorts of reasons. If you research to the textile industry yourself, you'll know why. I came to it personally.
Ethical fashion is the future of fashion. Gucci's decision to ban fur is a smart step in the right direction - for the environment, for animal rights, and for its massive base of young brand fans who will soon represent the largest consumer base in history.
The fashion business has to change. There's too much waste.
The greenest thing you could do in fashion, is to buy something great that you’re going to use for years
Just because you want to wear organic cotton doesn't mean you have to spend an arm and a leg.
